Richard Arnold: US correspondent on Blake Lively lawsuit, US Navy plane shot down over Red Sea, Lara Trump withdraws from consideration to replace Rubio

Hollywood is abuzz over a lawsuit brought by actress Blake Lively against her co-star and director Justin Baldoni. 

Lively claims in a lengthy filing that on the set of their film It Ends With Us, Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment and then tried to smear her after she raised concerns about his behaviour. 

US correspondent Richard Arnold tells Tim Beveridge the complaints were graphic in nature and Baldoni’s representative has called the actress’s claims “categorically false”. 

 

Meanwhile, a US navy plane has been shot down over the Red Sea, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels. 

Both pilots were recovered alive, with one sustaining minor injuries. 

 

And, Lara Trump has withdrawn from consideration to replace Marco Rubio in the US Senate. Arnold says it’s not clear what has gone into her decision and it will be Florida Governor Ron de Santos who names Rubio’s interim replacement. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Richard Arnold joins us kido, Richard, how are you going?

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Good, good morning too.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
The Blake Lively dramas looking well. The language is pretty intense,
isn't it.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
It's a bit messy, isn't it. Yeah. Hollywood a buzz
over this lawsuit by the actress against her co star
and director Justin Baldoni on the set of their movie
It Ends with Us. She claims in a lengthy filing
that Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment and then tried to
smear her after she raised concerns about his behavior. Her
complaints led to a meeting non set in January. This

(00:45):
was which included the film's bankers and Blake live Lively's husband,
Ryan Reynolds, and there were yes graphic complaints. She charged
the director would show her nude videos and pictures and
would talk about his sexual exploit She alleges that Baldoni
would improvise improvise intimate scenes during the filming things that
had not been agreed to or rehearsed, including numerous kisses

(01:07):
in one scene, apparently the director insisted on doing over
and over and over again without consent or advanced notice.
This film is about a romantic relationship. The turns abusive
here as a clip.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
I I see you again. You know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Well. Baldoney's representative calls the actresses claims quote categorically false
and says they are quote outrageous and intentionally salacious end quote.
There was also a series of text messages, including one
where the director's publishers said that Baldoni quote wants to
feel like miss Lively can be buried. Meantime, the actress says,
all this has caused her quote severe emotional distress, and

(01:43):
she says Baldoni also told her he could speak with
the dead and said he had been in communication with
the actress's dead father. So in all pretty bizarre.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Wow, that is pretty intense. I was going to say,
he said, she said, But it's more her lawyers said,
his lawyers have said anyway. Moving on to the US
Naval Navy shooting in Yemen.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
YEP, they have shot down their own plane. I made
new attacks on the HOOTI rebels two pilots ejected from
their faighteam after it was hit today by fire from
the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. The military get had
just flown off the aircraft carrier treatment. One of the
crew members has minor injuries after getting out of the
out of the aircraft. US forces adjusted a missile storage

(02:29):
facility and the command and control site against the Iranian
BacT Hooties, who control much of the northwestern part of Yeomen.
The Pentagon says a full investigation now is underway into
how this friendly fire incident turned out in the way
it has.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
And Lara Trump withdraws from consideration to replace Rubio in
the US Senate.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
That's right. This is something that the president elect has
been pressing in recent days. But now the incoming president's
daughter in law has removed herself from the running for
a Senate seat in Florida. This is the seat that
has been held by former presidential contender, Senator Marca Rubio.
Of course, you recall it. For a long time, Trump
and Rubio were very much at odds, Trump calling him
Little Marco, and he's saying rather rude things about Trump.

(03:13):
So now Rubio has taken to speaking more favorably of
the leader of the Republican ranks, who has named him
as his choice for the incoming secretary of State. As
for Laura Trump, who is a son Eric's wife, she
has been co chair of the Republican Party's National Committee,
so that's another inside job appointment. Not clear what has
gone into her decision now, but it is actually Florida's

(03:36):
Governor Ron De Santis who would name the infim replacement
for Rubio. Meantime, some other Trump family and friends are
among the incoming president's age. Trump has chosen his daughter
Tiffany's father in law to be representative on issues in
the Middle East, and there's a whole list of people
are associated with the Trump family who've been given nods as.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well by me, Hey, thanks very much for your time, Richard,
really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
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