VP Harris postpones Carson appearance amid turmoil of writers’ strikes – Daily Breeze

Vice President Kamala Harris has postponed an appearance at an MTV mental health awareness event in Carson next week amid turmoil over the Hollywood writers’ strike.

According to The Associated Press, which cited an unnamed source familiar with the decision, Harris chose not to attend the event because it would have been considered crossing the picket line. Harris chairs the White House Task Force on Organizing and Empowering Workers.

Harris was scheduled to join young leaders and a surprise celebrity guest on May 18 for a mental health awareness forum, led by MTV Entertainment Studios, at Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

A university spokesperson confirmed to SCNG on Wednesday morning that the event had been postponed with no clear date in sight.

The event was primarily aimed at university students and would mark the second such collaboration between MTVE and the Biden-Harris administration, according to a statement. The first forum, which brought together First Lady Dr Jill Biden, Ambassador Susan Rice, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy and Selena Gomez, took place at the White House in 2022.

The Writers Guild of America, which represents 11,500 members, called a strike on May 2 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down. The strike entered a robust second week as writers continued to form picket lines in cities including LA, New York and Atlanta to demand higher compensation.

The strike reportedly halted several well-known film and television productions. However, studio executives maintained that it had no major impact on operations or viewers, according to City News Service.

Speaking on an earnings conference call on Tuesday, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the network’s focus on news and sports puts it in a good position to navigate the walkout, a reported the press service.

“I think for us we’re well positioned, and we think with our strategic priorities and our strategy in sports, but also in the news, those are two areas that aren’t impacted by the writers’ strike and audiences are going to pivot watching TV to those categories,” Murdoch said.

His comments echo those of several other studio executives, who all claimed they already had enough material “in the box” to continue programming, with the exception of late-night talk shows and broadcasts. of varieties such as “Saturday Night Live”.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden voiced his support and called for a fair deal for striking writers on Monday, his first public comments since the work stoppage.

“I sincerely hope the strike is resolved and the writers get a fair deal as soon as possible,” Biden said Monday during a White House screening of “American Born Chinese” in observance of the Month. of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage.

“This is an iconic and meaningful American industry and we need writers and all workers to tell the stories of our nation and the stories of all of us,” the president said.