'The Courier' delivers Benedict Cumberbatch in a taut Cold War thriller
CNN
Anyone with a taste for Cold War dramas will find an intriguing addition to their cinematic library with "The Courier," a fact-based story featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as a Hitchcockian everyman who becomes the unlikely conduit to a Soviet leaker of secrets in 1960. It's the kind of historical tale that, after the closing crawl, will likely send more than a few viewers running to Google to read more.
British and American espionage officials were understandably eager to gather information from Oleg Penkovsky (Georgian-born Merab Ninidze, also terrific), a high-ranking Soviet official who has grown increasingly alarmed by leader Nikita Khrushchev's willingness to seek confrontation with the West. But they need a way to gain access to what Penkovsky knows, using someone "who the KGB won't suspect" in order to collect his secrets. They wind up approaching Cumberbatch's Greville Wynne, a rather staid family man who periodically travels to Moscow on business. "I'm just a salesman," Wynne protests, and he appears to be genuinely concerned and apprehensive, before finally agreeing.
Congressional Republicans have sent lawmakers home for the holidays without voting to address the Obamacare subsidies cliff that will hit millions of Americans on New Year’s Day — infuriating some of their own rank and file.
A jury found a Wisconsin judge – accused of helping an undocumented immigrant dodge federal authorities – guilty of obstruction Thursday, marking a victory for President Donald Trump as he continues his sweeping immigration crackdown across the country.
A number of Jeffrey Epstein survivors voiced their concern in a private meeting with female Democratic lawmakers earlier this week about the intermittent disclosure of Epstein-related documents and photos by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, sharing that the selective publication of materials was distressing, four sources familiar with the call told CNN.
The US military conducted strikes against two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing 5 people, according to US Southern Command.
Four-term North Carolina Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, a towering figure in North Carolina politics in the late 20th century who helped leaders from both major parties strive for public education reform, died Thursday at the age of 88, his daughter Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt announced.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday the White House will host the “Patriot Games,” a competition with young athletes from across the county, as part of the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary next year.
Susie Wiles’ recently published interviews in Vanity Fair are remarkable for a multitude of reasons. But perhaps leading that list was what the White House chief of staff said about Venezuela.
With under two weeks to go before he’s sworn in, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has not announced many hires for his administration. One of the few that he has announced was forced to almost immediately resign Thursday after her past antisemitic tweets came to light.
The board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted Thursday to rename the facility after both the former president and President Donald Trump.
Peruvian scientist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza joins forces with indigenous communities to protect a disappearing species that is crucial to the health of the rainforest.
Frustration is mounting inside the Justice Department as it races to redact thousands of pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein before they must be released Friday, multiple sources familiar with the process told CNN.
The GOP-controlled House passed a bill that would block Medicaid funds from being used for gender identity care to minors.
The one-time bonuses President Donald Trump said Wednesday will be paid out to over a million US service members will be pulled from funds already approved by Congress to cover housing and other household costs for troops as part of a military stipend program.