Just days after controversy began over “Emilia Pérez,” the film’s lead actress, Karla Sofía Gascón, is now facing backlash. Resurfaced tweets from the “Emilia Pérez” star have sparked outrage across social media.

Journalist Sarah Hagi shared translated screenshots of Gascón’s past tweets before they were deleted.

One tweet from 2016 read:

“Islam is becoming a hotbed of infection for humanity that urgently needs to be cured.”

Another post criticized the way Muslim women dress.

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The Hollywood Bureau of the Muslim Public Affairs Council responded to the resurfaced posts. Senior Vice President Sue Obeidi released a statement to The Wrap condemning the remarks.

“Deleted or not, these tweets are hurtful, offensive, and shocking, most especially coming from someone who is a member of another vulnerable community,” Obeidi said. “Muslims are part of every community, including the transgender community.”

Tweet about George Floyd sparks additional criticism

Gascón also made controversial statements following the 2020 death of George Floyd.

She tweeted:

“I really think that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict swindler, but his death has served to once again demonstrate that there are people who still consider Black people to be monkeys without rights and consider policemen to be assassins.”

According to Deadline, Gascón has also been accused of using slurs against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Her account on X is currently deactivated.

Critics call for the Academy to take action

With Gascón’s nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, critics argue the resurfaced posts should factor into the Academy’s decision.

One X user wrote:

“A person like that cannot win an Oscar. A person like that is not a person. Racist, homophobic, xenophobic—Karla Sofía really is an unpleasant being.”

More controversy: Feud with Fernanda Torres?

In addition to the backlash over her past tweets, Gascón was also caught in another controversy involving fellow Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres.

During a Jan. 28 interview, Gascón expressed concerns about negative comments online. She stated that individuals associated with Torres were attempting to discredit her and “Emilia Pérez.”

However, she later clarified that she was referring to general social media toxicity, not Torres or her team.

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Karla Sofía Gascón issues apology

Following the backlash, Gascón apologized in a statement to CNN.

“As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well, and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain,” she said. “All my life, I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”

Her Oscar nomination marks a historic moment, making her the first openly transgender actress nominated in an acting category.

However, with controversy surrounding “Emilia Pérez” and her resurfaced tweets, the road to the Academy Awards is proving to be complicated.

Law enforcement officials say a Tesla battery fire prevented first responders from saving a driver involved in what became a fatal crash Tuesday night, Jan. 28, in Torrance, California. According to police, the accident occurred when a 2025 Tesla Model Y was traveling southbound when, for unknown reasons, it swerved to the right, struck a traffic pole and caught fire.

What prevented emergency crews from saving the driver?

Officers attempted to rescue the driver, who was trapped inside, but the intensity of the flames and heat prevented them from reaching the person.

Firefighters responded, but efforts to extinguish the fire were complicated by the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery, which caused flames to shoot up 5 to 10 feet into the air. The driver, who was the sole occupant, was later pronounced dead at the scene.

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How dangerous are lithium-ion battery fires?

This incident marks the latest example of the safety challenges emergency crews can face when responding to electric vehicle crashes.

A 2020 report from the National Transportation Safety Board states that lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles can present hazards such as reignition and electric shock, while first responders try to suppress flames that can burn over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than a gas-powered vehicle fire.

What happens next?

Authorities have not yet identified the victim. The Torrance Police Department is continuing to investigate the crash and has urged anyone with information to come forward.

A manhunt is underway for an armed and dangerous woman accused in the death of a United States Border Patrol agent in Vermont. Investigators believe the fatal shooting is tied to an alleged radical cult on the West Coast that’s linked to at least three other murders across the country.

Michelle Zajko is believed to have supplied the guns used to kill border agent David Maland during a traffic stop near the Canadian border on Jan. 20.

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The Albany Times Union reported that Zajko purchased two hand guns found at the scene of Maland’s death. The guns were allegedly used by the accused killer, Teresa Youngblut.

Youngblut’s passenger, Felix Bauckholt, a German citizen, who was also armed, was fatally shot by agents at the scene after Youngblut reportedly opened fire, killing Maland.

Youngblut was taken into custody and remains behind bars in Vermont.

What other cases is Zajko wanted in by police?

Meanwhile, as the search for Zajko continues, the Times Union said she is also wanted for the shooting deaths of her parents inside their Pennsylvania home in January 2023.

Zajko is also a “person of interest” in another murder of a California landlord earlier this year.

Police were able to make an arrest in the case, finding the suspect had a close relationship with Yungbluth.

According to court records, the pair was in “frequent contact with each other” prior to the killings on opposite sides of the country, just three days apart.

How are the people involved connected to a cult?

The alleged cult comes in as investigators connect the dots between all of the individuals allegedly involved in the killings.

Authorities believe the suspects are all part of an extremist group in the San Francisco area run by a transgender woman, legally named Jack Lasota, who goes by the name “Ziz.”

According to court records, Ziz takes on a violent philosophy based on veganism, artificial intelligence and transgenderism.

What is rationalism?

In a Friday, Jan. 31 episode of the “TrueAnon” podcast titled “Evil Gods Must Be Fought: the Zizian Murder Cult,” the hosts discuss the group, which contains members who call themselves “Zizians” and follow the theory of rationalism.

“They all basically kind of meet under this big world view, which is basically the belief that nothing like no fear of political correctness or uncontrollable or unwanted emotion should get in the way of a human’s ability to see the world as it is,” host Liz Franczak said. 

The Associated Press reported Ziz is currently facing charges of obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct in Pennsylvania.

Authorities haven’t said whether those charges are related to the murder of Zajko’s parents, but court records show police were searching for a gun used in the killings when they arrested Ziz 12 days later at a hotel about 10 miles from the scene of the killings. 

Ziz also previously lived at the property in California belonging to Curtis Lind, the landlord who was killed.

His death on Jan. 17 came two years after he survived a samurai sword attack allegedly carried out by two known Zizians who lived in box trucks on his property.

Ziz was not named in that case.

How are the victims’ families responding?

Lind’s family posted a message on GoFundMe about his death. 

“His murder was a senseless act,” Lind’s GoFundMe page stated. “He was a senior citizen trying to live his life to the best of his abilities despite how much he was going through physically and mentally after being attacked 2 years ago.”

What happens next?

The suspect in the Lind case, Maximilian Snyder, is scheduled to make a court appearance on Feb. 6.

The family of Maland, the border agent who was killed, said he was “a devoted agent who served with honor and bravery. He had a tremendous respect and pride for the work he did; he truly embodied service over self.”

Youngblut, who’s charged in that murder, is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 7.

As for the current manhunt for Zajko, police believe she is driving a green 2013 Subaru Outback with an expired Vermont registration.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Friday, Jan. 31, soldiers have not seen North Korean troops on the front lines in Russia’s Kursk region in several weeks. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military special forces told CNN he believes it is because of all the mass casualties Pyongyang’s soldiers have suffered.

How did we get here?

At the end of last year, around 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia and Ukraine, with around 4,000 having either been killed or injured since then.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced last week in Davos, Switzerland, that despite Russia’s 60,000 troops and 12,000 North Koreans in Kursk, Ukrainian forces remain in the region, fighting to hold onto Russian land in the hopes of having a better bargaining chip should peace talks start.

Who’s winning in Kursk?

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, also reports that Kyiv recently made some advancements in Kursk. While Russia’s Defense Ministry said Moscow’s forces recaptured a Kursk village on the border of Russia and Ukraine.

What have North Korean troops been doing?

Ukrainian military officials said they believe Pyongyang sent highly trained soldiers. However, Moscow has really only used them to carry out ground assaults and human-wave attacks, making them easy targets for Ukrainian fighters and drone pilots.

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What’s the recent history between Russia and North Korea?

So far, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has publicly mentioned the presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine. Although, as Straight Arrow News reported, months before Pyongyang soldiers went to fight in Russia’s war, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a key defense agreement, promising to aid each other in case of attack.

In addition to the troops, Pyongyang has also supplied Moscow with millions of artillery shells, rockets and missiles, according to Western intelligence.

What was once the world’s largest solar plant of its kind may soon shut down more than a decade earlier than planned. This potential closure comes as the facility has struggled to compete with newer, cheaper solar technologies and faced accusations of causing thousands of wildlife deaths.

Why is this solar plant closing so much earlier than expected?

Opened in 2014, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Power Plant spans five square miles in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border. The facility operates using concentrated solar power technology, which utilizes thousands of mirrors to focus sunlight onto towers to generate steam-powered electricity.

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However, utility officials said that cutting ties with the plant could lead to lower energy prices for consumers, as industry advancements in photovoltaic solar panels and battery storage have made other renewable energy sources more cost-effective.

As a result, California’s two largest power providers, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison, indicated they want to end their contracts with the plant. Southern California Edison is reportedly in discussions for a potential contract buyout, while PG&E has already reached an agreement with Ivanpah’s owners to terminate its contract.

If PG&E’s exit deal is approved by regulators, this would result in two of the plant’s three units shutting down by 2026, 13 years ahead of schedule.

What environmental concerns have been attributed to the solar plant?

The facility has also faced criticism from conservationists, who argue it has harmed local wildlife. Environmental groups claim the plant’s intense solar reflections have caused numerous bird deaths, with around 6,000 being incinerated mid-air every year. Additionally, concerns have been raised about its impact on the habitat of the threatened desert tortoise.

“Along with killing thousands of birds and tortoises, the project’s construction destroyed irreplaceable pristine desert habitat along with numerous rare plant species,” Julia Dowell, a senior campaign organizer at the Sierra Club, an environmental organization, said. “The Ivanpah plant was a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster.”

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What happens next?

If the agreements to end its power contracts are finalized, one of Ivanpah’s owners, NRG Energy, has suggested the site may be repurposed for solar panels, but details on the decommissioning process and associated costs have not yet been disclosed.