BAFTA Slur Controversy and New York City’s Historic Blizzard Shutdown

[00:00] Claire Donovan: From Neural Newscast, I'm Claire Donovan. [00:03] Claire Donovan: And I'm Cole Mercer. [00:05] Claire Donovan: Today is Monday, February 23rd, 2026. [00:10] Claire Donovan: The British Academy Film Awards apologize for an on-air racial slur. [00:15] Claire Donovan: and a historic blizzard shuts down New York City. [00:19] Claire Donovan: We are also following new developments in Ukraine. [00:23] Claire Donovan: Negotiators prepare for a high-stakes round of military talks in Geneva. [00:29] Claire Donovan: The British Academy Film Awards issued a public apology today. [00:34] Claire Donovan: It follows a racial slur used during the televised ceremony. [00:39] Claire Donovan: The incident occurred at London's Royal Festival Hall. [00:43] Claire Donovan: Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award at the time. [00:49] Claire Donovan: The slur came from John Davidson. [00:52] Claire Donovan: He is the real-life inspiration for the film I Swear. [00:56] Claire Donovan: Davidson has Tourette syndrome. [00:59] Claire Donovan: This causes involuntary verbal tics. [01:02] Claire Donovan: These tics are not a reflection of his actual beliefs or intentions. [01:07] Claire Donovan: The ceremony was broadcast on a tape delay. [01:11] Claire Donovan: However, the BBC failed to edit the slur out of the final program. [01:16] Claire Donovan: They apologized for the oversight today. [01:19] Claire Donovan: The offensive language has since been removed from the BBC iPlayer platform. [01:24] Claire Donovan: Davidson reportedly left the auditorium early to avoid further disruption. [01:30] Claire Donovan: He watched the rest of the show from a separate screen. [01:33] Claire Donovan: BAFTA officials thanked him for his consideration during what was a significant night for his personal story. [01:40] Claire Donovan: Actor Robert Aramayo won two awards for his portrayal of Davidson. [01:46] Claire Donovan: In his acceptance speech, he called for more understanding. [01:50] Claire Donovan: He noted that people living with Tourette's syndrome need support rather than judgment when these ticks occur. [01:57] Claire Donovan: It is a complex situation for live broadcasters. [02:01] Claire Donovan: They must balance sensitivity for neurodiversity with the need to prevent harmful language. [02:08] Claire Donovan: The technical side of this broadcast failure is raising questions in London. [02:13] Claire Donovan: In other news, a historic winter storm is lashing the northeast. [02:19] Claire Donovan: New York City has implemented a full travel ban. [02:22] Claire Donovan: Mayor Zohan Mamdani has closed all streets, highways, and bridges. [02:27] Claire Donovan: This applies to all non-emergency traffic until noon today. [02:33] Claire Donovan: The city expects up to 24 inches of snow. [02:37] Claire Donovan: Temperatures are dropping to minus 6 degrees Celsius. [02:40] Claire Donovan: This is the first time in nine years that New York City has been under a formal blizzard warning. [02:48] Claire Donovan: Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency for the entire state. [02:53] Claire Donovan: She has also placed the National Guard on alert. [02:57] Claire Donovan: Residents in Long Island and the Hudson Valley are in the direct eye of the storm. [03:03] Claire Donovan: Over 90,000 properties are without power in New Jersey. [03:08] Claire Donovan: Governor Mikey Sherrill has suspended all public transit. [03:12] Claire Donovan: Forecasters believe this could be the most powerful storm to hit the region in decades. [03:18] Claire Donovan: Airlines have canceled thousands of flights at JFK and LaGuardia airports. [03:23] Claire Donovan: Snowfall rates are reaching three inches per hour. [03:27] Claire Donovan: Broadway shows and professional sporting events across the region were also called off over the weekend. [03:33] Claire Donovan: The storm is expected to taper off by tomorrow. [03:36] Claire Donovan: However, the cleanup effort for this volume of snow will take days. [03:41] Claire Donovan: It is a reminder of how quickly these weather systems can paralyze the nation's most populated corridor. [03:47] Claire Donovan: Turning now to international security, Ukrainian negotiator Sergei Kuzlice is detailing the challenges of military talks. [03:56] Claire Donovan: These U.S.-mediated discussions in Geneva aim to find a path toward disengagement. [04:02] Claire Donovan: The war has now lasted four years. [04:05] Claire Donovan: Klitschia told the BBC that these military-to-military meetings are surprisingly business-like. [04:12] Claire Donovan: He says they differ from political grandstandings seen elsewhere. [04:15] Claire Donovan: He noted that soldiers often have a clearer understanding of conditions on the battlefield. [04:21] Claire Donovan: The negotiator emphasized that any ceasefire requires clear rules and protocols. [04:28] Claire Donovan: Both sides must be able to verify these steps. [04:31] Claire Donovan: The presence of thousands of drones patrolling the gray zone makes the act of pulling back troops incredibly dangerous. [04:39] Claire Donovan: Roughly 200,000 civilians are still living in the Fortress Belt cities of the Donbass region. [04:46] Claire Donovan: Protecting these populations is a primary concern. [04:50] Claire Donovan: The Ukrainian delegation heads to Switzerland later this week. [04:53] Claire Donovan: The international community is watching closely. [04:57] Claire Donovan: They hope this round produces a tangible framework for a pause in fighting. [05:02] Claire Donovan: We will continue to follow the developments from Geneva as the week progresses. [05:07] Claire Donovan: It is a sobering reminder that peace is a slow process. [05:13] Claire Donovan: Even when the will to talk exists, the technical realities of modern warfare remain. [05:19] Claire Donovan: I'm Claire Donovan. [05:21] Claire Donovan: And I'm Cole Mercer. [05:22] Claire Donovan: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [05:26] Claire Donovan: View our AI Transparency Policy at neuralnewscast.com. [05:31] Cole Mercer: Neural Newscast uses artificial intelligence in content creation with human editorial review prior to publication. [05:38] Cole Mercer: While we strive for factual, unbiased reporting, AI-assisted content may occasionally contain [05:43] Cole Mercer: errors. Verify critical information with trusted sources. Learn more at neuralnewscast.com.