People News Roundup: Ellen DeGeneres TV show to make workplace changes; Eusebio Leal, Castro loyalist Eusebio Leal dies and more

Ellen DeGeneres TV show to make workplace changes after probe of culture Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday sent an emotional message to the staff of her television talk show saying she was taking steps to improve the culture on set following accusations of a hostile working environment.

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

Ellen DeGeneres TV show to make workplace changes after probe of culture

Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday sent an emotional message to the staff of her television talk show saying she was taking steps to improve the culture on set following accusations of a hostile working environment. The email followed an internal investigation by Warner Bros. Television, which produces "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," of complaints ranging from bullying to racism among production staff.

Eusebio Leal, Castro loyalist who started Old Havana restoration, dies

Eusebio Leal, a historian and orator who befriended Fidel Castro and led the reconstruction of the crumbling historic center of Havana, died on Friday morning from a "painful illness," Cuban official media said. He was 77. Calling himself a "Fidelist" rather than a Marxist, Leal was a member of the ruling Cuban Communist Party's elite Central Committee and came to be seen as an elder statesman of Cuba.

Ghislaine Maxwell documents are released, including Jeffrey Epstein emails

Documents about dealings between Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were publicly released on Thursday by a U.S. court, where the British socialite faces criminal charges she aided the late financier's sexual abuse of girls. Among the materials released were email correspondence between the pair in early 2015, including an email in which Epstein told Maxwell she had "done nothing wrong."

Alan Parker, director of 'Bugsy Malone' and 'Mississippi Burning', has died - UK media

British filmmaker Alan Parker, director of movies ranging from "Bugsy Malone", a gangster comedy featuring children armed with cream-shooting guns, to tense prison drama "Midnight Express", has died aged 76, British media reported on Friday. Parker, who also directed "Fame", "Evita", "Mississippi Burning", "The Commitments" and other successful movies, died on Friday after a lengthy illness, according to the media reports.

Obama takes aim at Trump in fiery eulogy for Civil Rights icon John Lewis

In a fiery eulogy for longtime U.S. Representative John Lewis on Thursday, former President Barack Obama took a series of thinly veiled shots at the actions of his successor that he said tore at the legacy of the Black civil rights icon being laid to rest. The funeral for Lewis, who played an instrumental role in passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, came on the same day Republican President Donald Trump suggested the Nov. 3 election could be delayed. Trump has also waged a war against mail-in ballots, tactic critics say is aimed at suppressing votes.

Court revives Ashley Judd's sexual harassment case against Harvey Weinstein

A federal appeals court revived actress Ashley Judd's sexual harassment lawsuit against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, saying she could sue under California law over his alleged attempt to help her career in return for sexual favors. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found on Wednesday that Weinstein had considerable power over Judd's career in 1997 when they held a business meeting at his hotel and the alleged harassment occurred.

'Breaking Bad' star Bryan Cranston says he has recovered from COVID-19

Emmy-winning "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston disclosed on Thursday that he had recovered from mild symptoms of COVID-19 and donated his plasma in the hopes that his antibodies would help others with the disease. Wearing a face mask, Cranston revealed the news in an Instagram video in which he documented the donation process at a blood and plasma center run by the University of California at Los Angeles.

(With inputs from agencies.)