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A former crew member on the film Rust said he “never felt as close to death” on a set as he did in the days before Halyna Hutchins was killed.

Lane Luper was the lead camera operator for the production but resigned the day before his friend and cinematographer Ms Hutchins was shot dead with a live bullet, fired by the film’s star actor, Alec Baldwin.

In his resignation letter to a production manager, seen by Sky News, Mr Luper highlights concerns about the safety and welfare of crew as the reason for him walking away.

In the email, sent to unit production manager Row Walters, Mr Luper noted two accidental discharges of firearms and one accidental discharge of special effects explosives in the days before Ms Hutchins was killed during rehearsal for a scene.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is seen in this undated handout photo received by Reuters on October 23, 2021. Mandatory credit SWEN STUDIOS/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT
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Ms Hutchins was shot dead with a live bullet fired by Alec Baldwin. Pic: Swen Studios

He wrote: “During the filming of gunfights on this job things are often played very fast and loose.

“So far there have been two accidental weapons discharges and one additional SFX explosives that have gone off around the crew between takes.

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“To be clear there are NO safety meetings these days. There have been NO explanations as to what to expect for these shots.”

Mr Luper said he is speaking out now because he wants to make clear that Ms Hutchins’s death, in his opinion, was caused by cutting costs and cutting corners.

PIC:AP
FILE - In this Seopt. 21, 2015 file photo, actor Alec Baldwin attends a news conference at United Nations headquarters. A prop firearm discharged by veteran actor Alec Baldwin, who is starring and producing a Western movie, killed his director of photography and injured the director Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 at the movie set outside Santa Fe, N.M., the Santa Fe County Sheriff...s Office said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Baldwin is the only person involved with the production to speak publicly about Ms Hutchins’s death

“Halyna’s death was so preventable by simply following industry safety rules that had been in place for literally decades,” he told Sky News.

“I have never felt more unsafe on set or off set. I’ve never felt I was more in danger of dying on the set or on the drive home, I was so exhausted.”

Mr Luper said that the production team on the independent film put potential profit first, at the expense of safety and welfare of the crew.

“The crew themselves worked very hard but I don’t think they were necessarily respected by the producers,” Mr Luper said.

This set was unsafe simply because they didn’t have the wherewithal to follow safety rules that we have in this industry.”

There are six producers credited for Rust, which is an independent production. They are Ryan Smith, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Matt DelPiano, Anjul Nigam and Baldwin.

Stills attached courtesy of Lane Luper's lawyer's office - him and Halyna Hutchins/crew on the 'Rust' set.
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Lane Luper (right) said the death of Ms Hutchins (left) was ‘so preventable’

Hollywood veteran Baldwin is the only one to speak publicly about Ms Hutchins’s death, after he was tracked down by photographers in a mountain town in Vermont, where he owns a holiday home.

He described what he said was a “well oiled” crew on set but Mr Luper disputes that view.

“Would I say the whole thing was well-oiled? Absolutely not,” Mr Luper said.

“We didn’t know what was going on at the time. There were no rehearsals, there were no safety meetings to explain what the next shot was, which is also a requirement of every time you use firearms.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Rust producers said: “Mr Luper’s allegations around budget and safety are patently false, which is not surprising considering his job was to be a camera operator, and he had absolutely nothing to do with it or knowledge of safety protocols or budgets.

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‘She was my friend’, Baldwin says

“As we continue to cooperate with all investigations, we are limited in what we can say.

“However, safety is always the number one priority in our films, and it is truly awful to see someone using this tragedy for personal gain.”

Sky News has also seen a resignation letter sent by another crew member, who quit the film, citing what he said was a disregard for safety around firearms by the film’s assistant director Dave Halls.

“I also feel anxious on set,” he wrote in an email to a production manager.

“I’ve seen first-hand our AD rush to get shots and he skips over important protocols.

“I have tinnitus in my right ear and he often rushes to shoot, I’ve had more than a few occasions where I have been close to the weapons being fired with no regards to my hearing.

“Sometimes he rushes so quickly that props hasn’t even had the chance to bring earplugs and he rolls and the actors fire anyway.

“I feel torn because I like the show and my team but for many reasons I have to walk away for my own health and safety.”

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‘There was complacency on this set’

Sky News has approached Mr Halls and his lawyer for comment but has not yet received a response.

The police investigation into Ms Hutchins’s death is ongoing and one of the central questions they are considering is why exactly live ammunition found its way on to a film set.

Stills attached courtesy of Lane Luper's lawyer's office - him and Halyna Hutchins/crew on the 'Rust' set.

Still of actor Douglas Stewart on-set with Francis Fisher also attached.
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Douglas Stewart (right) on set with Francis Fisher

It is bemusing to Douglas Stewart, one of the actors on Rust. He had a positive experience filming.

He was not on set at the time of Ms Hutchins’s death but is now joining calls for real guns to be banned on films.

“For there to be a live round in a gun handed to an actor is unconscionable and unbelievable,” he said.

Stills attached courtesy of Lane Luper's lawyer's office - him and Halyna Hutchins/crew on the 'Rust' set.
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The police investigation into Ms Hutchins’s death is ongoing

“Everybody in my acting community, we were stunned. We just couldn’t believe it happened and still can’t.”

Those who worked with Ms Hutchins believe she would have become one of Hollywood’s leading cinematographers.

They now hope her legacy can be that of safer sets for cast and crew, which means a tragedy like this cannot happen again.

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Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

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Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

Stock markets around the world fell on Thursday after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs – with some economists now fearing a recession.

The US president announced tariffs for almost every country – including 10% rates on imports from the UK – on Wednesday evening, sending financial markets reeling.

While the UK’s FTSE 100 closed down 1.55% and the continent’s STOXX Europe 600 index was down 2.67% as of 5.30pm, it was American traders who were hit the most.

Trump tariffs latest: US stock markets tumble

All three of the US’s major markets opened to sharp losses on Thursday morning.

A person works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, March 31, 2025. Pic: AP
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The S&P 500 is set for its worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. File pic: AP

By 8.30pm UK time (3.30pm EST), The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 3.7%, the S&P 500 opened with a drop of 4.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 5.6%.

Compared to their values when Donald Trump was inaugurated, the three markets were down around 5.6%, 8.7% and 14.4%, respectively, according to LSEG.

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Worst one-day losses since COVID

As Wall Street trading ended at 9pm in the UK, two indexes had suffered their worst one-day losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The S&P 500 fell 4.85%, the Nasdaq dropped 6%, and the Dow Jones fell 4%.

It marks Nasdaq’s biggest daily percentage drop since March 2020 at the start of COVID, and the largest drop for the Dow Jones since June 2020.

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The latest numbers on tariffs

‘Trust in President Trump’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN earlier in the day that Mr Trump was “doubling down on his proven economic formula from his first term”.

“To anyone on Wall Street this morning, I would say trust in President Trump,” she told the broadcaster, adding: “This is indeed a national emergency… and it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it.”

Later, the US president told reporters as he left the White House that “I think it’s going very well,” adding: “The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom.”

He later said on Air Force One that the UK is “happy” with its tariff – the lowest possible levy of 10% – and added he would be open to negotiations if other countries “offer something phenomenal”.

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How is the world reacting to Trump’s tariffs?

Economist warns of ‘spiral of doom’

The turbulence in the markets from Mr Trump’s tariffs “just left everybody in shock”, Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions in Boston, told Reuters.

He added that the economy could go into recession as a result, saying that “a lot of the pain, will probably most acutely be felt in the US and that certainly would weigh on broader global growth as well”.

Meanwhile, chief investment officer at St James’s Place Justin Onuekwusi said that international retaliation is likely, even as “it’s clear countries will think about how to retaliate in a politically astute way”.

He warned: “Significant retaliation could lead to a tariff ‘spiral of doom’ that could be the growth shock that drags us into recession.”

Read more:
Do Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff numbers add up?

Tariffs about something more than economics: power

It comes as the UK government published a long list of US products that could be subject to reciprocal tariffs – including golf clubs and golf balls.

Running to more than 400 pages, the list is part of a four-week-long consultation with British businesses and suggests whiskey, jeans, livestock, and chemical components.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the US president had launched a “new era” for global trade and that the UK will respond with “cool and calm heads”.

It also comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a 25% tariff on all American-imported vehicles that are not compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.

He added: “The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership, when it forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect and championed the free and open exchange of goods and services, is over. This is a tragedy.”

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Trump’s tariffs are about something more than economics: power

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Trump's tariffs are about something more than economics: power

Tanking stock markets, collapsing world orders, devastating trade wars; economists with their hair ablaze are scrambling to keep up.

But as we try to make sense of Donald Trumps’s tariff tsunami, economic theory only goes so far. In the end this surely is about something more primal.

Power.

Understanding that may be crucial to how the world responds.

Yes, economics helps explain the impact. The world’s economy has after all shifted on its axis, the way it’s been run for decades turned on its head.

Instead of driving world trade, America is creating a trade war. We will all feel the impact.

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PM will ‘fight’ for deal with US

Donald Trump says he is settling scores, righting wrongs. America has been raped, looted and pillaged by the world trading system.

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But don’t be distracted by the hyperbole – and if you think this is about economics alone, you may be missing the point.

Above all, tariffs give Donald Trump power. They strike fear into allies and enemies, from governments to corporations.

This is a president who runs his presidency like a medieval emperor or mafia don.

It is one reason why since his election we have seen what one statesman called a conga line of sycophants make their way to the White House, from world leaders to titans of industry.

The conga line will grow longer as they now redouble their efforts hoping to special treatment from Trump’s tariffs. Sir Keir Starmer among them.

President Trump’s using similar tactics at home, deploying presidential power to extract concessions and deter dissent in corporate America, academia and the US media. Those who offer favours are spared punishment.

His critics say he seeks a form power for the executive or presidential branch of government that the founding fathers deliberately sought to prevent.

Whether or not that is true, the same playbook of divide and rule through intimidation can now be applied internationally. Thanks to tariffs

Each country will seek exceptions but on Trump’s terms. Those who retaliate may meet escalation.

This is the unforgiving calculus for governments including our own plotting their next moves.

The temptation will be to give Trump whatever he wants to spare their economies, but there is a jeopardy that compounds the longer this goes on.

Read more:
Do Trump’s numbers on tariffs really add up?
Trump hits island home only to penguins with 10% tariffs

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng gestures to Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves following a photo session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Florence Lo/Pool Photo via AP)
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Could America’s traditional allies turn to China? Pic: AP

Malcolm Turnbull, the former Australian prime minister who coined the conga line comparison, put it this way: “Pretty much all the international leaders I have seen that have sucked up to Trump have been run over. The reality is if you suck up to bullies, whether it’s global affairs or in the playground, you just get more bullying.”

Trading partners may be able to mitigate the impact of these tariffs through negotiation, but that may only encourage this unorthodox president to demand ever more?

Ultimately the world will need a more reliable superpower than that.

In the hands of such a president, America cannot be counted on.

When it comes to security, stability and prosperity, allies will need to fend for themselves.

And they will need new friends. If Washington can’t be relied on, Beijing beckons.

America First will, more and more, mean America on its own.

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‘A genius actor’, ‘firecracker’, and ‘my friend’: Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

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'A genius actor', 'firecracker', and 'my friend': Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

Actors, directors and celebrity friends have paid tribute to Val Kilmer, after he died aged 65.

The California-born star of Top Gun, Batman and Heat died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes told the Associated Press.

She said Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered.

Tributes flooded in after reports broke of the actor’s death, with No Country For Old Men star Josh Brolin among the first to share their memories.

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Watch: Val Kilmer in his most iconic roles

He wrote on Instagram: “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those.

“I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”

Kyle Maclachlan, who co-starred with Kilmer in the 1991 biopic The Doors, wrote on social media: “You’ll always be my Jim. See you on the other side my friend.”

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Michael Mann, who directed Kilmer in 1995’s Heat, also paid tribute in a statement, saying: “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.

“After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

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Heat co-star Danny Trejo also called Kilmer “a great actor, a wonderful person, and a dear friend of mine” on Instagram.

Cher, who once dated the actor, said on X that “U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND… BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness”.

Lifelong friend and director of Twixt, Francis Ford Coppola said: “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life.

“He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know – I will always remember him.”

The Top Gun account on X also said it was remembering Kilmer, who starred as Iceman in both the 1986 original and 2022 sequel, and “whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations”.

Nicolas Cage added that “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing”.

“I thought he was a genius actor,” he said. “I enjoyed working with him on Bad Lieutenant and I admired his commitment and sense of humor.

“He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”

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