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US President Donald Trump stepped up his threats against Volodymyr Zelensky Monday after a blow-up row in the Oval Office, suggesting the Ukrainian leader “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal with Russia.Trump heavily criticized Zelensky for saying the war could go on for a long time and said Ukraine’s president should be “more appreciative” of billions of dollars of military aid in Kyiv’s fight against Russia.But Trump said that a minerals deal that fell through last week due to the row was not dead, and appeared to downplay reports that he could halt military aid to Kyiv following last week’s argument at the White House.”It should not be that hard a deal to make. It could be made very fast,” Trump told reporters, referring to a ceasefire.”Now, maybe somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long.”He added: “That person will not be listened to very long, because I believe that Russia wants to make a deal. I believe certainly the people of Ukraine want to make a deal.”Earlier Monday, Trump had slammed Zelensky after he said while in London to meet European leaders that an end to Moscow’s invasion was far off.”This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.”This guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing.” Trump also accused European leaders of weakness, saying that they had “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.” “Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.Trump’s broadsides came after a meeting with Zelensky at the White House on Friday descended into an extraordinary on-camera argument.Trump and US Vice President JD Vance raised their voices and accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and ungrateful for US military assistance, as the Ukrainian pushed his demand for American security guarantees as part of any truce.Zelensky was then told to leave the White House, with the crucial deal giving Washington preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral resources left unsigned.Trump was meeting his top aides later Monday to discuss next steps on Ukraine.But he played down reports that he was considering cutting military aid if Zelensky doesn’t agree to a truce.”I haven’t even talked about that right now. I mean, right now, we’ll see what happens. A lot of things are happening right now, literally as we speak,” Trump said.The wider message was that Zelensky needed to apologize for the row in what Trump called the “cherished” Oval Office.”What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he has regret for what happened,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News.Waltz also denied suggestions by incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Trump and Vance had deliberately escalated the clash. “This was no ambush,” Waltz said.

Folk rock legend Neil Young and his band Chrome Hearts will open an upcoming European tour with a free concert in Ukraine, according to a post on his website.The 79-year-old Toronto-born musician, who was part of the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, said it would be “a free concert for all.” Details are still being worked out, including the show’s date and location: “We are currently in talks,” Young said.”Keep on Rockin’ in the free world,” he ended the statement, a reference to his 1991 hit song, alongside an image of the Ukrainian flag against a blue sky.The announcement late Sunday came just days after US President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting in the Oval Office.Young, a longtime critic of Trump who sued his campaign in 2020 for copyright infringement over the use of his songs at rallies, said last week that the United States under Trump’s leadership had “lost its standing.”Also on Sunday, Young’s wife Daryl Hannah, the American actress, appeared as a presenter at the Academy Awards, where she flashed a peace sign and said to applause “Slava Ukraine,” or “Glory to Ukraine.”The Love Earth tour was scheduled to kick off in June with dates in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the United States and Canada.

Time is running short for Canada, Mexico and China to avert sweeping tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, with the levies due to take effect past midnight over what he deems an “unacceptable” flow of drugs.Trump unveiled — then paused — blanket tariffs on imports from his country’s major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.The halt is due to expire one minute after midnight Monday running into Tuesday.But sweeping levies of up to 25 percent will likely snarl supply chains for key sectors like automobiles and construction materials, risking a hike in consumer prices.This could complicate Trump’s efforts to fulfil his campaign promises of lowering the cost of living for households.Trump has also threatened a further 10-percent tariff on Chinese goods from Tuesday, piling on an additional 10-percent rate that has already taken effect.Beyond this week’s looming deadline, Trump fired another salvo Monday with word that tariffs on agricultural imports would come on April 2.He did not provide details and it was not immediately clear how such levies would interact with his other plans.”There’s no doubt that the administration is trying to solve the long-standing fentanyl and immigration challenges, and these tariffs have given the administration leverage as we’ve seen with the response so far by Canada and Mexico,” said Ryan Majerus, a former US trade official.Washington is also trying to rebalance trade ties, he told AFP.But using emergency economic powers to impose tariffs is novel, “and it remains to be seen how this will all play out in potential lawsuits,” warned Majerus, a partner at law firm King & Spalding.Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, told AFP that the group advised builders that “we could see a combined duty tariff rate of above 50 percent on Canadian lumber.”Trump’s tariffs on Canada are expected to pile on to other potential levies on lumber, he noted.”Softwood lumber futures prices have gone up eight percent in the last few weeks,” he added.While the United States also plans to expand forestry, Dietz said, prices are likely to rise in the short-run.Anecdotally, some builders expect they could face higher costs of $7,500 to $10,000 per newly-built single family home, he said.JPMorgan analysts warned Friday that Tuesday’s tariffs would “create a significant new headwind to economic activity” and boost consumer costs.They added that the planned levies on all three countries would lift the US effective tariff rate to nine percent — from 1.4 percent in 2017.- Up to Trump -Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country has contingency plans ready, whatever the decision Trump takes.”There is constant communication in different areas, both security and trade, and we will wait to see what happens,” Sheinbaum added.Over the weekend, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that even as Mexico and Canada have reasonably addressed Washington’s border concerns, they would still face tariffs.He took aim at illicit fentanyl entering the United States, saying its ingredients came from China.But Lutnick left the door open to potential changes in Trump’s tariff plans: “Exactly what they are, we’re going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate.”Lutnick added that duties on China were likely set unless Beijing stopped making ingredients for fentanyl.While Washington has targeted China over chemicals for the drug, many of these components have legitimate medical uses, too — making prosecution tricky.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that less than one percent of the fentanyl and undocumented migrants that enter the United States come through the Canadian border.He said on Sunday that Ottawa would keep working to ensure there are no fresh levies this week.But he added that Canada would “have a strong, unequivocal and proportional response” if levies took effect.Trudeau’s government has taken a series of steps to address Trump’s concerns including a Can$1.3-billion ($901-million) plan to enhance border security.It has also named a fentanyl czar to coordinate efforts against the drug.Meanwhile, Mexico last week extradited some of its most notorious imprisoned drug lords to the United States in a bid to avert the sweeping duties.They included a cartel kingpin wanted for decades over the murder of a US undercover agent.

US President Donald Trump warned Monday he would “not put up” much longer with Volodymyr Zelensky’s stance on the war with Russia, as the Ukrainian leader countered he wanted to end it “as soon as possible.”In a new sign of frayed ties following their White House blow-up last week, Trump called a comment by Zelensky saying an agreement to end the war remained distant “the worst statement that could have been made” by him.”America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said on social media.The comment came after the Ukrainian president accused Russia of not being serious about peace and warned that tough security guarantees were the only way to end the more than three-year conflict.Trump’s attacks on Zelensky have upended US support for Ukraine and Washington’s allies more broadly and stoked concern about the United States pivoting to Russia.After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” to halt the war.The summit reaffirmed European backing for Kyiv and saw a pledge to spend more on security to defend any truce, including, potentially, with troops.Zelensky said after the meeting that discussions were still focusing on the “first steps,” adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” — a comment that angered Trump.However, Zelensky said Monday on X he “very much hopes on US support on the path to peace.””It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war as soon as possible,” he said.Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, dismissed Zelensky’s comments, accusing him of not wanting peace — echoing US criticisms after he was shouted down in the Oval Office on Friday.- ‘Deliberate escalation’? -On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line.A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on Saturday.Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a “dictator” for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war. Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia — and now the United States under Trump — opposes.In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelensky for Friday’s White House blow-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, saying he “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities.””He doesn’t want peace,” Peskov told reporters.But Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the astonishing clash was a “deliberate escalation” by Trump.US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Ukraine and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears in Kyiv and beyond that any deal could threaten the country’s future.Zelensky triggered Trump and Vance’s ire by questioning whether Russia could be trusted to uphold a truce. Trump has said he trusts his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to “keep his word.”- US support -French President Emmanuel Macron told Le Figaro newspaper that a truce would not, initially at least, cover ground fighting, as the size of the meandering front line would make it hard to enforce.Macron also suggested that European countries should raise their defense spending to between 3.0 and 3.5 percent of GDP to respond to Washington’s shifting priorities and Russia’s militarization.Shares in European defense companies soared on Monday as a result.Macron met Trump in Washington last week, as did Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with both seeking to keep Trump onside.Starmer on Sunday insisted that the United States was “not an unreliable ally,” despite Trump’s overtures to Putin and open hostility to Zelensky.US support was still needed to end the fighting, he said. Zelensky maintained that he remains open to signing a mineral deal coveted by Trump and had not closed the door to any future relations, despite his experience last week.”I am ready to engage in any kind of constructive format in relations with the US,” he said.burs-phz/jhb/bgs

Donald Trump said Monday that Washington would “not put up with” Volodymyr Zelensky’s rhetoric much longer, as the US president prepared to meet his top team after a disastrous Oval Office row with the Ukrainian leader.”This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said on social media, citing a story quoting Ukraine’s president saying the end of the war with Moscow was far off.”This guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing.” Trump also took aim at European leaders who met Zelensky for crisis talks in London at the weekend, saying that they had “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.” “Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.Trump’s broadside came after a meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky at the White House on Friday which descended into an extraordinary on-camera argument.Trump and Vance raised their voices and accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and ungrateful for US military assistance, as the Ukrainian pushed his demand for American security guarantees as part of any truce.Zelensky was then told to leave the White House, with a crucial deal giving Washington preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral resources left unsigned.Trump will now meet his top aides on Monday to discuss next steps on Ukraine. “What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he has regret for what happened, he’s ready to sign this minerals deal and that he’s ready to engage in peace talks,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News.White House officials did not confirm a report by the news outlet Axios that Trump was considering cutting all military aid to Kyiv following the row.European leaders, who have offered peacekeepers to guarantee any ceasefire but also want a US “backstop,” met in London on Sunday in a desperate bid to resolve the row.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone Monday with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to discuss the leaders’ meeting in London.Rubio “confirmed the United States is ready to negotiate to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict and will continue working with the UK towards peace in Ukraine,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.But in a sign of the tensions at play, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he thought Trump had deliberately escalated the Oval Office clash. “According to my assessment this was not a spontaneous reaction to what Zelensky was saying but clearly a deliberate escalation,” Merz told a press conference in Berlin.Waltz had earlier denied that the clash was deliberate.”This was no ambush,” Waltz told Fox. “This was an opportunity and a moment, and I think President Zelensky truly did his country a real disservice.” 

A 24-year-old man accused of firing from a rooftop on a US Independence Day parade, killing seven people and injuring 48, pleaded guilty on Monday just minutes before opening arguments were set to begin in his trial.Robert Crimo III was charged with murder, attempted murder and dozens of other counts for the attack on a July 4, 2022 parade in the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park.Jury selection was completed last week and opening arguments in Crimo’s trial were scheduled to begin on Monday at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, Illinois.But Crimo changed his plea to guilty just moments before they began.Sentencing was set for April 23. Crimo faces a sentence of life in prison without parole.Ashbey Beasley, a Highland Park resident, was among the members of the public who had turned up for opening arguments.”My son and I were at the parade and ran for our lives,” Beasley told Fox 32 TV.She said the guilty plea was met in court with a “huge collective feeling of relief.””Our community wanted justice,” Beasley said.According to prosecutors, Crimo climbed onto a rooftop overlooking the parade route armed with a semi-automatic rifle and emptied three 30-round magazines into the crowd before fleeing.Crimo was allegedly disguised in women’s clothing and had used makeup to conceal several distinctive facial tattoos, including the word “Awake” above his left eyebrow and the number “47” on his temple.He was captured about eight hours later following a car chase.Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to reckless conduct for helping his son obtain the assault rifle used in the shooting, a rare case in which a parent was held criminally responsible for the actions of their child.Crimo Jr, who owned a delicatessen in Highland Park and once ran for mayor, pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts for helping his son obtain a state firearms permit even though he knew he had a history of mental illness.He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.- Erratic behavior -Amid a huge number of deadly firearms incidents involving young people, pressure has been mounting in the United States to punish parents who make it possible for their children to get weapons.The parents of a 15-year-old boy who killed four people at a high school in Michigan in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter last year for buying their son a gun even though they were aware of troubling signs that he might be a threat.According to police, Robert Crimo III had a history of erratic behavior.Police were called to the Crimo home twice in 2019: once in April to investigate a suicide attempt by the younger Crimo and again in September because a relative said he had threatened to “kill everyone” in the family.Located 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Chicago, Highland Park is known for being home to some of Chicago’s elite: basketball superstar Michael Jordan lived there during his years with the NBA’s Bulls.And in the 1980s, Highland Park served as the backdrop for iconic films including “Risky Business” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Britain’s Royal Society will hold a crunch meeting on Monday following calls to expel technology billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, from the prestigious institute of scientists.Founded in 1660, the Royal Society describes itself as a “fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists” and is a key voice in the global scientific community.Past members have included Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Dorothy Hodgkin, Benjamin Franklin and Stephen Hawking.But after members raised concerns about Musk, the owner of SpaceX, Tesla and the social network X who was elected a fellow in 2018, the organisation said it would discuss “the principles around public pronouncements and behaviours of fellows”.Nobel prize winners were among more than 3,000 people who signed an open letter last month saying Musk had broken the Society’s code of conduct by promoting “unfounded conspiracy theories”.Researchers say changes Musk made to X after his 2022 takeover of the site formerly known as Twitter have led to a spike in misinformation.The 53-year-old has also repeatedly used his own account to spread falsehoods including inaccurate claims about Covid-19, vaccines, miscarriages and heart problems.Ahead of the debate, Musk said “only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships”.He was responding to an X post by Nobel Prize laureate and Royal Society fellow Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “Godfather of AI,” who called for Musk to be expelled. “Not because he peddles conspiracy theories and makes Nazi salutes, but because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US,” Hinton said.Musk now holds increasing sway in the White House as a close advisor to US President Donald Trump. He has rejected comparisons between the gesture he made at a Trump inauguration event earlier this year and a Nazi salute, and said Hinton’s comments were “carelessly ignorant, cruel and false”.”What specific actions require correction?” he said. “I will make mistakes, but endeavour to fix them fast.”- ‘Respect for evidence’ -Stephen Curry, author of the open letter and professor of structural biology at Imperial College London, said it was “not about policing political views, this is not about enforcing some kind of political conformity”.”I think the main charges that are troubling to many people is that Elon Musk has not shown respect for evidence,” he said.”He’s widely reported to be one of the most active disseminators of misinformation on Twitter and that’s not something that is consistent with the code of conduct.”The Society, which has 1,800 fellows and foreign members including 85 Nobel laureates, says it aims to encourage the use of science “for the benefit of humanity and the good of the planet”.The meeting, to which all members have been invited, was set to take place Monday evening behind closed doors, but it was not clear what action the Society might take.In a statement to AFP, the Society said that “any issues raised in respect of individual fellows are dealt with in strict confidence”.

US President Donald Trump will set out his governing vision Tuesday to a country roiled by his moves to dramatically reshape the federal government and redefine foreign policy as he delivers his first address to Congress since returning to office.His speech at the US Capitol — scheduled for 9:00 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday) — comes just six weeks after his inauguration and four years since his supporters stormed the building following his 2020 election defeat.”TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” he promised on Truth Social on Monday.The Republican president is expected to tout the bevy of executive orders issued during his first 43 days in office, and outline the remaining 1,419 days.Trump, together with his billionaire advisor Elon Musk, have already shown their intent to push hard and fast to implement the president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda — even if it means testing the constitutional limits of his authority, or straining ties with allies.Since his inauguration, Trump has moved to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers and begun holding undocumented migrants at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.- Oval Office blow-up -He has also publicly mused about annexing Canada, using economic force if necessary, and claimed the European Union was created to “screw” the United States. Trump’s extraordinary public clash with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, in which he berated his Ukrainian counterpart, was just the latest example of a US paradigm shift.Only a few members of his Republican Party, which narrowly controls both chambers of Congress, have publicly pushed back against the president.Legal attempts to thwart Trump and Musk’s government overhaul efforts continue to work their way through the courts, with the conservative-dominated Supreme Court expected to weigh in on several major questions.Members of the nine-member high court, three of whom were appointed by Trump during his first term, may attend his speech Tuesday, per custom. – ‘Triumphant return’ -House Speaker Mike Johnson — a staunch Trump ally — touted what he said would be the president’s “triumphant return” to Congress, arguing that he had accomplished so much already that listing his achievements “could fill three hours.” “Normally, at this point in a new president’s term, they would not deliver a State of the Union. It would be just simply a joint address, as it’s entitled,” Johnson told Fox News.”But in this case, it actually will be more like a State of the Union address, because President Trump has such a long series of victories.”Trump’s tight grip on the Republican Party has only grown stronger since his 2024 comeback, and few are willing to risk losing their seat by antagonizing him and his base.But with narrow majorities in Congress and several competing factions, the party could struggle to push through his legislative agenda, including major tax cuts.Democrats, meanwhile, are struggling to organize a united front capable of combating Trump’s media and political onslaught. Michigan’s new senator, Elissa Slotkin, will provide the traditional opposition rebuttal to the president’s address.The 48-year-old former CIA analyst, described by Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a “rising star” in the party, said in a statement that she looked forward to “speaking directly to the American people.”Lawmakers traditionally bring guests to presidential addresses and Democrats announced a list aimed at highlighting the Trump-Musk cuts, from fired federal workers to a child who was saved by a now-scuttled health program. 

Independent film “Anora” — the tale of a sex worker whose marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch quickly unravels — was the big winner at the Oscars on Sunday, scooping five awards including best picture.Sean Baker’s black comedy also took home the Academy Awards for best director, best editing, best original screenplay and best actress for 25-year-old star Mikey Madison.”This is a dream come true,” said Madison.”I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me. So to be here standing in this room today is really incredible.”A shellshocked Madison later told reporters backstage she was still processing a win that looked set to open career doors — even though she had no idea what was next.”I just know that tonight I’m going to go home to my new puppies and probably clean up their mess,” she laughed.Her win was something of an upset, as she bested 1990s megastar Demi Moore, who had been the odds-on favorite to cap a late career flourish with a golden statuette for body-horror flick “The Substance.”Baker used one of his four acceptance speeches to urge support for independent movies. “I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film. This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists,” he said.The five wins by “Anora” — out of six nominations — was an impressive haul for a movie made for just $6 million, a tiny sum by Hollywood standards.The film’s triumph came at the expense of “Conclave” — a film about the secretive and cut-throat election of a new Catholic leader that had been lent an uncanny timeliness by the real-life health woes of Pope Francis.The Vatican intrigue, starring Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini, earned top honors from Britain’s BAFTAs, and the Hollywood actors’ SAG Award, but had to settle Sunday for best adapted screenplay, despite having been seen as a favorite heading into the night.- ‘Defying Gravity’ and Conan -The more than three-and-a-half hour Oscars broadcast was a relatively staid affair, with little of the political tub-thumping that has characterized previous editions.Unlike last year’s host Jimmy Kimmel, host Conan O’Brien ignored President Donald Trump and, despite an astounding week of politics around the war in Ukraine, the ceremony had only one mention of the conflict, and only one speech concentrated on the situation in Gaza.Instead, the gala was a more traditional Hollywood event, kicked off with glossy high-production glitz.”Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo began the show with a soaring medley honoring the land of Oz that brought the house down, including a rapturously received “Defying Gravity” from their nominated film.O’Brien took aim in his opening monologue at the controversy that has surrounded “Emilia Perez,” whose transgender star sank the film’s Oscar hopes when a series of offensive tweets were unearthed.”Little fact for you: ‘Anora’ uses the F-word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofia Gascon’s publicist,” he said.Brazil won its first Oscar for best international feature for “I’m Still Here,” and Latvia’s “Flow” won the award for best animated film.- Culkin, Brody and Saldana -With the exception of Madison, the acting prizes went where they had been expected to go.Kieran Culkin looked his usual flustered self as he took the best supporting actor Oscar for “A Real Pain.””I’ve already lost whatever speech I prepared,” he said. “I have no idea how I got here. I’ve just been acting my whole life. It’s just been a part of what I do.”Adrien Brody won his second career Oscar for his role as Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian Jewish architect making a new life in the United States after World War II in “The Brutalist.” Brody, whose first statuette was for 2002’s “The Pianist,” joins an elite club of double winners including Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson.Oscars show producers tried to play Brody off the stage twice during his lengthy acceptance, offering one of the few moments of levity in an otherwise serious speech.”Please, I’ve done this before,” he said.”Emilia Perez” star Zoe Saldana won for best supporting actress, and she emotionally thanked her family.”My grandmother came to this country in 1961, I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award,” she said.”I know I will not be the last.”

For Mikey Madison, the first time is definitely a charm.The 25-year-old American won the best actress Oscar Sunday for her first major film role in “Anora,” in which she captivated audiences as a sassy sex worker who marries a Russian oligarch’s son — and learns tough lessons about the rich-poor divide.Madison made a major critical breakthrough in Sean Baker’s movie, which first won hearts at the Cannes film festival, where it received the Palme d’Or.She was perhaps the most surprising winner of the night, besting heavy favorite Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here) and scandal-mired Karla Sofia Gascon (“Emilia Perez”).”I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me. So to be here standing in this room today is really incredible,” Madison said, reading nervously from a piece of paper.”I also just want to again recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally of all the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community.””Anora” tells the story of Ani, a Brooklyn sex worker who makes her living in high-end Manhattan clubs. Her luck seems to change when she meets Ivan, a young man who turns out to be the son of a Russian oligarch.Ivan quickly immerses Ani in his life of parties, drugs and sex and, during a wild trip to Vegas, marries her.But the quickie marriage incenses Ivan’s parents, who head to New York to set things right, and Ani quickly finds herself out of her depth.She is forced into a zany search for an AWOL Ivan through Brooklyn’s “Little Odessa” — Brighton Beach — and an uncomfortable trip back to Sin City to get the marriage annulled, on which she experiences the cruelty of class warfare.Madison trained in pole dancing for three months and frequented sex clubs to research the role. The Los Angeles native also perfected a Brooklyn accent and learned some basic Russian.- Modern-day Cinderella -Baker first noticed Madison in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” in which she had a small part as a member of Charles Manson’s murderous hippie cult. The US filmmaker said he was captivated by her presence, and seeing her role in horror franchise reboot “Scream” (2022) cemented his interest.”I’ve never worked with an actor who has dedicated herself more,” he told AFP in Cannes last year. “She has comic timing. She was everything I thought she would be… I know she will be a star.”In “Anora,” he cast her as a modern-day Cinderella, a fighter whose fairy tale ending is ripped from her grasp. In one 28-minute scene, she hits, shrieks and even bites the two-bit Russian and Armenian hoods who come to make her see reason. Madison did all of her own stunts.The role follows a pattern for Madison, who appears to like roles that are the polar opposite of her actual self. She describes herself as quite shy.”I’m a little sick of talking about myself. Do you know what I mean? I feel embarrassed sometimes talking about myself,” she told Deadline in February.- ‘That looks fun’ -Born in California on March 25, 1999, to two psychologists, Madison grew up in the greater LA area, with no dreams of making it big in Hollywood. The homeschooled horse lover trained as an equestrian before being bitten by the acting bug in her teens.”I thought that looks fun or that looks like a safe place to explore all of those things without having to do it in real life,” she told The New York Times in an interview published in January.Still in her teens, she made her breakthrough as Pamela Adlon’s rebellious daughter in television’s “Better Things.” The show ran from 2016 to 2022. She shot “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” between seasons, and then got the surprising role in “Scream.” Madison is also part of the Apple TV+ mini-series “Lady in the Lake” starring Natalie Portman.Madison is close to her parents and twin brother, and eschews social media.”I would understand a curiosity toward a character in film, but that’s never been something I’ve really understood — like, the curiosity towards the actor themselves,” she told the Times.