PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

A Georgia lawmaker is seen using racial slurs and dropping his pants in an episode of Sasha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series “Who Is America?”

In Sunday night’s broadcast, Republican Rep. Jason Spencer of Woodbine repeatedly uses a racial slur for African-Americans and later exposes his bottom after being told it helps scare away Muslim terrorists.

Spencer lost in the May primary, but his term doesn’t end until his replacement takes over after the November election. But Georgia House Speaker David Ralston has called for him to resign.

In a statement Monday, Spencer refused to step down from office.

In the episode, Cohen plays an Israeli military expert who asks Spencer to take part in what he was told was a counterterrorism video. Spencer is told to yell racial epithets.Spencer said

‘Hamilton’ creator announces arts fund for Puerto Rico

Lin-Manuel Miranda jumped up to a podium shortly after landing in Puerto Rico on Sunday to announce he has helped create a multimillion-dollar fund to boost the arts in the U.S. territory as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria.

The “Hamilton” playwright said he hopes the fund will grow to $15 million in coming years. He added that he will donate all funds from the Broadway hit when it is performed January in Puerto Rico.

“The goal wasn’t just artistic satisfaction, but how can we leave Puerto Rico a little better than we found it,” said Miranda, whose parents are from the island. —From wire reports