By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Iraq war veteran who allegedly formed a militia he dubbed the “Proud Boys of North Texas” pleaded guilty on Thursday to a single count of assaulting or resisting police, a charge related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol in an effort to block Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election.

The plea from Lucas Denney, 44, of Texas, marked an abrupt shift in the case. Earlier this week, prosecutors had signaled they supported his emergency request to release him from jail and drop criminal charges because they had violated his rights to a speedy trial by failing to secure an indictment until about three months after his December 2021 arrest.

In a surprise move, Denney opted to withdraw his emergency request to have the case dismissed, and pleaded guilty instead.

He did so even as federal prosecutors warned in a virtual hearing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that they had not ruled out filing additional criminal charges against him in the future.

After that revelation, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss urged Denney to briefly take a recess and confer with his lawyers. After the recess, Denney said he had not changed his mind, and admitted to intentionally hitting a police officer with a pole as the officer was protecting the Capitol grounds.

“It was a plastic pole. It was like a PVC tube,” Denney said.

Denney is one of more than 775 people facing charges for their role in attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The government’s criminal complaint alleges that before the attack, Denney and a co-conspirator who also faced charges discussed organizing a militia to go to Washington, D.C.

“The 6th is going to be bigger than the last rally. I can’t tell you everything I know over media here but it’s gonna be big,” Denney allegedly wrote in a message.

“We will need linking up with proud boys though. I’ve been in contact with a few different chapters.”

The complaint says that after Denney arrived at the U.S. Capitol, he started grabbing metal barricades and trying to pull them from police, screaming “Who ya’ll protecting?”

Investigators said that after a police officer sprayed crowd control spray, Denney grabbed a metal pole and tried to swing it at the officer. He eventually managed to make his way into the lower west terrace of the Capitol, where the crowd pushed back against police riot shields while screaming “Heave-ho!”

In a court filing earlier this week, prosecutors urged the judge to sentence Denney to a prison term somewhere between 57 to 71 months, while Denney’s lawyers are asking for a range of 41 to 51 months.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by David Gregorio)

(Reuters) – Graffiti warnings daubed on the doors of activists in Moscow. A food blogger threatened with up to 15 years in jail for “discrediting” Russia’s army. A call to sack a senior former official for “treachery” for opposing the war in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin issued a venomous warning to “traitors” on Wednesday, saying the West would try to use them as a fifth column to destroy Russia, but that Russians would be quickly able to tell the “patriots from the scum”.

Within hours of Putin’s speech, Dmitry Ivanov, a Moscow-based activist, said his mother found a graffiti message on the door to their apartment landing: “Don’t betray the motherland Dima”.

The graffiti bore several of the “Z” signs used to drum up support for what Moscow calls its “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine. The motif is from markings on Russia’s armoured vehicles and tanks.

Ivanov, who has protested against the war, said he had no idea who was behind the graffiti, but that he knew of at least three other people, including activists and a journalist, whose doors had been defaced in the same way on Wednesday evening.

“I don’t know their aims: to frighten, not to frighten, or just to spoil your mood. It’s hard to scare us with such actions: we’re used to this kind of attention,” the 22-year-old told Reuters.

“It’s possible this action was to complement Putin’s speech, I think that’s possible. Especially considering how shoddily, and cheaply these markings were done. It was done in a hurry,” he said.

Thousands of people have been detained across Russia since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

“SELF-CLEANSING”

Putin, in his comments to government ministers on Wednesday, said Russians would spit out traitors “like gnats”, and society would be the better for it.

“I am convinced that this natural and necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to meet any challenge,” he said.

Asked about the remarks on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said many people were showing themselves to be traitors.

“They are vanishing from our lives themselves. Some people are leaving their posts, some are leaving their active work life, some leave the country and move to other countries. That is how this cleansing happens,” he said.

After Putin spoke, the Investigative Committee, a law enforcement body, announced the name of the first person, a food blogger, under investigation for spreading “false information” about Russia’s army on her blog.

That crime is now punishable by up to 15 years in jail after Russia adopted a law on March 4 following a ripple of protest activity against the invasion.

In an interview with Reuters, Veronika Belotserkovskaya who lives in southern France said that despite being apolitical she was not surprised she had been singled out as she likely fitted the image of a person whom the average Russian might loathe.

“You know, there’s this fat spoilt woman living on the Cote D’Azur, in Provence, or in Italy, who makes foie gras and eats lobsters, who also dares to blather on from over there… I have all of these qualities that the average person would see as disgusting,” she said.

After Putin spoke on Wednesday, a senior member of the ruling United Russia party called for the immediate sacking of former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich from his position as head of a foundation that promotes economic innovation.

Dvorkovich, who now heads the International Chess Federation, condemned the war in comments to Western media.

“He has made his choice,” said the parliamentarian, Andrei Turchak. “This is nothing but the very national betrayal, the behaviour of the fifth column, which the president spoke about today.”

(Reporting by Reuters, editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)

Washington (AFP) – NASA’s massive new rocket eased onto its launchpad Friday, ready for a battery of tests that will clear it to blast off to the Moon this summer on an uncrewed flight.

It left the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday evening and began a nearly 11-hour journey on a crawler-transporter to the hallowed Launch Complex 39B, arriving at 4:15 am.

Around 10,000 people had gathered to watch the event.

With the Orion crew capsule fixed on top, the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1 stands 322 feet (98 meters) high — taller than the Statue of Liberty, but a little smaller than the 363 feet Saturn V rockets that powered the Apollo missions to the Moon.

Still, it will produce 8.8 million pounds of maximum thrust (39.1 Meganewtons), 15 percent more than the Saturn V, meaning it’s expected to be the world’s most powerful rocket at the time it begins operating.

Having reached the iconic launchpad, where 53 Space Shuttles took off, there are roughly two more weeks’ worth of checks before what’s known as the “wet dress rehearsal.”

The SLS team will load more than 700,000 gallons (3.2 million liters) of cryogenic propellant into the rocket and practice every phase of launch countdown, stopping ten seconds before blast off.

“From this sacred and historical place, humanity will soon embark on a new era of exploration,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Friday.

A symbol of US space ambition, it also comes with a hefty price tag: $4.1 billion per launch for the first four Artemis missions, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin told Congress this month.

NASA is targeting May as the earliest window for Artemis-1, an uncrewed lunar mission that will be the first integrated flight for SLS and Orion.

SLS will first place Orion into a low Earth orbit, and then, using its upper stage, perform what’s called a trans-lunar injection. 

This maneuver is necessary to send Orion 280,000 miles beyond Earth and 40,000 miles beyond the Moon — further than any spaceship capable of carrying humans has ventured.

On its three-week mission, Orion will deploy 10 shoebox size satellites known as CubeSats to gather information on the deep space environment. 

Its “passengers” will include three mannequins collecting radiation data, and a plush Snoopy toy, long a NASA mascot.

It will journey around the far side of the Moon, using thrust provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) thruster, and finally make its way back to Earth, where its heat shield will be tested against the atmosphere.

Splashdown takes place in the Pacific, off the coast of California.

Artemis-2 will be the first crewed test, flying around the Moon but not landing, while Artemis-3, planned for 2025, will see the first woman and first person of color touch down on the lunar south pole.

NASA wants to build a permanent presence on the Moon, and use it as a proving ground for technologies necessary for a Mars mission, sometime in the 2030s, using a Block 2 evolution of the SLS.

SLS v Starship

NASA calls SLS a “super heavy lift exploration class vehicle.” The only currently operational super heavy rocket is SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, which is smaller.

Elon Musk’s company is also developing its own deep space rocket, the fully reusable Starship, which he has said should be ready for an orbital test this year.

Starship would be both bigger and more powerful than SLS: 394 feet tall with 17 million pounds of thrust. It could also be considerably cheaper. 

The tycoon has suggested that within years, the cost per launch could be as little as $10 million.

Direct comparisons are complicated by the fact that while SLS is designed to fly direct to its destinations, SpaceX foresees putting a Starship into orbit, and then refueling it with another Starship so it can continue its journey, to extend range and payload.

NASA has also contracted a version of Starship as a lunar descent vehicle for Artemis.

Other super heavy rockets under development include Blue Origin’s New Glenn, China’s Long March 9 and Russia’s Yenisei.

Miami (AFP) – Discontent is afoot at the happiest place on Earth, as Disney employees this week protested the company’s reaction to Florida’s so-called “Don’t say gay” bill, which would prohibit discussing LGBT topics in classrooms. 

The proposed law, which critics call discriminatory, has been a headache for Disney since before the southern US state’s legislature passed the measure last week, with the entertainment giant employing more than 75,000 people at its theme park in Orlando. 

A group of LGBT employees at the company has asked their coworkers to join them in walking out of their workplaces during their breaks every day since Tuesday to demand Disney “protect employees and their families in the face of such open and unapologetic bigotry.”

The friction began with an internal memo from Disney Executive Director Bob Chapek on March 7 after a meeting with members of the company’s LGBT community. 

In the note, cited by local media, Chapek said he was hesitant for Disney to speak out against the Florida bill, which has received condemnation for impeding students’ access to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” information at elementary schools.

Corporate statements “do very little to change outcomes or minds” and instead are “often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame,” Chapek wrote. 

His statements were met with a barrage of objections, as they were seen as a lack of support for the LGBT community. A campaign to boycott Disney circulated on social media. 

Emerging as one of the strongest detractors of Chapek’s stance was Abigail Disney — the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, who cofounded the cultural behemoth with his brother Walt. 

“Many LGBTQI people and their allies work for or look to Disney for ally-ship,” the activist and documentary producer wrote on Twitter. 

“But Chapek is more worried about right-wing backlash than about his own loyal fans and employees.”

‘Utterly failed’

Chapek tried to quickly dampen the controversy. During the company’s annual shareholder meeting March 9, he announced Disney’s plans to donate $5 million to pro-LGBT groups.

He also assured he had called Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who has signalled support for the bill — “to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

But Chapek’s comments could not extinguish the already burning controversy over the legislation, which is part of a nationwide effort by Republicans who feel they are wresting back control from liberal policies they say undermine traditional family values.

The same day as the shareholder meeting, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the most prominent US LGBT-rights organization — rejected any donations from Disney, as long as the company fails to work against “dangerous laws” such as Florida’s from being passed in the first place. 

And entertainment magazine Variety published a letter signed by LGBT employees of animation studio Pixar, denouncing the fact that “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in its movies “is cut at Disney’s behest.”

As the displeasure online grew, media reports revealed that Republican state senators who had supported the restrictive education law were among the politicians who had received donations from Disney in Florida.

On Friday, Chapek announced that there would be a freeze on political donations from the company in Florida until further notice. 

But the decision didn’t convince the group of LGBT Disney employees and allies who organized this week’s protests.

In an online statement, the group demanded the permanent suspension of donations to the politicians who had supported the Florida law, and criticized the company leadership’s “apathy.”

“The recent statements and lack of action by TWDC (The Walt Disney Company) leadership regarding the ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill have utterly failed to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety represented by this legislation,” the statement said. 

Disney, they added, should reaffirm its commitment to protecting and advocating for its staff, “even in the face of political risk.”

The group, which they say is made up of corporate, television, movie studio, streaming and other employees, has called for an all-day work stoppage to conclude the week of protests next Tuesday at Disney offices and other locations nationwide. 

By Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) -The Biden administration made a carefully orchestrated gamble this week, issuing a series of public and private threats to Beijing that it will face consequences if it supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The strategy was capped by a tense, seven-hour meeting in Rome on Monday between U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi.

Having fired loud diplomatic salvos at Beijing, Biden administration officials are still debating the next steps to take to ensure China does not help Russia evade Western sanctions or supply weapons to Moscow as casualties mount in Ukraine.

One result of the Rome meeting was announced on Thursday – Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak with Biden on Friday about “managing the competition between our two countries as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the White House said.

It is not likely to be an easy conversation.

Beijing was combative in the Rome talks, people briefed on the interactions say. One U.S.-based person briefed on the meeting described Chinese officials’ response as “tough” and “offensive.” Another said simply that the talks did not go well.

Washington is now sorting through a host of unanswered questions, including where any “red line” regarding Ukraine that China would need to cross to trigger a U.S. response is, and what exactly that response would be, administration officials say.

The Biden administration is waiting to see what China does before deciding on a course of action. “We’re going to be watching closely,” said White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Monday. A senior U.S. official said they would be looking at what military, economic, or other support is being provided to Russia.

The United States on Monday told allies in NATO and several Asian countries that China had signaled its willingness to provide military and economic aid to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, an accusation that China denies.

Sullivan had warned before the talks that China would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over Ukraine.

China, which announced a “no limits” strategic partnership with Russia in February, may find it hard to change course and back down after a threat was made public, said Kevin Gallagher, who leads the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University.

“This wasn’t a good strategic move,” he said. “Like the United States, China has a domestic constituency.”

He Weiwen, senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Beijing’s Renmin University said: “The U.S. has an intention to crackdown on China, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict provides a reason for it to do so,” describing the U.S. warnings as “blackmail.”

Sources in the Biden administration and diplomats in Washington and Europe say Western countries had been sending private warnings to Beijing about China’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin for weeks before the Rome meeting.

Russia has denied asking China for military assistance, and China warned this week of “false information,” in apparent reference to U.S. statements.

“China firmly opposes any words and deeds that spread false information and distort and smear China’s position,” Yang said, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Beijing’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily, carried a column noting the inaccurate U.S. intelligence that led to the Iraq invasion.

Some U.S. allies also quietly questioned the intelligence Washington was relying upon regarding the Russian and Chinese conversations, several European diplomatic sources said.

SANCTIONS DISCUSSIONS NOT ADVANCED

Discussions between the United States and its military allies of any coordinated sanctions that could apply to Beijing are not advanced, according to one person involved in those conversations.

A move to sanction China over Ukraine would have potentially dire consequences, not just for China, but for the U.S. and global economies, analysts say.

China trades vastly more with the United States and its NATO than it does with Russia, and the Chinese economy relies heavily on international markets and capital. However, the talks between Sullivan and Yang did not focus on trade, one U.S. official noted.

Biden entered office regarding China as the key foreign policy challenge of the era, one that required a more hardline defense of democratic values against autocratic competitors.

But Biden hoped that his candid personal relationship with China’s leader could defuse the likelihood of a Cold War or a direct military clash between the world’s current superpower and its rising superpower, including over the status of Taiwan.

“China is either going to side with Russia and reinforce the sense that it has joined an ‘axis of autocracy,’ or it is going to put significant space between Moscow and Beijing and demonstrate that it genuinely cares about preserving even a basic relationship with the rest of the world,” said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“If it turns down this opportunity, it’s not clear to me there will be a next time to meet and set aside differences. The ball is entirely in Beijing’s court.”

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Andrea Shalal, Michael Martina, Steve Holland, David Brunnstrom, Alexandra Alper, Humeyra Pamuk, Phil Stewart, and the Beijing bureau; Writing by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)

Gabrielle Union has blasted the Walt Disney Company’s soft stance regarding Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.

The ‘Cheaper By the Dozen’ actress hit out at the studio – who are facing walkouts from staff in protest at their lack of response to the controversial bill, which bans teachers in classes up to third grade in the state from discussing LGBTQ+ issues with their students – and voiced her dismay following the news the company had donated money to every sponsor and co-sponsor of the legislation.

She told Variety: “Somebody asked me, ‘Are you disappointed?’ I’m disappointed when my order isn’t right at In-N-Out. I don’t even think that’s a word that you could use for something like this, where children’s lives are literally hanging in the balance.

“We need to own that if you truly are taking stands against hate and oppression, you should not fund hate and oppression. Period. The damage is done.”

And Gabrielle – whose stepdaughter, Zaya, is trans – warned the lack of public challenge to the bill in Florida will see other states follow suit.

She said: “There are so many states that are following suit [with Florida’s legislation], because there is no pushback, because no one in positions of power [or] corporations are taking a hard stance.

“Let’s look who’s donating to what and let’s call people out… I think a lot of people like to confuse accountability and consequences for cancel culture. And as long as you have a microphone and a stage that’s not cancel culture, honey… We have to campaign and fund for those people who stand for all of us.”

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek reportedly received a letter from LGBTQ+ employees at the firm requesting he publicly condemn the bill, and Gabrielle thinks he has had a “lot of people” voice their objection.

She said: “I think a lot of people reached out to him. And if you have to see my child for that to be to be the difference maker, that’s not enough. There’s a lot of kids out there, not just famous ones.”

Bob previously wrote to Disney employees to apologise for letting them down, but has yet to publicly criticise the legislation, which was passed by the state’s House of Representatives on 24 February and the state Senate earlier this month.

He wrote: “Thank you to all who have reached out to me sharing your pain, frustration and sadness over the company’s response to the Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.

“Speaking to you, reading your messages, and meeting with you have helped me better understand how painful our silence was. It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights.”

He added, “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.”

The executive pledged $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) LGBT advocacy group, but the organisation rejected the donation and called on Disney to take “meaningful action” against the bill instead.

The TV comedy that launched the political career of Ukraine’s president is fast becoming a global streaming hit amid the prolonged international focus on actor-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky, the main player resisting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“You asked and it’s back,” Netflix wrote on Wednesday, announcing the return of the 2015 satirical show “Servant of the People”, which stars Zelenksy as a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president after becoming famous on YouTube.

Zelenksy, whose character is elected president after a clip in which he complains about corruption goes viral, was himself elected president in real life after the show was widely watched across Ukraine.

While Netflix is launching the show for US viewers, in Europe, the French-German broadcaster Arte says it has registered an increasing interest in the TV show.

“Due to the high level of public interest in the person of Volodymyr Zelensky, Arte decided to buy the series in autumn 2021,” the broadcaster told dpa. “The current developments in Ukraine have significantly increased this interest.”

In the UK, broadcaster Channel 4 has snapped up the series and has been streaming it online to viewers. Distributor Eccho Rights has also sold the show to MBC in the Middle East, ANT 1 in Greece and PRO TV in Romania, according to entertainment industry news website Deadline.

The show loaned its name to Zelensky’s political party, the Servant of the People party, whose pro-NATO and pro-EU policies have become the target of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The first two seasons of “Servant of the People” are also available free to watch on YouTube.

By Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Wednesday said it is time to change the culture and not just U.S. law to stop violence against women as he celebrated expanded protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

A day earlier, Biden signed a spending bill that included a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which also provides more resources and training programs for law enforcement, among other steps.

Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner in the United States, according to a new report https://everytownresearch.org/report/guns-and-violence-against-women-americas-uniquely-lethal-intimate-partner-violence-problem/#the-nexus-of-intimate-partner-violence-and-guns that claims intimate partner violence and gun violence in the U.S. are inextricably linked.

Experts say stay-at-home orders linked to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak appear to have contributed to a spike in domestic violence.

“Change the culture, not just the law,” Biden said at a White House event attended by advocates, survivors of abuse and lawmakers.

“It really wasn’t so long ago this country didn’t want to talk about violence against women, let alone it being a national epidemic – something government had to address. As a society, we literally looked away.”

Biden said the law will now do more for survivors in rural areas and in underserved communities. For example, tribal courts will now be able to exercise jurisdiction over non-native perpetrators of sexual assault and sex trafficking, he said.

As a senator, Biden helped craft the bill, which was originally signed into law in 1994. It expired under then-President Donald Trump in 2019.

In 2018, the United States was named as the only Western nation among the 10 most dangerous countries for women in a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of global experts, after the #MeToo campaign triggered a flood of complaints about sexual harassment and assault.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Jeff Mason in Washington; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

(Reuters) – Idaho’s Senate has blocked a controversial bill that would have outlawed gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children under the age of 18.

Republican leaders in the Idaho Senate halted the advancement of the bill on Tuesday, saying it undermined parental rights and amounted to government overreach, even as they affirmed their staunch opposition to any kind of trans-related medical care.

“We believe in parents’ rights and that the best decisions regarding medical treatment options for children are made by parents, with the benefit of their physician’s advice and expertise,” Republican Senate leaders said in a statement https://idahocapitalsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Idaho-Senate-Republicans-Statement-on-HB-675-4.pdf released late on Tuesday.

The Republican-sponsored legislation would have made it a felony for anyone to provide gender-affirming surgeries and medications like puberty-blockers by amending existing provisions on female genital mutilation. It also would have criminalized taking a child across state lines to receive that care.

Idaho’s House had overwhelmingly passed the bill last week.

The Senate’s action marked a victory for LGBTQ groups, medical professionals and civil liberties advocates opposing moves by conservative politicians in dozens of states to criminalize gender-affirming treatments for trans youth.

Numerous medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, support these treatments, calling them potentially life saving.

Republican lawmakers have sought this year to pass a number of measures limiting trans healthcare, an issue that has emerged as a key front in the culture wars ahead of the November mid-term congressional elections.

Last week, a Texas judge temporarily blocked the state from investigating parents who provide their transgender children with gender-affirming care. Governor Greg Abbott has called such care “child abuse.”

The state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, appealed the injunction. It remains unclear whether investigations into parents are continuing while the matter rests with the courts.

In Alabama, legislation seeking to criminalize anyone who provides gender-affirming healthcare to minors could be voted on in the state’s House this week.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Tim Ahmann)

Jaden Smith thought everything was “so beautiful” when he took psychedelic mushrooms.

The 23-year-old actor told how he took psilocybin with a group of friends in a park and felt like he “went inside of a tree”, which “looked like a rainbow” and felt just as “alive” as he did.

He said: “I was with people who I really loved dearly. We go to a park, which was the best decision that we could have ever made. Everything just becomes so beautiful.

“We look at the sky and everybody starts feeling like they want to cry, but no one says anything. We were running in the park. We’re sprinting. We’re talking fast. We decided to hug a tree and felt like we actually went inside of the tree.

“I saw the inner workings of the tree and it looked like a rainbow. I could tell in that moment that trees were alive, but more alive than anyone could ever think. As alive as humans are.”

The ‘Karate Kid’ actor’s experience with psychedelics has influenced his latest clothing collection, ‘Trippy Summer’, and he explained how the collection has “taken advantage” of what happens when people are in an altered state.

He told Mr. Porter journal: “I believe that mushrooms are going to help us expand consciousness. The collection is not just clothes to sell.

“It’s loaded with spiritual experiences and mystical states. We’re just making clothes that can go along with people’s journeys.’

“When you’re in that sensitive space, the wrong shirt can ruin things.

“Whether the shirt says, “Oh, f*** you, you f****** f***,’ or, ‘Go to hell and die,’ it might scare somebody… We’re taking advantage of the certain visual cues that happen when you’re on mushrooms. Things slightly move.

“If you give something the feeling of motion, when you’re on mushrooms and you look at it, your brain will finish the work and put it in motion so that you’re like, “Holy f***! His pants are moving.”‘

Jussie Smollett has been moved out of a prison psychiatric ward.

The former ‘Empire’ star’s brother, Jocqui Smollett, raised concerns over the weekend about his sibling’s incarceration but he’s now thanked fans for backing his campaign for the 39-year-old actor to be transferred to a different part of Cook County Jail and urged them to continue to “apply pressure” to officials at the prison.

Offering an update on social media, Jocqui said: “I just got to see him. I just want to give you all an update. Thank you so much for the support, for the #FreeJussie movement. It’s working.

“He has now been moved to a new jail cell, out of the psych ward that has a bed. Before he was sleeping on a restrained bed and now he has moved into a jail cell that actually has a bed, so thank you so much, that is really because of all the #FreeJussie that has been going on. It’s all the pressure that we’re applying on Cook County Jail.

“Unfortunately, the county doesn’t really move until they get bad publicity, so we just have to keep applying pressure y’all. Keep reposting with #FreeJussie, keep continuing to call Cook County Jail, checking in on him and continue saying that he should be free.”

The former ‘Empire’ star was convicted last December of lying to police over a hate crime attack and last week was jailed for 150 days, as well as ordered to pay over $120,000 in restitution and a $25,000 fine and placed on probation for 30 months.

Jussie has denied the allegations against him, and his brother insisted it is “absolutely ridiculous” that he is in jail because there is “absolutely no evidence” to prove he orchestrated the attack on himself.

He continued: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that he’s in there. This means that you could just be associated with two liars, and that is all it takes is their word to get you locked up. The state could lock you up, that should leave you terrified.

“There is no evidence linking Jussie to this crime. There is absolutely no evidence, no emails, no letters, no phone calls, no text messages, none of that, of Jussie saying, ‘I am planning an attack on myself.’

“There is none of that happening, so please continue to fact check people, to fact check the media wherever possible, and thank you so much for the folks who have sent letters to him.

“You have no idea how great that is to keep him going and keep him strong and keep him focused on the task at hand. He is so, so grateful for the letters. He has read all of them, and he is going to reply to every single one of them.”

Billie Lourd honoured her late mother, Carrie Fisher, with her wedding outfit.

The ‘Scream Queens’ actress tied the knot with Austen Rydell in an intimate beach ceremony in Mexico on 12 March and the 29-year-old star asked Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mlleavy to design her off-the-shoulder gown because of their connections to the ‘Star Wars’ actress, who died in 2016.

Billie told Vogue magazine: “I discovered Kate and Laura after they interviewed my mom for an article in 2014 and immediately fell in love.

“So when I started thinking about who I wanted to design my wedding dress, they were the first people who came to mind.

“I have always been a massive fan of their work and thought their elegant, ethereal, unique style was a perfect fit for my — kind of —elegant, ethereal, unique personality.

“I also felt a strong connection to them because of their connection to my mom and because they are California gals just like me!”

Billie’s dress was teamed with Rene Mancini heels chosen by her father, Bryan Lourd, who had spotted the footwear when out shopping because they “reminded him of the shoes my mom used to wear in the ’90s.”

She added: “It was a month before the wedding, and they told him they take four months to make the shoes. He talked to Mohamad, the manager of the store, and told him when the wedding was and asked him if he could somehow rush them, and he magically made it happen! When he came to pick up the shoes, it turned out my dad’s hunch about my mom was right. Mohamad told him that my mom used to shop at their store in New York City in the ’90s. The perfect shoe turned out to literally be the perfect shoe. It was serendipity!”

For her jewellery, the ‘Booksmart’ actress wore her engagement ring – a diamond that was originally in her mom’s engagement ring which Austen had reset – Carrie’s favourite blue fire opal band as her something blue, and another ring which her mother had given to one of her closest friends for something borrowed. Billie’s something old came in the form of vintage Neil Lane diamond studs given to her by her dad.

Carrie’s two best friends, Gavin DeBecker and Bruce Wagner, officiated the wedding, with the service offering more nods to the bride’s mother.

Billie said: “It was the most hysterically brilliant and touching officiating in the history of officiating. And in true Carrie fashion, we threw glitter in the air at the end of the ceremony. It was magical. I could not have dreamed up a more perfect wedding.”

At the reception, Billie changed into another Rodarte outfit, which paid tribute to her late grandmother, Debbie Reynolds.

The bride said: “It was inspired by my glam-ma Debbie Reynolds’s iconic dance outfits that she used to wear in all of her shows and is probably the most fun party outfit of all time.

“I am obsessed beyond belief. I’m probably going to make it into an art piece in my house because it’s way too legendary to just hang on a hanger in a closet. I have never had more fun in any dress ever!”

Britney Spears would rather be “feared” than “loved”.

The 40-year-old singer has reflected on her Las Vegas residency after her most recent trip to Sin City, and she insisted now she has “a whole new perspective” on life.

She wrote on Instagram: “The only thing I’ve known when I used to go to Vegas was a hour long meet and greets with 40 people every night getting the worst pics of me and then a two hour show!!!!

“Let’s just say THIS TIME visiting it gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to live !!!!

“Being able to go to the spa was a highlight as well … and you know what ??? Don’t ever pity me like my masseuse does …. “People do love you!” …. Huh ???? Huh ????

“I dont want to be loved … I want to be feared !!! Being loved and being nice got me taken advantage of …… so take ur pity and go f*** yourselves (sic)”

Meanwhile, it was recently claimed Britney – who regained control of her affairs in November after her conservatorship was terminated – and her partner Sam Asghari are both “very career focused” at the moment.

A source said: “Britney and Sam are very career focused right night, especially Sam. They are both going so hard right now and putting in a lot of work and effort into all areas of their lives, both personally and professionally.

“She doesn’t want to have a partner who is just fine being quiet and sitting on the sidelines. “She is equally as motivated and career driven as he is. That’s their focus and the path they are on right now.”

However, the couple – who first started dating in 2016 and became engaged when Sam popped the question in September 2021 – are also said to be planning for their upcoming wedding.

The source said: “They’re definitely in wedding planning mode too and hyper focused on that, but they also are trying to elevate themselves.”

Matt Bomer is reportedly in early talks to join Bradley Cooper’s biopic about Leonard Bernstein.

The 47-year-old actor is set to star in and direct the upcoming Netflix movie, ‘Maestro’, which follows the life of the conductor and musical maestro behind ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Candide’.

According to Deadline, the ‘White Collar’ star, 44, is yet to strike a deal with the streaming giant and the role he would take on is not known at this time.

If he does board the flick – which sees Hollywood heavyweights Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg among the producers – Matt will join Bradley in the titular role and Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre.

Bradley previously said: “I was struck by Carey ever since I saw her on stage many years ago and I haven’t missed a performance of hers since.

“I am humbled to be working with such a mammoth talent, as well as such a kind person in Carey.”

The film spans over 30 years, telling the story of the complicated marriage between the pair.

They had three children together, but Felicia knew about Bernstein’s affairs with other men before and after their wedding.

The children have given their seal of approval of Carey, 36, portraying their mother.

Jamie Bernstein said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that Carey Mulligan will play our mother in ‘Maestro’.

“Carey will surely capture Felicia’s unique combination of wit, warmth, elegant beauty, and depth of emotion. We also love the way Carey conveys a kind of storybook European grace, which was something our mother embodied as well.”

The script has been penned by Bradley, with the help of Josh Singer, who previously helped to pen ‘Spotlight’.

The ‘A Star Is Born’ helmer earned the rights from the Bernstein Estate and has been working closely with his children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina.

Previously, it was also confirmed that Jake Gyllenhaal was also set to star in another movie about the late composer titled ‘The American’, which would have been helmed by Cary Fukunaga.

However, plans for the movie were eventually scrapped amid concerns Bernstein’s name wouldn’t draw a big enough audience.

LONDON (Reuters) -A Russian woman who burst into a TV studio to denounce the Ukraine war during a live news bulletin told Reuters on Wednesday she was worried for her safety and hoped her protest would open Russians’ eyes to propaganda.

In her first television interview since her extraordinary on-air protest on Channel One on Monday evening, Marina Ovsyannikova said that she had no plans to flee Russia and that she hoped she would not face criminal charges.

“I believe in what I did but I now understand the scale of the problems that I’ll have to deal with, and, of course, I’m extremely concerned for my safety,” Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, told Reuters.

“I absolutely don’t feel like a hero… You know, I really want to feel that this sacrifice was not in vain, and that people will open their eyes.”

She was fined 30,000 roubles ($280) on Tuesday hours after the Kremlin denounced her act of protest as “hooliganism”.

Reuters has submitted a written request to the interior ministry asking for further comment on her case and whether legal proceedings are now closed.

Ovsyannikova told Reuters she wanted not only to protest against the war but also to sent a message to Russians directly: “Don’t be such zombies; don’t listen to this propaganda; learn how to analyse information; learn how to find other sources of information – not just Russian state television.”

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Trevelyan)