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Published by Reuters By Alicia Powell (Reuters) – From college hoops to a Russian jail cell, the life of basketball star Brittney Griner is being told in a new comic book from TidalWave Comics. Griner is part of the publisher’s Female Force series that celebrates women with inspirational stories. Griner was arrested on Feb. 17 at an airport outside Moscow for carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. She was subsequently convicted of drug smuggling and later transferred to one of Russia’s most notorious penal colonies before being released in a prison swap in December. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star, said she plans to return to her WNBA team. Writer Michael Frizell said they began working on the comic book before Griner’s arrest and had a focus on “her growth as an athlete and person.” Adding that he “found Brittney’s story fascinating despite not knowing much about the WNBA.” Frizell hopes readers understand “the person behind the headlines.” The comic book will be released Jan. 18 in print and digital form. Read more: Mariah Carey’s life and career detailed in a new comic book Dwayne Johnson calls ‘Black Adam’ comic book film his passion project Queen Elizabeth’s life features in a new comic book (Reporting by Alicia Powell; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Singer Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Elvis Presley, died on Thursday at the age of 54 after being rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital, her mother said. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” her mother, Priscilla Presley, said in a statement. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss,” the statement added. Lisa Marie Presley suffered cardiac arrest in her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas, according to entertainment website TMZ. She was then taken to hospital on Thursday. She attended the Golden Globes awards show in Beverly Hills earlier this week, where actor Austin Butler won the best actor award for portraying her father in the film “Elvis.” Butler paid tribute to Lisa Marie Presley and her mother during his acceptance speech. Elvis Presley died of cardiac arrest in August 1977 at the age of 42. Presley was remembered by Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks – Butler’s co-star in the “Elvis” movie – Rita Wilson and John Travolta, as well as fashion designer Donatella Versace. “Our hearts are broken with the sudden and shocking passing of Lisa Marie Presley tonight. Tom and I had spent some time with the family during the Elvis movie promotional tour. Lisa Marie was so honest and direct, vulnerable, in a state of anticipation about the movie,” said Rita Wilson, actress and wife of Hanks, in an Instagram post. “Lisa baby girl, I’m so sorry. I’ll miss you but I know I’ll see you again. My love and heart goes out to Riley, Priscilla, Harper and Finley,” actor Travolta wrote on Instagram, referring to Lisa Marie Presley’s daughters and mother. “I will never forget the times we spent together,” designer Versace said via Instagram. “Your beauty and your kindness shone so bright. Rest in peace Lisa Marie. We will never forget you.” MUSIC CAREER, MARRIAGES Lisa Marie Presley was born on Feb. 1, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee and became the owner of her father’s Graceland mansion a popular tourist attraction in the city. She was nine years old when Elvis died there. Her own music career began with a 2003 debut album “To Whom It May Concern.” It was followed by 2005’s “Now What,” and both hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart. A third album, “Storm and Grace,” was released in 2012. She was married four times. She wed pop star Michael Jackson in 1994, just 20 days after her divorce from her first husband, musician Danny Keough. The high-profile couple divorced in 1996 as Jackson was battling child molestation allegations. Presley married actor Nicholas Cage, a fan of her father, in 2002. Cage filed for divorce four months later. Her fourth marriage was to her guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood. Their divorce was finalized in 2021. Her only son, Benjamin Keough, himself a musician, died in 2020 at age 27, a death ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County coroner. Lisa Marie Presley remembered her son in an essay for People magazine earlier this year that she posted on Instagram, calling herself “destroyed” by his death. She is survived by daughter Riley Keough, 33, an actress, and 14-year-old twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine, Eric Beech, Kanishka Singh and Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Rhea Binoy; Editing by Mary Milliken, Marguerita Choy and Kenneth Maxwell) View the full article

Published by Reuters LONDON (Reuters) -Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty in a London court on Friday to seven more sex offence charges, denying a number of alleged sexual assaults against one man about 20 years ago. Spacey, 63, appeared at Southwark Crown Court by videolink charged with one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, three counts of indecent assault and three counts of sexual assault. The actor – wearing a dark jacket, white shirt and pink tie – spoke only to confirm his name as Kevin Spacey Fowler and enter seven not guilty pleas during the brief hearing. Judge Mark Wall agreed to join the seven-count indictment to an earlier five-count indictment, which features four counts of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Spacey pleaded not guilty to those five charges last July. The seven additional charges, which were authorised by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service in November, relate to one complainant and concern alleged offences between 2001 and 2005. Spacey was granted unconditional bail ahead of a pre-trial review hearing in April. His trial, which is currently due to begin in June, is expected to last for four weeks. (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden, William Maclean) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Karen Freifeld and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A New York judge on Friday sentenced Donald Trump’s namesake real estate company to pay a $1.61 million criminal penalty after it was convicted of scheming to defraud tax authorities for 15 years. Justice Juan Merchan of the Manhattan criminal court imposed the sentence, the maximum possible under state law, after jurors found two Trump Organization affiliates guilty of 17 criminal charges last month. Merchan on Tuesday sentenced Allen Weisselberg, who worked for Trump’s family for a half-century and was the company’s former chief financial officer, to five months in jail after he testified as the prosecution’s star witness. Susan Necheles, one of the defense lawyers, said Trump’s company plans to appeal. No one else was charged. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the case, is still conducting a criminal probe into Trump’s business practices. “The sentencing today, along with the sentencing earlier this week, closes this important chapter of our ongoing investigation into the former president and his businesses,” Bragg told reporters. “We now will go on to the next chapter.” Joshua Steinglass, one of the prosecutors, appeared to lament the size of the punishment, telling Merchan the penalty was only a “tiny portion” of the Trump Organization’s revenue. Companies cannot be sentenced to jail or prison. ‘ROUNDING ERROR’ Bill Black, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law specializing in white-collar crime, called the penalty a “rounding error” that offers “zero” deterrence. “This is a farce,” he said. “No one will stop committing these kinds of crimes because of this sentence.” The case has long been a thorn in the side of the Republican former president, who calls it part of a witch hunt by Democrats who dislike him and his politics. Trump also faces a $250 million civil lawsuit by state Attorney General Letitia James accusing him and his adult children Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric of inflating his net worth and his company’s asset values to save on loans and insurance. Bragg and James are Democrats, as is Bragg’s predecessor Cyrus Vance, who brought the criminal case. Trump is seeking the presidency in 2024, after losing his re-election bid in 2020. FRAUD ‘SANCTIONED FROM THE TOP DOWN’ At a four-week trial, prosecutors offered evidence that Trump’s company covered personal expenses such as rent and car leases for executives without reporting them as income, and pretended that Christmas bonuses were non-employee compensation. Trump himself signed bonus checks, prosecutors said, as well as the lease on Weisselberg’s luxury Manhattan apartment and private school tuition for the CFO’s grandchildren. “A number of these fraudulent practices were explicitly sanctioned from the top down,” Steinglass said at Friday’s hearing. Despite testifying for the government, Weisselberg said Trump was not part of the fraud scheme, and refused to help Bragg in his broader investigation into the former president. The Trump Organization had put Weisselberg on paid leave until they severed ties this week. His lawyer said the split, announced on Tuesday, was amicable. Weisselberg, 75, is serving his sentence in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail. Trump faces several other legal woes, including probes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Mark Porter) View the full article

Published by Reuters NEW YORK (Reuters) -A federal judge on Friday rejected Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss writer E. Jean Carroll’s second lawsuit accusing the former U.S. president of defamation for denying he raped her in the mid-1990s. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said Trump’s argument that the former Elle magazine columnist could not prove defamation because she failed to allege “special damages” was without merit. He also rejected Trump’s argument that Carroll’s battery claim under New York’s Adult Survivors Act must be dismissed because the law denied him due process under the state’s constitution. Lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Carroll’s lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. Carroll has accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in late 1995 or early 1996. Trump first denied the accusation in June 2019, telling a reporter at the White House that he did not know Carroll, that she was “not my type,” and that she made up the claim to sell her new memoir. He repeated the denial in an October 2022 social media post, calling the rape claim a “hoax,” “lie” and “complete scam,” and saying “this can only happen to ‘Trump’!” (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States on Friday pushed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution calling on the Taliban-led authorities in Afghanistan to reverse bans on women working for aid groups or attending universities and high school, diplomats said. The 15-member council met privately on Friday – at the request of the United Arab Emirates and Japan – to discuss the decisions by the Islamist Taliban-led administration, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council that given the gravity of the situation it should unanimously adopt a resolution to condemn the bans and call for an immediate reversal, said diplomats. It was not immediately clear whether all members would back such a formal move by the council. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the Russia, China, Britain, France or the United States to be adopted. The Security Council agreed by consensus to an informal statement last month calling for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan, denouncing the ban on women attending universities or working for aid groups. Before the meeting on Friday, 11 Security Council members – including the United States, Britain and France – issued a joint statement urging the Taliban to reverse all oppressive measures against women and girls. The ban on female aid workers was announced by the Taliban-led administration on Dec. 24. It followed a ban imposed earlier last month on women attending universities. Girls were stopped from attending high school in March. ‘CHILDREN WILL DIE’ The United Nations has said that 97% of Afghans live in poverty, two-thirds of the population need aid to survive, and 20 million people face acute hunger. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described the ban on female aid workers as “both wrong and dangerous,” according to her prepared remarks for the private Security Council meeting on Friday, seen by Reuters. “It is not hyperbole to say that without them, lives will be lost, children will die,” she said. Russell said UNICEF was reviewing the impact of the ban on its work and “as the situation evolves, we will have to make difficult decisions as to which activities we can continue, and which must be suspended.” International Rescue Committee President David Miliband said the IRC has been forced to pause most operations, but it was aiming to find ways to work around the ban “since its outright reversal seems very unlikely,” according to his prepared remarks for the council meeting, seen by Reuters. “Based on the clarity provided by the Ministry of Public Health, the IRC has resumed health and nutrition services through our static and mobile health teams in four provinces. Other NGOs (aid groups) are doing the same,” Miliband said. “We have a long way to go, but it is a start,” he added. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Richard Chang) View the full article

Published by Hong Kong Free Press Hong Kong should allow transgender people to use public toilets designated for their chosen gender before they have undergone surgery, the High Court was told during a constitutional challenge to the city’s public convenience regulations. The legal bid filed by K, who identifies as a male but was born as a woman, was heard by Judge Russell Coleman on Thursday. The applicant seeks to amend the wording in the Public Conveniences (Conduct and Behaviour) Regulations to allow a transgender person undergoing Real Life Experience (RLE) treatment under the certification and care of a doctor to use pub… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin voted Thursday to strike a recently implemented rule protecting LGBTQ youth from so-called LGBTQ “conversion therapy.” The widely debunked practice attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. After around four hours of testimony, the Republican-led Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted 6-4 along party lines to repeal the ban, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. “Once again, Republican legislators have demonstrated that they will put politics over people and allow young people in Wisconsin to be hurt by those who should be hel… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Cate Blanchett has hit back at suggestions that ‘Tar’ is “anti-woman”. The 53-year-old star won a Golden Globe award this week for her portrayal of the fictional orchestra conductor Lydia Tar but conductor Marin Alsop slammed the movie amid suggestions that the main character was inspired by her. ‘Tar’ follows Blanchett’s alter ego at the height of her successful career before accusations about her behaviour surface and destroy all she has worked for. Alsop said: “I was offended as a woman, I was offended as a conductor, I was offended as a lesbian. “There are so many men – actual, documented men – this film could have been based on but, instead, it puts a woman in the role but gives her all the attributes of those men. That feels anti-woman.” Cate has the “utmost respect” for Alsop but claims that the character’s circumstances are merely coincidental. ‘The Aviator’ star said: “What (director Todd Field) and I wanted to do was to create a really lively conversation. So there’s no right or wrong responses to works of art. “It’s not a film about conducting, and I think that the circumstances of the character are entirely fictitious. I looked at so many different conductors, but I also looked at novelists and visual artists and musicians of all stripes. It’s a very non-literal film.” Blanchett stressed that the conductor is “entitled to her opinion” but defended the movie against claims of sexism. The Oscar-winner said: “She’s entitled to her opinion, absolutely. But it’s a meditation on power and power is genderless. It is a meditation on power and the corrupting nature of power and I think that that doesn’t necessarily happen only in cultural circles. “I mean, she could just as well have been a master architect or the head of a major banking corporation.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Christy Turlington has hailed Tatjana Patitz as the embodiment of “European sophistication and style”. The model died from breast cancer on Wednesday (11.01.23), aged 56, and Christy has taken to social media to pay a glowing tribute to the catwalk star. She wrote on Instagram: “Tatjana was always a vision. Glamorous, sophisticated, and warm, once she let you in. I could have watched her smoke cigarettes and speak in any of the many languages she was fluent in all day. Who needed to work? I was learning how an international woman behaved and moved in the world in real time. You are unforgettable and are forever in my heart.” Elsewhere, Milla Jovovich has hailed Tatjana as “one of the most stunning humans” she’s ever met. The 47-year-old model recalled being invited to a photoshoot with Tatjana when she was just 13. Milla said: “She was a natural mama even at such a young age. She only got better at it as the years went by.” Tatjana became one of the so-called ‘Big Five’ supermodels during the 90s. In 1990, she also starred in the music video for George Michael’s hit song ‘Freedom! ’90’. The catwalk star appeared in the video alongside fellow models Christy, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Tatjana modelled for the likes of Chanel, Donna Karan and Vivienne Westwood during her career, and she also often appeared in the pages of American and British Vogue. She made her last catwalk appearance at Milan Fashion Week in 2019, when she modelled items from Etro’s autumn/winter collection. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Evan Peters’ Golden Globe win has been slammed by the mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims. The 35-year-old actor took home the Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television award for his portrayal of the serial killer in ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ at the awards ceremony earlier this week but Shirley Hughes thinks his success only brings more pain to the victims’ families. Shirley, whose son Tony Hughes was 31 when he was killed by Dahmer in 1991, said: “There’s a lot of sick people around the world, and people winning acting roles from playing killers keeps the obsession going and this makes sick people thrive on the fame. “It’s a shame that people can take our tragedy and make money. The victims never saw a cent. We go through these emotions every day.” She also told TMZ Evan should have used his acceptance speech to mention the grieving families or to call for Hollywood to put an end to telling stories about killers and glorifying them. And Shirley insisted the actor should have turned down the role in the first place out of respect for those who lost loved ones at the hands of the serial kiler. When he accepted the award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Evan thanked viewers for tuning in, acknowledging the show had been “difficult” to film and wasn’t an easy watch. He said: “Most importantly, I want to thank everyone out there who watched this show. “It was a difficult one to make, a difficult one to watch, but I sincerely hope some good came out of it.” Last month, Evan admitted it was a “real struggle” for him to accept the role of the notorious killer – who was convicted of murdering 17 men between 1978 and 1991 – but ultimately felt “up for the challenge” because of his trust in showrunner Ryan Murphy. Speaking to the producer, he said: “It was a real struggle. I was really thinking about it and trying to process it. I went back and forth a lot. I knew that you’re an incredible support system and I trust you and there’s an honesty there. I knew that, with the goal in mind of finishing this thing as strong as I started it, that you would create a great safety net. If I fell down, I could get back up and we could finish this thing. I was up for the challenge.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Former President Donald Trump reportedly discussed launching a nuclear weapon against North Korea and blaming another country for the preemptive attack, RadarOnline.com has learned. In a shocking development to come nearly two years after President Trump left office, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has provided surprising testimony and insight into Trump’s thinking and decision-making during his sole term in the Oval Office. Mega According New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt’s upcoming new book Donald Trump v. the United States, Trump was obsessed with Kim Jong-un and North Korea when Kelly became the then-president’s chief of staff in July 2017. “What scared Kelly even more than the tweets was the fact that behind closed doors in the Oval Office, Trump continued to talk as if he wanted to go to war,” Schmidt wrote after interviewing Kelly, Kelly’s staffers and dozens of Trump Administration officials. “He cavalierly discussed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against North Korea, saying that if he took such an action, the administration could blame someone else for it to absolve itself of responsibility,” Schmidt added. Despite Kelly purportedly telling Trump that “it’d be tough to not have the finger pointed at us” regarding the nuclear strike against North Korea, the former president would become “baffled and annoyed” and consistently “turn back to the possibility of war, including at one point raising to Kelly the possibility of launching a preemptive military attack against North Korea.” Mega Trump’s obsession with North Korea continued to escalate even after Kelly joined the White House, with the situation ultimately reaching a crux in January 2018 when Trump targeted Kim Jong-un on Twitter and bragged about his “Nuclear Button.” “North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,’” Trump wrote at the time. “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” Kelly was eventually able to reel Trump in when, in the spring of 2018, he appealed to the then-president’s “narcissism” and convinced Trump that he would be seen as the “greatest salesman in the world” by successfully striking a diplomatic relationship with North Korea. Mega Shortly after Kelly’s suggestion, Trump began dialing back both his public rhetoric against Kim Jong-un and his private threats to launch nuclear weapons at North Korea. Trump also met Kim Jong-un in person just a few months later in June 2018, and even became the first sitting U.S. president to enter North Korea in June 2019. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors on Thursday accused leaders of the far-right Proud Boys group of plotting an assault on American democracy as one of the most high-profile trials to stem from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack got underway. In an opening argument, federal prosecutor Jason McCullough told jurors that Proud Boys chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four other leaders engaged in sedition by using force to try to keep Donald Trump in office after he lost the 2020 presidential election. “On January 6, they took aim at the heart of our democracy,” McCullough told jurors. The case marks the third time that the Justice Department has charged members of extremist groups with the rarely prosecuted crime of seditious conspiracy, after Trump supporters invaded the Capitol in a failed bid to prevent lawmakers from certifying his November 2020 election loss to Biden. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and another chapter leader of the far-right militant group were found guilty of seditious conspiracy in November, and another trial is pending against four more members. The Civil War-era law, which prohibits people from plotting to overthrow or destroy the U.S. government, carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. When it became clear that Trump would not win re-election, “these men did not stand back. They did not stand by. Instead they mobilized,” McCullough said, paraphrasing a comment Trump made in a debate before the election that the Proud Boys should “stand back and stand by.” All five Proud Boys defendants have pleaded not guilty and their attorneys will argue that they did not plot to block the peaceful transfer of power. Prosecutors have brought criminal charges against more than 950 people following the assault. Four people died during the chaos, and five police officers died of various causes after the attack. Under Special Counsel Jack Smith, the Justice Department is also investigating efforts by Trump’s advisers to overturn his election defeat. In the Proud Boys case, the government accuses Tarrio and four other group members, some of whom led state chapters, of purchasing paramilitary gear for the attack and urging members of the self-described “Western chauvinist group” to descend on Washington. They say Tarrio directed the attack from Baltimore because he had been ordered to stay out of Washington after being arrested on Jan. 4 for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic African-American church in December 2020. Prosecutors say Tarrio met with Rhodes, the Oath Keeper founder, at an underground parking garage after being released from custody. Prosecutors accuse the four other defendants – Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola – of being among the first members of the crowd to charge past the barricades that had been erected to protect the Capitol. A fifth member of the group, North Carolina chapter leader Charles Donohoe, pleaded guilty to other charges in April 2022 and could potentially be called as a witness in the case. Biggs and Nordean are accused of tearing down a black metal fence that separated the crowd from police, Donohoe of throwing water bottles at police, and Pezzola with grabbing an officer’s riot shield. “Dude, we’re right in front of the Capitol right now. American citizens are storming the Capitol – taking it back right now,” Biggs said on a video he recorded of himself. The indictment said Pezzola used the stolen shield to break a window, allowing members of the mob to enter the Capitol. (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega A Republican strategist working on the Georgia GOP andHerschel Walker’s Senate campaign alleged that Matt Schlapp, the powerful chairman of the American Conservative Union, “fondled my junk without my consent” when he was tasked with driving Schlapp back to an Atlanta hotel weeks before the November midterm election. While Schlapp denied the alleged incident, the staffer dropped a bevy of text messages that he said back up his accusations, RadarOnline.com has learned. The unnamed strategist, who is in his thirties, told CNN about Schlapp’s alleged sexual advances, which he claimed happened on October 19 while chauffeuring the chairman back to his hotel from two bars in the area. According to the employee, Schlapp groped and fondled his groin in the car. He claimed that Schlapp also invited him up to his hotel room, but he declined the offer. Mega Hours after the alleged encounter, the strategist reported Schlapp to senior campaign staff. He also called and texted friends about the reported sexual advances. “He’s pissed I didn’t follow him to his hotel room,” one of the staffer’s text messages read. “I’m so sorry man,” the acquaintance responded. “What a f——- creep.” A text message sent by the employee later read, “I just don’t know how to say it to my superiors thst heir [sic] surrogate fondled my junk without my consent.” The night of the alleged incident, the employee claimed Schlapp invited him via text to have drinks at a local bar. In a text message, allegedly sent by Schlapp, the conservative businessman wrote, “I have a dinner at 7. May grab a beer after if you want to join let me know.” At the bar, the staffer alleged Schlapp invaded his personal space. He also said that when the alleged sexual advance happened, he didn’t say anything because he was shocked and focused on driving. Mega According to a call log, Schlapp called the employee later that night to confirm he’d be driving him to a Walker event in the AM. The staffer claimed he broke down, allegedly filming himself and recalling the alleged incident. “Matt Schlapp, of the CPAC, grabbed my junk and pummeled it at length. And I’m sitting there (in the car) saying, ‘What the hell is going on that this person with a wife and kids is literally doing this to me, from Manuel’s Tavern to the Hilton Garden Inn there at the Atlanta Airport,’” he stated in one of the self-recorded clips. “He literally has his hands on me. And I feel so f—— dirty. Feel so f—— dirty. So I don’t know what to do in the morning.” When he reported the alleged sexual advances in the morning to top Walker campaign officials, they directed him not to drive Schlapp to that day’s political event. When Schlapp reached out to the staffer via text about driving him, the employee responded by writing, “I did want to say I was uncomfortable with what happened last night. The campaign does have a driver who is available to get you to Macon and back to the airport.” Schlapp allegedly tried to call the staffer multiple times before later sending him a text message. “If you could see it in your heart to call me at the end of the day. I would appreciate it. If not I wish you luck on the campaign and hope you keep up the good work,” the message read. Mega Walker campaign officials confirmed the staffer reported the alleged incident, revealing they offered him options including legal counsel, contacting law enforcement, and a therapist. They also informed him he could speak to reporters if he wanted to. Schlapp denied the accusations through his attorney, who called the allegations an “attack.” “The attack is false and Mr. Schlapp denies any improper behavior,” his lawyerCharlie Spies said. “We are evaluating legal options for response.” Schlapp also runs the ACU. The organization’s leadership backed him up, claiming the report about the alleged incident was a “character assassination.” “We stand squarely behind Matt Schlapp, and the ACU Board of Directors has full confidence in his leadership of the organization,” the first and second chairs of the ACU stated. View the full article

Published by DPA A woman uses a hand fan in the shade of a tree in Frankfurt's Opera Square. Last year was the fifth or sixth hottest on record, depending on the data set, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report released on Thursday. Arne Dedert/dpa Last year was the fifth or sixth hottest on record, depending on the data set, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report released on Thursday. The result means that it is among the eight hottest on record, all of which were in the years after 2014. The trend of rising temperatures will continue, the WMO said, because there are record amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The consequences are becoming more and more apparent, the agency added. The agency did not settle on 2022’s ranking as the differences between individual years are often so small that it is difficult to rank them accurately. The WMO evaluated six data sets for the calculation. In some, 2022 landed in fifth place, in others in sixth. With a 1.15-degrees-Celcius temperature rise compared to pre-industrial temperatures, 2022 did not beat 2016’s record 1.3-degree increase. These levels are compared to temperatures during the pre-industrial era of 1850-1900. That 2022 did not break the 2016 record was likely due to the La Niña weather phenomenon, which has a cooling effect, according to the WMO. La Niña involves changes in air and water flow in and over the Pacific Ocean. Unusually, this winter is the third consecutive winter with La Niña effects, which are 60% likely to continue through March, the WMO said. In contrast, 2016 was dominated by La Niña’s counterpart, El Niño, which tends to contribute to higher global average temperatures. In the 10-year average from 2013 to 2022, the global average temperature was 1.14 degrees above pre-industrial levels. In the 10 years from 2011 to 2020, it was 1.09 degrees, the WMO reported. WMO chief Petteri Taalas pointed to a difficult outlook, with record heat in 2022 in China, Europe, South Asia, and North and South America, among other places, and the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa. Heat and droughts have always existed. But climate change is contributing to weather extremes becoming more severe and more frequent. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The late conservative Australian Cardinal George Pell was the author of an anonymous memo condemning Pope Francis’ papacy as a “catastrophe” where political correctness held sway while global wrongs were ignored, says the journalist who published it. Released last year under the pseudonym “Demos” – Greek for populace – the document accuses the pope of silence on moral issues, including the German Catholic Church’s openness to the LGBTQ community, women priests and communion for the divorced. “Commentators of every school, if for different reasons … agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe,” the memo begins. “Decisions and policies are often ‘politically correct’, but there have been grave failures to support human rights in Venezuela, Hong Kong, mainland China, and now in the Russian invasion,” it adds. “These issues should be revisited by the next Pope. The Vatican’s political prestige is now at a low ebb.” Italian journalist Sandro Magister, a conservative Catholic himself with a long record of leaking authentic Vatican documents, revealed Pell’s authorship in his religious affairs blog “Settimo Cielo”. “He wanted me to publish it,” Magister told Reuters on Thursday. Pell, 81, who spent more than a year in jail before being acquitted of sexual abuse allegations in his native Australia, died on Tuesday night in a Rome hospital of heart failure. Father Joseph Hamilton, Pell’s personal secretary, declined to comment on Magister’s report, saying in a text message that he was “more preoccupied by my grief”. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said he had no comment. Pell appeared to like the more liberal-minded Francis personally, but not how he ran the Church. Francis supported Pell privately during the abuse saga and on the day of the acquittal offered Mass for all who suffer unjust sentences. ‘ECCENTRIC NOMINATIONS’ Magister said Pell was a frequent visitor to his home and during one visit the late cardinal showed him the English-language text he wanted to circulate among cardinals. The general treatment of many subjects discussed in the memo is similar to the way Pell spoke of them in public, including in an interview with Reuters in 2020. But the document, written with a view to the election of the next pope, becomes more personal and scathing, including naming specific people. The author asserts that “Christ is being moved from the centre” under Francis’ papacy, adding that “the Christo-centric legacy of St. John Paul II in faith and morals is under systematic attack”. He accuses one cardinal from northern Europe of being “explicitly heretical” on Church teachings about sexuality and laments the “active persecution” of traditionalist Catholics. “The political influence of Pope Francis and the Vatican is negligible. Intellectually, Papal writings demonstrate a decline from the standard of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict,” the author writes. The memo shows particular familiarity with the Vatican’s financial situation, which occupies about 25% of the document. Pell was the Vatican’s economy minister from 2014-2017. In a section under the heading “The Next Conclave”, the author writes that the College of Cardinals “has been weakened by eccentric nominations,” an apparent reference to Francis naming cardinals from far-flung places with relatively few Catholics, such as Mongolia. “The first tasks of the new pope will be to restore normality, restore doctrinal clarity in faith and morals, restore a proper respect for the law and ensure that the first criterion for the nomination of bishops is acceptance of the apostolic tradition,” the memo reads. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Madonna Missing her new man? Though pop icon Madonna is enjoying her family’s wintertime vacation to Africa, it seems the “Material Girl” icon may still be pining for a special someone back home in the United States! @madonna/Instagram Earlier this week, the queen of pop took to social media with an adorable clip depicting her and her brood heading on a horseback riding excursion, the artist taking a moment to show off her seemingly telling outfit. HUNG UP & LOVED UP! MADONNA SPOTTED GETTING COZY WITH 23-YEAR-OLD MODEL IN NEW YORK CITY In the Instagram Story shared with her 18.6 million followers, the A League of Their Own actress sported not only riding gear, including a helmet and a vest, but also a striped button-down shirt reading “My boyfriend is out of town.” While it’s unclear whether Madge currently has a boy toy, the 64-year-old star has been dipping her toe in the dating pool over the last several months since calling it quits with her former flame, 28-year-old Ahlamalik Williams last April. In September, the “Like A Prayer” artist was spotted cozying up to 23-year-old male model Andrew Darnell, with the pair spending Labor Day weekend packing on the PDA in NYC. Mega After attending a concert for Nigerian artist REMA at Manhattan venue Irving Plaza, Madonna, Darnell, and a group of pals headed north to high-end eatery Mr. French in the city’s Flatiron district. As the star-studded party sipped on glasses of rosé and fare including “truffle fries, crispy rice, and several different pastas including truffle gnocchi,” they also seemingly let loose, “dancing, and taking selfies at the table,” per one onlooker who spied the Grammy winner during her night on the town. Amid the excitement, Madonna and Darnell, with whom she had previously modeled with during an ultra-steamy photoshoot, proceeded to show some PDA, as OK! previously reported. MADONNA LETS LOOSE WITH HER KIDS AS HATERS BEG QUEEN OF POP TO CANCEL WORLD TOUR: ‘IT WOULD BE A HUGE FLOP’ “She and Andrew were being very openly affectionate all night, snuggling and cuddling in the booth,” the insider explained, noting that the newly-minted couple “were definitely smooching.” View the full article

Published by uInterview.com Will Smith was the punchline of one too many jokes at the 2023 Golden Globes on Tuesday. His infamous slap was jabbed at by Eddie Murphy, who some have said was more tasteful than the night’s host, Jerrod Carmichael, who also called out Smith during the ceremony. Carmichael, whose off-color and often very niche jokes fell flat several times throughout the night, took a shot at Smith that many are criticizing for being homophobic. “Just some quick housekeeping stuff, if you’re listening, if everyone’s listening,” Carmichael started during one segment. “While we were on commercial we actually pr… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mega Days after No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani sparked backlash after defending accusations of cultural appropriation with her early 2000s Harajuku aesthetic by repeatedly alleging she was Japanese, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly has offered to take on the online brouhaha. Earlier this week, the Fox News alum slammed Allure’s Senior Editor Jesa Marie Calaor, who interviewed with Stefani for the storied beauty publication, slamming the writer as a “very young reporter” who she claims exaggerated the impact of the star’s strange words. Mega “So now, there’s a whole thing about whether Gwen Stefani has really stepped over the line by saying ‘I am Japanese,” the radio personality explained during a recent installment of her eponymous Sirius XM series,The Megyn Kelly Show, on Wednesday, January 11. ITALIAN-AMERICAN GWEN STEFANI DOUBLES DOWN ON CLAIM SHE’S JAPANESE Alongside urging Calaor, who is Asian, to “get over” being called racial slurs, as she detailed in the now-viral piece, Kelly awkwardly attempted to liken Stefani’s bizarre racial comments to transgender people coming out. Mega “No problem for Gwen Stefani to come out tomorrow and to say ‘I am a man,’” Kelly continued. “She can say it no problem. But ‘I am Japanese’ has caused the people at Allure to ‘tisk tisk’ her with all these experts weighing in and saying she’s cultural appropriated [sic] again, and they’re angry.” GWEN STEFANI & BLAKE SHELTON SNEAK A SMOOCH WHILE ENJOYING A ‘LITTLE END OF THE YEAR HIKE’ Kelly’s bizarre remarks come hours after the “Hollaback Girl” made headlines for claiming she was of Japanese descent despite admitting she is “Italian American — Irish or whatever mutt that I am.” “That was my Japanese influence and that was a culture that was so rich with tradition, yet so futuristic [with] so much attention to art and detail and discipline and it was fascinating to me,” said Stefani of her interest in the nation’s aesthetics despite having no ties to the East Asian culture. “I said, ‘My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it,” she continued, a sentiment The Voice alum purportedly reiterated throughout her time speaking to Calaor. “I spent 32 minutes in conversation with Stefani, many of them devoted to her lengthy answer to my question about Harajuku Lovers,” Calaor remembered of her chat with Stefani. “In that time, she said more than once that she is Japanese.” View the full article

Published by Kaiser Health News As the University of California’s health system renews contracts with hundreds of outside hospitals and clinics — many with religious affiliations — some of its doctors and faculty want stronger language to ensure that physicians can perform the treatments they deem appropriate, including abortions for women or hysterectomies for transgender patients. University of California Health is in the middle of a two-year process to renew contracts with affiliate hospitals and clinics that help the university deliver care in underserved parts of the state. Many of the agreements are with faith-based fa… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet For decades, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded civil liberties, from 1969’s Stanley v. Georgia to 1965’s Griswold v. Connecticut to 2003’s Lawrence v. Texas to 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges. And some of the “yes” votes in those decisions were appointees of Republican presidents. From Justice Anthony Kennedy (a Ronald Reagan appointee) to Chief Justice Earl Warren (a Dwight D. Eisenhower appointee), some GOP-appointed justices of the past were socially liberal in landmark rulings. But in 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court is dominated by far-right social conservatives. When Roe v. Wade was overturned 5-4… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News U.S. Rep. George Santos on Thursday cryptically promised to step down from Congress over his unending string of lies “if 142 people ask me to resign.” It wasn’t clear what the embattled New York Republican meant, and the statement sparked instant petition drives and moves by fellow lawmakers to build even more pressure on him to quit. Santos, 35, shouted the odd response to a scrum of reporters as he ducked into an elevator at the Capitol. The only way for Santos to be forced out of office would be if two-thirds of the entire House of Representatives vote to expel him. Two-thirds of the Republ… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story Rep. George Santos (R-NY) insisted that he’s lived an honest life, despite the unraveling of major portions of his biography, but he refused to say where he’s gotten his money. The embattled New York Republican, who’s under investigation by county prosecutors back home, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Election Commission, appeared on the “War Room” podcast with Rep. Matt Gaetz, who filled in for host Steve Bannon while he made a court appearance. “Embellishing one’s resume isn’t a crime, it’s frankly how a lot of people get to Congress,” Gaetz said. “We want everyone to be h… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ben Platt is returning to Broadway. The 29-year-old actor made his name in the title role of the musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ in 2015 and went on to star in the film adaptation in 2021 but is now set to make his return to The Great White Way in the limited run of ‘Parade’ at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre opposite Micaela Diamond after a brief Off-Broadway run in the show last year. Director Michael Arden said in a statement: “I am delighted that Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s musical will be seen by Broadway audiences again after our brief run last fall. ‘Parade’ has been a seminal piece of theater for me as an artist since it premiered 25 years ago, and to be collaborating with this incredible group of producers, designers, and artists led by the brilliant Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond is truly a dream come true. The story of Leo Frank is more important than ever to re-examine, and it is my hope that audiences are both inspired and activated to reflect on both the past failure and the enduring promise of the complicated tapestry we call America.” The musical – which is expected to open in March and run until August – tells the true story of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching, of Jewish American Leo Frank in Georgia. In 2021, Ben – who became the youngest ever actor to win a Tony Award for his role as struggling teenager Evan at the age of 23 – expressed that he “loved” being live on stage and hoped to return to Broadway “many times” throughout his career. He said: “I love live performance more than anything and so returning to Broadway someday is a huge thing that I see in my future. I would love to find the right thing and I hope and pray to return many times in my life.” View the full article