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Published by AFP A US lawsuit says the CIA illegally tapped into the conversations and communications that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange had with his American lawyers and US journalists while he was living in the Ecuador's embassy in London Washington (AFP) – Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sued the US Central Intelligence Agency and its former director Mike Pompeo on Monday, alleging it recorded their conversations and copied data from their phones and computers. The attorneys, along with two journalists also joining the suit, are Americans and allege that the CIA violated their US constitutional protections for confidential discussions with Assange, who is Australian. They said the CIA worked with a security firm contracted by the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where Assange was living at the time, to spy on the Wikileaks founder, his lawyers, journalists and others he met with. Assange is facing extradition from Britain to the US, where he is charged with publishing US military and diplomatic files in 2010 related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Richard Roth, the New York attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said the alleged spying on Assange’s attorneys means the Wikileaks founder’s right to a fair trial has “now been tainted, if not destroyed.” “The recording of meetings with friends, with lawyers and the copying of his attorneys’ and friends’ digital information taints the criminal prosecution because now the government knows the contents of those communications,” Roth told reporters. “There should be sanctions, even up to dismissal of those charges, or withdrawal of an extradition request in response to these blatantly unconstitutional activities,” he said. The suit was filed by attorneys Margaret Ratner Kunstler and Deborah Hrbek, and journalists Charles Glass and John Goetz. They all visited Assange while he was living inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London under political asylum, since withdrawn. The suit named the CIA, former CIA director and former US secretary of state Pompeo, and the security firm Undercover Global and its chief executive David Morales Guillen. It said Undercover Global, which had a security contract with the embassy, swept information on their electronic devices, including communications with Assange, and provided it to the CIA. In addition it placed microphones around the embassy and sent recordings, as well as footage from security cameras, to the CIA. This, Roth said, violated privacy protections for US citizens. Assange is awaiting a ruling on his appeal of the British extradition order to the United States. The charges he faces under the US Espionage Act could bring a sentence of up to 175 years in prison. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tatiana Maslany almost quit acting at the age of 20. The ‘Orphan Black’ actress started work as a child actor when she was 11 and landed a full time job in Canadian kids TV show ‘2030 CE’ as a teenager – but she’s now revealed she almost walked away from her career after becoming disillusioned with her life choices. Speaking to the Guardian, she explained: “I suddenly had this urge to re-evaluate why I was doing it (acting). Was I just doing it because it was this thing I did as a kid?” However, she changed her mind and decided to commit to her career after watching Gena Rowlands’ 1974 film ‘A Woman Under the Influence’. Tatiana went on: “I thought: ‘Yes, that’s it! That’s what I want!’ I wanted that level of freedom and inventiveness and presence and connection. It was so powerful to watch. That movie showed me what was possible.” Her career has since gone from strength-to-strength with a starring role in sci-fi TV show ‘Orphan Black’ as well as opposite Nicole Kidman in 2018 movie ‘Destroyer’ and she’s now leading the cast of Marvel series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’. Speaking about her latest TV project, Tatiana admitted she hopes the day will come when female superheroes are no longer considered outside the norm. She told the Guardian: “I’m really interested in when these (marginalised) voices get to speak without it being like: ‘Oh my God, it’s all women,’ or, ‘Oh my God, this is a story about a queer couple,’ and those stories become as innately expected as they are now special.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -American actor Anne Heche was taken off life support on Sunday, nine days after suffering severe injuries in a fiery car crash, as a compatible person was found to receive her donated organs, a spokesperson said. Heche, 53, had been legally dead since Friday, though still with a heartbeat, and was kept on life support to preserve her organs so they could be donated, her representatives said. “Anne Heche has been peacefully taken off life support,” spokesperson Holly Baird said in a statement. Heche’s Mini Cooper sped out of control, plowed into a house and burst into flames on Aug. 5, leading to an agonizing hospital stay with increasingly grave messages from her family and representatives. On Friday, one of her two sons, 19-year-old Homer Laffoon, issued statement saying: “My by brother Atlas and I lost our Mom.” Heche, who starred in the movies “Donnie Brasco,” “Wag The Dog” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” struggled for decades with the fallout from a troubled childhood and was part of a groundbreaking same-sex couple in the 1990s. Winner of a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for her roles as identical twin sisters in the NBC soap opera “Another World,” Heche starred in the 1998 adventure comedy “Six Days Seven Nights” with Harrison Ford and played alongside Demi Moore and Cher in the HBO TV movie “If These Walls Could Talk.” She became one half of Hollywood’s most famous same-sex couple at the time when she dated comedian and actress Ellen DeGeneres. Against the wishes of her studio, Heche came out publicly at the 1997 red carpet premiere for disaster movie “Volcano,” taking DeGeneres along as her date. The pair were together for more than three years before Heche ended the relationship. In an interview with Page Six entertainment website in October 2021, Heche said she was “blacklisted” by Hollywood because of her relationship with DeGeneres. “I didn’t do a studio picture for 10 years. I was fired from a $10 million picture deal and did not see the light of day in a studio picture.” In 2001, she married Coleman Laffoon, a cameraman. After the couple divorced, Heche began a long-term relationship with actor James Tupper which ended in 2018. Anne Celeste Heche was born in Aurora, Ohio on May 25, 1969, and was the youngest of five children. At age 13, she was shocked by her father’s death from AIDS and from the revelation that he had had secret gay relationships. “He was in complete denial until the day he died,” Heche told CNN’s Larry King in 2001. She said in 1998 that his death taught her that the most important thing in life is to tell the truth. Her brother, Nathan, died three months after their father in a car crash. Heche said her father raped her as a child, causing her mental health struggles for decades after, including frequent fantasies that she was from another planet. “I’m not crazy,” Heche told ABC News in 2001 on the release of her book “Call Me Crazy: A Memoir.” “But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family and it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me.” Heche’s mother, Nancy, denied her daughter’s claim that she knew about the sexual abuse, calling it “lies and blasphemies” and her sister Abigail has said she believes the “memories regarding our father are untrue.” She said that Anne Heche had cast doubt herself on her own memories of that time. Later in her career, Heche starred as a senior member of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the NBC TV series “The Brave” and appeared on competition show “Dancing With The Stars” in late 2020. (Reporting Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta and Alistair Bell; Editing by Kim Coghill, Robert Birsel) View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Ray Hartmann The campaign of Georgia Republican U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker is resorting to a strategy often employed by his idol Donald Trump: When you have no defense, portray yourself as a victim. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed commentary carrying Walker’s byline today, the headline asks, “How Low Can Gutter Politics Go?” — with the subhead “Bill Kristol’s Republican Accountability Project tries to stigmatize me for my past mental illness.” As reported this week at Raw Story, the ad “includes footage of Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker’s ex-wife graphically describing hi… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP President Joe Biden is widely expected to contest the 2024 election, especially if Donald Trump decides to challenge Washington (AFP) – If you think you’ve seen this movie before, it’s because you have — except the second time will be even more nerve-racking. Yes, world: get ready for Biden vs Trump 2. That’s a potential takeaway from the scandal embroiling Donald Trump over his alleged hoarding of secret government documents almost two years after losing reelection to Joe Biden. If Trump was previously considered likely to announce a 2024 comeback bid, one school of thought is that the FBI search of his Florida estate, allowing Trump to depict himself as a martyr, makes that decision almost certain. “I believed he was gonna run before — I’m stronger in my belief now,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News. If Trump does run, goes the theory, then Biden surely does, too. Despite being the oldest man ever in the job at 79, Biden sees it as his historic mission to rid the United States of Trump. And so, after surviving the tense, at times nightmarish 2020 election, Americans may do it all over again. This time it would be in reverse — the incumbent a by-then 81-year-old Biden and the challenger a 78-year-old Trump. Given Trump’s constant lies that he won the 2020 election and searing evidence of his role in stoking the violent January 6 assault on Congress, a rematch would be ugly. “If you think Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns were nasty, you ain’t seen nothing,” said American University history professor Allan Lichtman, a leading authority on US presidential elections. Good for both sides? To practitioners of the dark political arts, the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is a game-changing moment that, ironically, could benefit either side. For Biden the logic is obvious. The biggest name in the Republican Party is on the ropes, facing not only the FBI probe, but legal cases linked to allegations of everything from subverting the election, to fraud and rape. That’s embarrassing for Republicans and energizing for Biden’s Democrats, who increasingly dream of avoiding a predicted wipe-out, or even scoring their own surprise victory, in November midterm elections to decide control of Congress. “Trump is like a steroid boost for Democrats,” Jim Kessler, at the Democratic think tank Third Way, told The Hill. As the Republican-supporting Wall Street Journal editorial board says: Republicans “should be making the midterms a referendum on Mr Biden’s first two years. Democrats would prefer to talk until November — really, until the end of time — about Mr Trump.” Yet Trump will also see benefits. Once again he’s dominating the national psyche, while his fervent base has a new conspiracy theory to feed off, lighting up right-wing social media with calls to arms and threats of Civil War 2.0. “Donald Trump has more than $100 million in his political war chest. But he has something even more valuable — an active FBI investigation against him,” wrote Richard Lowry, editor of the conservative magazine National Review. “It has put him front-and-center again. It has made it easy for him to portray himself as an embattled victim.” Trump’s choice, Biden’s strategy In a Republican primary, Trump’s political footprint would likely crush the strongest of rivals. “If Trump wants it at this point, I don’t see how it’s not his,” Republican political strategist John Thomas told Politico. “It’ll be a coronation.” And Trump getting in would also essentially trigger Biden’s decision to follow — scotching any thoughts he may privately have of stepping aside for a younger figure before 2024. “Trump is the critical first mover in whether or not there is a rematch,” said Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. “I do believe that President Biden is waiting to see if Trump declares and if he does, I believe he will also declare very quickly after.” Voters may not want either man. A July poll by NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ found 60 percent said Biden shouldn’t run in 2024 and 57 percent said the same of Trump. Biden backs himself against Trump. “In the next election, I’d be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me,” Biden said in March. While it’s been a difficult year for Biden, the last couple months have seen him turn his presidency around, racking up remarkable legislative and policy successes. And although Biden remains deeply unpopular, with approval ratings around 40 percent, the improved record in the White House, and widespread anger at the Supreme Court’s overturning of national abortion rights, leave advisors optimistic. So while Republicans get lost in Trump dramas, Democrats will focus on kitchen table issues, an aide said. “This is about meeting people where they live and the things that matter most in their lives,” the aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There’ll be a lot of things that will be in the news, but we are going to speak to people in their lives.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Lopez has told Britney Spears to “stay strong.” The 40-year-old pop star has become embroiled in an ongoing feud with her ex-husband Keven Federline – with whom she has Sean, 16, and 15-year-old Preston – after he claimed to media outlets that her sons had “chosen” not to see her in recent weeks and took to social media on Saturday (13.06.22) to urge her followers to take advice J. Lo gave to her fans ahead of her Super Bowl performance in 2020. Alongside an image of the pair posing together at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, Britney wrote on Instagram: “As Jennifer Lopez once said ‘You look right down that camera and tell every little girl in the world to get loud and never ever back down to giving light to injustice’. I’m here to share that freedom is a state of mind! In a world where you have the right to use your feet…heart… mouth… eyes…and body…to express yourself however you may !!! Declaration of INDEPENDENCE … for equality and to be equal !!!”(sic) The ‘Jenny From the Block’ hitmaker was quick to offer her support to Britney – who back in November 2021 regained control of her multimillion-dollar fortune and various aspects of her life following the termination of a 13-year conservatorship – as she shared the initial post to her own profile. Over the top of the original post, Jennifer wrote: “Stay strong.” Just days earlier, the ‘…Baby One More Time’ hitmaker – who tied the knot with actor Sam Asghari, 28, back in 2022 – had branded her ex-husband’s claims that she had not seen her children in “months” and they had decided not to attend her recent wedding as “hurtful.” She said: “As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone…it concerns me the fact that the reason is based on my INSTAGRAM…it was LONG before Instagram…I gave them everything…Only one word: HURTFUL…I’ll say it…My mother told me ‘You should GIVE them to their dad’…I’m sharing this because I can…Have a good day folks!!!” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – The White House is planning to circulate a memo in the U.S. Congress defending President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan a year ago, Axios reported on Sunday. The memo said Biden’s move strengthened national security by freeing critical military and intelligence agents, the report said, citing a copy of the document. (Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; editing by Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Meta will hold the first ever drag show in the metaverse. Facebook’s parent company is planning to throw a kiki in their virtual universe, titled ‘Queens of the Metaverse’, which will seek to show how tech can “unlock possibilities in fashion design” featuring some of famous drag performers. They have got ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World’ winner Blu Hydrangea, ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ alum Tia Kofi and Adam All, prominent drag kings working on the circuit. Each of the trio will show off a “show-stopping drag look” created using the VR and AR technology pioneered by company – which is run and founded by Mark Zuckerberg – in association with three British designers from across the LGBT community; Nwora Emenike, a queer non-binary stylist, Sal Mohammed, a gender fluid NHS worker and life coach and Christie Lau, a non-binary Central Saint Martin’s grad. They hope the show will liberate people from the “limitations of the physical world” and be able to push the envelope even further than they usually do in their acts. The looks – which has all been devised in the virtual space – will be made into real life garments that will be presented in London in September. Ineke Paulsen, the tech giant’s director of EMEA marketing said: “Creative communities are central to the development of the metaverse, ensuring that we are building a space for each and every one of us. “The metaverse and its technologies will enable these creatives to take their imaginations further than they ever thought possible.” “Drag is art, culture, performance. It’s visual storytelling. The hope is that technologies like virtual reality will help the drag community and other creatives unleash their potential in new and exciting ways” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billy Eichner wouldn’t have signed up for ‘Bros’ if it wasn’t “authentic to gay audiences”. The 43-year-old comedian was first approached about the movie by producer Judd Apatow and director and co-writer Nicholas Stoller and insisted he was “not interested” in taking a typical romance tale and making it about two men. He told Britain’s Esquire magazine: “When Nick told me he wanted to do a gay romcom, I said to him, ‘If you think we can just do ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and swap out the man and woman for two men, then I’m not interested.’ “While I wanted the story to be accessible to everyone, it also had to be authentic to gay audiences. “To his credit, Nick immediately said,’Whatever is honest will be best.’ “ In the movie, Billy plays podcaster Bobby, whose anti-relationship stance changes when he meets Luke Macfarlane’s Aaron. And the ‘Billy on the Street’ star – who also co-wrote the film – insisted it was “important” to incorporate their sex lives into the film. He said: “For so many years, the world turned a blind eye to LGBTQ people and the way we live our lives. “And, as offensive and traumatising as that it, it can also be liberating. “If you didn’t consider us part of ‘normal society’, then we didn’t have to operate by your old-fashioned, heteronormative rules. “We made up our own rules. Our friendships, sex lives and relationships are different. “I thought it was important to show these two men being physical with each other. “I think sex is hilarious, absurd and awkward. “I understand there is a shock value to it, because people have been so scared to go there in the past.” Billy admitted it was daunting trying to get the movie off the ground. He said: “Nick and Judd, as straight white men, I guess, have a certain confidence. “But although I’ve had success, I’ve never been able to make something at this level. “I’ve never even starred in an indie movie. “A lot of that is because, up until very recently, Hollywood did not embrace openly gay actors and comedians.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Michelle Visage was shocked by how much of an “introvert” RuPaul is. The ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ judge says the 61-year-old flamboyant drag legend and television star is actually “very reserved and self-aware” in real life and leads a quiet life off-screen. She told Australia’s WHO magazine: “Ru is really an introvert disguised as an extrovert. “He’s not into partying at all because he got that out of his system in the ’90s. “He is very reserved and self-aware. I love how he prioritises self-care, as I don’t think enough people do that.” Michelle also admitted that while she faces a lot of trolling on social media for her opinions of the talent show’s drag queens, it’s all worth it. She said: “There is territory that comes with my job, like getting abused on social media as I’ve said something about someone’s favourite queen they didn’t like. “That’s the downside of being a judge on a reality show, but I still wouldn’t trade it.” The 53-year-old star admits she’s as proud of ‘Drag Race’ as she is of her own kids. She said: “It took us nine years to get this show on the air and then another nine years for it to be taken seriously. “It started off as a programme made for queer people by queer people on a little-known queer network, so took a long time to blow up the way it has. “I’m just as proud of the success of ‘Drag Race’ as I am of my own two kids.” View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Brandon Gage Russian propagandists stated have proclaimed that if former President Donald Trump was indeed hiding classified documents related to nuclear weapons at his Mar-a-Lago compound in Palm Beach, Florida, the Kremlin has already seen them. Russia 1 host Evgeny Popov issued his taunt hours after Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart of the Southern District of Florida unsealed the warrant that the United States Department of Justice obtained ahead of what Trump called the “raid.” The warrant revealed that Trump is suspected to have violated the Espionage Act. “Turns out that the investigat… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, said on Friday that several of its entities were being investigated by the Justice Department, after a report found the church had mishandled sex abuse claims and mistreated victims. The Convention did not provide details on the inquiry and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the church’s executive committee said in a statement it would fully cooperate with the probe and would “transparently address the scourge of sexual abuse.” An internal report commissioned by the Convention and released in May found that complaints of sex abuse by pastors and staff were either ignored or covered up by top clergy, a practice that occurred over decades. The Convention, which has 13.7 million members, has since issued a formal apology over the abuse and released a list of hundreds of offenders who have been criminally convicted, had civil judgments against them or confessed their actions. In its statement, the Convention’s executive committee said the Justice Department inquiry “will include multiple SBC entities.” Each entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate, it added. “Leaders across the SBC have demonstrated a firm conviction to address those issues of the past and are implementing measures to ensure they are never repeated in the future,” it said. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Leslie Adler) View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Morgan, Moira Warburton and Rose Horowitch WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives approved a $430 billion bill on Friday that is seen as the biggest climate package in U.S. history, delivering a major legislative victory for President Joe Biden ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections. The legislation to fight climate change and lower prescription drug prices aims to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions. It will also allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for the elderly and ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay the taxes they owe. Democrats say it will help combat inflation by reducing the federal deficit. The House voted 220-207 along party lines to pass the measure titled the “Inflation Reduction Act” and send it on to Biden to sign into law. The Senate approved the legislation on Sunday after a marathon, 27-hour session. Biden said he would sign the bill in the week ahead, then the White House would hold a celebration on Sept. 6 in honor of what he said was historic legislation. “Today, the American people won. Special interests lost,” Biden said in a Twitter post. Democrats hope the legislation will help them at the polls in November, when voters decide the balance of power in Congress ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Republicans are favored to win a majority in the House and could also take control of the Senate. “It is a resounding victory for America’s families,” Pelosi declared just before the vote, describing the legislation as “a robust cost-cutting package that meets the moment, ensuring that our families thrive and that our planet survives.” Biden plans to travel across the country to tout the bill along with a series of other legislative victories at a time when many voters have soured on him amid soaring inflation. About half of Americans support the climate and drug pricing legislation, including 69% of Democrats and 34% of Republicans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Aug. 3 and 4. Business groups have had a mixed reaction to the legislation, which offers the prospect of higher tax bills for some companies while at the same time giving protections to the fossil fuel industry. Republicans oppose the legislation, warning it will kill jobs by raising corporate tax bills, further fuel inflation with government spending and inhibit the development of new drugs. “Democrats more than any other majority in history are addicted to spending other people’s money, regardless of what we as a country can afford,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said in a floor speech. The bill has been more than 18 months in the making. It represents a final version of Biden’s original sweeping Build Back Better plan, which had to be whittled down in the face of opposition from Republicans and key legislators from his own party. Investors looking to pour cash into clean energy products can expect at least a decade of federal subsidies through long-term tax credits for wind and solar and new credits for energy storage, biogas and hydrogen. Developers who use U.S.-made equipment or build in poorer areas will have additional support. But the bill does not leave the U.S. fossil fuels industry out in the cold. Some provisions allow the federal government to authorize new wind and solar energy developments on federal land only when it is also auctioning rights to drill for oil and natural gas. The fossil fuel protections disappointed progressives but posed no barrier to Democratic support. “We don’t support the expansion of fossil fuel leasing,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal, who heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “But critically … independent analyses show that their impact will be far outweighed by the bill’s carbon pollution cuts.” A $7,500 tax credit to encourage U.S. consumers to buy electric vehicles could not be used for most EV models on the market, according to major automakers, who warn that the legislation will put achieving U.S. EV adoption targets for 2030 in jeopardy. To be eligible for the credit, vehicles must be assembled in North America, which would make some current EVs ineligible as soon as the bill takes effect. The bill’s main revenue source is a 15% corporate minimum tax aimed at stopping large, profitable companies from gaming the Internal Revenue Service code to slash their tax bills to zero. (Reporting by David Morgan, Moira Warburton and Rose Horowitch; Editing by Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Robert De Niro has hailed Anne Heche as a “wonderful actress”. The Hollywood icon starred alongside the actress in the 1997 political satire ‘Wag the Dog’, and he’s paid a glowing tribute to Heche following her death at the age of 53. De Niro, 78, said in a statement to ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “I’m very sad to hear of the tragic passing of Anne Heche. She was a wonderful actress and I enjoyed working with her tremendously in ‘Wag the Dog.’ Sad!Sad!Sad!” The actress passed away on Friday (12.08.22), days after being involved in a car crash. A rep for the film star previously confirmed that Heche had slipped into a coma following the crash. They said: “Shortly after the accident, Anne Heche became unconscious, slipping into a coma and is in critical condition. “She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention.” Nancy Davis, Heche’s close friend, subsequently confirmed that she’d passed away. Nancy said: “Heaven has a new Angel. My loving, kind, fun, endearing and beautiful friend @anneheche went to heaven. “I will miss her terribly and cherish all the beautiful memories we have shared. Anne was always the kindest, most thoughtful person who always brought out the best in me. “She was so supportive with anything she could do to help @racetoerasems and would always say yes when she knew she could contribute something with her time, talent and creative genius to help find a cure for MS. “My heart is broken #heavenhasanewangel #heavenhasanotherangel. (sic)” Heche’s ex, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, has also taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the actress. Ellen, 64, wrote on the micro-blogging platform: “This is a sad day. I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love.” View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A lawyer for former U.S. President Donald Trump signed a statement in June that said all classified material held in boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence had been returned to the government, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The statement was signed after Jay Bratt, a top national security official in the U.S. Department of Justice, visited Trump’s South Florida beach club on June 3, the New York Times reported. Bratt met with two Trump lawyers to discuss the handling of classified information during the visit, the newspaper said. Trump is under federal investigation for possible violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it unlawful to spy for another country or mishandle U.S. defense information, including sharing it with people not authorized to receive it, a search warrant made public on Friday showed. FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago this week and removed 11 sets of classified documents including some marked as top secret, according to the Justice Department. The existence of the Trump attorney statement suggests that Trump and his team may not have fully disclosed information about classified documents in the former president’s residence, the Times reported. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the report. The Justice Department declined to comment. Taylor Budowich, a Trump spokesperson, criticized the FBI search in a statement as an “unprecedented and unnecessary raid” that was part of another “Democrat-fabricated witch hunt.” Budowich did not confirm or deny the New York Times report. The chairs of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Reform on Saturday asked the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, to review what damage may have been done to national security by Trump’s having the highly classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. “Former President Trump’s conduct has potentially put our national security at grave risk. This issue demands a full review, in addition to the ongoing law enforcement inquiry,” the two committee chairs, both Democrats, said in a three-page letter, which they publicly released. Representative Carolyn Maloney is chair of the Oversight Committee, and Representative Adam Schiff is chair of the Intelligence Committee. (Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub and Idrees Ali; Editing by Leslie Adler) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billy Porter wants to spread positivity through his work. The award-winning star insists there’s “no room for fear” in his life and he believes the entertainment industry can even help to “heal” rifts within society. Billy – who starred on Broadway before finding success as a singer and actor – reflected: “In this time right now I’ve been really conscious about the positive, even with everything that’s going on. “As artists, we have the power to heal. [Nobel Prize-winning author] Toni Morrison says, ‘This is precisely the time when artists go to work.’ There’s no room for fear. There’s no need for silence. We write, we speak, and this is how civilisations heal.” Despite this, Billy acknowledges that societal attitudes have been slowly evolving in the right direction over recent years. The 52-year-old star told The Independent: “A lot of times all you’re hearing is the negative, when in fact the reason for the pushback, the reason for the terror from the other side, is because the change has already happened. Progress has already happened. “Can we reframe it now? For me, that feels like an oxygen mask that I can put on myself and go, ‘Oh, right, the change has already happened.’” The ‘Cinderella’ star noted how much things have changed for him personally over the past two decades. Billy – who came out as a gay as a teenager – shared: “When I entered this business they told me my queerness would be my liability, and it was. For two decades. It’s not any more. It’s my superpower. That’s because: The. Change. Has. Already. Happened. So what are we going to do with that energy?” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023, the drugmaker said on Thursday, more than two years after it ended U.S. sales of a product that drew thousands of consumer safety lawsuits. “As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” it said, adding that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world. In 2020, J&J announced that it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada because demand had fallen in the wake of what it called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid a barrage of legal challenges. The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen. J&J denies the allegations, saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free. On Thursday, it reiterated the statement as it announced the discontinuation of the product. J&J spun off subsidiary LTL Management in October, assigned its talc claims to it and immediately placed it into bankruptcy, pausing the pending lawsuits. Those suing have said Johnson & Johnson should have to defend itself against the lawsuits, while defendants of J&J and the bankrupt subsidiary process say it is an equitable way to compensate claimants. Ben Whiting, an attorney with the plaintiffs firm Keller Postman, said because the lawsuits are paused in bankruptcy, the company’s sales decision won’t immediately impact them. But if a federal appellate court allows the cases to move forward, the consumers could try to use Johnson & Johnson’s decision to pull the products as evidence, Whiting said. “If these cases were to go again, then it’s a very big deal,” Whiting said. Before the bankruptcy filing, the company faced costs from $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgment of more than $2 billion, according to bankruptcy court records. A shareholder proposal calling for an end to global sales of the talc baby powder failed in April. A 2018 Reuters investigation https://reut.rs/2QevfW1 found that J&J knew for decades that asbestos, a carcinogen, was present in its talc products. Internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos. In response to evidence of asbestos contamination presented in media reports, in the court room and on Capitol Hill, J&J has repeatedly said its talc products are safe, and do not cause cancer. Sold since 1894, Johnson’s Baby Powder became a symbol of the company’s family-friendly image. An internal J&J marketing presentation from 1999 refers to the baby products division, with Baby Powder at the core, as J&J’s “#1 Asset”, Reuters reported, although the baby powder accounted for only about 0.5% of its U.S. consumer health business when the company pulled it off the shelves. (Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Diana Jones in Denver Editing by Maju Samuel, Deepa Babington and Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is going to let the lawyers “do their work” over an allegedly unauthorised production of the show by a church in Texas. A production of the hit musical was performed and live-streamed by the Door Christian Fellowship Ministries in McAllen, Texas earlier this month and it infuriated bosses behind the show – and Lin-Manuel has now insisted the matter is now in the hands of his attorneys. In a statement posted on Twitter, he wrote: “Grateful to all of you who reached out about this illegal, unauthorized production. Now lawyers do their work. And always grateful to the @dramatistsguild, who have the backs of writers everywhere, be it your first play or your fiftieth.” The church’s production of the show was heavily criticised over changes to the script and a post-production sermon given by by the church’s pastor. Bosses of the Dramatists Guild accused the church of reproducing the show without a licence and added that they “changed lyrics and added text without permission.” They said in a statement: “We hold up the Door McAllen Church’s brazen infringement to shine a light on the problematic pattern of some theatrical organisations performing authors’ work without a license and rewriting the text without authorial consent. No organisation, professional, amateur, or religious, is exempt from these laws. No writer’s work, whether they are a student who has just written their first play, or Lin-Manuel Miranda, can be performed without their permission. And it is never okay to change the words, lyrics, or notes, without their express consent.” The church performed the show on August 5 and 6 with the first production reportedly being streamed online. The Dallas Morning News reports Door Christian Fellowship’s pastor Roman Gutierrez told the publication that his church and the production company behind the show acquired legal permission to stage ‘Hamilton’. However, representative for the original stage show Shane Marshall Brown told the publication in a statement that the musical “does not grant amateur or professional licenses for any stage productions and did not grant one to The Door Church”. A cease-and-desist letter has since been issued over the alleged unauthorised use of the musical’s intellectual property. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Madonna says her son David Banda looks better than her in his mother’s clothes. The Queen of Pop, 63, confessed that it’s “really irritating” that her 16-year-old son – whom she has with ex-husband Guy Ritchie – can pull off any outfit, even items from her wardrobe. She said: “He can put on any outfit and look swag and you know what, It’s really irritating. He wears my clothes and looks better in them. He can even wear a dress and look butch.” The ‘Beautiful Stranger’ hitmaker – who also has Rocco, 22, with movie director Guy, and daughter Lourdes, 25, with ex-boyfriend Carlos Leon, along with Mercy James, 16, and nine-year-old twins Stella and Estere, who she adopted from Malawi – also tipped her son to become as big a music star as her one day. During an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, she said: “He’s going to end up being one of your guests. “He’s got ‘it.’ He’s got magic. He’s funny, he’s charming, he’s athletic, he’s a good-looking dude.” The ‘Vogue’ hitmaker commenting on her son’s dashing looks comes after the pair turned heads at the WBA World Lightweight Championship in New York in May, when David rocked a red-and-white dress the new Gucci x Adidas collection. Speaking previously about motherhood, Madonna said: “[Having children has] reminded me how precious time is, and how each child requires attention and vigilance and guidance in a different way. “Really, you have to be ready for anything. They teach you to stop being obsessed with yourself, ’cause they’re always there to throw a wrench into the works… self-obsession is not allowed with children. “The more kids that you have, the better you get at being a parent… yeah, definitely.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Big Pharma spent more than any other industry to lobby Congress and federal agencies this year, a Reuters analysis shows, but is still on course for a major defeat by failing to stop a bill that allows the government to negotiate prices on select drugs. Despite the pharmaceutical industry spending at least $142 million on lobbying efforts, the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act to change climate, health, and tax policies cleared its largest hurdle last week when Democratic lawmakers passed it in the Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives is also expected to pass it on Friday, allowing President Joe Biden to sign it into law. Its enactment would represent a rare legislative defeat for the pharmaceutical industry and set a new precedent for curbing drug prices in the world’s most lucrative market for medicines, according to congressional and industry officials. “This is a major first step forward,” Democratic Senator Patty Murray, chair of the Senate’s health committee, told Reuters. “It is the first time we’ve been able to make this kind of step to lower prices on pharmaceuticals … which will set the stage for us to do more.” Health policy experts say the bill reflects the pharma industry’s weakening influence on the Democratic Party and that its main argument against price negotiation — that it stifles innovation — is no longer persuasive for the public. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll in October found that 83% of Americans, including 95% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, want the federal Medicare health plan for seniors to negotiate prices. “The pharma guys upped the ante in throwing everything but the kitchen sink against this,” said Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat who chairs the finance committee. The industry’s powerful trade association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), urged senators in a public letter to reject the bill. Its president, Stephen Ubl, told Politico that lawmakers who vote for it would not “get a free pass.” “Few associations have all the tools of modern political advocacy at their disposal in the way that PhRMA does,” he said. A PhRMA spokesperson said that the group would continue to work with all lawmakers. He did not address Ubl’s comments about holding lawmakers accountable. “We may not agree on every issue, but we believe engagement and dialogue is important to promoting a policy environment that supports innovation, a highly-skilled workforce and access to life-saving medicines for patients,” said spokesperson Brian Newell in an email. PHARMA’S PLAN A Reuters analysis of lobbying and campaign contribution data from OpenSecrets shows that the pharmaceutical industry has spent at least $142.6 million on lobbying Congress and federal agencies in the first half of 2022, more than any industry, and at least $16.1 million on campaign contributions during the current mid-term election cycle that started in January 2021. Almost two thirds of the money spent on lobbying, around $93 million, came from PhRMA and its member companies. The pharma campaign argued that prescription drugs do not contribute to inflation, citing an average 2.5% rise in drug prices in the past year compared to a 17% rise in health insurance prices. Critics say the figures combine high-priced brand name drugs with much lower-cost generics, masking the impact on patients’ costs. A KFF study estimated that prices increased faster than inflation for half of all drugs covered by Medicare in 2020. The industry has long warned that price curbs in the U.S. market would hamper its ability to invest in developing new drugs. With help from Democrats backed by the industry, the bill’s provision for drug price negotiations was scaled back in November, allowing Medicare to focus on an annual maximum of 20 of the costliest medicines by 2029, instead of an initial proposal to help reduce prices for 250 treatments. Opponents to the more dramatic curbs included Senator Kirsten Sinema and Representative Scott Peters, two of the biggest recipients of industry donations, at more than $201,000 and $320,000 respectively, according to OpenSecrets data. “We created a good space for investors to be able to recoup their investment which continuously has set out to develop new drugs,” Peters told Reuters. “I still think they came out okay on this.” WHAT NOW? Democratic staffers, industry executives and policy experts said that the bill’s broad popularity, combined with pressure on Democrats to pass meaningful legislation ahead of midterm elections in November, helped overcome the pharma industry campaigning. “With this vote I would imagine Pharma realizes they do not have a lot of friends left among Democrats,” said Larry Levitt, vice president for health policy at KFF. “Pharma sees this as the camel’s nose under the tent, and it probably is.” The industry will likely try to mitigate the effects of the bill as much as possible, policy experts said. “They will prosecute this through the courts. And they will, I suspect, try and alter the legislation,” said Mark Miller, a former government health policy official who is now executive vice president of healthcare at Arnold Ventures. The extent to which the bill might stoke fear for investors remains to be seen, given many of them view pharmaceutical stocks as among the safer bets during an economic downturn. “Sentiment is at a multi-year high for the US Pharma and we do not view the IRA drug reform as significantly changing investor positioning,” a note from JPMorgan analysts said. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington and Lewis Krauskopf in New York; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Deepa Babington) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega The Mar-a-Lago mole who was the FBI’s confidential source which led to the sensational raid on Donald Trump is a former administration staffer who had specific knowledge of his private residence and office setting. That’s the view of people connected to the former president’s legal team who have concluded the informant is someone who briefly worked at Mar-a-Lago in the post-Trump presidency. Mega The Justice Department tipster has been provided anonymity status — at least for now. The source “likely sought and received immunity from potential prosecution,” one well-placed insider told Radar. Anyone who handled or failed to safeguard classified information at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., could be charged with a felony crime. Trump’s suspicion is the individual was involved in his post-presidency transition from the White House. Trump and his advisors do not believe the mole is still in his ranks, multiple people with direct knowledge of the ex-president’s thinking confirmed. “This isn’t a Deep Throat,” a source exclusively told RadarOnline.com. Mega “The Trump camp believes the Justice Department through the FBI targeted the source and threatened they could be prosecuted if they did not cooperate. “The source likely cooperated in exchange for some form of immunity.” The highly-placed RadarOnline.com source added, “It’s very easy to establish how this went down. “We know the Justice Department and the former president were in negotiations about the material. It was a well-established fact. When those discussions collapsed, prosecutors drew up a list of potential sources to target. They put the screws on a number of people until one, the mole, flipped.” The insider also cautioned: “That said, just because President Trump had been in discussions with the Justice Department does not mean he accepts that he did anything wrong.” Late Thursday night, it was claimed the classified documents sought in the search and seizure warrant were related to the government’s nuclear arsenal. It was first reported by the Washington Post. As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the Justice Department penetrated Trump’s inner circle to secure crucial evidence that led them to execute Monday’s search warrant. Before other media outlets confirmed RadarOnline.com’s reporting, this website revealed the focus of the sensational investigation centered around “highly classified” documents. Trump is said to have taken the material with him from the White House when he left office in 2020. Mega During the raid, a safe and closet were ransacked, according to Trump and his son Eric, an official of the embattled Trump Organization. “In order to get the search warrant, the Department of Justice had to submit to a federal judge … probable cause,” a source explained. “based upon known facts, (they needed) to believe a crime has been committed or that certain property is connected with a crime, and tellingly, that they are in possession of significant facts to justify the execution of a search and seizure warrant. “The judge would have had to weigh the credibility and specificity of the evidence before granting the subpoena. “That means whatever the Department of Justice had as evidence, it was compelling. Not to mention the burden would likely have to be greater considering Trump, a former president, was the target.” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday he “personally approved” the search warrant that led to the unprecedented raid of Trump’s home. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Madonna wears mouth grills to hide her “ugly” teeth. The 63-year-old pop superstar is regularly seen wearing jewellery over her gnashers and she’s now opened up about why she decided to change up her look with customised mouth bling – admitting she worries her teeth don’t look very nice. During an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, she showed off her latest grill piece, telling the host: “I just got these new grills, and if I start lisping will you tell me?” Jimmy replied: “Ooh they’re beautiful! I love them.” The ‘Material Girl’ singer then went on to explain she had the new grills made as a special birthday present for herself as she prepares to turn 64 on August 16. She added: “They’re my ‘birthday grills. It’s almost my birthday, so I got myself a pair of grills.” Madonna then told the host she has been wearing mouth jewellery for “decades” and explained the reason why she covers her teeth. She said: “People have a problem with my grills, I don’t know why … I just like the way it looks – it’s mouth jewellery – and I have really ugly teeth.” During the interview, Madonna continued to worry about whether her latest accessory was giving her a lisp and went to take it out before the host stopped her, saying: “No, don’t! Leave it, it looks cool!” She also spoke about her fashion forward 16-year-old son David Banda, revealing he often gets inspiration from his mother’s wardrobe. The singer said: “He can put on any outfit and look swag as ‘you know what’. It’s really irritating. He wears my clothes and looks better in them. He can even wear a dress and look butch.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lady Gaga has urged Americans to speak up and vowed to continue fighting against the country’s anti-abortion ruling. The pop star has been an outspoken critic of the supreme court overturning of Roe v. Wade – the landmark ruling which gave women the constitutional right to a termination – and she paused her concert in Washington D.C. on Monday night (08.08.22) to dedicate her track ‘Edge of Glory’ to all those affected. She said: “I would like to dedicate this song to every woman in America. For every woman who now has to worry about her body if she gets pregnant. “I pray that this country will speak up, that we will stick together, and that we will not stop until it’s right! You just got to keep believing it’s gonna be okay.” At the end of the track, she added: “I didn’t mean to be a downer, but there’s some s**t that’s more important than show business.” Lady Gaga previously opened up about her own personal struggle , revealing she fell pregnant after being sexually assaulted by a music producer when she was just 19 years old. She admitted she felt she was “living this big lie” by not speaking about her ordeal, so when she did open up, she felt much more “comfortable”. She told Deadline: “I think that for me it was just a healing process because I’m in the public eye often. At the time when I first started to come out of things that I was going through, I was in the public eye very frequently and followed all the time. “I really felt like I was living this big lie by not sharing what I was experiencing. And it actually helped me to share my life experiences because then my fans – or people that were following me, people that were discovering me – they knew more of the human side of me. I just felt more comfortable in the world. It’s like living in your truth … “I think when you live in your values and your truth, it can help you. In my particular existence it helps me to not feel like an imposter, but rather to know that I’m uniquely and truly myself, wounds and all.” Speaking in the first episode of Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry‘s Apple TV+ series, ‘The Me You Can’t See’, she previously said of her assault: “I was 19 years old, and I was working in the business, and a producer said to me, ‘Take your clothes off.’ “And I said no. And I left, and they told me they were going to burn all of my music. And they didn’t stop. They didn’t stop asking me, and I just froze and I – I don’t even remember. “And I will not say his name. I understand this Me Too movement, and I understand people feel real comfortable with this, and I do not. I do not ever want to face that person again.” The ‘Poker Face’ hitmaker then revealed that years later, a doctor advised her to see a psychiatrist for her chronic pain, leading to her diagnosis of PTSD stemming from the ordeal. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. federal agents were looking for documents relating to nuclear weapons when they raided former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida this week, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. It was not clear if such documents were recovered at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, the Post said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The U.S. Justice Department asked a judge on Thursday to make public the warrant that authorized the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, after Trump, a Republican, portrayed it as political retribution. The request means the public could soon learn more about what investigators were looking for during the unprecedented search of a former president’s home. The search was part of an investigation into whether Trump illegally removed records from the White House as he left office in January 2021, some of which the Justice Department believes are classified. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the top law enforcement officer and an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, told a news conference that he had personally approved the search. The Justice Department also seeks to make public a redacted receipt of the items seized. “The department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search, and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken,” Garland said. His decision to publicly confirm the search was highly unusual. U.S. law enforcement officials typically do not discuss ongoing investigations in order to protect people’s rights. In this case, Trump himself announced the search in a Monday night statement. Garland said the Justice Department made the request to make public the warrant “in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter.” A source familiar with the matter said the FBI retrieved about 10 boxes from Trump’s property during the search. Trump was not in Florida at the time of the search. Late on Thursday, Trump called for the immediate release of documents related to the search. “Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents, even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me, much as they have done for the last 6 years,” he said on his Truth Social platform. The government has until 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Friday to let the court know whether Trump’s attorneys will object to unsealing the warrant. The case is before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who reviewed the warrant to ensure the Justice Department had sufficient probable cause for the search. While seeking to unseal the warrant, the Justice Department has not asked the judge to unseal the sworn statement in support of the warrant, the contents of which could potentially include classified information. Two of Trump’s attorneys, Evan Corcoran and John Rowley, did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement earlier on his Truth social network, Trump said: “My attorneys and representatives were cooperating fully, and very good relationships had been established. The government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it.” LOCKED STORAGE ROOM The unprecedented search marked a significant escalation in one of the many federal and state investigations Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business, including a separate one by the Justice Department into a failed bid by Trump’s allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election by submitting phony slates of electors. The investigation into Trump’s removal of records started this year, after the National Archives made a referral to the department. Former Archivist David Ferriero has previously said that Trump returned 15 boxes to the government in January 2022. The archives later discovered some of the items were “marked as classified national security information.” A couple of months before the search, FBI agents visited Trump’s property to investigate boxes in a locked storage room, according to a person familiar with the visit. The agents and Corcoran spent a day reviewing materials, the source said. A second source who had been briefed on the matter told Reuters the Justice Department also has surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago in its possession. Garland’s Justice Department has faced fierce criticism and online threats since Monday’s search. Trump supporters and some of his fellow Republicans in Washington accuse Democrats of weaponizing the federal bureaucracy to target Trump. In Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday, an armed man suspected of trying to breach the FBI building died following an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement officers, an Ohio State Highway Patrol official said. Garland condemned the threats and attacks against the FBI and Justice Department. “I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked,” he said. Some Democrats have criticized Garland for being overly cautious in investigating Trump over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, David Morgan, Mike Scarcella, Kanishka Singh, Eric Beech, Steve Holland and Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Shubham Kalia; Editing by Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis, Howard Goller and Leslie Adler) View the full article