Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with cancer, reports say
Disgraced movie mogul and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with cancer, according to multiple sources. Reports say he has chronic myeloid leukemia, a form of bone marrow cancer, and he’s undergoing treatment at Rikers Island prison in New York where he’s serving a 16-year sentence.
“Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized legal healthcare representative in New York State, expresses profound dismay at the speculation surrounding Mr. Weinstein’s medical condition,” Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said in a statement provided to Variety. “It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”
This is just the latest health issue Weinstein has faced behind bars. Last month, he had emergency heart surgery to alleviate a significant amount of fluid in his lungs and heart, and he was hospitalized in July with COVID-19 and double pneumonia.
‘Central Park 5’ sue Donald Trump for defamation after debate remarks
Members of the “Central Park Five” sued former President Donald Trump for defamation. Their lawsuit comes after the comments Trump made about their case at the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris in September 2024.
The five black and latino men were teenagers when they were wrongfully convicted of raping and beating a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989.
At the time, Trump bought a full-page ad in multiple newspapers including the New York Times and called for the teens to be executed.
The men spent years in prison and were exonerated in 2022 after DNA linked another person to the crime.
During the debate on Sept. 10, Trump said they pleaded guilty to the crimes and “badly hurt a person, killed a person” in the attack.
The lawsuit alleged what Trump said was defamatory because they never pleaded guilty to the assaults.
Trump campaign spokesman, Steve Cheung said the lawsuit is, “Just another frivolous, election interference lawsuit, filed by desperate left-wing activists, in an attempt to distract the American people from Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal agenda and failing campaign.”
Freed American Paul Whelan describes years inside Russian prison
Former Marine Paul Whelan has shared new details about his over five-year imprisonment in Russia, including allegations of psychological and physical abuse. Whelan, who was released in August as part of a multination prisoner swap, credits WNBA star Brittney Griner for helping keep his case in the public eye.
Whelan was arrested in 2018 on charges of espionage that he and U.S. officials have repeatedly denied.
For more than five years, Whelan endured what he described as dire conditions, including insufficient food, medical neglect, and continuous pressure from Russian authorities to confess to spying for the U.S. government.
AP Photo
Among those advocates was Griner, who herself was detained in Russia in 2022 on drug charges. After her release in a high-profile swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Griner became a vocal supporter of Whelan, using her platform to raise awareness about his continued imprisonment.
Whelan was not part of the 2022 prisoner swap that freed Griner, a decision that left him fearing for his life.
He said he believed being left behind meant the U.S. had effectively signed a “death warrant” for him. However, in August, Whelan’s long-awaited release was secured in a multination agreement, which also freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and several other prisoners.
Now back home in Michigan, Whelan is struggling to reintegrate into civilian life. He has described dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and concerns about finding work after his long absence.
Whelan remains committed to advocating for other Americans who remain detained overseas, much like Griner did for him.
Private prison operator under investigation after $4M in settlements
CoreCivic, the largest private prison operator in the U.S., is under federal investigation following years of allegations of inmate mistreatment in its Tennessee facilities. The company has spent $4.4 million since 2016 to settle nearly 80 lawsuits, involving claims ranging from violent beatings to medical neglect resulting in more than 20 deaths.
CoreCivic’s Trousdale Turner Correctional Center is a focal point of the investigation, with the Department of Justice focusing on incidents of violence, contraband smuggling and severe staff shortages.
One of the largest settlements, for $900,000, involved the suicide of an inmate where staff allegedly falsified records. Despite paying millions in fines and settlements, CoreCivic continued to renew its contracts with Tennessee.
Whistleblowers and advocates have raised concerns that CoreCivic views these settlements as a routine cost of doing business, prioritizing profits over inmate welfare. Since 2016, Tennessee has fined CoreCivic $37.7 million for contractual violations, but the company has not admitted wrongdoing in any of its settlements.
Families of the victims are calling for systemic changes to ensure accountability and improve conditions inside the facilities.
Man sentenced for grandson’s accidental death with an unsecured gun
A man whose grandson was shot and killed with a loaded, unlocked gun in his home was sentenced to a minimum of 38 months to a maximum of 15 years in prison for violating Michigan’s new safe storage law. Karl Robart pleaded no contest in August.
In April, Robart and his wife, Theresa Robart, left a 12-gauge shotgun behind a bedroom door in their home, close to where their grandkids were watching a movie. Braxton Dykstra, 5, was shot when his 6-year-old cousin picked up the gun and pulled the trigger, unintentionally killing Braxton.
Michigan’s safe storage law requires gun owners to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked in a box or container if it’s known that a minor is likely to be here.
Robart told police he had no idea the weapon was loaded and said it has been in the same spot for ten years.
“The people we thought we could trust with our kids failed,” Domynic Dykstra said. “I will never get to hug my son again. I will never get to hear his precious voice or his silly laugh.”
Newaygo County Circuit Court Judge Robert Springsteed said Braxton’s death was avoidable.
“All you had to do was listen to the people in your life that were telling you to put these loaded guns away and you didn’t,” he said.
Braxton’s grandmother Theresa was also charged in the incident. Her trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 30.
‘Merchant of Death’ allegedly returns to arms trade after US release
Viktor Bout, the infamous Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death,” is reportedly back in the arms trade after his release by the U.S. in 2022. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bout is now reportedly brokering weapons deals for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Bout was originally sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. prison for conspiring to sell weapons to a Colombian terrorist group with the intent to kill Americans. He was arrested in 2008 during a U.S. sting operation, and his arms dealings have spanned decades, supplying conflicts across Africa, South America, and the Middle East.
In 2022, Bout was released from U.S. custody as part of a prisoner swap for WNBA player Brittney Griner, following her imprisonment in Russia for possession of cannabis oil cartridges.
Getty Images
Currently, Bout is allegedly facilitating the sale of Russian arms to the Houthis, including AK-74 rifles and potentially more advanced weapons, with deliveries disguised as food shipments.
The U.S. and its allies have expressed concern as Houthi forces have launched attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea. These new arms deals could escalate tensions in the region, posing potential threats to U.S. forces.
While Bout denied any involvement, the implications of these deals are significant for both U.S. military interests and regional stability in the Red Sea.
The strike is over for now, as thousands of dockworkers return to their jobs after a tentative agreement to raise their pay. And why after more than three decades in prison , the Menendez brothers — infamous for killing their parents — might have their case reviewed and the factor it all hinges on. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.
Tens of thousands of U.S. dockworkers are getting back on the job after two days of a strike that clogged dozens of East and Gulf coast ports. The historic labor action, which threatened to drive inflation back up, is now on hold until at least January 15.
Thursday night, Oct. 3, members of the International Longshoremen’s Association struck a tentative deal with the U.S. Maritime Alliance over pay. The agreement will increase workers’ wages by 62% over the span of six years.
The agreement is an increase over the Maritime Alliance’s offer of 50% earlier this week, but a compromise for the ILA, which has called for a 77% increase in wages over the same time period.
The new deal would bring hourly pay for top dockworkers to $63 per hour by the end of the deal, compared to $39 an hour under the most recently expired contract.
Dockworkers had also been calling for a total ban on automation, but no deal was reached on that. Sources close to the matter have said that will be the main topic of negotiations between now and Jan. 15.
I applaud the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance for coming together to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.
More Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut
Powerful blasts rocked Beirut Thursday night into Friday morning, Oct. 4, as Israel unleashed some of its heaviest strikes on the Lebanese capital city yet. This comes as Iran’s foreign minister is in Beirut meeting with Lebanese officials over the expanding conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Thursday, Israel ordered more evacuations for villages in southern Lebanon, potentially signaling plans to broaden the ground invasion there. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said an Israeli strike took out the main highway between Lebanon and Syria, which tens of thousands of people have used over the past two weeks to flee the escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
🔴Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Communications Unit, during a precise, intelligence-based strike in Beirut yesterday.
Sakafi was a senior Hezbollah terrorist, who was responsible for the communications unit since 2000. Sakafi invested significant efforts… pic.twitter.com/PH65nh5FLI
The Israeli military also said it killed another top Hezbollah militant, Mohammed Anisi, in a recent strike on Beirut. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed that claim.
Three ex-officers found guilty in Tyre Nichols beating death
A federal jury convicted three former Memphis police officers in the 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols Thursday, but they were acquitted of the most serious charges. The jury found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith guilty of witness tampering for covering up the attack. Haley was also convicted of violating Nichols’ civil rights.
Nichols died three days after the officers brutally beat him following a traffic stop. The officers now face up to 20 years in prison for the witness tampering convictions while Haley’s civil rights violation conviction carries up to 10 years. Sentencing is pending with a hearing scheduled to determine whether they will remain in custody.
The case has triggered federal investigations into Memphis police practices, and Nichols’ family has filed a $550 million lawsuit against the city and its police department.
In a statement, the assistant U.S. attorney who oversees the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “Tyre Nichols should be alive today.”
35 years later, Menendez brothers’ case under review following claims of parental abuse
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced his office will review the convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez, nearly 35 years after they were imprisoned for killing their parents in 1989. New evidence, including a letter from Erik Menendez alleging sexual abuse by their father, prompted the reexamination.
Gascón stressed that while the brothers’ guilt is not being contested, the new evidence and changing views on sexual abuse require a review. The attorney for the Menendez brothers argues they’ve been rehabilitated and is seeking a re-sentencing.
A hearing on Nov. 29 will determine the next steps, which could include a new trial or an adjusted sentence.
Country star Garth Brooks accused of rape
A former employee has come forward accusing country music superstar Garth Brooks of sexual assault and battery. In a the lawsuit, the woman said she worked as his hair and makeup artist.
The lawsuit alleges in 2019, Brooks raped the woman during a work trip in Los Angeles.
Before this lawsuit was made public, CNN reported an anonymous celebrity plaintiff — now identified as Brooks — had tried to block the woman from suing and denied the claims.
In a statement released to the media, Brooks said, “For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars.”
If there was ever a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night! Thank you for my life!!!!! love, g pic.twitter.com/q6FFLrJO0a
He went on to say, “Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of—ugly acts no human should ever do to another. We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”
Category 4 Hurricane Kirk strengthens, expected to stay offshore
Hurricane Kirk, a powerful Category 4 storm, is churning in the Atlantic, with forecasters warning of dangerous swells that could impact the U.S. east coast, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles, and the Bahamas by this weekend. Though the hurricane is expected to remain far from land, its waves might cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.
NEW: #Kirk is now a major #hurricane with 125mph sustained winds and will strengthen to *near Category 5 strength* over the next couple of days. Certainly thankful it will remain out to sea and no threat to land! #HurricaneKirk#weatherpic.twitter.com/frSGbEgtFe
As Kirk strengthens, Tropical Storm Leslie has also formed in the Atlantic but poses no immediate threat to land.
Meanwhile, the southeast is still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which left more than 200 people dead and caused catastrophic damage. Rescue efforts continue as many residents remain without water, power and communication services.
President Joe Biden has visited the region to survey the devastation, pledging federal aid for debris removal and recovery efforts in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
Justice Department calls Georgia prisons ‘inhumane,’ gangs, extortion rampant
Georgia’s state prisons are plagued with deadly violence, extortion, drug use and sexual abuse, according to a new report from the Justice Department. Attorneys for the federal government are now telling the state to take immediate steps to fix the problem or be sued.
Investigators described the conditions in Georgia’s prisons as horrific and inhumane.
“People Georgia holds in its prisons people are assaulted, stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.
The findings are part of a state-wide civil rights investigation that dates back to 2021. At the time, federal officials said they were concerned about stabbings, beatings and other acts of violence.
The investigators determined the confinement conditions in Georgia prisons violate the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which bars cruel and unusual punishment.
The report also said gangs control multiple aspects of day-to-day life in the prisons including access to phones, showers, food and bed assignments. Investigators said they received credible allegations of beatings, coerced sex acts and extortion by gangs.
“Gang members have co-opted certain administrative functions like bed assignments from the Department of Corrections and they have extorted money from the family members of incarcerated people,” Ryan K. Buchanan, the U.S. Attorney Northern District of Georgia, said.
LGBTQ individuals are targeted for violence and the incidents are not properly investigated. There are even reports of torture.
“In America, time in prison should not be a sentence to death, torture or rape,” Assistant Attorney General Clarke said. “We can’t turn a blind eye to the wretched conditions and wanton violence unfolding in these institutions.”
Approximately 50,000 people are incarcerated in Georgia. That is the fourth highest prison population in the country, despite the state being the eighth most populous in the nation. Approximately 59% of the state’s prisoners are Black, compared to 31% of the overall state population.
“The people incarcerated in these jails and prisons are our neighbors, siblings, children, parents, family members and friends,” Clarke said. “The Constitution requires and public safety demands that our prisons provide safe living conditions for the people incarcerated them.”
The Justice Department did not provide an exact timeline for when changes need to be made nor consequences for failures to make improvements. However, officials said the work needs to start immediately.
Activists throw soup at Van Gogh painting again; other protesters jailed
Climate activists threw soup over Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting again in London on Friday, Sept. 27. Three protesters from Just Stop Oil tossed the tomato soup over Sunflowers 1889 and Sunflowers 1888.
It happened an hour after two others were sentenced to prison time for a similar protest with one of the Sunflower paintings in 2022. Phoebe Plummer was sentenced to two years in prison. Anna Holland received 20 months in prison. Plummer got additional time for protesting in the road.
Just Stop Oil has been pushing back on the U.K. government’s plans to grant new licenses for fossil fuel production.
Supporters of the group say the Sunflower paintings were covered with glass and the art is being valued more than human life.
In June 2024, Just Stop Oil protesters spray painted the famous Stonehenge monument, covering some of the structure with orange marks. Turns out, the group used orange corn flour and it washed away without damage.
At least 3 dead as Helene barrels through southeastern US
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida overnight as a major Category 4 storm, leaving at least 3 people dead and leading to massive power outages. And the Oakland A’s have played their final home game after 57 years. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
At least 3 dead as Helene barrels through southeastern U.S.
The storm brought the anticipated life-threatening storm surge, strong winds and heavy rains. Meteorologists say just because the storm has weakened significantly, does not make it less dangerous.
Authorities in Pasco County, Florida rescued people trapped by heavy flooding. One person was killed on Interstate 4 near Tampa when a sign fell on their car, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Authorities in Wheeler County, Georgia said two people were killed when an apparent tornado overturned a mobile home. Two others died in Laurens County, according to emergency officials.
As of early Friday morning, more than one million people in Florida were without power, as were hundreds of thousands more in Georgia. Power outages linked to Helene have also been reported in South Carolina and North Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center said tropical storm conditions will be felt throughout the southeast throughout Friday, with strong, damaging winds likely to “penetrate as far inland as the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.”
Trump says he will meet with Zelenskyy to hear ‘victory plan’
The decision comes after there was some doubt whether the meeting between the two would occur — after both Trump and Zelenskyy have been critical of each other.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian president met with both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately to discuss his plan to defeat Russia. Biden pledged to send billions of dollars more in missiles, drones, weapons, and supplies.
Meanwhile, Harris told Zelenskyy recent calls for Ukraine to give over some of its land to Russia are “dangerous and unacceptable,” referring to recent suggestions by Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Both have suggested Ukraine should cut a deal quickly to end the war that’s been going on for almost three years now.
Trump has stated that if he wins the November election, he will end the Russia-Ukraine war even before he takes office.
Zelenskyy also met with members of Congress Thursday in an effort to shore up American support for the ongoing war.
DOJ expected to announce charges in alleged Iranian hack of Trump campaign
Investigators said Iran gained access to Trump campaign emails and sent files to various media outlets and the Biden-Harris campaign this summer, before President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Harris took over as the Democratic nominee.
Reports said multiple Iranian hackers will be charged. Sources told ABC News the Trump campaign has been informed of the charges.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams to appear in federal court
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is set to make an appearance in federal court Friday. He will be arraigned on charges including bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
It marked the second time this year the state has employed this controversial method.
Miller was sentenced to death in 2000 for a 1999 shooting that killed three men he had worked with, after he accused them of spreading rumors about him.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said the procedure involved Miller being fitted with a mask and nitrogen gas flowing into his system for about 15 minutes.
According to the Associated Press, Miller’s final words were, “I didn’t do anything to be here.”
The game had plenty of emotion as well as some interruptions. Somebody threw a smoke bomb onto the field at one point, and a fan ran onto the field and made a dash for it, as well.
In the end, A’s fans soaked up all the memories, staying well past the final out.
The team will now relocate to Sacramento for the next three seasons before moving to their new permanent home in Las Vegas in 2028.
