U.S. news – Page 25 – The News Desk

Rapper G Herbo pleads guilty in credit card fraud that paid for private jets and designer puppies

28Jul

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Rapper G Herbo pleads guilty in credit card fraud that paid for private jets and designer puppies

The rapper G Herbo pleaded guilty Friday to his role in a scheme that used stolen credit card information to pay for a lavish lifestyle including private jets, exotic car rentals, a luxury vacation rental and even expensive designer puppies. Under a deal with prosecutors, the 27-year-old Chicago rapper, whose real name is Herbert Wright III, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making false statements. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed several counts of aggravated identity theft. He also agreed to forfeit nearly $140,000, the amount he benefited from what prosecutors have said was a $1.5 million scheme that involved several other people. “Mr. Wright used stolen account information as his very own unlimited funding so...

Adidas to release second batch of Yeezy sneakers after breakup with Ye

28Jul

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Adidas to release second batch of Yeezy sneakers after breakup with Ye

Adidas is releasing a second batch of high-end Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye WestFILE - Yeezy shoes made by Adidas are displayed at Laced Up, a sneaker resale store, in Paramus, N.J., on Oct. 25, 2022. Adidas is releasing a second batch of high-end Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, as the shoemaker seeks to unload the unsold shoes while donating to groups fighting antisemitism. The online sale, to start Wednesday Aug. 2, 2023 through the Confirmed app, Adidas app and adidas.com, follows an earlier batch of sales in May. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)The Associated PressFRANKFURT, Germany -- Adidas said Friday that it is releasing a second batch of high-end Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with rapper Y...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom offers to help negotiate Hollywood strike

27Jul

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom offers to help negotiate Hollywood strike

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has contacted all sides of the strikes that have hobbled Hollywood, his office said Wednesday, offering to help broker a deal to restart an industry that is crucial to keeping the state's economy humming amid signs of weakness.So far, neither studio executives nor actors and writers have shown formal interest in bringing Newsom to the negotiating table, said Anthony York, Newsom's senior adviser for communications. But York said both Newsom and senior members of his administration have been in touch with all sides as the two strikes stretch deeper into the summer blockbuster season. “It’s clear that the sides are still far apart, but he is deeply concerned about the impact a prolonged strike can have on the regional and state economy,” Yo...

London jury acquits Kevin Spacey of sexual assault charges on his birthday

26Jul

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London jury acquits Kevin Spacey of sexual assault charges on his birthday

LONDON -- Kevin Spacey charmed the jury in his sexual assault trial with humor, humility and emotion as he dropped names of fellow stars and stories from his once-celebrated career while his lawyer called his accusers liars and said the Oscar winner was the real victim.Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault Wednesday after his star turn as a witness in his own defense spared him a possible prison term and gave him a shot at a career comeback. Tears rolled down Spacey’s cheeks as the final “not guilty” verdict was read. The actor looked at the jury, placed his hand over the lapel of his blue suit and pink shirt, and mouthed “thank you.” It was his 64th birthday.“I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today," a humbled Spa...

Michael Jackson sexual abuse lawsuits on verge of revival by appeals court

26Jul

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Michael Jackson sexual abuse lawsuits on verge of revival by appeals court

A California appeals court will consider reviving the lawsuits of two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them as childrenByANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment WriterLOS ANGELES -- A California appeals court on Wednesday will consider reviving the dismissed lawsuits of two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children for years, a move the court appears likely to make after a tentative decision that would order the cases back to a lower court for trial. The suits were filed after Jackson's 2009 death by Wade Robson in 2013 and James Safechuck the following year. The two men became more widely known for telling their stories in the 2019 HBO documentary, “ Leaving Neverland.”Both sued MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., two corporations for which Jackson was ...

In ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer’ smash success, audiences send message to Hollywood: Give us something new

25Jul

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In ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer’ smash success, audiences send message to Hollywood: Give us something new

NEW YORK -- In the massive movie weekend of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” there were many winners. Greta Gerwig, who made history for female directors. Christopher Nolan, who set a non-Batman career high. Movie theaters, more crowded than anytime post-pandemic. Lovers of unlikely double features. The color pink. Matchbox Twenty.But one of the most important triumphs in the moviegoing monsoon of “Barbenheimer” was originality. Here are two movies that are neither sequels nor reboots pushing the box office to highs not seen in years. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” became a meme because of their worlds-apart differences but they're each indelibly the work of those filmmakers.“Barbie,” based on the Mattel doll, had some extremely well-known intellectual property going for it. And the story of J. Ro...

Tony Bennett left his heart to generations of music fans

22Jul

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Tony Bennett left his heart to generations of music fans

NEW YORK -- What do Paul McCartney, Queen Latifah, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder have in common?Oh, and Aretha Franklin, k.d. lang, Bono and Billy Joel. Not to mention Carrie Underwood, Judy Garland, John Legend and Placido Domingo. And let's not forget...Stop. Listing all of the musicians who performed duets with Tony Bennett would take up our remaining space. His place in music history is already secure.Bennett, who died at 95 on Friday, was indeed “the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century,” as Charles J. Gans wrote for The Associated Press. Yet that summation befits a man frozen in time, consigned to a specific era, and Tony Bennett was anything but that.Instead, Bennett transcended generations in a way few musicians have.He was rightly beloved by older listeners for ...

Friends and admirers of Tony Bennett react to the news of his death

21Jul

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Friends and admirers of Tony Bennett react to the news of his death

The news of Tony Bennett's death at age 96 has created an outpouring of love and condolences from the worlds of music, entertainment and the civil rights movementFILE - Singer Tony Bennett reacts to the crowd during his performance at comedians Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on the National Mall in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday, July 21, 2023. He was 96. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)The Associated PressReaction to the death of Tony Bennett at age 96:“So sad to hear of Tony’s passing...

The Gaslight Anthem were labeled ‘Bruce Springsteen copycats.’ Now the Boss is on their new single

21Jul

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The Gaslight Anthem were labeled ‘Bruce Springsteen copycats.’ Now the Boss is on their new single

LOS ANGELES -- For years, a common critique of the beloved New Jersey rock band The Gaslight Anthem was to label them “Bruce Springsteen” copycats. Now they've released a song with the Boss.“History Books,” the title track from the band's first album in nine years, is big-hearted freeway rock, made ascendent by frontman Brian Fallon and Springsteen's tremulous harmonies.“There's a definitely a little wink in there," Fallon tells The Associated Press about the song and his band's long-held comparisons to the Boss, which once escalated to the point where he wrote to his fans, “My name isn’t Bruce.”“Some people kind of wrote us off. It's like ‘Now write this off,'” he says. "We've got the approval of the guy! What are you going to say? You can't say anything!”If there is an intersection wher...

‘Oppenheimer’ stirs up conflicted history for Los Alamos and New Mexico downwinders

19Jul

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‘Oppenheimer’ stirs up conflicted history for Los Alamos and New Mexico downwinders

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. -- The movie about a man who changed the course of the world’s history by shepherding the development of the first atomic bomb is expected to be a blockbuster, dramatic and full of suspense.On the sidelines will be a community downwind from the testing site in the southern New Mexico desert, the impacts of which the U.S. government never has fully acknowledged. The movie on the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the top-secret work of the Manhattan Project sheds no light on those residents' pain.“They’ll never reflect on the fact that New Mexicans gave their lives. They did the dirtiest of jobs. They invaded our lives and our lands and then they left,” Tina Cordova, a cancer survivor and founder of a group of New Mexico downwinders, said of the scientists and mil...