U.S. Army service member Gordon Black, who has been detained in Russia since early May, pleaded partially guilty to charges of theft during the second hearing of his ongoing trial in the Primorsky Court, Russian media reported Monday.
Black, 35, admitted to theft, but he did not admit to the charges of assault or threat to kill, according to Russian media.
In May, Black was detained in Vladivostok, Russia, in the Primorsky territory — which borders North Korea and China — on charges of criminal misconduct, the U.S. Army previously said.
Black had been visiting his girlfriend in Russia and the two had a disagreement, Russian media reported. “After Black left, his friend discovered the missing money and turned to law enforcement for help,” TASS, a Russian outlet, reported last month. “The police found the suspect in the theft in one of the city hotels.”
During his hearing Monday, Black said he was invited to Russia by Aleksandra Vaschuk, and he went here to be with her, according to local Russian media. He did not plan to steal 10,000 rubles from her, he said, per the report. He wanted to return it before leaving and even transferred the money through an acquaintance, which he transferred to her the next morning after the incident, Black said in his testimony during the hearing Monday, the outlet reported.
Two U.S. officials told ABC News in May that Black, a staff sergeant, had been stationed in South Korea before going on temporary leave. He was not granted permission to travel to Russia, the officials said
Black admitted guilt on a theft charge and was cooperating with the investigation, a Russian official confirmed to ABC News in mid-May.
Black’s next court hearing in the trial is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, at 10 a.m. local time.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan coalition of 13 senators unveiled new legislation on Tuesday aimed at protecting victims of digitally altered “revenge pornography.” The proposed Take It Down Act, sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., seeks to address the rise of deepfake pornography created using artificial intelligence (AI).
“In recent years, we’ve witnessed a stunning increase in exploitative sexual material online, largely due to bad actors taking advantage of newer technologies like generative artificial intelligence,” Cruz stated. “Many women and girls are forever harmed by these crimes, having to live with being victimized again and again.”
While some states provide legal remedies for victims of nonconsensual intimate imagery, Cruz emphasized the need for a uniform federal law to aid in “removing and prosecuting the publication of nonconsensual intimate images nationwide.” He asserted that the bill would “empower all victims of this heinous crime.”
Emma Waters, a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, elaborated on the technology behind deepfake videos. “These AI-generated photos and videos, dubbed ‘deepfakes,’ can be produced in a matter of minutes on a multitude of apps and websites,” Waters wrote. “Anyone can use ‘face swap’ on ready-to-use apps, such as DeepSwap and FaceSwapper, to place someone else’s likeness in a sexually explicit photo or video.”
The Cruz-Klobuchar bill targets both the creators and distributors of deepfake pornography. It mandates that websites hosting such content remove it within 48 hours of being notified.
The legislation is outlined in a one-page summary highlighting four key points: criminalizing the publication of nonconsensual intimate images, protecting “good faith disclosure” of such images to law enforcement, requiring swift removal of offending material by websites, and ensuring the law is “narrowly tailored” to avoid impinging on lawful speech.
A similar bill introduced by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has faced criticism from Cruz and Klobuchar for being too broad. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., one of the bill’s endorsers, told The Hill that Durbin’s bill would “stifle American technological innovation.”
The Take It Down Act represents a focused effort to combat the misuse of AI technology in the creation and distribution of exploitative content, aiming to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.
Buster Murdaugh, the son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh, has filed a defamation lawsuit against multiple companies, including Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, over statements made in documentary series. The complaint, filed last Friday in South Carolina, alleges that the documentaries on Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming service falsely accused Buster of being involved in the 2015 murder of Stephen Smith, a high school classmate.
The lawsuit claims these statements have caused “irreparable damage” to Buster Murdaugh’s reputation and inflicted significant mental anguish. Buster has consistently denied any involvement in Smith’s death, calling the allegations “vicious rumors.” In a previous statement to NBC News, he said, “I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith’s tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother.”
Buster Murdaugh’s father, Alex Murdaugh, was sentenced to life in prison last year for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their other son, Paul Murdaugh. Buster emphasized his denial in his statement to NBC News, saying, “These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”
The Hill has reached out to representatives for Murdaugh, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Netflix for comments.
Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Investigations Subcommittee hearing to examine “Boeing’s broken safety culture” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 18, 2024. (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM / AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Boeing CEO David Calhoun faced rigorous questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday regarding the aviation giant’s safety and manufacturing practices. This marked his first appearance before Congress since a panel malfunction on a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
Addressing the Senate investigations subcommittee, Calhoun acknowledged flaws in Boeing’s corporate culture, stating, “Our culture is far from perfect,” but emphasized the company’s commitment to “ensuring every employee feels empowered to speak up if there is a problem.” He also highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance “transparency and accountability, while elevating employee engagement.”
Calhoun, who has led Boeing since January 2020, began his testimony by addressing relatives of those who perished in two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. “We are totally committed in their memory to focus on safety. Again, I am sorry,” he said, as attendees held up photographs of the victims.
“Proud of Our Safety Record”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., led the most pointed interrogation, focusing on Calhoun’s salary. Calhoun, set to retire at the end of the year, earned $32.8 million last year. Hawley accused Boeing of compromising safety for profit, saying, “You are cutting corners, eliminating safety procedures, and sticking it to your employees.”
Hawley pressed Calhoun on why he had not resigned. Calhoun responded, “Senator, I’m sticking this through. I’m proud of having taken the job. I’m proud of our safety record. And I am very proud of our Boeing people.” Hawley retorted, “You’re proud of the safety record?” expressing disbelief, to which Calhoun affirmed, “I am proud of every action we’ve taken.”
Fresh Whistleblower Allegations
Calhoun’s testimony was further complicated by new whistleblower allegations released by the Senate panel. One whistleblower, Boeing employee Sam Mohawk, claimed that Boeing mishandled damaged parts and concealed evidence from the Federal Aviation Administration. Another anonymous whistleblower alleged that Boeing sought to eliminate independent quality inspections, instead having workers inspect their own work.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chair of the subcommittee, condemned Boeing’s culture, stating, “This is a culture that continues to prioritize profits, push limits, and disregard its workers.”
Earlier this year, whistleblowers had told lawmakers that employees raising concerns about manufacturing defects and quality control issues were ignored or threatened. Boeing denied these allegations, defending the safety of its planes. In a statement to CBS News, Boeing said it was reviewing the latest whistleblower claims and encouraged employees to report all concerns.
Boeing’s Deadly Max Crashes
While no serious injuries occurred in the Alaska Airlines incident, it reignited concerns over the 737 Max. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are conducting investigations. Calhoun asserted that Boeing had taken responsibility and cooperated transparently with these agencies, stressing, “We are taking comprehensive action today to strengthen safety and quality.”
Blumenthal reminded the hearing of Boeing’s previous promises to overhaul its safety practices following the deadly Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. “Five years ago, Boeing made a promise to overhaul its safety practices and culture. That promise proved empty, and the American people deserve an explanation,” he said, underscoring the importance of Calhoun’s testimony for Boeing to regain public trust.
Calhoun is expected to step down by the end of the year, with a new CEO to be named.
SPRING, Texas (KTRK) — A 46-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting at least two strangers at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown, according to charging documents.
On Tuesday, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office shared Sergio Marroquin’s mugshot with Eyewitness News, saying investigators believe there are more victims.
Marroquin was charged after allegedly pulling down swimsuits of at least two women at the water park’s lazy river on June 16, according to court records.
Investigators told ABC13 that the victims were 35-year-old twins, one of which was holding her son during the incident.
Marroquin faced a judge during probable cause court on Monday. The magistrate initially set his bond at $100,000, which was later lowered to $50,000 by a district court judge at the defense attorney’s request.
Court records show that Marroquin, a husband and father of two children, has not been convicted of a crime and has not been charged in a case since 2007.
SEOUL, South Korea — In a historic summit on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un formalized a new partnership agreement, pledging mutual aid in the event of aggression against either nation. This move comes as both countries grapple with escalating conflicts with Western powers.
The specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed, but it is seen as the most significant collaboration between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War. The leaders emphasized the deal’s comprehensive scope, encompassing security, trade, investment, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
Putin’s visit to North Korea, his first in 24 years, occurs amidst growing international concern over potential arms deals between the two nations. Speculations suggest North Korea might supply Russia with munitions for its war in Ukraine in return for economic assistance and technology transfers, potentially bolstering Kim’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Kim described the partnership as a “fiery friendship” and the “strongest ever treaty,” elevating the relationship to an alliance level. He pledged unwavering support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Putin, calling the agreement a “breakthrough document,” highlighted the shared objective of strengthening bilateral relations. He expressed gratitude for North Korea’s support in Ukraine, framing it as part of a broader struggle against U.S. and allied “imperialist hegemonistic policies.”
This new pact follows historical precedents, notably the 1961 treaty between North Korea and the former Soviet Union, which mandated Moscow’s military intervention if the North was attacked. That treaty was replaced in 2000 with a less binding agreement. It remains uncertain if the new pact offers protections akin to the 1961 accord.
Kim accorded Putin a lavish reception, meeting him at the airport with a grand procession through Pyongyang. Celebrations included tens of thousands of spectators, children with balloons, and coordinated displays of both nations’ national colors. The leaders saluted an honor guard and engaged in discussions accompanied by key North Korean officials.
Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, reported that the leaders exchanged gifts, including a Russian-made Aurus limousine from Putin to Kim. Russian media indicated that Kim would host a reception for Putin before his departure to Vietnam.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that Putin’s visit underscores Russia’s desperation to secure alliances that support its war efforts in Ukraine. South Korean officials are closely analyzing the summit’s outcomes and potential implications for regional security dynamics.
China, North Korea’s principal ally, responded cautiously, describing the summit as a bilateral arrangement without offering detailed commentary.
Analysts suggest that Putin’s visit to Pyongyang reflects a shift in power dynamics, highlighting Russia’s need for new allies amid international isolation. The North Korean regime may seek to exploit this partnership to enhance its economic standing and mitigate the impacts of stringent U.N. sanctions.
The renewed Moscow-Pyongyang ties occur against a backdrop of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, marked by frequent North Korean weapons tests and intensified joint military exercises by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.
As the global community monitors this evolving alliance, the implications for regional stability and international relations remain profound and complex.
FILE – New York Giants’ Willie Mays poses for a photo during baseball spring training in 1972. Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93. Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night, June 18, 2024, he had “passed away peacefully” Tuesday afternoon surrounded by loved ones. (AP Photo, File)
SAN FRANCISCO — Willie Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93.
Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had died earlier in the afternoon in the Bay Area.
“My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” son Michael Mays said in a statement released by the club. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”
The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948, was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. He was voted into the Hall in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News’ list of the game’s top stars. The Giants retired his uniform number, 24, and set their AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza.
Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise. From coast to coast … Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime.”
Few were so blessed with each of the five essential qualities for a superstar — hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, fielding and throwing. Fewer so joyously exerted those qualities — whether launching home runs; dashing around the bases, loose-fitting cap flying off his head; or chasing down fly balls in center field and finishing the job with his trademark basket catch.
Over 23 major league seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants but also including one in the Negro Leagues, Mays batted .301, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves. He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, twice was named the Most Valuable Player and finished in the top 10 for the MVP 10 other times. His lightning sprint and over-the-shoulder grab of an apparent extra base hit in the 1954 World Series remains the most celebrated defensive play in baseball history.
“When I played ball, I tried to make sure everybody enjoyed what I was doing,” Mays told NPR in 2010. “I made the clubhouse guy fit me a cap that when I ran, the wind gets up in the bottom and it flies right off. People love that kind of stuff.”
For millions in the 1950s and ’60s and after, the smiling ball player with the friendly, high-pitched voice was a signature athlete and showman during an era when baseball was still the signature pastime. Awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, Mays left his fans with countless memories. But a single feat served to capture his magic — one so untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.”
In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, the then-New York Giants hosted the Cleveland Indians, who had won 111 games in the regular season and were strong favorites in the postseason. The score was 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning. Cleveland’s Vic Wertz faced reliever Don Liddle with none out, Larry Doby on second and Al Rosen on first.
With the count 1-2, Wertz smashed a fastball to deep center field. In an average park, with an average center fielder, Wertz would have homered, or at least had an easy triple. But the center field wall in the eccentrically shaped Polo Grounds was more than 450 feet away. And there was nothing close to average about the skills of Willie Mays.
Decades of taped replays have not diminished the astonishment of watching Mays race toward the wall, his back to home plate; reach out his glove and haul in the drive. What followed was also extraordinary: Mays managed to turn around while still moving forward, heave the ball to the infield and prevent Doby from scoring even as Mays spun to the ground. Mays himself would proudly point out that “the throw” was as important as “the catch.”
“Soon as it got hit, I knew I’d catch the ball,” Mays told biographer James S. Hirsch, whose book came out in 2010.
“All the time I’m running back, I’m thinking, ‘Willie, you’ve got to get this ball back to the infield.'”
“The Catch” was seen and heard by millions through radio and the then-emerging medium of television, and Mays became one of the first Black athletes with mass media appeal. He was a guest star on “The Donna Reed Show,” “Bewitched” and other sitcoms. He inspired a handful of songs and was named first in Terry Cashman’s 1980s novelty hit, “Talkin’ Baseball (Willie, Mickey & The Duke),” a tribute in part to the brief era when New York had three future Hall of Famers in center: Mays, Mantle of the Yankees and Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Giants went on to sweep the Indians, with many citing Mays’ play as the turning point. The impact was so powerful that 63 years later, in 2017, baseball named the World Series Most Valuable Player after him even though it was his only moment of postseason greatness. He appeared in three other World Series, in 1951 and 1962 for the Giants and 1973 for the Mets, batting just .239 with no home runs in the four series. (His one postseason homer was in the 1971 National League playoffs, when the Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates).
But “The Catch” and his achievements during the regular season were greatness enough. Yankees and Dodgers fans may have fiercely challenged Mays’ eminence, but Mantle and Snider did not. At a 1995 baseball writers dinner in Manhattan, with all three at the dais, Mantle raised the eternal question: Which of the three was better?
“We don’t mind being second, do we, Duke?” he added.
Between 1954 and 1966, Mays drove in 100 or more runs 10 times, scored 100 or more 12 times, hit 40 or more homers six times, more than 50 homers twice and led the league in stolen bases four times. His numbers might have been bigger. He missed most of 1952 and all of 1953 because of military service, quite possibly costing him the chance to overtake Ruth’s career home run record of 714, an honor that first went to Henry Aaron; then Mays’ godson, Barry Bonds. He likely would have won more Gold Gloves if the award had been established before 1956. He insisted he would have led the league in steals more often had he tried.
“I am beyond devastated and overcome with emotion. I have no words to describe what you mean to me,” Bonds wrote on Instagram.
Mays was fortunate in escaping serious injury and avoiding major scandal, but he endured personal and professional troubles. His first marriage, to Marghuerite Wendell, ended in divorce. He was often short of money in the pre-free agent era, and he received less for endorsements than Mantle and other white athletes. He was subject to racist insults and his insistence that he was an entertainer, not a spokesman, led to his being chastised by Jackie Robinson and others for not contributing more to the civil rights movement. He didn’t care for some of his managers and didn’t always appreciate a fellow idol, notably Aaron, his greatest contemporary.
“When Henry began to soar up the home-run chart, Willie was loathe to give even a partial nod to Henry’s ability, choosing instead to blame his own performance on his home turf, (San Francisco’s) Candlestick Park, saying it was a lousy park in which to hit homers and this was the reason for Henry’s onrush,” Aaron biographer Howard Bryant wrote in 2010.
Admirers of Aaron, who died in 2021, would contend that only his quiet demeanor and geographical distance from major media centers – Aaron played in Atlanta and Milwaukee – kept him from being ranked the same as, or even better than Mays. But much of the baseball world placed Mays above all. He was the game’s highest-paid player for 11 seasons (according to the Society for American Baseball Research) and often batted first in All-Star Games, because he was Willie Mays. From center field, he called pitches and positioned other fielders. He boasted that he relied on his own instincts, not those of any coach, when deciding whether to try for an extra base.
Sports writer Barney Kremenko has often been credited with nicknaming him “The Say Hey Kid,” referring to Mays’ spirited way of greeting his teammates. Moments on and off the field sealed the public’s affection. In 1965, Mays defused a horrifying brawl after teammate Juan Marichal clubbed Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro with a bat. Mays led a bloodied Roseboro away and sat with him on the clubhouse bench of the Dodgers, the Giants’ hated rivals.
Years earlier, when living in Manhattan, he endeared himself to young fans by playing in neighborhood stickball games.
“I used to have maybe 10 kids come to my window,” he said in 2011 while visiting the area of the old Polo Grounds. “Every morning, they’d come at 9 o’clock. They’d knock on my window, get me up. And I had to be out at 9:30. So they’d give me a chance to go shower. They’d give me a chance to eat breakfast. But I had to be out there at 9:30, because that’s when they wanted to play. So I played with them for about maybe an hour.”
He was born in Westfield, Alabama, in 1931, the son of a Negro League player who wanted Willie to do the same, playing catch with him and letting him sit in the dugout. Young Mays was so gifted an athlete that childhood friends swore that basketball, not baseball, was his best sport.
By high school he was playing for the Birmingham Black Barons, and late in life would receive an additional 10 hits to his career total, 3,293, when Negro League statistics were recognized in 2024 by Major League Baseball. With Robinson breaking the major league’s color barrier in 1947, Mays’ ascension became inevitable. The Giants signed him after he graduated from high school (he had to skip his senior prom) and sent him to their minor league affiliate in Trenton, New Jersey. He began the 1951 season with Minneapolis, a Triple-A club. After 35 games, he was batting a head-turning .477 and was labeled by one scout as “the best prospect in America.” Giants Manager Leo Durocher saw no reason to wait and demanded that Mays, barely 20 at the time, join his team’s starting lineup.
Durocher managed Mays from 1951-55 and became a father figure – the surly but astute leader who nurtured and sometimes pampered the young phenom. As Durocher liked to tell it, and Mays never disputed, Mays struggled in his first few games and was ready to go back to the minors.
“In the minors I’m hitting .477, killing everybody. And I came to the majors, I couldn’t hit. I was playing the outfield very, very well, throwing out everybody, but I just couldn’t get a hit,” Mays told the Academy of Achievement, a Washington-based leadership center, in 1996. “And I started crying, and Leo came to me and he says, ‘You’re my center fielder; it doesn’t make any difference what you do. You just go home, come back and play tomorrow.’ I think that really, really turned me around.”
Mays finished 1951 batting .272 with 20 home runs, good enough to be named the league’s top rookie. He might have been a legend that first season. The Giants were 13 games behind Brooklyn on Aug. 11, but rallied and tied the Dodgers, then won a best-of-3 playoff series with one of baseball’s most storied homers: Bobby Thomson’s shot in the bottom of the ninth off Ralph Branca.
Mays was the on-deck batter.
“I was concentrating on Branca, what he was throwing, what he might throw me,” Mays told The New York Times in 2010. “When he hit the home run, I didn’t even move.
“I remember all the guys running by me, running to home plate, and I’m saying, ‘What’s going on here?’ I was thinking, ‘I got to hit!'”
His military service the next two years stalled his career, but not his development. Mays was assigned as a batting instructor for his unit’s baseball team and, at the suggestion of one pupil, began catching fly balls by holding out his glove face up, around his belly, like a basket. Mays adopted the new approach in part because it enabled him to throw more quickly.
He returned full time in 1954, hit 41 homers and a league-leading .345. He was only 34 when he hit his 500th career homer, in 1965, but managed just 160 over the next eight years. Early in the 1972 season, with Mays struggling and the Giants looking to cut costs, the team stunned Mays and others by trading its marquee player to the New York Mets, returning him to the city where he had started out in the majors.
Mays’ debut with his new team could not have been better scripted: He hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning against the visiting Giants, and helped the Mets win 5-4. But he deteriorated badly over the next two seasons, even falling down on occasion in the field. Many cited him as example of a star who stayed too long.
In retirement, he mentored Bonds and defended him against allegations of using steroids. Mays himself was in trouble when Commissioner Bowie Kuhn banned him from the game, in 1979, for doing promotional work at the Bally’s Park Place Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Kuhn’s successor, Peter Ueberroth, reinstated Mays and fellow casino promoter Mantle in 1985).
But tributes were more common and they came from everywhere — show business, sports, the White House. In the 1979 movie “Manhattan,” Woody Allen’s character cites Mays as among his reasons for living. When Obama learned he was a distant cousin of political rival and former Vice President Dick Cheney, he lamented that he wasn’t related to someone “cool,” like Mays.
“Willie Mays wasn’t just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power,” Obama said Tuesday on X. “He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person – and an inspiration to an entire generation.”
Asked about career highlights, Mays inevitably mentioned “The Catch,” but also cherished hitting four home runs in a game against the Braves; falling over a canvas fence to make a catch in the minors; and running into a fence in Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field while chasing a bases-loaded drive, knocking himself out, but still holding on to the ball.
Most of the time, he was happy just being on the field, especially when the sun went down.
“I mean, you had the lights out there and all you do is go out there, and you’re out there by yourself in center field,” he told the achievement academy. “And, I just felt that it was such a beautiful game that I just wanted to play it forever, you know.”
Pop Star Justin Timberlake Charged with Drunken Driving in Hamptons
SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (AP) — Early Tuesday, pop star Justin Timberlake was charged with drunken driving in Sag Harbor, a village in New York’s Hamptons. According to police, Timberlake ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane in the affluent seaside retreat.
The 43-year-old singer and actor was driving a 2025 BMW around 12:30 a.m. when he was stopped by an officer who determined he was intoxicated, according to a court document. The court papers indicated Timberlake exhibited signs of intoxication, including bloodshot and glassy eyes, a strong odor of alcohol, slowed speech, unsteady footing, and poor performance on sobriety tests.
Timberlake admitted to the officer that he had consumed one martini and was following friends home. After his arrest, he was taken to a police station in East Hampton where he refused a breath test. The court documents listed his occupation as “professional” and noted that he is “self-employed.”
The 10-time Grammy winner was released without bond later that morning after being arraigned in Sag Harbor. Timberlake faces a misdemeanor charge for driving while intoxicated, with his next court date set for July 26, according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
Timberlake’s local lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., declined to comment but confirmed that Timberlake does not need to appear in person for his next court date. His representatives in California did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The arrest attracted onlookers to Sag Harbor’s Main Street, with many taking photos outside the brick municipal building. Even music legend Billy Joel, who owns a home in Sag Harbor, was seen observing the scene outside the American Hotel, located near the courthouse where Timberlake had been spotted before his arrest. Joel declined to comment on the incident, quoting, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”
Timberlake’s career began as a Disney Mouseketeer alongside future girlfriend Britney Spears. He rose to fame with the boy band NSYNC before launching a successful solo career in 2002. Known for hits like “Cry Me A River,” “SexyBack,” and “Can’t Stop The Feeling!,” Timberlake has also gained acclaim for his acting roles in films such as “The Social Network” and “Friends With Benefits.”
Recently, Timberlake was in the news following the release of Britney Spears’ memoir, which detailed their past relationship. He also released a new album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” in March.
Sag Harbor, historically a whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick,” has become a popular spot for the rich and famous, including celebrities like Billy Joel and Martha Stewart. The village maintains a mix of old charm and modern luxury, attracting both long-time residents and newcomers.
Timberlake has two upcoming shows in Chicago on Friday and Saturday and is scheduled to perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden on June 25 and 26.
The impacts of severe weather that blew through southeast Texas lingered into Wednesday morning as two campuses in Spring ISD are closed due to power outages.
No classes will be held at Wunsche Senior High School and Winship Elementary out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of students and staff, the district said in a statement.
The weather Tuesday afternoon had already led to multiple outages in Spring ISD. It also forced a temporary shelter-in-place in Spring Branch ISD that has since been lifted.
These are the current reported school closings or delays around Houston and the surrounding areas.
El presidente Joe Biden anunció el martes dos nuevas acciones ejecutivas que podrían brindar alivio a miles de inmigrantes indocumentados que han estado en el país durante varios años.
“Hoy es un buen día”, dijo Biden a una audiencia que lo ovacionaba en la Casa Blanca.
La primera acción busca simplificar el proceso para que los cónyuges e hijos indocumentados de ciudadanos estadounidenses soliciten la residencia permanente legal.
Esta política permitirá que los cónyuges no ciudadanos casados con ciudadanos estadounidenses vivan y trabajen legalmente en los EE. UU. sin tener que salir del país. Los hijos no ciudadanos de estos solicitantes también serán elegibles para protección.
Actualmente, algunos migrantes indocumentados deben abandonar los EE. UU. y solicitar la residencia legal desde sus países de origen cuando se casan con un ciudadano. En algunos casos, estos migrantes tienen prohibido regresar a los EE. UU. por hasta 10 años.
Para calificar para el programa, los cónyuges no ciudadanos deben haber estado en los EE. UU. durante al menos 10 años al 17 de junio de 2024, sin haber sido admitidos legalmente en el país o haber sido admitidos bajo palabra. También deben haber estado legalmente casados con un ciudadano estadounidense a partir de esa fecha y no deben representar una amenaza para la seguridad pública o la seguridad nacional. Los cónyuges elegibles tendrán tres años para solicitar la residencia permanente legal.
El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional estima que hasta medio millón de cónyuges podrían ser elegibles para el programa, y aproximadamente 50,000 hijos de estos cónyuges también serían protegidos.
Biden dijo que los pasos son “abrumadoramente apoyados por el pueblo estadounidense, sin importar lo que diga el otro equipo. De hecho, las encuestas muestran que más del 70% de los estadounidenses apoyan este esfuerzo para mantener a las familias unidas.”
“El presidente Biden está tomando una acción increíblemente importante al ayudar a los cónyuges de ciudadanos estadounidenses a obtener un camino hacia la ciudadanía. Este enfoque equilibrado, combinado con las acciones de seguridad fronteriza de Biden, es mucho más popular que el plan de deportación masiva de Trump”, dijo Kerri Talbot, directora ejecutiva de The Immigration Hub, en una declaración a ABC News.
El presidente también anunció una nueva acción que permitirá a algunos inmigrantes indocumentados, incluidos ciertos beneficiarios de DACA y “Dreamers”, obtener visas de no inmigrante basadas en empleo más rápidamente.
Para ser elegibles, los solicitantes deben haberse graduado de una institución de educación superior acreditada en los EE. UU. y tener una oferta de trabajo altamente calificado de un empleador estadounidense en su campo de estudio.
“Es lo correcto”, dijo Biden. “Quiero que aquellos que han sido educados en colegios y universidades de EE. UU. pongan sus habilidades y conocimientos a trabajar aquí en Estados Unidos. Quiero seguir construyendo la economía más fuerte del mundo con la mejor fuerza laboral del mundo.”
El anuncio del martes sigue a una acción ejecutiva de hace dos semanas que restringe el número de migrantes que pueden solicitar asilo entre puertos de entrada cuando los encuentros de migrantes en la frontera superan una tasa diaria de 2,500 durante una semana consecutiva.
Algunos miembros del propio partido de Biden han denunciado el límite de asilo. La Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles presentó una demanda la semana pasada para impugnar la orden.
La representante Nanette Díaz Barragán, presidenta del Caucus Hispano del Congreso, dijo a ABC News que los miembros del caucus se reunieron con el presidente en la Casa Blanca en mayo y solicitaron las protecciones anunciadas hoy.
“Creo que es un día feliz para muchas familias inmigrantes en Estados Unidos. Creo que habrá lágrimas de alegría y suspiros de alivio. Esta es una acción ejecutiva significativa del presidente Biden, y el Caucus Hispano ha estado abogando por estas protecciones durante meses,” dijo la congresista.
