Politics

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, Minnesota judge Peter Cahill ruled on Friday. The aggravating factors, such as Chauvin’s abuse of power, added 10 years to the presumptive sentence, Cahill explained. On April 20, a jury found Chauvin guilty of murder

Brian Williams didn’t shy away from criticizing Matt Gaetz, the controversial U.S. Representative from Florida and ally of President Donald Trump, after Gaetz launched his own criticism of the U.S. military. In the closing minutes of his MSNBC political news show “The 11th Hour” on Wednesday night, Williams aired a clip of Joint Chiefs of

Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s most-read newspaper and the territory’s leading opposition voice, may end all its operations by the end of this week. Local authorities and the city’s new Security Bureau have arrested several of its top editors on national security grounds and ordered the freezing of HK$18 million ($2.3 million) of its affiliates’ financial

A year ago, in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic, Pharrell Williams braved air travel to head to his home state of Virginia and stand beside Governor Ralph Northam as he called for Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 (June 19) when the last slaves in Texas learned of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, to be

Ms. Opal Lee is on the move. The 94-year-old activist from Fort Worth, Texas, who is oft-referred to as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” has already begun her annual Walk to D.C., as part of her efforts to see the momentous day recognized as a federal holiday. Each year on June 19, Lee makes a two-and-a-half-mile pilgrimage to commemorate the date in

Five hundred Hong Kong police officers raided the offices of pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily on Thursday. Five of the outlet’s top executives were arrested, its accounts were frozen, and the public was warned not to repost its articles online, in what is the strongest blow yet to the territory’s media freedoms. The strike marks the

The Senate has unanimously passed a bill to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth, which takes place annually on June 19, marks the true end of slavery in the United States. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom from slavery in the state of Texas, nearly two years

President Biden officially revoked Donald Trump’s executive orders last year that sought to ban TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps over supposed national security concerns. On Wednesday, the White House announced that Biden signed an executive order revoking then-President Trump’s August 2020 order instructing Chinese internet giant ByteDance to sell TikTok to U.S. entities under the threat

The state of California is so flush with cash that Gavin Newsom is literally giving money away. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Hollywood is in line for a major windfall. Last month, Newsom proposed to increase the $330 million film and TV tax credit by $30 million for the coming year. But the Legislature

On Saturday, Sharon Stone, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, Star Trek’s George Takei and more gathered in plastic hard hats, ready to dig shovels into the ground. A bystander yelled, “You look like you know what you’re doing, Sharon,” to which Stone replied: “I grew up in the country. I know how to use shovels.” June

Jeff Bezos will make his maiden space voyage on board the New Shepard, a spacecraft made by his company, Blue Origin. The journey is set for July 20, two weeks after he steps down as Amazon CEO. “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” the entrepreneur posted to his

Facebook said Donald Trump’s accounts on the social giant’s platforms will be suspended for a two-year period — until at least January 2023 — and will only be reinstated “if conditions permit.” The announcement comes after the independent Facebook Oversight Board upheld the company’s suspension of the ex-U.S. president last month — after Trump praised

UPDATED: Donald Trump’s blog site, designed to give the disgraced former U.S. president an online outlet after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook and other services, has been permanently shuttered about a month after it debuted. However, the Trump website’s “news” section includes statements from the 45th U.S. president — and it appears that posts

A prolific scammer known as the Hollywood Con Queen won’t find out until December whether he will be extradited to the U.S., where he’s wanted by the FBI. Hargobind Tahilramani, who is accused of orchestrating a five-year, multi-jurisdictional con in which he impersonated dozens, if not hundreds, of high-profile female executives in the entertainment industry,

On April 25, North Korean authorities publicly executed a man who illegally sold USBs and CDs that contained South Korean movies, music videos and dramas, as reported by the Daily NK. The Seoul-based non-profit organization provides coverage of North Korea through its inside network. Its source explained that the man, who was named Lee and

China’s top streaming platforms censored around six minutes of material from HBO Max’s “Friends: The Reunion” special on the day of its debut Thursday, deleting footage of artists like BTS previously deemed to have “insulted” China, gay fans, references to pee and a shot of Matt LeBlanc in his underwear, among other moments. “Friends” has

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today California’s $116.5 million vaccine incentive program to boost vaccinations and ensure a safe reopening of the economy next month. Vax for the Win provides a financial incentive for Californians that have been vaccinated and have plans to become vaccinated. Beginning May 27, the next two million people who start and

Exactly one year ago on May 25, 2020, former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin pinned George Floyd to the ground with his knee pressed on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, despite Floyd saying multiple times that he could not breathe. Floyd’s death sparked a wave of protests around the world in the

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have taken a stance against antisemitism, condemning hate against the Jewish community. The statements from the White House come as attacks on Jewish people have been on the rise with a staggering surge over the past week, prompted by the escalation of deadly violence between Israelis and

Princes Harry and William have responded to the explosive findings of an independent inquiry into the BBC’s infamous 1995 Panorama interview with their mother, Princess Diana. The investigation was centred on British journalist Martin Bashir and his use of forged bank documents to secure access to the princess in the now-iconic sit-down, in which Diana

After an attack at a Los Angeles restaurant that is under investigation by the LAPD as a hate crime, Hollywood is speaking out against antisemitism. Debra Messing, Mayim Bialik, Meghan McCain and Kim Kardashian are among the celebrities who have taken to social media, urging for peace and calm amid the alarming escalation of deadly

California will continue to require fully vaccinated people to wear masks in most public indoor settings until June 15. This came after national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement on Thursday that said fully vaccinated people can resume most typical pre-pandemic activities without having to wear a face mask or social distancing. The seemingly

Damon Weaver, the kid reporter who gained national attention for interviewing President Barack Obama at the White House, has died. He was 23. According to the Associated Press, Weaver’s family says he died of natural causes on May 1. His sister, Candace Hardy, confirmed his death to the Palm Beach Post on May 13. “He

Israel’s air force on Saturday attacked a tower block in Gaza housing the offices of the Associated Press (AP), Al Jazeera and the Middle East Eye. The airstrikes came six days into renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas. They took place roughly an hour after Israeli military ordered an evacuation of the Al-Jalaa tower building,

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that his budget proposal will add $30 million to the state’s film and TV tax incentive program this year, as the state doles out a $75 billion surplus. The $30 million is on top of the $330 million that the state provides annually to subsidize TV and film productions. The

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can resume most typical pre-pandemic activities without wearing a face mask or social distancing. However, rules in place by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, including local business and workplace guidances, must still be observed. “Anyone who

Facebook’s plans to build a version of Instagram aimed at preteen kids is in the political crosshairs of more than 40 state attorneys general — who are asking Mark Zuckerberg to mothball the idea. “It appears that Facebook is not responding to a need, but instead creating one, as this platform appeals primarily to children

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his $100 billion California Comeback Plan, which is aimed at helping the state bounce back from the economic impact stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Released on Monday, the outlined plan includes the largest state rebate tax in U.S. history at nearly $12 billion. The California Comeback Plan majorly expands the

In her first television interview since announcing her gubernatorial run in California, Caitlyn Jenner talked with Fox News’ Sean Hannity about immigration, current Gov. Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump. Jenner, who confirmed during the interview that she is running as a Republican, started the discussion by saying that watching California “crumble” inspired her candidacy. “We

Meghan Markle’s case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) received a further boost on Wednesday with the latest ruling in her favor. Markle had sued Associated Newspapers, publishers of The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, for publishing articles that in 2018 reproduced parts of a letter she had sent to her father Thomas Markle, on the