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Johnny Depp and Will Smith reduced to helping the Saudi regime look good

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

Johnny Depp and Will Smith traveled to Saudi Arabia over the weekend, apparently to try to recapture some of the red carpet glory they once enjoyed as two of Hollywood’s most beloved and bankable stars.But the actors, whose careers have been separately damaged by various controversies, are apparently so eager to return to the limelight that they’ve opened themselves up to accusations of turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s “egregious” human rights abuses by attending the Red Sea International Film Festival, the Puck newsletter and Daily Mail reported. The Saudi culture minister chairs the foundation which runs the festival in Jeddah, prompting human rights groups to say that celebrities who participate are engaging in “art-washing,” or “image-laundering,” by lending their names and star power to the event.TMZ and other outlets reported that neither Depp nor Smith seemed particularly concerned about being complicit in this kind o...

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Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

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Netanyahu corruption trial resumes after 2-month pause

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

By Stephanie Halasz and Tamar Michaelis | CNNThe corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restarted Monday after a two month pause that followed the state of emergency declared after the October 7 Hamas attacks.Israeli Minister of Justice Yaris Levin lifted the state of emergency effective December 1.Netanyahu’s corruption trial first began in January 2020, making him the first sitting Israeli prime minister to appear in court as a defendant, on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. He denies any wrongdoing.The prime minister faces charges in three separate cases.In Case 1000, he is charged with fraud and breach of trust in connection with allegations that he received gifts like cigars and champagne from overseas businessmen.In Case 2000, he is also charged with fraud and breach of trust and is accused of seeking favorable coverage in one of Israel’s top newspapers in exchange for limiting the circulation of one of the paper’s main rivals.In t...

Brock Purdy is the MVP betting favorite after 49ers rout Eagles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

Move over, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. There’s a new leader in the race for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award: the increasingly relevant Brock Purdy.Purdy is now the betting favorite at many gambling sites. Caesars Sportsbook has him leading the field with 3-to-1 odds after the 49ers demolished the Eagles Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.The Niners are the consensus Super Bowl favorites, too. Caesars lists them at +300, with the Chiefs (+575), Eagles (+600) and Ravens (+700) next in line. Every sportsbook tracked by VegasInsider.com has the 49ers at the top of its pile, reflecting what oddsmakers expect the public to be thinking after their NFC Championship revenge game. Of course, losses by Kansas City and Philadelphia, as well as Baltimore’s bye week gave the 49ers extra room to climb.Christian McCaffrey’s MVP odds are among the shortest for non-quarterbacks: He’s listed at 15-to-1 by Caesars and 16-to-1 by DraftKings, where he is tied with Dolph...

Recordings show how Mormon church protects against abuse claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

By Michael Rezendes and Jason Dearen | Associated PressHAILEY, Idaho — Paul Rytting listened as a woman, voice quavering, told him her story.When she was a child, her father, a former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had routinely slipped into bed with her while he was aroused, she said.It was March 2017 and Rytting offered his sympathies as 31-year-old Chelsea Goodrich spoke. A Utah attorney and head of the church’s Risk Management Division, Rytting had spent about 15 years protecting the organization, widely known as the Mormon church, from costly claims, including sexual abuse lawsuits.Rytting had flown into Hailey, Idaho, that morning from Salt Lake City, where the church is based, to meet in person with Chelsea and her mother, Lorraine.After a quick prayer, he introduced himself and said he was there “to look into” Chelsea’s “tragic and horrendous” story.Chelsea and Lorraine had come to the meeting with one clear req...

Woman killed in Walmart parking lot covered in dense fog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman was killed Monday morning in a fatal traffic collision in a Walmart parking lot, according to the City of Mountain View. Dispatchers with the Mountain View Police Department received calls reporting a vehicle versus pedestrian crash in the parking lot on the 500 block of Showers Drive.Responding to the scene, officers learned that a woman in her 60s was in the middle of the parking lot when an employee driving to work drove over her. At the time of the crash, the parking lot was dark and covered in dense fog, according to officials. Places with the lowest cost of living in California: study The woman was transported to the hospital where she later died. Officials do not believe that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.KRON On is streaming live news now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container ifr...

California's tallest lighthouse getting $16-million makeover

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

(KRON) -- A lighthouse perched on an ocean cliff halfway between Santa Cruz and Half Bay Moon has guided ocean mariners since 1872. Standing at 115-feet-tall, Pigeon Point is the tallest operating lighthouse on the West Coast. In 2024, Pigeon Point Lighthouse will receive a $16-million makeover with hopes of reopening the beloved historic landmark to the public, state parks officials announced Monday.Construction for the rehabilitation project is slated to be completed within two years, according to California State Parks.(Image Courtesy of California State Parks) The lighthouse has been closed to the public since late 2001, when it was deemed unsafe after two large pieces of brick and iron fell from the top of the building. The lighthouse's closure dragged on for more than two decades because of several obstacles, including a lack of funding and the COVID-19 pandemic, parks officials said.Contractors will refurbish or replace ironwork throughout the lighthouse. A major focus of the...

AP names LSU’s Daniels unanimous SEC offensive player of year; Watson named top defensive player

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the unanimous pick as Associated Press Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year, while Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson is defensive player of the year.Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz won coach of the year honors Monday after leading the ninth-ranked Tigers into the Cotton Bowl against No. 7 Ohio State. Alabama safety Caleb Downs is the top newcomer.Daniels, a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy, leads the nation in total offense (412.2 yards per game), passing for 3,812 yards and a nation’s best 40 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Daniels has also run for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.Watson is the SEC’s leading tackler with 137 and also has a league-best 10 sacks. Watson has two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.Downs led No. 5 Alabama with 99 tackles as a freshman, well ahead of No. 2 tackler Jihaad Campbell’s 65. He also has two interceptions and returned a punt 85...

Fritz takes over at Houston, giving the 63-year-old his 1st Power 5 coaching job

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Willie Fritz got his first head coaching job at Blinn Junior College in 1993.After 31 years moving up the ranks of college coaching — and winning at every stop — the 63-year-old was introduced as Houston’s new coach Monday, giving him his first job at a Power 5 school.“It took me a long time to get around the bases and, I finally got my home run by getting this job,” he said. “It’s a dream for me to be here at the University of Houston.”The Cougars left the American Athletic Conference to move to the Big 12 this season and Dana Holgorsen was fired after the team went 4-8 and 2-7 in league play in his fifth year at the school.Fritz spent the last eight seasons at Tulane, where he won the second-most games in the school’s 130-season history. He was named American Athletic Conference coach of the year in the last two seasons and led Tulane to consecutive AAC championship games. The Green Wave lost to SMU 26-14 in the title game Saturday to end the regular season 11-2.“I ...

Jonathan Majors assault trial starts with competing versions of a backseat confrontation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:06 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The actor Jonathan Majors listened silently, head-cocked and eyes down, as a Manhattan prosecutor and his defense attorney offered competing accounts of a violent confrontation in the backseat of a car that led to assault charges against the film star and put his rapid Hollywood ascent on pause.The opening statements Monday in the trial against Majors centered on whether the actor assaulted his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, after she read a romantic text message sent to his phone by another woman. Prosecutors say Majors grabbed the woman’s hand so hard he fractured her middle finger, then twisted her arm behind her back and struck her on the side of the head – the latest outburst in an alleged pattern of physical and emotional abuse. An attorney for Majors argued that her client was the true victim, claiming he was left bloodied by the attack, while she spent the rest of the night clubbing.That the competing versions of the struggle were presented to a jury was i...