A federal judge sentenced former Republican New York U.S. Rep. George Santos to 87 months in prison on Friday, sealing the downfall of one of the most flamboyant and fraudulent figures in recent American politics.Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the sentence in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, New York, eight months after Santos pleaded guilty to 23 federal felony counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft of public funds, and money laundering.Related: Who is George Santos, the lying gay former Republican congressman being sentenced to prison?Santos, 36, appeared in court without supporters or character witnesses. In a letter filed earlier this week, he told the court he felt too embarrassed, too ashamed to ask anyone to stand by him. This is mine to deal with and mine alone, he wrote.Santos arrived at the courthouse ten minutes before the 10:30 a.m. hearing began and passed through a scrum of reporters without answering questions.Federal prosecutors asked the court to impose the 7-year, 3-month sentence, citing Santoss social media blitz and his attempts to portray himself as a victim. They said his posts accusing the Justice Department of being a cabal of pedophiles and calling himself a scapegoat demonstrated a lack of remorse and a high risk of reoffending.Santos, a MAGA devotee, pushed back in a letter to the court, insisting that his statements represented free speech, not defiance. True remorse isnt mute, he wrote. It is aware of itself, and it speaks up when the penalty scale jumps into the absurd.Santos is also required to pay more than $370,000 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000.Related: Disgraced Republican George Santos asks judge to ignore his posts while considering his prison sentenceSantos admitted to misusing donor money to fund personal expenses, including luxury designer goods, Botox treatments, and subscriptions to adult content platforms. He also illegally collected pandemic-era unemployment benefits while earning a congressional salary.The House of Representatives expelled Santos in December 2023 following a damning Ethics Committee report, making him only the sixth member in history to be removed by colleagues.Santos, who identified as the first out gay Republican elected to Congress without a prior appointment, often invoked his Latine and LGBTQ+ identity as part of his public image. But he also voted with the far-right wing of his party on key issues and lied about his personal history including saying he lost employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting, a statement widely condemned by LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations as false and exploitative.Related: Prosecutors seek 7-year prison sentence for George Santos in sweeping fraud caseFollowing his expulsion from Congress, Santos sought to rebrand himself through a podcast, personalized Cameo videos, and the revival of his drag persona, Kitara Ravache an identity he had previously denied. Critics described these efforts as attempts to monetize scandal rather than demonstrate contrition.Prosecutors emphasized that Santoss efforts to position himself as a victim or entertainer did not absolve the harm caused by his actions particularly to donors, constituents, and the credibility of public office.Santos made a mockery of our election system, the government wrote in its April 17 sentencing memo. His actions speak louder than any words, and they cry out for a significant carceral sentence.The Bureau of Prisons has not yet announced where Santos will serve his sentence.This story is developing.

Jiggly Caliente, a beloved performer known for her appearances on RuPauls Drag Race and as a co-host on Drag Race Philippines, has undergone a partial leg amputation following a serious medical emergency, her family announced. Caliente, whose real name is Bianca Castro, experienced a severe infection that led to hospitalization and the subsequent loss of most of her right legSource

Former U.S. Representative George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison on Friday, April 25, 2025, after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The sentence marks the culmination of a series of legal troubles that led to his expulsion from Congress in December 2023. Santos, 36, represented New Yorks 3rd Congressional District for less than a year beforeSource

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Washington. The President and first lady will be traveling to Rome and the Vatican to attend the funeral for Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-04-25T15:32:42Z WASHINGTON (AP) Why not tax the millionaires?As Congress begins drafting a massive package for President Donald Trumps big, beautiful bill with trillions of dollars in tax breaks and federal program cuts, its a question that wont seem to go away.Trump himself has mused hed love to tax wealthier Americans a little bit more, but the Republican president has also repeatedly walked it back. This week, the president dismissed a tax hike as disruptive when asked about it at the White House.But still it swirls.And its setting up a potential showdown between the old guard of the Republican Party, which sees almost any tax hike as contrary to the GOP goal of slashing government, and its rising populist-nationalists, who view a millionaires tax as championing working-class voters who helped deliver the White House.Bring it, baby, said former Trump strategist Stephen Bannon on his podcast. Think of it as Bannon on the one side, versus Newt Gingrich, anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and others on the other a debate that once seemed unfathomable for Republicans who have spent generations working to lower taxes and reduce the scope of the federal government. I dont think were raising taxes on anybody, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said this week on Fox News Channel.Johnson said there have been lots of ideas thrown out but the Republicans are working against the idea of a tax on millionaires. Im not in favor of raising the tax rates because our party is the group that stands against that, traditionally, he said. This spring and summer, the Republican-led Congress is determined to make progress on the package, which is central to the partys domestic policy agenda. It revolves around extending many of the GOP tax cuts that Congress approved in 2017, during Trumps first term, but are expiring later this year. As it stands, the top individual tax rate is now 37%, on annual incomes above $611,000 for single filers and $767,000 for married couples. If Congress fails to act, that rate is set to revert to what it was before the 2017 tax law, 39.6%, on top filers.It seems impossible that Republicans in Congress will purposefully wade into the debate. They are striving to keep all the existing tax brackets in place, while adding new tax breaks the president campaigned on during the 2024 election including no taxes on tips, Social Security income, overtime pay and others. Its a potentially $5 trillion-plus package.But the Bannon wing is working to force the issue, saying its time to raise that top rate on the wealthier households, at least $1 million and above. Sounding at times more like progressive Democrats, Bannons flank sees a tax hike as a way not only to ensure wealthy Americans pay their fair share but to generate federal revenue. With federal debt at $36 trillion, they say it can help counter annual deficits that cannot be offset by budget cuts alone.The current system we have is not sustainable, Bannon said at Semafors World Economy Summit on Wednesday in Washington. You have to go to an alternative. I think the alternative is budget cuts. And it has to be tax increases on the wealthy. Thats drawing fierce blowback from the traditional tax-cutters, who have gone into overdrive, warning of nothing short of a political shattering of GOP orthodoxy, and the party itself, if Republicans entertain the idea.Madness, Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker, told Fox News Larry Kudlow. Gingrich warns of a George Bush-style political implosion similar to his Read my lips: No new taxes pledge, which contributed to his failed 1992 presidential reelection bid. It would be a disaster, Gingrich said.Trump appears to be weighing the arguments, sending mixed messages about what he prefers.Newt is quite possibly right on this, the president said in a note Gingrich said he received from the president and reposted Tuesday on social media.While I love the idea of a small increase, Trump said in the note, the Democrats would probably use it against us, and we would be, like Bush, helpless to do anything about it. Trump went on to counsel that if they can do without it, theyre probably better off. We dont need to be the READ MY LIPS gang who lost an election, he posted.Asked about a tax hike on millionaires Wednesday in the Oval Office, Trump was more definitive.I think it would be very disruptive, he said, suggesting wealthy Americans would simply leave the country, rather than pay the higher tax, and end up costing in lost revenues. Yet in a Time magazine interview posted Friday, Trump said of a millionaires tax: I actually love the concept, but I dont want it to be used against me politically. As Republicans in Congress work behind the scenes crafting the tax bill and at least $1.5 trillion in government spending cuts to help cover the lost revenues it seems highly unlikely enough of them would agree to a tax hike. Most of the congressional Republicans have signed a no-taxes pledge from Norquists Americans for Tax Reform group, even as others signal some interest.With Democrats prepared to oppose the package altogether because of its expected steep cuts to federal programs, the Republicans will need to keep all their lawmakers in line if they hope to pass the bill through the House and the Senate with their narrow majorities.Yet, as Republicans are scrounging for ways to pay for their tax bill, they face potential resistance within their own ranks to reductions in Medicaid, food stamps or other federal programs. Even an accounting measure preferred by the Senate Republicans, which would count the 2017 tax breaks as current policy rather than a new one requiring an offset, still comes up short for covering the full price tag of the new package, which could swell beyond $5 trillion over 10 years. Setting the new top rate at about 40% for those earning $1 million or above would bring in some $300 billion in revenue over the decade, analysts have said. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Rosie ODonnell and Ellen DeGeneres are both lesbian comedians with successful acting careers. They've both had major daytime talk shows, and both fled to Europe because of the current political climate, and yet despite how much they have in common, theyve been feuding for more than two decades.In a new interview with Us Weekly, ODonnell is speaking out about the deterioration of her relationship with DeGeneres and what led to the falling out between the former friends who have such a long and shared history. Although there have been years' worth of simmering animosity, ODonnell said she doesnt have any malice toward her old friend. I dont want to fight against another gay woman. Its not like were tenaciously opposed to each other. Were just very different people. We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved, she explained.But how did the feud start, and where do the women stand now?Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie ODonnell used to be friendsThe two women both came up in the stand-up comedy scene at the same time in the '90s so they ran into each other frequently and according to ODonnell they used to go to parties together with other lesbian celebrities.I had known her for years doing stand-up and as young entertainers in Hollywood. Me, Melissa [Etheridge], k.d. [lang] and Ellen, we all would go to parties together, ODonnell told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview back in 2023. The League of Their Own actress explained that they were such good friends that right before DeGeneres came out on her sitcom Ellen and then on the cover of Time, she came on The Rosie ODonnell Show and teased coming out. To support her friend, despite still being in the closet herself, ODonnell made a lesbian joke on air. It was a good relationship. We were friends, ODonnell said. We supported each other. Which is why when she came on my show, I said, Let me not have you standing there by yourself. Lets get a joke in there.' And we sat down and came up with that, 'Oh my God, I love Casey Kasem. Maybe Im Lebanese. It became a big thing.How did the feud between Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie ODonnell start?The relationship between the comedians deteriorated when DeGeneres appeared on Larry King Live in 2004 and acted like she and ODonnell werent friends.She said it on Larry King Live. Larry King said, Whatever happened to Rosie ODonnells show? She went down the tubes as soon as she came out. And the quote that Ellen said was, I dont know Rosie. Were not friends. I was watching TV in bed with my wife going, Did she just say that?The reality of what DeGeneres told Larry King is slightly different: "I don't really know Rosie that well. I mean, I've spoken to her, but we're not really friends," she said. Rosie ODonnells feelings were hurtOn an episode of Watch What Happens Live in 2022, ODonnell admitted that she was hurt by DeGeneres snubbing her on Larry King Live. "It hurt my feelings like a baby and I never really got over it," she told host Andy Cohen after relaying the whole saga. ODonnell also claimed in the interview with THR that DeGeneres hired the staff from her talk show to work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which started in 2003, shortly after ODonnell left her own talk show. She used the same staff from my show Jim Paratore, Andy Lassner. So that was odd. It was very similar to my show, ODonnell told the publication. "And then I asked to go on because of something I was promoting, and she said no. And I remember going, Seriously? After she said no that one time, whenever they would ask [me to appear] on the show, I would say no."The feud may be one sidedODonnell told THR back in 2023 that after she appeared on Watch What Happens Live, she received a text from her old friend apologizing and admitting that she didnt remember saying that to Larry King.But at the time it doesnt sound like ODonnell was ready to live and let live. She wrote, Im really sorry and I dont remember that. I guess she saw me talk about it on Andy Cohens show. I remembered it so well, I had T-shirts printed and I gave them to my staff that said I dont know Rosie. Were not friends.ODonnell said that at one point the two women were so close that they knew each others family, but after the feud started, she no longer trusted DeGeneres. I have a picture of her holding [my then-infant son] Parker. I know her mother. I could identify her brother without her in the room. I knew her for so many years. It just felt like I dont trust this person to be in my world, she said.Where do they stand now?While DeGeneres hasnt spoke publicly about the feud, ODonnell went into detail about her feelings toward DeGeneres in the new Us Weekly interview. I dont want to fight against another gay woman. Its not like were tenaciously opposed to each other. Were just very different people, she admitted. We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved. And not in any way as, as partners or lovers or anything like that, just as friends and comedians, but I wish her the best. I seriously do, she told Us. I think that theres enough room in the world for all of the gay comedians, and we all need to stick together because gay people are the next group to be threatened. And the way they attack trans people is absolutely terrifying. If people dont understand that theyre a vital part of the LBGTQIA+ community, thats tragic because we protect our own, especially the most vulnerable.

Country pop firecracker Brooke Eden is hitting the dance floorand the roadwith her glittery, twang-filled new single Giddy Up!, set for release on May 2 via BMG. The bold and breezy anthem blends Edens Southern roots with a dance-floor-ready beat, delivering what she calls her most authentic and unapologetic release yet. Equal parts country sass and Pride party soundtrack, Giddy Up!Source

A recent gender reveal event for a fictional character in the childrens television series Peppa Pig has ignited widespread controversy across the United Kingdom, highlighting deepening societal divisions. The event, held on April 25 at Battersea Power Station in London, featured a light display indicating the gender of Peppa Pigs new sibling. The spectacle, intended as a playful promotion bySource

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In a celebration of artistry, identity, and advocacy, GLAADs Communities of Color and Media Department, in partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and supported by Gilead Sciences, hosted the culminating event for the second cohort of the Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) at CAAs headquarters in Los Angeles on April 16th, 2025. Held [...]The post GLAAD Honors Black Queer Musicians at Year 2 EMEI Cohort Final Showcase at CAA first appeared on GLAAD.

It sounds like Candace Owens might be having some regrets about her unabashed support of President Donald Trump.Owens, who has made a career for herself cheering for MAGA and lashing out at the usual targeted groups, spoke out against Trumps crusade against Harvard University on an episode of her podcast this week."I never thought that I would see a day where I would be rooting for a university above Donald J. Trump and his administration," she said. "But I dont recognize this administration right now. I dont recognize whats happening."Earlier this month, the Trump administration sent Harvard a list of demands it says the school must meet. This list included an insistence that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring processes be discontinued, among other things that the schools president, Alan M. Garber, slammed as government overreach.As a result, the administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants and Harvard filed a lawsuit against them in return.Owens, surprisingly enough, is siding with Harvard. In her podcast, she expressed bewilderment over how a president who is allegedly "such a free speech enthusiast" could be actively attempting to suppress free speech."Its so messy. Its so obvious," she said. "Going after college universities, trying to suppress speech while pretending that youre not suppressing speech, while pretending that youre fighting DEI."She further suggested that its "not worth it" to celebrate this kind of brazen attack on freedom because it could eventually blow back on conservatives, too. "If you think its going to stop with college campuses, youre out of your mind," she said. "So you better buck up and root for Harvard University in this fight." (@) MAGA has been gleefully turning a blind eye to Trumps repeated and blatant disregard for all sorts of rules and norms so long as the people being hurt are people they dont like. Many people have already suggested there wont be a reckoning until MAGA voters themselves are subjected to the fall out from everything the Trump administration is doing, if even then. Owens seems to be getting slightly ahead of the curve, but it certainly already took long enough for her to reach this point.And while it would be nice to think she may start using her platform to spread a smidge of common sense, very few seem convinced that might actually happen. (@) "Do not let her get away with this rebrand. We know who and what she is." (@) "That man ran his campaign and told them everything that he plans to do and she and her grifter crew still voted for him. She didnt think her boot licking ass was going to be impacted because shes in the crew and now she has regrets. Shes an evil degenerate B****!" (@) "Limiting free speech is a slippery slope for everybody. Ive always said that. Some people are realizing they dont want to be on the receiving end of this kind of authoritarianism in the future and you know what good" (@) "You know Trump fucked up when people start to agree with Candace Owens. Excuse me while I go throw up." (@) "Candace Owens and Joe Rogan spent years hyping up Trump, and now that they're criticizing him, suddenly they're the voices of reason? They're not principled, they're just riding the wave. They see that Trump's loyalists aren't trending anymore, so they're pivoting."So, is Owens turning over a new leaf? Doubtful. But we can appreciate MAGA folks actually calling out threats to democracy the real kind, not the fearmongering pushed by those they put in charge without embracing or trusting them. Even the worst person you know makes a good point every now and then even if they're just regurgitating the same warnings they've been ignoring from others for years.

Things get unexpectedly personaland hilariously unhingedin the latest episode of Hacks as Jean Smarts Deborah Vance finds herself abandoned on premiere night and turns to a very familiar face: her longtime assistant, Damien, played by Mark Indelicato. In Season 4, Episode 4, titled I Love LA, Deborahs big debut as a late-night host is off to a rough start. Her staff is too exhausted toSource

Lydia B. Kollins barely had time to unpack her wigs from RuPauls Drag Race Season 17 before being whisked back into the Werk Room for another round of fierce competition. The fan-favorite queen has confirmed she joined the massive cast of All Stars 10 just weeks after wrapping up her debut season. In an interview with The Playlist, Kollins revealed that she had about five daysyesSource

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Lush Cosmetics has launched a nationwide campaign in the UK to support transgender rights and has introduced a new Gender Affirming Care policy for its employees. The initiative, which runs from April 23 to May 11, aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by transgender individuals and promote inclusivity within the company. The campaign, developed in collaboration with trans-ledSource

Nature, Published online: 25 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01312-8Sethuraman Panchanathan abruptly leaves helm of US funding agency after Elon Musks DOGE arrives.

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by William Turton, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Christopher Bing and Andy Kroll ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. A Treasury Department inspector general is probing efforts by President Donald Trump and Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency to obtain private taxpayer data and other sensitive information, internal communications reviewed by ProPublica show.The office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has sought a wide swath of information from IRS employees. In particular, the office is seeking any requests for taxpayer data from the president, the Executive Office of the President, DOGE or the presidents Office of Management and Budget.The request, spelled out in a mid-April email obtained by ProPublica, comes as watchdogs and leading Democrats question whether DOGE has overstepped its bounds in seeking information about taxpayers, public employees or federal agencies that is typically highly restricted.The review appears to be in its early stages one document describes staffers as beginning preplanning but the email directs the IRS to turn over specific documents by Thursday, April 24. Its not clear if that happened.The inspector general is seeking, for instance, All requests for taxpayer or other protected information from the President or Executive Office of the President, OMB, or DOGE. Include any information on how the requestor plans to use the information requested, the IRSs response to the request, and the legal basis for the IRSs response, the email says.The inquiry also asks for information about requests for access to IRS systems from any agency in the executive branch, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and DOGE.The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration office, known as TIGTA, is led by acting Inspector General Heather M. Hill. When Trump fired 17 inspectors general across a range of federal agencies in January, those working for the Treasury Department were not among the ones axed.The White House, DOGE, OMB and Musk did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Previously, the administration has said, Those leading this mission with Elon Musk are doing so in full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances, and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities.A TIGTA spokesperson, Becky DAmbrosio, said the agency does not disclose specific details of ongoing work or timelines. She said the office has received multiple requests from Congress. When possible, we are incorporating these requests into our ongoing work providing independent oversight of IRS activities.The April 15 request follows concerns expressed by some within the IRS that DOGE employees under Musks direction have improperly accessed taxpayer information or shared it with other government agencies, said multiple people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.Earlier this month, a group of Democratic senators urged the Treasury inspector general to investigate whether the Trump administration was violating strict taxpayer privacy laws by giving DOGE personnel wide access inside the agency. Taxpayer data held by the IRS is, by design, subject to some of the strongest privacy protections under federal law, the violation of which can trigger civil and criminal sanctions, the lawmakers wrote in their request.In March, three senators said they were troubled by reports the IRS had entered into a sharing agreement to help the Department of Homeland Security locate suspected undocumented immigrants. Trump has promised deportations on a massive scale.A spokesperson for Sen. Ron Wyden, one of the signees of both requests, declined to comment. DHS referred a request for comment from ProPublica to the Treasury Department, which did not respond.The inspector general examination comes amid major upheaval at the Treasury Department and the IRS, as the administration moves to fire thousands of agency workers and DOGE digs deeper into IRS databases. Melanie Krause resigned as the acting commissioner of the IRS after the agency reached an agreement to share taxpayer data with the DHS.A former senior official at TIGTA told ProPublica the review could lead to a criminal investigation if reviewers find evidence of lawbreaking. The same official said its possible those leading the review could face political repercussions, as have scores of prosecutors, FBI agents, law firms and others who have questioned Trumps actions.Emails from the inspector general to IRS employees earlier this month asked them to provide copies of any written agreements to share taxpayer data with entities including the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, DOGE, the Office of Personnel Management or other agencies.It also seeks a full list of non-IRS employees who are part of DOGE or its affiliates. This year, ProPublica has been profiling the figures working for DOGE. Danielle Citron, a leading privacy legal scholar at the University of Virginia, said the email suggests that the inspector general may be probing for violations of the Privacy Act, which requires agencies to safeguard citizens information and only share it across the government in specific cases. The kind of blanket data-sharing agreement the Trump administration is seeking with the IRS, she said, is exactly what the Privacy Act is designed to avoid.CNN and Wired have reported that DOGE is attempting to build a master database that combines information from the IRS, DHS, Social Security Administration and other agencies. The database would be used for immigration enforcement, the outlets reported.This is not the first time Trump administration decisions at the IRS have prompted an inspector general inquiry.As ProPublica reported, a senior IRS lawyer warned the agencys leaders in late February that its plan to terminate nearly 7,000 probationary employees based on poor performance was untrue and a fraud. The IRS proceeded with the firings, which have since been challenged in federal court.After the firings, the IRS inspector general began scrutinizing the mass terminations, said a person familiar with the effort who wasnt authorized to speak with reporters. The status of the probe is not known.

by Richard A. Webster, Verite News This article was produced for ProPublicas Local Reporting Network in partnership with Verite News. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. A Louisiana judge this week set aside the first-degree murder conviction and death sentence of Jimmie Chris Duncan, whose 1998 conviction for killing his girlfriends 23-month-old daughter was based in part on bite mark evidence that experts now say is junk science.The decision comes after a Verite News and ProPublica investigation in March examined the questions surrounding Duncans conviction as Gov. Jeff Landry, a staunch death penalty advocate, made moves to expedite executions after a 15-year pause.Judge Alvin Sharp, of the 4th Judicial District in Ouachita Parish, pointed to new testimony during a September appeals hearing that such bite mark analysis presented by a once-heralded forensics team is no longer valid and not scientifically defensible. The original analysis came from forensic dentist Michael West and pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne, whose longtime partnership as state experts fell under legal scrutiny after questions emerged about the validity of their techniques.Over the past 27 years, nine prisoners have been set free after being convicted in part on inaccurate evidence given by West and Hayne. Three of those men were on death row.Duncan was the last person awaiting an execution based on the pairs work, which Sharp said in his ruling appeared questionable at best.Other expert witnesses said that Haynes autopsy and his findings were sloppy in practice and inadequate overall.It is worth noting that the qualifications of Dr. Hayne were lacking in certain ways to an extent that called into serious question the pathologists expert designation, Sharp wrote in his ruling.Sharp also stated in his ruling that he found very compelling the September testimony of an expert medical witness who said that the childs death was not the result of a homicide but of an accidental drowning.It remains unclear when or if Duncan will walk free.Robert S. Tew, district attorney for the 4th Judicial District, can choose to appeal the decision, retry Duncan on the murder charge or a lesser offense or accept the courts ruling and set him free. Tew did not respond to requests for comment. Duncans legal team declined to comment.Louisiana has a long record of convicting and sentencing to death people later found to be innocent. In the past three decades, the state has exonerated 11 people facing execution, among the highest such numbers in the country, according to The National Registry of Exonerations.Duncan, 56, has maintained his innocence for more than three decades, while prosecutors continued to insist that Duncan committed the murder and should be executed without delay.Duncan was babysitting Haley Oliveaux, his girlfriends daughter, at the house they shared in West Monroe, Louisiana, on Dec. 18, 1993. He said he had left her alone in the bathtub while he washed dishes. At some point, he said he heard a loud noise from the bathroom. When he went to check on Haley, he found her floating face down in the water. She was pronounced dead a few hours later.While Duncan claimed it was a tragic accident, authorities charged him with first-degree murder after Hayne and West examined the girls body and determined there was evidence she was sexually assaulted and intentionally drowned. After about two weeks of testimony in 1998, the jury found Duncan guilty and sentenced him to death.Years later, Duncans post-conviction attorneys uncovered evidence that was not presented at trial that, they said, proves his innocence. This includes a jailhouse informant who wrote to prosecutors offering to share Duncans confession to the crime in what the defense claims was an exchange for leniency (the informant later recanted his trial testimony); past head injuries Haley suffered that might explain her death; and a video in which West can be seen grinding a cast of Duncans teeth into Haleys body. West later claimed those bite marks, which the defense says the forensic dentist manufactured, were a match for Duncans teeth. Dr. Lowell Levine, a defense expert, testified in a September hearing as part of Duncans post-conviction appeal over the death of his girlfriends daughter. He is quoted in a brief summarizing Duncans case following his appeal hearing. (Obtained by Verite News and ProPublica. Highlighted by ProPublica.) Hayne died in 2020. West did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling.West has previously said he was simply using what he called a direct comparison technique, in which he presses a mold of a persons teeth directly onto the location of suspected bite marks because it provides the most accurate results, according to a 2020 interview with Oxygen.com.West said he no longer believed in bite mark analysis in a 2011 deposition in a different post-conviction appeal, saying, I dont believe its a system thats reliable enough to be used in court and admitted to making mistakes in previous cases. But he told The New Republic in a 2023 interview that his methods are valid because other people have used them.In this weeks ruling, Sharp also noted the September testimony of Detective Chris Sasser, who investigated Haleys death. Sasser said there was no blood, no signs of struggle, no cleaning rags and no cleaning agents in the bathroom or house where the alleged crime occurred. This undermined the states assertion that there was massive blood loss, the ruling said.In addition, Sharp found that Duncans trial attorney, Louis Scott, provided ineffective counsel. Sharp pointed to a witness who testified that Scott failed to investigate or present evidence that was available at the time of the trial, that he did not develop a coherent theory of defense, and that he failed to disclose a conflict of interest.Scotts wife told Verite News and ProPublica that he has suffered significant health problems including memory and speech impairment and declined to comment on the judges ruling.Duncan is among 55 people on death row in Louisiana, though until very recently he and the others were not in imminent danger of being executed as the state hadnt put anyone to death since 2010 due to the unavailability of execution drugs. That changed with Landrys 2023 election.Landry has made clear his intention to carry out these death sentences as soon as possible, having recently approved the use of nitrogen gas, a controversial method allowed in only three other states.This cleared the way for the states first execution in more than 15 years, as Jessie Hoffman was put to death on March 18 using nitrogen gas.

Amid rising tensions with India, Pakistans defense minister declared his countrys innocence in a terror attack that killed 26 people this week in Kashmir territory.

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Washington. The President and first lady will be traveling to Rome and the Vatican to attend the funeral for Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-04-25T21:08:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing an executive order that a labor union says would cancel collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees.U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that a key part of President Donald Trumps March 27 order cant be enforced at roughly three dozen agencies and departments where employees are represented by the National Treasury Employees Union.The union, which represents nearly 160,000 federal government employees workers, sued to challenge Trumps order. The union said it would lose more than half of its revenue and over two-thirds of its membership if the judge denied its request for a preliminary injunction.Friedman said he would issue an opinion in several days to explain his two-page order. The ruling isnt the final word in the lawsuit. He gave the attorneys until May 2 to submit a proposal for how the case should proceed. Some agencies, including the FBI, are exempt from a law requiring federal agencies to bargain with labor organizations over employment matters. Presidents can apply the exemption to agencies that have a primary function of performing intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative or national security work. But no president before Trump tried to use the national security exemption to exclude an entire cabinet-level agency from the laws requirements, according to the employees union. It said Trumps order is designed to facilitate mass firings and exact political vengeance against federal unions opposed to his agenda. The Presidents use of the Statutes narrow national security exemption to undo the bulk of the Statutes coverage is plainly at odds with Congresss expressed intent, union attorneys wrote.Government lawyers argued that the court order requested by the union would interfere with the presidents duty to ensure federal workers are prepared to help protect national security. It is vital that agencies with a primary purpose of national security are responsive and accountable to the American people. Justice Department attorneys wrote.The IRS is the largest bargaining unit represented by the National Treasury Employees Union. A day after Trump signed his order, the administration sued a union chapter in Kentucky to seek a ruling that it can terminate the collective bargaining agreement for the IRS.The union says the administration has effectively conceded that its members dont do national security work. The union members affected by the executive order also include employees of the Health and Human Services Department, the Energy Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission.The union said it will lose approximately $25 million in dues revenue over the next year. Some agencies, it says, already have stopped deducting union dues from employees pay.In the absence of preliminary injunctive relief, NTEU may no longer be able to exist in a manner that is meaningful to the federal workers for whom it fights, union lawyers wrote. Government attorneys argued that the courts typically defer to the presidents judgment on national security matters.Executive actions that are facially valid that is, within the lawful authority of the executive are entitled to a presumption of regularity, they wrote.

The grand entry of hundreds of Native American and Indigenous dancers begins with the staff procession during the annual Gathering of Nations powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, May 25, 2025 (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)2025-04-25T04:02:28Z ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Thousands of people are gathering in New Mexico for a celebration showcasing Native American and Indigenous dancers, musicians and artisans from around the world.Billed by organizers as the largest powwow in North America, the annual Gathering of Nations festival kicks off Friday with a colorful procession of dancers spiraling into the center of an arena at the New Mexico state fairgrounds. Participants wear elaborate regalia adorned with jingling bells and dance to the tempo of rhythmic drumming.The event also features the crowning of Miss Indian World, as well as horse parades in which riders are judged on the craftsmanship of their intricately beaded adornments or feathered headdresses and how well they work with their horses. Powwow rootsPowwows are a relatively modern phenomenon that emerged in the 1800s as the U.S. government seized land from tribes throughout the Northern and Southern Plains. Forced migrations and upheaval during this period resulted in intertribal solidarity among Plains people and those from the southern prairies of Canada.Alliances were formed, giving way to the exchange of songs and dances during gatherings between different tribes. In the decades that followed, powwows were advertised to pioneers heading westward as authentic Native American dance shows. For some, it was an exploitation of their cultures.The word powwow was derived from pau wau, an Algonquian Narrtick word for medicine man, according to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Scholars say English settlers misused the word to refer to the meetings of medicine men and later to any kind of Native American gathering.Today, some of the large powwows like the Gathering of Nations have become more commercialized events that use dancing and drumming competitions with big prize money to provide a glimpse into Indigenous cultures. Reconnecting with cultureAt ceremonial dances, participants wear traditional regalia specific to their tribe, whereas powwow attire often is more contemporary and flashy with sequins and sparkles. Its about dressing to impress the judges, said Warren Queton, a Kiowa Tribe legislator and adjunct instructor at the University of Oklahoma who has participated in community dancing and cultural events since he was a boy.Queton, who served as the head gourd dancer at the universitys recent spring powwow, said ceremonial dances are deeply rooted in community, identity and cultural values. Its a struggle to keep traditional cultural practices and commercial powwows from being lumped into the same category, he said. They have very different meanings in Native American and Indigenous cultures.There has been a focus on promoting smaller powwows held in tribal communities. Queton said these gatherings serve as a way for people who live elsewhere to return home and reconnect with their families and the land, and to share traditions with younger generations.Knowing where you come from, your land, your oral traditions, your language, but also values and traits that can only be learned from a community, he said. Thats why those smaller dances are so important because people learn those community values. Theyre all a part of our identity. Capturing good energyThere still are elements of tradition woven in to modern powwows. Competitors wear feathered bustles, buckskin dresses, fringed shawls and beaded head and hair pieces. Some of the elaborate outfits are hand-stitched designs that can take months to complete.The sounds, movements and emotions that radiate from the dancing are challenging to capture on canvas. But Cochiti Pueblo painter Mateo Romero did just that when he partnered with the U.S. Postal Service to create a series of powwow stamps to be unveiled Friday during Gathering of Nations.Powerfully hypnotic, atavistic and somatic is how the artist describes the dancing. One of his pieces depicts what is known as a fancy shawl dance with its dips, pivots, hops and twirls. Each tassel on the shawl flows and flips, accentuating the dancers movements. Romero said he used color, thick and thin paint and soft and hard edges along with photographic elements to create something that feels alive, embedded with feeling and bright pops of color.Romero called it a huge honor to transform powwow culture into a postage stamp filled with good energy.I look at it as a sort of vehicle to express this sentiment, the energy, the celebration, the vibration, the beauty of it, he said. Its the power of it.

At the 36th GLAAD Media Awards, GLAAD honored journalists who cover LGBTQ people issues with nuance, empathy, and perspective. This years news awards feature LGBTQ people from the halls of Congress to every day leaders and changemakers. PBS NewsHour won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Live TV Journalism Segment for their post-election interview with [...]The post PBS NewsHour Presented with GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Live TV Journalism Segment first appeared on GLAAD.

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