Month: May 2024

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News Daypop

Ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen testifies he stole from Trump Org. at hush-money trial

NEW YORK CITY - APRIL 16 2018: Donald Trump's personal attorney^ Michael Cohen & adult film star^ Stormy Daniels appeared in federal court in Lower Manhattan. Michael Cohen leaves court after hearing

The prosecution rested its case on Monday in former President Donald Trump ‘hush money’ trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The case marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, resumed testimony under cross-examination at the trial, stating that he stole from the Trump Organization by pocketing money that should have gone to a tech company.

Cohen admitted to stealing about $30,000 from the Trump Organization during his testimony, adding that he hired a tech firm RedFinch in 2014 and 2015 for $50,000. The firm was hired to rig online polls in favor of the former president. Cohen paid them about $20,000 cash, saying he could not remember the exact amount exchanged in a brown paper bag. Despite invoicing the Trump Organization for $50,000, Cohen never paid back the remainder of the balance to RedFinch, and added that he never had to plead guilty to larceny related to the funds and never had to pay back the Trump Organization.

Closing arguments in the case were set for May 28, and it remains unclear whether Trump will take the witness stand in the Manhattan courtroom.

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News Daypop

President Biden calls ICC’s arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu, other leaders ‘outrageous’

US President Joe Biden (L) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joins a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv on October 18^ 2023^ battles between Israel and Hamas

President Joe Biden slammed the International Criminal Court’s announcement Monday that it is seeking to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders and charge them with war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling the move “outrageous”. The ICC announcement said that it intends to hold Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders responsible along with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces.

Biden said in a statement: “And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken also criticized the move, saying that it could jeopardize negotiations to achieve a hostage deal and a ceasefire and adding that it raises questions over the court’s jurisdiction as well as its process in making this application. Said Blinken: “It is shameful. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and it still holding dozens of people hostage, including Americans.”

The reaction from the White House came several hours after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan said in a statement that he was “filing applications for the warrants of arrests ” for Netanyahu, Sinwar and other senior Israeli and Hamas figures who have played key roles in the ongoing war in Gaza, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also facing potential arrest.  Khan said that both Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for a list of “war crimes,” including the starvation of civilians, willfully “causing great suffering, or serious injury,’ willful killing, and intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.  Khan wrote in the ICC statement: “We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to State policy …These crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day.”

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Categories
Sports Daypop

Edmonton Oilers beat Vancouver Canucks 3-2, advance to Western Conference final

Edmonton Oilers logotype. Vector hockey club logo. Hockey team.

The Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 on Monday night at Rogers Arena to win the series, and advance to the Western Conference final.

Edmonton scored three times in the second period, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring a goal and an assist, goals from Zach Hyman and Cody Cecik, and two assists from Evan Bouchard, while Stuart Skinner finished with 15 saves to secure the win against Vancouver.

Edmonton now returns to the conference finals for the second time in three years. Game 1 against the Dallas Stars is set to take place in Dallas on Thursday night.

Editorial credit: CESM I Studio / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Sports Daypop

Ex-Angels infielder David Fletcher under investigation by MLB for alleged illegal gambling

Los Angeles Angels infielder David Fletcher on the field before a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum.Oakland^ California - August 10^ 2022

MLB has opened an investigation on Monday into allegations that former Los Angeles Angels infielder and current Atlanta Braves minor leaguer David Fletcher placed bets with Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker at the center of the Ippei Mizuhara scandal. Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s friend and longtime interpreter, is alleged to have stolen over $16 million from Ohtani to cover his gambling debts; Ohtani and Fletcher were teammates with the Angels from 2018-23, and are said to be close friends.  Meanwhile Mizuhara entered a not guilty plea earlier this week as he negotiates a plea deal with prosecutors; he is facing up to 33 years in prison for bank fraud, among other charges.

ESPN reported Friday that Fletcher, 29, who is currently playing for the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, bet on sports — but not baseball — with Mathew Bowyer, the Southern California bookmaker who took wagers from Mizuhara. Fletcher’s friend Colby Schultz, a former Kansas City Royals minor leaguer, also bet with Bowyer and wagered on baseball, including on Angels games that Fletcher played in while he was on the team, according to sources.

MLB source said that ‘government cooperation will be crucial in a case like this where we don’t have evidence,” with MLB investigators planning to interview with Fletcher at some point (though he has the right to refuse cooperation if he can claim he could be the subject of a criminal investigation). MLB sources have said that if a player bets illegally on sports other than baseball, it’s likely they would receive a fine rather than a suspension. Players and team personnel are forbidden from betting on baseball, even legally, and can face up to a lifetime ban if they do so. Any baseball-related discipline, including a lifetime ban, is up to the discretion of commissioner Rob Manfred.

Fletcher, a career .276/.323/.358 hitter, signed a five-year extension worth $26 million in April 2021, however the Angels traded him to the Braves in a salary dump trade this past offseason, who then proceeded to place Fletcher on waivers, where he went unclaimed.

Editorial credit: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Dolly Parton to kick-off CMA Fest at Fan Fair X in downtown Nashville

Dolly Parton performs at The Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. Newport^ Rhode Island^ USA - July 27^2019

Dolly Parton will be kicking off CMA Fest at Fan Fair X, with an extra special conversation at the CMA Close Up Stage on Thursday, June 6. Fan Fair X offers an exclusive country music experience with panels, special performances, meet-and-greets and a special vendor marketplace. The venue, located inside Music City Center, also has two stages: CMA Close Up Stage and Spotlight Stage. Fan Fair X will occur June 6-8 (9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT) and June 9 (9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CT). The venue doors will open daily at 9:30 a.m. CT.

The 51st annual CMA Fest will take over downtown Nashville from June 6-9, and Fan Fair X will also include special appearances from the Artists of the Day, including Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson.

A limited number of single-day ($10) and four-day ($25) Fan Fair X tickets can be purchased now at CMAfest.com/FanFairX. Fans can soon access the Fan Fair X meet-and-greet schedule on the Official CMA Connect App, with additional meet-and-greet sessions added throughout May.

Editorial credit: Carl Beust / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

The Black Crowes share video for “Wilted Rose” featuring Lainey Wilson

Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes performs at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. New Orleans^ LA USA

The Black Crowes has released the video for “Wilted Rose” featuring Lainey Wilson, off their latest album Happiness Bastards.

The music video features footage from the band’s opening night of the Happiness Bastards Tour at the Grand Ole Opry House, where Wilson made a surprise appearance. It also includes behind-the-scenes footage of Wilson and the band in rehearsals and backstage.

This video follows the conclusion of The Black Crowes’ North American leg of the Happiness Bastards Tour, and the kick off the U.K./European leg on May 14 in Manchester. The band then returns to the States for festival appearances in July and September, and will be joining Aerosmith as the special guest on their ‘Peace Out’ tour. A complete list of tour dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

Take a look at the video for “Wilted Rose” – here.

Editorial credit: Adam McCullough / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

The Black Crowes share video for “Wilted Rose” featuring Lainey Wilson

Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes performs at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. New Orleans^ LA USA

The Black Crowes has released the video for “Wilted Rose” featuring Lainey Wilson, off their latest album Happiness Bastards.

The music video features footage from the band’s opening night of the Happiness Bastards Tour at the Grand Ole Opry House, where Wilson made a surprise appearance. It also includes behind-the-scenes footage of Wilson and the band in rehearsals and backstage.

This video follows the conclusion of The Black Crowes’ North American leg of the Happiness Bastards Tour, and the kick off the U.K./European leg on May 14 in Manchester. The band then returns to the States for festival appearances in July and September, and will be joining Aerosmith as the special guest on their ‘Peace Out’ tour. A complete list of tour dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

Take a look at the video for “Wilted Rose” – here.

Editorial credit: Adam McCullough / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Steve Carell joins Tina Fey in the Netflix comedy ‘The Four Seasons’

Steve Carell at the London Film Festival at the Cineworld Leicester Square^ London. LONDON^ UK. October 13^ 2018

Steve Carell, 61, has joined the cast of the Netflix comedy The Four Seasons, starring alongside Tina Fey in the upcoming series.

The Four Seasons, co-created and written by Fey with ’30 Rock’ collaborators Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher, is based on the 1981 film of the same name which was written, directed by and starred Alan Alda. The original The Four Seasons followed three New York couples as they vacation together during each of the four seasons.

The series will mark Fey’s first starring TV role since 30 Rock, which concluded in 2013 after seven seasons on NBC. Carell’s recent TV credits include the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show and the FX limited series The Patient; he has voice roles in the upcoming films IF, and Despicable Me 4.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

See Benedict Cumberbatch in the trailer for the Netflix series ‘Eric’

Benedict Cumberbatch arrives for the Oscar Nominee Luncheon on February 07^ 2022 in Century City^ CA

Netflix is teasing the new thriller series Eric, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The streaming service shared a trailer for the show featuring Cumberbatch, who ‘plays a desperate father whose world becomes unraveled.’

Eric, written and created by Abi Morgan (‘The Iron Lady’, ‘Shame’) and directed Lucy Forbes (‘This is Going to Hurt’), stars Cumberbatch as New York puppeteer Vincent, the creator of the hit children’s show Good Day Sunshine, whose life unravels when his nine-year-old son, Edgar, goes missing on the way to school. The trailer shows Vincent create Eric, a blue monster puppet inspired by his son’s drawings, and become convinced that the puppet is the key to bringing Edgar home.

Showrunner Morgan told Netflix’s Tudum that “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York — and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent.” Gaby Hoffmann, McKinley Belcher III and Ivan Howe also star.

Eric premieres May 30; take a look at the trailer: here.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Twenty One Pilots holding ‘CLANCY’ global listening parties prior to album release

Twenty One Pilots perform at Pinkpop Festival^ The Netherlands. 17-19 June 2022.

Twenty One Pilots have partnered with independent record stores and various venues to host global listening parties for their forthcoming album, Clancy.

The events will see over 200 stores globally hosting fans to listen to Clancy in its entirety before its release date on May 24. Fans in attendance at each listening event will receive a limited edition Twenty One Pilots wristband and poster on a first come first served basis, with participating stores launching a special pre-order for a CD version featuring alternate artwork and an extended 20-page booklet, as well as a pre-order for the Clancy vinyl where fans will receive an exclusive LP sleeve upon the album’s release. For more info, visit ClancyAlbumEvent.TwentyOnePilots.com.

Twenty One Pilots also recently shared “Backslide,” the third new song to be released from Clancy, which arrived with an official music video directed by the band’s own Josh Dun. Take a look at the video: HERE.

Twenty One Pilots will also launch The Clancy World Tour, their biggest headline tour ever, kicking off with a two-night stand on August 15th and 16th at Denver’s Ball Arena. The tour will traverse North America through the fall followed by dates in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and the UK. Info can be found – HERE.

 

Editorial credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com