'Vampire facials' were linked to cases of HIV. Here's what to know about the beauty treatment
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report last week that documented the first instances of HIV transmissions contracted through unsterile injections used while receiving โvampire facials,โ cosmetic procedures involving microneedling.
New this week: Scary movies, Lainey Wilson, 'Call of Duty'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include albums from Lainey Wilson and a Garbage anthology, the video on demand releases of horror films โPearlโ and โBarbarianโ and the latest installment of the โCall of Dutyโ video game franchise.
Why was death row inmate Melissa Lucio's execution delayed?
Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced a Texas woman to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children called for her execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial before the stateโs top criminal court delayed her lethal injection.
Twitter says it's testing an 'edit' button
Twitter tweeted Tuesday that it is indeed working on a way for users to edit their 280-character messages, although it says the project has nothing to do with the fact that edit-function fan Elon Musk was just revealed as the companyโs largest shareholder and now sits on its board.
New this week: 'Clickbait,' Sturgill Simpson and Addison Rae
This weekโs new entertainment releases include a Sturgill Simpson's concept album called โThe Ballad of Dood & Juanitaโ and TikTok star Addison Rae making her acting debut in a gender-flipped remake of the 1999 Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook teen comedy โSheโs All That.โ.
On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions
Inmates on federal death row tell The Associated Press that a leading topic of conversation through airducts they use to communicate is whether President Joe Biden will keep a campaign pledge to halt federal executions. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)CHICAGO โ On federal death row, prisoners fling notes on a string under each otherโs cell doors and converse through interconnected air ducts. Everyone on federal death row was convicted of killing someone, their victims often suffering brutal, painful deaths. Some 40% of federal death row inmates are Black, compared with about 13% of the U.S. population. In December, 70% of the death row inmates had COVID-19, some possibly infected via air ducts through which they communicate.
Oklahoma panel advances convicted killer's commutation
FILE - This Feb. 5, 2018, file photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Julius Jones. Jones, an Oklahoma death row inmate whose case has drawn national attention has cleared the first hurdle in his quest for a reduced sentence. The Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 on Monday, March 8, 2021, to advance Julius Jones' commutation request to a second stage. The board's approval moves Jones' commutation request to a second-stage hearing later this year in which Jones and his supporters will be able to address the board. If approved at the second stage, the commutation request will be forwarded to Republican Gov.
Oklahoma prosecutor urges panel to reject inmate's claims
Oklahoma County's top prosecutor is asking the state's Pardon and Parole Board to reject a commutation request from Jones. Jones was convicted and sentenced to die for the 1999 shooting death of Edmond businessman Paul Howell. Kevin Stitt to commute Jonesโ death sentence and spare his life. AdJones has maintained his innocence and claims in his application for clemency that he was framed by the real killers. โAt the time Mr. Howell was shot, I was at my parentsโ house, with my family, miles away," Jones wrote.
As 'Kimye' become Kim and Kanye, will it stay peaceful?
FILE - Kanye West, left, and Kim Kardashian attend the WSJ. Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, from Kanye West after 6 1/2 years of marriage. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ Initial signs suggest a smooth and amicable split between Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West. As โKimyeโ becomes just Kim and Kanye with Kardashian filing for divorce Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, they do so with a prenuptial agreement in place, independent fortunes and a desire to share time with their four young children. โThere's a lot of wiggle room in the space between joint custody," divorce attorney Reid Aronson said.
Kim and Kanye: Tales of an uber celeb marriage gone wrong
FILE - Kanye West, left, and Kim Kardashian attend the WSJ. Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, from Kanye West after 6 1/2 years of marriage. If there's one word that defines the lives of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, it's BIG. The over-the-top Tuscan wedding of Kim and Kanye, her third and his first, unfolded on May 24, 2014. Kanye has made it big in shoes, and Kim rolls out beauty and attire on a regular basis.
'Kimye' is no more: Kardashian files to divorce West
FILE - Kanye West, left, and Kim Kardashian attend Gabrielle's Angel Foundation Angel Ball cancer research benefit on Oct. 22, 2012, in New York. Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, from Kanye West after 6 1/2 years of marriage. Sources familiar with the filing but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that Kardashian filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce from Kanye West Friday after 6 1/2 years of marriage, court records show. AdSince the Humphries divorce, Kardashian has retained the services of perhaps the best-known divorce attorney in the country, Laura Wasser, dubbed the โDisso Queenโ after representing clients that include Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Britney Spears.
Big challenge: Biden is pressed to end federal death penalty
Action to stop scheduling new executions could take immediate pressure off Biden from opponents of the death penalty. But they want him to go much further, from bulldozing the federal death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana, to striking the death penalty from U.S. statutes entirely. In the 22 states that have struck the death penalty from their statutes, none succeeded in passing the required laws without bipartisan support. Q: WILL BIDEN GET PUSHBACK IF HE SEEKS TO END THE FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY? Biden may also feel an obligation to do something big on the death penalty, given his past support for it.
Trump wishes Biden luck without naming him in farewell video
President Trump is seen on a network monitor after his pre-recorded farewell speech was released, inside the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. โThis week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous," Trump said in the video โfarewell address," released by the White House Tuesday afternoon. Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations and the creation of a new Space Force. Trump is set to leave Washington early Wednesday morning and has been planning a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews. That threw an already paralyzed White House into even further chaos.
A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations
Trump commuted his sentence in July just days before he was scheduled to report to federal prison. The president commuted her sentence; the White House said the commutation was supported by several former U.S. attorneys general. A White House news release praised the men as โmodel prisoners,โ who had earned support and praise from other inmates. She was in the White House when Trump signed the overhaul measure, known as the First Step Act, into law. Black was a co-defendant in the case and was also convicted; Trump previously pardoned him.
A look at pardons, clemency in waning weeks of Trump tenure
On Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned 15 people, including Collins. Papadopoulos was the first Trump aide to plead guilty as part of Muellerโs investigation โ pleading guilty to lying to the FBI โ and served a nearly two-week sentence in federal prison. The White House said Stockman had contracted coronavirus while in federal prison and has served more than two years of his 10-year sentence. Esformesโ prison sentence was commuted by the president on Tuesday, but other aspects of his sentence, including supervised release and millions in restitution, remained intact. The White House said the commutation was supported by a number of former attorneys general and said Esformes is in declining health.
US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2
This June 27, 2020 photo provided by Nueces County Sheriff's Office in Corpus Christi, Texas, shows Alfred Bourgeois. The Trump administration plans to continue its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, by putting to death Bourgeois, a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck's windows and dashboard. โ The Trump administration continued its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truckโs windows and dashboard. Alfred Bourgeois, 56, was pronounced dead at 8:21 p.m. Eastern time at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. Bourgeoisโ lawyers didn't argue that he should have been acquitted or should not have been handed a stiff sentence, just that he shouldn't be executed, Nolan said.
US carries out rare execution during presidential transition
Bernard reacted calmly as the marshall put down the phone and said the execution could proceed. Federal executions during a presidential transfer of power also are rare, especially during a transition from a death-penalty proponent to a president-elect like Biden opposed to capital punishment. They say both Bagleys were likely dead before Bernard set the car on fire, a claim that conflicts with government testimony at trial. After the Bagleys agreed, Vialva, the oldest of the group at 19, pulled a gun and forced them into the trunk. The central question in the decision to sentence Bernard to death was whether Vialvaโs gunshots or the fire set by Bernard killed the Bagleys.
US set to execute 1st of 5 inmates before Biden inauguration
He would be the ninth federal inmate put to death since July, when President Donald Trump ended a 17-year hiatus in federal executions. Federal executions during a presidential transfer of power also are rare, especially during a transition from a death-penalty proponent to a president-elect like Biden opposed to capital punishment. The eight federal executions in 2020 already is more than in the previous 56 years combined. Four of the five inmates set to die before Bidenโs Jan. 20 inauguration are Black men. It also corrects that she was one of the federal prosecutors who argued against overturning Brandon Bernardโs death sentence on appeal after his trail.
Trump expected to flex pardon powers on way out door
WASHINGTON โ Advocates and lawyers anticipate a flurry of clemency action from President Donald Trump in the coming weeks that could test the limits of presidential pardon power. No, Mr. President, that would be a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority,โ Schumer said. Trump then featured Johnson's story in a Super Bowl ad and pardoned her during this year's Republican National Convention. He has participated in several meetings at the White House during Trump's term as officials brainstormed potential changes to the formal clemency process. โFor those people that should be free," he said, Trump's friends-and-family approach to pardons is "a deep and real tragedy."
Khloe Kardashian confirms she had coronavirus in video
LOS ANGELES โ Khloe Kardashian says she had tested positive for the coronavirus. The reality star confirmed her previous diagnosis in a Wednesday sneak peek clip of โKeeping Up with the Kardashians.โ The bedridden Kardashian spoke in the video with a hoarse voice. A teaser in September showed Kardashian being tested for the virus. The video clip was released a day after her sister, Kim Kardashian West, drew hefty criticism for celebrating her lavish 40th birthday vacation with a large group on a private island during the pandemic. Kardashian West said in the post that โafter 2 weeks of multiple health screens and asking everyone to quarantine, I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island."
Trump grants clemency to five backed by ally Alice Johnson
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted clemency to five people convicted of committing drug and financial crimes, all of them cases that were pushed by prison reform advocate and Trump ally Alice Johnson. Johnson, in an interview, said that she spoke to White House officials about all five of the individuals cases and others whose clemency she's backing during a White House visit last month. The White House declined to comment on Johnsonโs lobbying on behalf of those who were granted clemency. Tanner, who initially faced a life sentence, took part in educational courses and completed hundreds of hours of educational programming. โHe made a mistake, a bad mistake like I did, but it should not be a life sentence,โ Johnson tweeted earlier this month about McDonaldโs case.
Celebs join Instagram 'freeze' to protest Facebook inaction
FILE - This Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 file photo shows the Instagram app icon on the screen of a mobile device in New York. Celebrities including Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio are taking part in a 24-hour freeze Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 on Instagram to protest against the failure of the social media platform's parent company, Facebook, to tackle misinformation and hateful content. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Celebs join Instagram 'freeze' to protest Facebook inaction
FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 file photo, Kim Kardashian West speaks at the "Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project" panel during the Oxygen TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour at the Langham Huntington, in Pasadena, Calif. Celebrities including Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio are taking part in a 24-hour freeze Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 on Instagram to protest against the failure of the social media platform's parent company, Facebook, to tackle misinformation and hateful content. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)LONDON โ Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio are among celebrities taking part in a 24-hour Instagram โfreezeโ on Wednesday to protest against what they say is parent company Facebook's failure to tackle violent and hateful content and election misinformation. The movement asks people to put up a message highlighting what they called the damage Facebook does but otherwise refrain from posting on Instagram for a day. With 188 million followers, Kardashian West is one of the most influential people on Instagram and support from her and other big names for the boycott saw Facebook shares slide in aftermarket trading late Tuesday.
Netflix's โCutiesโ becomes target of politicized backlash
The backlash to the French independent film โMignonnes,โ or โCuties,โ started before it had even been released because of a poster that went viral for its provocative depiction of its young female actors. At the heart of the backlash is the idea that โCutiesโ is dangerously and irresponsibly sexualizing pre-teen girls, which, ironically, is what the movie itself is criticizing too. She becomes fascinated with a clique of rebellious girls at her middle school who choreograph dance routines and wear crop tops and heels. Netflix acquired โCutiesโ out of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where it was favorably reviewed and won an award for its direction. โOur girls see that the more a woman is overly sexualized on social media, the more she is successful.