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☆ William Friedkin, Director of ‘French Connection’ and ‘Exorcist,’ Dies at 87
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( William Grimes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Both parents were Jews who had left Ukraine early in the century with their families to escape the tsarist pogroms. His mother, who was known as Rae, was an operating room nurse; his father worked a variety of low-paying jobs. After graduating from Senn High School on Chicago’s North Side in 1953, Mr. Friedkin took a job in the mailroom of the local television station WGN. Within a few years he had worked his way up to director, turning out hundreds of shows, from “Bozo’s Circus” to live performances of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as documentaries. His documentary work coincided with the advent of portable cameras, a decisive influence on his style.

Persons: Friedkin, ” Peter Biskind, “, ” William Friedkin, Billy, Louis, Rachel, Green, Rae, ”, Gene Siskel, Paul Crump, David Wolper Organizations: Riders, Raging Bulls, ‘ Star, ‘ Raiders, Senn High, WGN, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Chicago Tribune, Jail, San Francisco Film Locations: Chicago, Ukraine, Cook, Los Angeles

☆ With ‘Talk to Me,’ Directors Leap From Phone Screens to the Big Screen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Andy Crump | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pivoting from YouTube to feature filmmaking sounds like a huge risk for a brand as big as RackaRacka, but for some creators who have had success on the platform, that is part of the point. And self-expression was Danny’s impetus for writing the film’s script with Bill Hinzman. “I never felt like I could get vulnerable with my audience,” Danny said about YouTube. “So I thought that I’d write something that was more personal, and deeper to who I was.”His sentiment emerges in several ways throughout the film. For another, the slower, more measured pace of a feature gave them new creative freedom.

Persons: Julia Alexander, YouTubers, it’s, ‘ We’re, ’, ‘, Bill Hinzman, “, ” Danny, Danny, Michael, Mia Organizations: YouTube

The Circleville Police Department fired officer Ryan Speakman last week. His termination came after a July 4 incident where he released his police dog on Jadarrius Rose following a lengthy vehicle pursuit. The report details Speakman returning to Baer and adding more names to the two-page list, including his family members. The documents detail an incident where Speakman unloaded bullets from the magazine of a fellow officer’s firearm. According to the report, Speakman took full responsibility for his actions.

Persons: Ryan Speakman, Jadarrius, Speakman, Shawn Baer, Baer, ” Baer, “, “ Ryan, ” Speakman, he’d, ”, Benjamin Crump, Rose Organizations: CNN, Circleville Police Department, Benevolent Association, Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, Guardian, Circleville Police, Force, Police Department, Circleville’s Department of Human Resources Locations: Ohio, Scioto, Rose

☆ Family of Henrietta Lacks finally settles lawsuit against biotech company accused of profiting billions of dollars from collecting the Black woman's cancer cells without her consent
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Lea Skene | Sarah Brumfield | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Henrietta Lacks changed modern medicine when doctors took her cells without her consent in 1951. Despite that incalculable impact, the Lacks family had never been compensated. Henrietta Lacks' cells have been part of many medical breakthroughs. "The exploitation of Henrietta Lacks represents the unfortunately common struggle experienced by Black people throughout history," the complaint reads. "It was a long fight — over 70 years — and Henrietta Lacks gets her day."

Persons: Henrietta, HeLa, Ben Crump, Crump, didn't, Rebecca Skloot, Oprah Winfrey, Johns Hopkins, Fisher, George Floyd's, Alfred, Carter Jr, Chris Van Hollen, Ben Cardin, Van Hollen Organizations: Service, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Fisher Scientific Inc, Associated Press, HBO, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Maryland Democrats Locations: Wall, Silicon, Waltham , Massachusetts, Baltimore, Virginia, United States, Baltimore's

☆ Exclusive: Flag flies over newly liberated village, confirming Ukraine advancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NESKUCHNE, Ukraine, June 13 (Reuters) - Reuters journalists gained access to the newly liberated Ukrainian village of Neskuchne on Tuesday, confirming that Ukraine's forces have been advancing in the early phase of a counteroffensive against Russia's invasion. A Reuters team reached the ruined village in southeastern Ukraine days after Kyiv said its forces had pushed out Russian troops. The yellow and blue Ukrainian flag was fluttering in the breeze over the ruins of a grocery store where it was placed. "Three days ago Russian forces were still here. After seven months of a major Russian offensive that yielded scant gains, Ukraine began its counterassault last week.

Persons: birdsong, crump, Artem, Vitalii, Tom Balmforth, Felix Hoske, Timothy Heritage, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: NESKUCHNE, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Neskuchne, Russia, Glory

CNN —Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who was violently beaten by Memphis police officers in January, died from blunt force trauma to the head and his death has been ruled a homicide, his autopsy results revealed Thursday. Nichols was repeatedly punched and kicked by five Memphis Police Department officers on January 7 following a traffic stop and brief foot chase. A toxicology report performed on Nichols detected the presence of chemicals associated with marijuana and alcohol use, the report says. CNN has contacted the Shelby County medical examiner to obtain a direct copy of Nichols’ autopsy report. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office told CNN on Tuesday that it will not pursue criminal charges against Hemphill.

May 3 (Reuters) - An autopsy showed Tyre Nichols had a legal amount of alcohol and a trace amount of marijuana in his blood when Memphis police beat the Black man to death after a traffic stop in January, ABC News reported on Wednesday, undermining police claims that Nichols was high. Nichols' death provoked widespread outrage after police video showed officers beating and kicking Nichols, 29, as he cried out for his mother near his family home in Tennessee. Nichols' blood alcohol level was .049%, well below the .08% legal limit in Tennessee, and he had trace amounts of marijuana in his system, ABC reported. The video showed the first emergency medical technician to treat Nichols first asked him, "What'd you have? Crump and Romanucci are representing Nichols' family in a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city of Memphis.

Townsend's heirs sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, contending that "Thinking Out Loud" copied the "heart" of Gaye's song including its melody, harmony and rhythm. Testifying during the trial, Sheeran denied the copyright infringement claims, telling the jury, "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it." The heirs said in a court filing that they received 22% of the writer's share of Gaye's song from Townsend. I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake," Sheeran said after the verdict. Sheeran won a trial in London last year in a separate copyright case over his hit "Shape of You."

"We're not endorsing what happened, but we do not believe that criminal charges are appropriate," Mulroy told reporters. An autopsy will be available soon and is expected to confirm that Nichols died of injuries from the beating, Mulroy added. Police video of the incident showed officers kicking, punching and beating Nichols with a baton on Jan. 7. Hemphill, along with those accused of murder and a seventh officer, were relieved of their duties by the Memphis Police Department. Prosecutors will not charge any other officer who arrived after the beating but are still investigating fire department staff, Mulroy said.

New York CNN —Musician Ed Sheeran played guitar and sang on the stand Thursday as part of his testimony in a copyright infringement trial about whether his smash single “Thinking Out Loud” copied the classic Marvin Gaye song “Let’s Get It On.”Sheeran played the opening line of “Thinking Out Loud” in an attempt to rebut the testimony of the plaintiff’s expert witness, Alexander Stewart. Kathryn Townsend Griffin, daughter of singer and songwriter Ed Townsend, speaks outside New York Federal Court during a copyright infringement trial against singer Ed Sheeran, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in New York. John Minchillo/APSheeran is accused of copying “Let’s Get It On” by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the 1973 hit with Gaye. Sheeran’s legal team has argued throughout the week that the sounds used in both songs are common in pop music. In his opening statement Tuesday, Townsend attorney Ben Crump noted Sheeran played his ballad and Gaye’s song back-to-back in a medley during a concert, and called the moment a “smoking gun.”

☆ Ed Sheeran is being sued for allegedly copying Marvin Gaye — here's where the trial stands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Musician Ed Sheeran was in court this week to deny claims that his 2014 song "Thinking Out Loud" is a copy of Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get it On." The high-profile copyright case was brought by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Gaye. The defense, which did not cross examine Sheeran, said he'll be back on the stand once more during the trial. Sheeran also said the 2014 concert mash-up only happened because most pop songs use a handful of similar chords. "It is my belief that most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years."

☆ Ed Sheeran plagiarism trial erupts in laughs over nerdy, computer-generated version of 'Let's Get It On'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ed Sheeran is on trial in federal court in Manhattan, fighting a copyright infringement lawsuit. Laughter broke out Wednesday as an expert played a nerdy 'AI' version of Marvin Gaye's soul classic. "Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on baby," the voice continued, without apostrophes or groove. "It was hideous," Griffin Townsend told Insider of the robotic rendition of her father's song that was played for jurors on Wednesday. "Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs," he told jurors of the two songs' overlapping chord structure.

Sheeran is accused of copying “Let’s Get It On” by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the 1973 hit with Gaye. Townsend’s daughter Kathryn Townsend Griffin, sister Helen McDonald and the estate of his former wife, Cherrigale Townsend, are the listed plaintiffs on the “Thinking Out Loud” case. In particular he sees melodic similarities in the verse, chorus and interlude of Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” he said. British singer Sheeran’s legal team has argued that the sounds used in both songs are common in pop music. “No one owns basic musical building blocks,” Ilene Farkas, Sheeran’s attorney, told the jury in opening remarks Tuesday.

[1/5] Singer Ed Sheeran arrives at Manhattan Federal Court for his copyright trial in New York City, U.S., April 25, 2023. "We don't allow dancing," U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton instructed the seven-member jury. The trial is the first of three Sheeran could face from lawsuits over similarities between the two hits. Sheeran is expected to testify again later in the trial as part of the defense case. If the jury finds Sheeran liable for copyright infringement, the trial will enter a second phase to determine how much he and his labels owe in damages.

New York CNN —Musician Ed Sheeran took the stand Tuesday in a high-profile copyright trial about whether his smash single “Thinking Out Loud” copied a classic Marvin Gaye song. Sheeran was called to testify Tuesday by Townsend attorney Keisha Rice. Earlier in Tuesday’s court proceedings, Crump attempted to portray Sheeran as someone who recognized the “magic” of Gaye’s soul song and then used it to catapult his career. She said she hired her own musicologists for her “personal clarity.”There have been a number of prominent music copyright lawsuits in recent years. After his successful 2022 legal battle, Sheeran posted a video to his Instagram voicing his concern over the recent wave of music copyright cases.

April 19 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Tyre Nichols' family filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court seeking damages from those responsible for the beating death of the 29-year-old Black man at the hands of Memphis police. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a tweet that the lawsuit would seek to hold the Tennessee city, the Memphis Police Department and individual officers accountable for Nichols' death in January. Nichols' death on Jan. 10 came three days after his beating by police during a traffic stop and triggered a nationwide outcry and protests, leading to the arrest and indictment for second-degree murder of five police officers. Police and fire department responders left a mortally wounded Nichols on the ground, his hands cuffed behind his back, and intermittently propped him against a patrol car. Besides seeking damages for wrongful death, Crump's legal team is also suing Memphis police for intentional infliction of emotional distress for lying to his mother.

☆ Ralph Yarl shooting: The White homeowner accused of shooting a Black teen who rang his doorbell turns himself in to face criminal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Nouran Salahieh Taylor Romine Holly Yan | Nouran Salahieh | Taylor Romine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Andrew Lester faces two felony charges – assault in the first degree and armed criminal action – in the April 13 shooting of Ralph Yarl. While he was hospitalized, Ralph told police he did not pull on the door, according to the document. Charlie Riedel/APLester opened the interior door and “saw a black male approximately 6 feet tall pulling on the exterior storm door handle,” Lester told police. While the teenager was still on the ground, the man then fired again, shooting him in the arm, Ralph told police. Crump likened Ralph’s shooting to the shootings of 17-year-old Martin in Florida and 25-year-old Arbery in Georgia.

☆ White Kansas City man, 84, charged for shooting Black teen who went to wrong house
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Prosecutors charged an 84-year-old white Kansas City man with two felonies on Monday in the shooting of a Black teenager who was wounded after walking up to the wrong house when going to pick up his younger twin brothers. "I can tell you there was a racial component to the case," Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson told a news conference, without providing further details. But Yarl told police in an interview at the hospital where he was treated that the man told him, "Don't come around here," local media reported, citing court documents. "No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell," Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted in response to the shooting. Reporting By Brendan O'Brien and Andrew Hay; Editing by Donna Bryson and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

March 21 (Reuters) - Virginia sheriff deputies and medical staffers wrestled with a handcuffed Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man, for several minutes at a state mental hospital before he died, video surveillance shows. Police have arrested and charged three former employees of the mental health hospital and seven sheriffs deputies of Henrico County, Virginia, with second-degree murder in Otieno's death. Most of the deputies and hospital employees involved in the case are also Black. The video, a download link of which was made available in court documents, shows about six officers carrying Otieno into a room. At times as many as 10 deputies and hospital workers held him down while his legs were shackled and his arms were held behind his back.

REUTERS/Karen Pulfer FochtMarch 17 (Reuters) - The family of a Black man who died while in a Memphis jail on Friday called on authorities to identify the correctional officers involved in the altercation that killed him and to hold them accountable. Gershun Freeman, 33, died on Oct. 2 at the Shelby County, Tennessee, jail after being beaten by guards and held prone on the ground with a knee on his back for more than five minutes while handcuffed. More than five months after his death, the family is still seeking answers and justice, his mother, Kimberly Freeman, said at a press conference outside the county jail where her son was held. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident, while the Shelby County District Attorney office handed the case over to the Nashville District Attorney Office to avoid a conflict of interest. Released earlier this month, 14 minutes of video show the violent altercation between jail guards and Freeman that ended with his death.

☆ Canada Supreme Court justice on indefinite paid leave after he had a fight in Arizona hotel over his alleged 'creepy' behavior toward female guests while drunk
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Canadian Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown is on paid leave after he got into fight while on vacation. Brown allegedly drunkenly followed guests from the hotel bar back to their rooms, per a police report. The Justice was reportedly punched twice in the face during an altercation with one guest he followed. Crump and representatives for the Supreme Court of Canada did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The police report continued: "To protect the women and to prevent the drunk, creepy, unwanted male from entering the hotel room uninvited Crump punched the male a few times."

☆ Tennessee lawmaker apologizes after proposing 'hanging by a tree' as a form of execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tennessee lawmakers discussed a bill that would allow inmates to be executed by firing squad. During the meeting, Rep. Paul Sherrell suggested lynching as another possible execution method. "I was just wondering, could I put an amendment on that that would include hanging by a tree, also," Sherrell asked, according to Nashville Tennessean. A independent report published late last year found failures in how the state's death row prisoners were executed by lethal injection. Several of the state's representatives said this week that they believed firing squad would be the most humane way to be executed.

Reuters/Mike SegarFeb 21 (Reuters) - A daughter of Malcolm X, the civil rights activist assassinated 58 years ago to the day on Tuesday, has filed notices that she intends to sue the FBI, the CIA, New York City police and others for his death. Ilyasah Shabazz accused various federal and New York government agencies of fraudulently concealing evidence that they "conspired to and executed their plan to assassinate Malcolm X." "For years, our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder," Shabazz said at a news conference at the site of her father's assassination, now a memorial to Malcolm X. Malcolm X rose to prominence as the national spokesman of the Nation of Islam, an African-American Muslim group that espoused Black separatism. Soon after, some associates of Malcolm X said they believed various government agencies were aware of the assassination plan and allowed to it happen.

☆ Attorney Ben Crump denies rumors that Tyre Nichols' beating was fueled by an officer's personal grudge against him
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Attorney Ben Crump denies rumors that the beating of Tyre Nichols was fueled by an officer's grudge. Rumors on social media about pre-existing animosity between the men have harmed Nichols' family, he said. After the arraignment, Crump, who is representing Nichols' family, told reporters that the rumor is "bogus." He said they had nothing to do with the "rumors that are out there in the social media world." "The family is dealing with enough, outside of these rumors," Crump added while speaking from the steps of the city's Criminal Justice Complex.

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