Jon Bon Jovi’s future daughter-in-law Millie Bobby Brown reveals her favorite Bon Jovi tune

L-R: Jake Bongiovi, Millie Bobby Brown, Dorothea Hurley, and Jon Bon Jovi/photo credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Netflix

Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown will soon have Jon Bon Jovi as a father-in-law, as she’s been engaged to his son Jake Bongiovi since April 2023. So, does she have a favorite Bon Jovi tune?

“I would say ‘Runaway,’” Brown tells The Mary Sue, referring to Bon Jovi’s debut single, which was released in 1984, 20 years before she was born. 

But it’s not her favorite simply because it’s a catchy tune. The track actually appeared in Stranger Things and she sees that as some sort of sign.

“Because in Stranger Things, ‘Runaway’ plays over one of my scenes. So it was foreshadowing my engagement,” the 20-year-old explains. “I was like, ‘They knew, Stranger Things knew. Like Netflix always knows.’”

She adds, “If you’re ever in doubt, Netflix will solve it. Don’t worry. But yeah, I think ‘Runaway’ is such a good song.”

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Chinese national arrested after allegedly stealing AI trade secrets from Google

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(SAN FRANCISCO) — A Chinese national was arrested Wednesday in California and charged with allegedly stealing confidential trade secrets from Google’s Artificial Intelligence program while secretly working for two AI startup companies based in China, according to a newly unsealed indictment.

Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old resident of Newark, joined Google as a software engineer in 2019 and was tasked with developing the software used by the tech giant in their supercomputing data centers, according to court records.

But prosecutors say three years into the job, he allegedly began secretly stealing confidential trade secrets — including “the building blocks” of the company’s data centers that were used for training AI models to understand language and generate responses to queries, court records show.

Over a roughly year-long span, Ding is alleged to have uploaded more than 500 files with confidential information, all while prosecutors allege he was secretly starting to work for two China-based AI tech startups — including one he founded himself.

Ding allegedly traveled to China on two separate instances — October 2022 and November 2023 — to participate in business meetings and even attend a conference where he pitched his company to prospective investors, according to court records.

According to one document obtained by prosecutors, Ding advertised his company’s services by specifically citing his experience with Google’s supercomputer platform.

“We just need to replicate and upgrade it — and then further develop a computational power platform suited to China’s national conditions,” the document said, court records show.

Ding is also alleged to have taken specific steps to avoid being caught by Google, including copying secret files into his Google Cloud by first copying them into his Apple Notes application and then converting them to PDFs, according to court documents.

In December 2023, Google was alerted to him uploading some files and he was confronted by an internal investigator, court documents show. Ding allegedly told the investigator he uploaded it as evidence of the work he was doing but that he had no intention of leaving the company.

That same week, Ding allegedly had a fellow employee scan his Google access badge at the building three separate times to make it appear as if he was there, prosecutors claim, and soon after booked a one-way ticket to Beijing. He then emailed his resignation to his manager, according to court records, and the company soon after learned of his presentation at the investor conference. The FBI was alerted and secured warrants to search Ding’s house and Google Cloud account.

Ding was taken into custody Wednesday morning and faces four federal counts of theft of trade secrets. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison for each count. He did not have an attorney listed on his court docket as of Wednesday afternoon.

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Biden campaign hosting nationwide State of the Union watch parties in ramp up to Trump rematch

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign will host more than 200 State of the Union watch parties on Thursday in all 50 states in an effort to gin up enthusiasm as he prepares for a November rematch with former President Donald Trump.

With Republican Nikki Haley’s exit from the race on Wednesday, the Biden-Harris campaign says the general election has begun — with Biden’s State of the Union on Thursday, in particular, kicking things off.

Thursday’s grassroots watch parties, a detail shared first exclusively with ABC News, will see a presence in cities including Detroit, Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, in the suburbs like Oakland County, Michigan, and in rural areas including Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and Douglas County, Nevada, according to the campaign.

Attendees at each State of the Union watch party can register to volunteer with the campaign.

“Voters in battleground states across the country are fired up to continue the progress of President Biden’s first term — like lowering health care costs, cracking down on junk fees and corporate greed, and creating millions of good-paying jobs — and to keep us moving forward,” said Dan Kanninen, the Biden-Harris campaign’s national states director, in a statement.

Kanninen went on to attack Trump for what he called a campaign message focused on “his own revenge and retribution” and on policies like abortion restrictions.

Trump, meanwhile — who has been hammering Biden over high inflation and immigration, among other issues — has not announced any public appearances and is expected to be at Mar-a-Lago in Florida during the prime-time event.

Jason Salus, 45, chair of the Montgomery County Democrats in Pennsylvania and the elected treasurer of the county, is set to host one of those watch parties with at least 50 guests in Norristown, outside of Philadelphia, he said.

“This will be the first focal point of the campaign when more people will start to tune in,” he told ABC News in a phone interview on Wednesday, adding that with each party’s nominees virtually selected, the nation will now “pay attention.”

The campaign agrees with that sentiment. Many Americans have not been fully tuned in to the political cycle, campaign advisers told ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang earlier this week, but they believe starts to change now.

Salus, the Pennsylvania watch party organizer, plans to offer “conversation and camaraderie” as well as soft pretzels and tomato pies from Corropolese, an Italian bakery down the road from him.

The invitation extends to Haley supporters, too, as Biden seeks to court those who were in her camp.

“The Democratic Party is a big tent party,” Salus said. “We welcome everyone who wants to get involved and learn more and celebrate the work of this president, hear about his accomplishments and his plans for the future.”

The Democratic National Committee will also be a national virtual watch party. The campaign said thousands have already RSVP’ed.

With the long general election taking shape, Biden hopes to draw a sharp contrast with Trump in the eyes of voters, including moderates and those in the suburbans who have moved away from Trump.

Biden faces his own problems, however, including persistently mediocre polling and concerns about him serving another term.

“Tomorrow evening’s State of the Union address will provide the American people with the latest example of the stark choice they will be confronted with in November,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler wrote a post-Super Tuesday memo to supporters. Tyler called out Trump for a “dark vision for this country” that he called “dangerous” and “unpopular.”

Trump likewise labeled the president “THE ENEMY” in a social media post celebrating his wins on Super Tuesday. “HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote of Biden.

He said on social media that he will be reacting live to the State of the Union to “correct, in rapid response, any and all inaccurate Statements.”

The road ahead

Salus and the Montgomery County Democrats held their first event in conjunction with the Biden-Harris campaign last week when first lady Jill Biden launched “Women for Biden-Harris” with a tour through the battleground states of Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin.

Joe Biden is also holding a campaign event in the Philadelphia area on Friday “to underscore what’s at stake in this election and the choice facing voters,” his campaign said in a release, what will be the first big event coming out of Super Tuesday and his State of the Union address.

Pennsylvania, the president’s home state, which delivered him enough electoral votes in 2020 to win the White House, is seen as a must-win for Democrats in November.

“We’re seeing the the early enthusiasm here on the ground,” Salus insisted. “It’s going to become more and more clear that our voters and our base is up to the up to the task of working to get the president reelected, because they recognize what he’s accomplished and they know what’s at stake.”

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7 hurt in mass shooting at SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia

WPVI

(PHILADELPHIA) — At least seven people were hurt in a mass shooting at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, according to Philadelphia police.

The victims are believed to be juveniles, police said. Their conditions are not clear, police said.

A SEPTA bus was “caught in crossfire,” but no passengers on board reported needing medical attention, according to officials with the regional public transportation company.

“Our hearts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time,” police said.

Wednesday’s shooting is just the latest in an outbreak of gun violence in the city, and the fourth shooting involving a local SEPTA bus in one week, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI. Mayor Cherelle Parker declared a public safety emergency in January.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Gal Gadot reveals birth of fourth daughter, Ori

ABC

On her Instagram, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot revealed she’s given birth to a fourth daughter. 

The post featured a photo of the star in her hospital bed, cradling the new bundle of joy to her chest. 

“My sweet girl, welcome,” Gal began. “The pregnancy was not easy and we made it through.” 

She added, “You have brought so much light into our lives, living up to your name, Ori, which means ‘my light’ in Hebrew. Our hearts are full of gratitude.”

Gal closed by telling little Ori, “Welcome to the house of girls,” adding of husband since 2008 Jaron Varsano, “daddy is pretty cool too.”

The couple welcomed their first daughter, Alma, in 2011, followed by Maya in 2017 and Daniella in 2021.

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Reverend refers to GloRilla as “gospel artist,” cites “Tomorrow” verse in sermon

ABC/Randy Holmes

From the Billboard charts to the church! The lyrics of GloRilla‘s “Tomorrow” have been made into a sermon.

Baltimore Reverend Melech E.M. Thomas delivered a sermon Sunday at the Payne Memorial A.M.E. Church in which he cited the song from Glo, who he repeatedly referred to as a “gospel artist.” He specifically quoted the lyric, “Every day the sun won’t shine, but that’s why I love tomorrow.”

Thomas dedicated the line to “people that life aint been the kindest to you” but who understand the truth in the psalm, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” He later shared a clip for fans to watch on Instagram.

“My love for preaching has always been influenced by the similarities between Black preachers and rappers,” Thomas wrote in the caption Tuesday. “From content, delivery, stage presence, and, sometimes, even the message.@glorillapimpconsistently puts out affirming and inspirational lyrical content and…consistently, her lyrics find their way into my sermons.”

“This small clip from Sunday’s sermon speaks to how quickly God can ‘spin the block’ on you, using a bar from Big Glo’s song ‘Tomorrow 2’! I hope that this serves as a reminder that no matter how rough your day may end, you can always fall in love with your Tomorrow!” he concluded.

GloRilla reposted the video on her socials, writing, “PREACH ! Yeah Glo” in the caption.

 

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House passes funding bills to avert partial government shutdown

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(WASHINGTON) — The House passed a package of six government funding bills Wednesday afternoon to avert a partial government shutdown before the Friday deadline.

The bills easily passed with a vote of 339-85 with more Democrats backing it than Republicans. The funding package now heads to the Senate, where its leaders are encouraging their colleagues to work together to pass the bills.

Lawmakers face pressure with a pair of upcoming shutdown deadlines on March 8 and March 22 — a punt from last week’s shutdown threat. Funding for programs under six of the 12 appropriations bills runs out on Friday evening absent congressional action.

If Congress is successful, these six bills will be fully funded through the end of September.

The six compromise funding bills were unveiled jointly by House and Senate bipartisan leaders on Sunday, after many months of behind-the-scenes debate over how much these bills should costs, what policy provisions they ought to include, and what cuts could be made.

The $467.5 billion appropriations package was voted on under suspension of the rules, which required a two-thirds majority to pass. That meant, once again, Speaker Mike Johnson had to rely on Democrats’ votes to pass it — a move that landed former speaker Kevin McCarthy in hot water and contributed to his ouster last year.

The package provides funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development as well as the Food and Drug Administration, military construction and other federal programs.

Earlier this week, the House Freedom Caucus — a hard-line conservative group — came out against the funding package, saying in a statement that it “surrenders Republicans’ leverage to force radical Democrats to the table to truly secure the southern border and end the purposeful, dangerous mass release of illegal aliens into the United States.”

“As with other recent spending bills, it is likely this omnibus receives more Democrat than Republican support. House Freedom Caucus Members urge all Republicans to oppose both halves of the omnibus,” the group said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to try to move the bills quickly through the Senate once they pass in the House.

“As soon as the House sends the appropriations bills over to the Senate I will put these bills on the floor so we can have them on President Biden’s desk before Friday’s deadline,” Schumer said on the floor Tuesday. “But the clock is ticking and because of the State of the Union on Thursday, we need to cooperate to move extra fast to get these bills through. Between now and Friday the watch words for the Senate will be ‘cooperation’ and ‘speed.'”

Schumer said the Senate is “thankfully” off to a “very, very good start” to passing these bills. He touted the Democratic wins in the funding package.

“We passed these bills without devastating cuts or poison pill riders pushed by the MAGA right,” Schumer said. “We now have six bills that will preserve significant investments for American families, for moms and children, for clean energy, for American veterans and more.”

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said advancing the bills will be a “major step forward in one of our most basic responsibilities of government.”

“I am grateful to our colleagues for pushing sensible annual funding legislation one step closer to the president’s desk. I would certainly urge all of our colleagues to support it,” McConnell said Tuesday.

Though Congress is largely expected to pass these six bills expiring at week’s end before the deadline, there remains a funding fight looming the distance.

The other six funding bills, which lose funds on March 22, will likely prove much harder for Congress to pass. No deal has yet been struck on any compromise legislation, and, unlike some bills in the funding package being passed this week, none of the legislation in the next tranche of bills has been considered on the Senate floor.

ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.

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Ben Folds bringing back Paper Airplane Request tour

Don Arnold/WireImage

If there’s a Ben Folds song you’ve always wanted to hear live and you can make a decent paper airplane, then do we have the tour for you.

The “Brick” singer has announced the return of his Paper Airplane Request tour, during which attendees can submit their song requests on paper airplanes thrown onto the stage. The outing will run from May 30 in Charleston, South Carolina, to August 6 in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

“The last time I did this on tour the response was overwhelming, with literally hundreds of paper airplanes with song requests being launched on cue from fans at the start of the second half of each of my concerts,” Folds says. “It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BenFolds.com.

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Dollywood’s opening its doors with a music festival

Katherine Bomboy/NBC

Dollywood’s springing into spring with its new I Will Always Love You Music Festival.

Kicking off Dollywood’s reopening on Saturday, the event will offer visitors an immersive experience of “larger-than-life performances, colorful and interactive installations,” per the attraction’s website. There’ll be singalongs to Dolly Parton‘s timeless hits, numerous photo opportunities, glittery pink displays via the new Celebration Sky and more.

Additionally, visitors can enjoy mouthwatering food via a tasting pass.

Dollywood’s I Will Always Love You Music Festival runs March 9 to April 14. For more information and to grab tickets, visit dollywood.com.

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Prosecutors say ‘Rust’ armorer was ‘negligent’ and ‘careless’ during closing argument

Pool via ABC News

(SANTA FE, N.M.) — Prosecutors told jurors that “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez “repeatedly” failed to maintain proper firearm safety and that her negligence led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, while the defense countered that the 26-year-old is a “convenient scapegoat” during closing arguments in her involuntary manslaughter trial on Wednesday.

During the two-week trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, prosecutors presented evidence they said shows Gutierrez was responsible for bringing six live rounds onto the set — and did not discover them for 12 days before the deadly shooting by failing to perform industry standard safety practices.

Actor Alec Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw in a church on the set of the Western film on Oct. 21, 2021, when the Colt .45 revolver fired a live round, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

“This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake, and that one mistake was accidental — putting a live round into that gun,” prosecutor Kari Morrissey told jurors during her closing argument. “This case is about constant, neverending, safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another.”

Morrissey told jurors Gutierrez failed to maintain firearms safety on the set, “making a fatal accident willful and foreseeable.”

She showed jurors stills of footage from the set of actors pointing firearms at other crew members, including a minor actor, as well as Gutierrez pointing one at her own face. She also showed photographs of what experts determined to be live rounds in holsters and containers on the set as early as Oct. 10, 2021.

Morrissey said that meant Gutierrez was not checking dummy rounds to ensure they were not live rounds — such as by shaking them — and that there was a game of “Russian roulette” every time an actor had a gun loaded with dummies. She also said they have “mountains of circumstantial evidence” that Gutierrez brought the live rounds onto the set.

“I’m not telling you Hannah Gutierrez intended to bring live rounds on set,” Morrissey said. “I’m saying she was negligent, she was careless, she was thoughtless.”

Hutchins died from loss of blood and a lethal wound to her lung, Morrissey said.

“The astonishing lack of diligence with regard to gun safety is without question a significant cause of the death of Halyna Hutchins,” she said.

Defense attorney Jason Bowles said during his closing argument there was a rush to judgment and that detectives didn’t conduct a thorough investigation of the shooting. Gutierrez was made a “convenient fall person,” he said. He also argued that she “did not do something willfully” because she did not know there was a live round in the revolver.

Morrissey responded that she agreed that Gutierrez didn’t know there was a live round on set, and that if she did know, she would have been charged with second-degree murder, not involuntary manslaughter.

Morrissey addressed the defense theory presented during the trial that Seth Kenney, the owner of PDQ Arm & Prop who was the weapons supplier for “Rust,” was the source of the live rounds, saying the live rounds found in his store did not match the ones found on set.

“Any argument that Seth Kenney is the source of the live rounds is absolutely dishonest,” she said.

During his closing argument, Bowles said that a props manager threw out dummy rounds following the shooting that were not recovered, and that a search of Kenney’s business wasn’t conducted until a month after the shooting.

“If you don’t have all the evidence you can’t rule out all that reasonable doubt,” he said.

Morrissey also pushed back against the defense’s citation during the trial of the New Mexico Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s investigation into the shooting, which found that the management “demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety,” saying the agency’s job was to address the actions of employers, not employees.

Bowles argued Wednesday that the report found that the management was responsible for the safety on the set.

Both Gutierrez and Baldwin have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. His trial is scheduled to start in July.

Morrissey addressed Baldwin’s role in the shooting during her closing argument.

“Alec Baldwin’s conduct and his lack of gun safety inside that church on that day is something that he’s going to have to answer for,” she told the jurors. “Not with you and not today.”

Bowles also noted Baldwin’s actions on set. During his closing argument, Bowles showed jurors a take from the filming of “Rust” that showed Baldwin firing a gun after “cut” was called, saying the actor “went off script.”

He also argued that Baldwin went off script on the day of the shooting by pointing the gun.

“Baldwin would go off script multiple times and Oct. 21 — that was one of those days,” Bowles said. “Baldwin goes off script and that isn’t something that Miss Gutierrez-Reed foresaw that was going to happen.”

In her response, Morrissey said Gutierrez knew Baldwin went off script and “didn’t do anything about it, even though it was her job.”

Gutierrez has additionally been charged with tampering with evidence, with prosecutors alleging she handed off a small bag of cocaine at her hotel on the day of the shooting after her interview with law enforcement.

Morrissey told jurors that Gutierrez handed off the bag to the crew member, Rebecca Smith, after Smith informed her that Hutchins had died. Smith testified during the trial that she is a former addict and believed it to be cocaine and threw the bag out immediately.

Prosecutors rested their case on Monday after calling nearly 30 witnesses. The defense rested on Wednesday after presenting five witnesses. Gutierrez did not testify in her own defense.

A lesser, misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a firearm is included in the first count of involuntary manslaughter. The jurors will only deliberate on the negligent use of a firearm charge if they find Gutierrez not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer told the court Wednesday.

There are four possible verdicts in the first count, the judge said: guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, guilty of negligent use of a firearm or not guilty of negligent use of a firearm.

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