(WASHINGTON) — Just a day after the Justice Department announced a series of indictments targeting the Chinese government’s alleged efforts to intimidate dissidents living in the U.S., senior FBI officials on Wednesday raised alarm about what they described as an “inflection point” in authoritarian regimes seeking to engage in similar acts of so-called “transnational repression” in America and other countries.
“We are really trying to emphasize this moment in time because … we have really seen an inflection point in the tactics and tools and the level of risk and the level of threat that has changed over the past few years,” a senior FBI counterintelligence official said in a background call with reporters.
The officials pointed to what they said were a number of recent cases with countries like China and Iran engaging in increasingly brazen attempts to intimidate or harass critics of their regimes inside the U.S.
In addition to the three indictments unsealed earlier this week that detailed, among other acts, how the U.S. says Chinese security officials had set up a “police station” in New York City that was allegedly used to spy on or intimidate Chinese dissidents — the FBI officials also pointed to a growing trend where officials in China and Iran have utilized private investigators inside the U.S. to spy on some of their countries’ most vocal critics.
China has called the U.S. accusations “groundless.”
The Justice Department earlier this year charged three men in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad, even after prosecutors the previous year exposed what they said was an Iranian plot to kidnap Alinejad that had utilized the services of a network of private investigators in the U.S.
And last year, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unveiled charges against five people accused of acting as agents of China’s secret police for allegedly stalking critics of the People’s Republic of China. One of the men charged allegedly used a private investigator to try and dig up compromising information on a candidate for Congress in New York who was a former Tiananmen Square protester.
“A lot of these are new tactics and lines that are being crossed that we have not seen China and Iran do on U.S. soil in previous investigations,” one official said.
While the officials declined to characterize the number of transnational repression investigations currently ongoing, they said the recent ratcheting up in activity to target dissidents abroad appears more broadly to be “part of the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism that has increased over the last few years.”
The officials said they are urging other members of dissident or diaspora communities who may have experienced similar harassment or intimidation to contact the FBI and visit the bureau’s website, where there is a threat intimidation guide that has been translated into over 60 languages that can help guide victims to the resources that are available to them.
Race car fans and country music fans, get ready. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is returning for its third annual event.
The three-day festival will take place during the NTT INDYCAR SERIES weekend from August 4 to August 6 and will feature performances from both superstars and rising stars.
Chris Janson will perform on the Zyn Main Stage as part of the Wesley Mortgage Freedom Friday Tribute Concert, alongside chart-topping artists like Gavin DeGraw and rock legend, Vince Neil. Up-and-comers such as Megan Moroney, Frank Ray, Dillon Carmichael, Ryan Griffin, Neon Union, Tim Dugger and Mae Estes will appear on a stage that spotlights promising newcomers.
Additionally, Jay DeMarcus will take the Praise Stage with other artists as part of his record label Red Street Records’ showcase.
“Music has been a big part of the experience since we launched in 2021 and this year is no different. We are bringing fans the best and brightest artists on the scene today,” shares Jason Rittenberry, President & COO, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.
For the full schedule and to get tickets, visit musiccitygp.com.
Mötley Crüe has been booked to perform during this year’s NFL Draft Concert Series. The three-day event takes place April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri, in conjunction with the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Crüe is booked to play on April 28, with the concert series lineup also featuring Fall Out Boy on April 27 and Thundercat on April 29.
All the performances will stream via the NFL’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. Additionally, clips from the shows will be televised as part of ESPN and NFL Network’s draft coverage.
The news comes as Mötley Crüe recently revealed they in the studio with new guitarist John5 and Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock. The band is also dealing with a very public lawsuit with ex-guitarist Mick Mars and is set to hit the road again with Def Leppard for a European and U.K. tour, kicking off May 22 in Sheffield, England.
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old teen who was shot by a homeowner after he accidentally arrived at the wrong address to pick up his siblings – may be a victim of “adultification,” according to researchers.
Adultification refers to the racial bias in which people perceive Black children as older and less innocent than white children.
Research has shown that people often perceive young Black males as bigger and more physically threatening than young white males of the same size.
Studies also found that Black children are more likely to be seen as adult-like, less in need of protection, and perceived as angry when they’re not.
This can have devastating consequences, leading to discrimination and even violence against Black children, according to researchers. Several researchers referred to the bias as “dehumanizing” for Black people.
“This country, unfortunately, has a history of dehumanizing the Black body, the Black family and taking away those freedoms that should be enjoyed by everybody,” said Alison Cooke, a statistician at the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, in an interview with ABC News.
Some researchers are speculating how much of a role adultification plays in the perception of Black youth in the aftermath of Yarl’s shooting. They say Black children are not afforded the ability to be a child, make mistakes or be granted the benefit of the doubt.
Yarl was picking up his siblings when he unknowingly arrived at the wrong address, according to officials.
Yarl told police he parked in the driveway, went to the front door, “pressed the doorbell and waited outside the front door,” according to the probable cause statement.
The homeowner, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white man, told police he had just laid down in bed when he heard the doorbell ring. Armed with a handgun, Lester told police he approached the front door of his home, which has an interior door and exterior glass door – both of which were locked.
Lester told police he opened the interior door, and saw a Black male “approximately 6 feet tall” pulling on the exterior storm door handle. He stated he believed someone was attempting to break into the house, and “shot twice within a few seconds of opening the door,” the statement read.
Yarl told police “he did not pull on the door.” He told police he was “immediately shot in the head and fell to the ground” and he got up and ran, during which Lester allegedly said “don’t come around here.”
“When I think about what the shooter has said about Ralph, there’s an automatic assumption that he is an intruder,” said T. Elon Dancy, Chief Research Scientist of the Center for Urban Education in the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, in an interview with ABC News.
Dancy says that adultification paints Black children as “someone who was up to no good and is a potential intruder.”
Researchers Cooke and Amy Halberstadt, a psychology professor at North Carolina State University, noted Lester’s reference to Yarl’s size.
Halberstadt’s research found that Black boys are more likely perceived to be larger than white boys, despite no real size differences found between the males in the study.
Lester has been charged with one count of felony assault in the first degree and one felony count of armed criminal action. He is expected to appear in court Wednesday.
The suspect told police “it was the last thing he wanted to do, but he was ‘scared to death’ due to the male’s size,” his own age, and his “inability to defend himself.”
Researchers say these comments bring to mind the findings from a study about Black males being seen as more threatening than same-sized white males.
Yarl’s shooting reminds some of the Trayvon Martin case, which was a catalyst for the early stages of the Black Lives Matter movement
Martin, a 17-year-old Black teen, was fatally shot in 2012 by George Zimmerman, a man who followed Martin during his walk home from the store because, Zimmerman said, he believed Martin was suspicious.
Zimmerman was acquitted on all charges connected to Martin’s death in July 2013 after asserting self defense.
Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, used her platform to remind people that Martin was a child after his death, said Dancy.
Dancy believes Martin’s youth got lost in the trial in which Zimmerman labeled Martin a “punk” and one of “these —holes” in the 911 call he made while following Martin.
Dancy believes those descriptors “are not the ways that we talked about children who are taking a walk to a neighborhood store to get Skittles and something to drink,” which is what Martin was said to have been doing that night.
How adultification impacts Black children
Adultification has a legacy of slavery and represents the perpetuation of racist stereotypes, researchers say.
“We have hundreds and hundreds of years of cultivating racism in our country, and instilling fear among the white population against the Black population,” said Halberstadt in an interview with ABC News.
She continued, “When Blacks were enslaved people, white slave owners had to justify why they had slaves and to justify the chains and harsh consequences – so in that goal, they completely dehumanized people. But they also created a world of fear that we still have today.”
In a University of California, Los Angeles study, it was found that Black children were considered significantly less innocent than children in every age group starting at age 10.
As a result, Black children are 18 times more likely than white children to be criminally sentenced as adults rather than children, according to a study in the Personality and Social Psychology journal.
Black children are also much more likely to be suspended from school and receive harsher punishments for the same infractions than white children, according to research published by the American Psychological Association under the assumptions backed by adultification.
Black youth are also more likely to face police violence if accused of a crime, the UCLA study found.
“Black youth — female and male — are being dehumanized and not afforded the protection that we typically give children in this country,” said Carmen M. Culotta, a research associate at the University of Cincinnati Evaluation Services Center. “It could lead to the perpetration of violence against them because you see black male children and adolescents as a threat.”
The compounding impacts of adultification can impact the community’s education, mental health, safety, overpolicing of Black communities, and more.
Researchers told ABC News that the harmful stereotypes of Black people that perpetuate adultification need to be continuously acknowledged, challenged and dismantled to prevent further instances of Black children being killed for being perceived as a threat.
“In the case of Ralph Yarl, it is proving to us that we still have a long march toward freedom and justice,” said Dancy.
“This isn’t something that should just be a burden of the Black community. It needs to be acknowledged by the white parents,” Cooke said.
She continued, “Everyone who wants to engage in this society should be acknowledging: Where did these biases come from and how can we, in our everyday lives, not act on the bias? How do you take that extra step?”
Lauren Spencer Smith tapped her friends Em Beihold and GAYLE to join her on her new single, “Fantasy.” But does that mean we can expect more music from the trio, who collectively refer to themselves as the “Powerpuff Girls”? Well, they’re willing, but they may not be able.
Asked by Billboard’s Pop Shop podcast if we might get an EP from the trio, GAYLE says, “I mean, if we all stop touring and are in the same spot, I feel like that would be fun.”
Em chimed in, “I’m here for it,” while Lauren added, “I feel like even when we were on set [for the ‘Fantasy’ video], I was like, ‘If they asked me to be in a girl group tomorrow, I would say yes!'”
But before that, the women have to release their debut albums, which none of them have gotten around to doing yet. In Lauren’s case, she tells the podcast, “I definitely have an album coming out, I’m definitely announcing it very soon.”
She explains that she keeps pushing it back because she wants to continue working on it, but adds, “I feel like I’ve been getting screamed at [by fans] to put out more music….so I definitely have one coming.”
As for GAYLE, who’s touring with Taylor Swift and Pink this year, she put out three EPs last year but is only putting out singles this year because she’s so busy on the road. As for Em, she says she’s in the “writing a lot phase,” but she’s not sure when any of the songs are coming out.
All three girls hope that they’ll be able to perform “Fantasy” live at some point — if their schedules align, that is.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A New York City parking garage that partially collapsed on Tuesday will carefully be demolished as investigators search for the cause of the structural collapse that killed one and injured five others, officials said.
More than 50 cars were parked on the roof of the four-story Lower Manhattan building when it collapsed Tuesday afternoon, sending cars plummeting and killing one worker whose body remains trapped in the debris, officials said Wednesday.
Gas tanks and electric vehicles in the debris are complicating the deconstruction process.
“This is an incredibly complex operation,” emergency management commissioner Zach Iscol said during a press briefing Wednesday. “The building is not structurally sound.”
The city is working to “safely demolish” the building while also removing the vehicles, he said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed Wednesday that the deceased garage worker, who has not been publicly identified, also remains in the collapsed building.
Four workers were treated at local hospitals following the collapse, while a fifth refused medical treatment, officials said. The New York Fire Department said it appears most if not all of the patients have since been released.
Department of Buildings acting Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said the building “pancaked,” and that the ceiling collapsed “all the way to the cellar floor.”
Firefighters went inside the building to search for victims but it was continuing to collapse so they evacuated. A robotic dog and a drone were brought in to continue to search the building. Officials believe that everyone is accounted for and there is no reason to believe this is anything but a structural collapse.
The exact cause of the collapse remains under investigation.
“There’s a thorough investigation that is going to happen with this building. And we’re going to learn from it,” Adams said.
The parking garage, which is owned by 57 Ann Street Realty Association, currently has four active violations, according to records from the New York City Department of Buildings.
The violations that remain open were recorded between 2003 and 2013.
One of the four violations still open is from Nov. 25, 2003, and has a severity status listed as “hazardous.” In the violation details, the department recorded the discovery of cracks in the concrete on the first floor, calling the concrete “defective.”
The company did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment.
ABC News’ Mark Crudele and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
Super-producer David Foster is the latest celebrity to cash in by selling the rights to his music. But in Foster’s case, he’s not a recording artist, so he’s sold the rights to the money he earns from writing some of the biggest hits ever.
Specifically, Hipgnosis Song Management has purchased Foster’s share — known as the “writer’s share” — of the performance income that’s generated each year by all the songs he’s written.
Just a few of the many hits the 16-time Grammy winner has penned include Peter Cetera‘s “The Glory of Love,” Whitney Houston‘s “I Have Nothing,” Celine Dion and Andrea Boccelli‘s “The Prayer,” Earth, Wind & Fire‘s “After the Love Has Gone,” The Tubes‘ “She’s a Beauty,” Chicago‘s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” Madonna‘s “You’ll See,” John Parr‘s “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion),” and Celine’s “To Love You More.”
In a statement, Hipgnosis CEO Merck Mercuriadis said Foster is “the songwriters’ songwriter and the producers’ producer,” adding, “David is truly special, and we are delighted to be working with his almost 50 years of incredible songs and to welcome him to the Hipgnosis family.”
Foster added, “I’ve long admired what Merck and his team have built and I trust they will be terrific partners.”
Foster, 73, is married to Katharine McPhee. They welcomed a son in 2021.
Hipgnosis has also purchased the rights to songs by Justin Bieber, Neil Young, Shakira, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Fleetwood Mac‘s Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham, to name just a few.
ABC Audio has confirmed that Vin Diesel and company are sticking with Fast X director Louis Leterrier in the driver’s seat to reportedly wrap up the $6 billion-grossing Fast and Furious franchise with its 11th (!) film.
Universal Pictures President Peter Cramer said Wednesday that Leterrier, who “seamlessly” jumped behind the wheel for May’s Fast X after veteran franchisedirector Justin Lin bailed out, would keep the pedal down for the eleventh film.
“Under his direction, Fast X is a high intensity thriller with all the spectacular action, emotion, and twists that the fans have come to expect – and then some,” Cramer said in the announcement. He added, “We are thrilled that he will continue to work his magic in the director’s chair.”
The tenth film sees Jason Momoa joining the F&F rogues gallery as Dante, explained as the vengeful son of the drug kingpin who Diesel’s Dom Toretto and his “family” did away with in Fast Five.
Fast X reunites “family” members Jordanna Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang, as well as returning players Jason Statham, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood and John Cena.
Oscar winners Helen Mirren, Brie Larson and Charlize Theron, and EGOT winner Rita Moreno, also star in Fast X, which hits theaters May 19.
Kane Brown is currently on the road, but he’s brought his entire family along with him: His wife and duet partner, Katelyn, and their daughters Kingsley, 3, and Kodi, 15 months. Now the “Thank God” singer has posted some behind-the-scenes photos of what it’s like on the road for the Brown family.
“Sometimes we are so exhausted after being on the road, but when I get home and look through all the pictures while we were gone I realize how many unforgettable memories we get to make all while dad works,” Katelyn captioned a slideshow on Instagram.
The photos show Katelyn rehearsing onstage as Kingsley watches her, Kane and the girls in what looks like a bounce house, Kodi hanging backstage with the tour bus, Kingsley sitting on a pool table playing with the balls, Kodi being swung around by a crew person and, most adorably, Kodi rocking a “Thank God” tour hoodie.
Katelyn added, “We are so blessed to be able to do all of this as a family. thank god.”
