(DICKSON, N.D.) — A pet monkey was shot in Oklahoma this week after it escaped its owners and attacked a woman, ripping off part of her ear, police said.
Brittany Parker told local reporters she was sitting on her couch on March 12 when she saw the primate on her front porch. At first, the monkey was pacing up and down but then started jumping off the railing into her screen door, she said.
The money tried to get in and tried to rip off the door handle, so Parker said she called 911.
When officers and animal control officials arrived at the scene the monkey jumped on the control vehicle and then back on the porch where Parker and her son were standing, the Dickson Police Department said.
The monkey then crawled up Parker’s back, police said.
“[The monkey] yanked out multiple wads of hair and then ripped my ear in half,” Parker told local affiliate KTEN.
The primate fled into nearby woods while Parker was transported to the hospital, police said.
Officers were able to locate and speak with the monkey’s owners who went out to search for the primate, however, they were unsuccessful in finding it, according to police.
One of Parker’s family members found the monkey later in the day around her home and shot it, police said.
The animal’s remains were sent for testing, according to investigators.
It is legal for Oklahoma residents to own primates without a special permit or license, with the exception of chimpanzees and great apes, according to state law.
Parker, who was still recovering from the attack, said she is concerned about the safety of the neighborhood.
“I think there needs to be some law that is passed where you have training as well as a certificate to even hold these types of animals,” she said.
(BISMARCK, N.D.) — The North Dakota Supreme Court declared Thursday that the state’s abortion ban is unconstitutional and will not be enforced.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade during the summer, a trigger ban was set to go into effect that would make it a felony to perform an abortion with only exceptions for rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger.
A lower court blocked the ban over the summer after North Dakota’s only abortion provider, the Red River Women’s Clinic, argued the right to an abortion was guaranteed under the state’s constitution.
In the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Jon J. Jensen, the state Supreme Court found the ban infringed on fundamental rights including “the right of enjoying and defending life and pursuing and obtaining safety.”
“While the regulation of abortion is within the authority of the legislature under the North Dakota Constitution, RRWC has demonstrated likely success on the merits that there is a fundamental right to an abortion in the limited instances of life-saving and health-preserving circumstances, and the statute is not narrowly tailored to satisfy strict scrutiny,” Jensen wrote.
With the state Supreme Court decision, it means the current 21-week limit on abortions will remain in place.
“Today, the court rightfully stopped one of the most extreme laws in the country from taking effect and depriving North Dakotans of their reproductive freedom,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights — which had filed the suit in North Dakota on behalf of abortion providers — in a statement.
“Under the state constitution, North Dakotans are promised the rights to life, liberty, safety, and happiness, all of which protect the right to abortion,” the statement continued. “In state after state, people have made clear that they want this right protected, yet state officials continue to ignore the will of their citizens. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect North Dakotans and the fundamental human rights of all people.”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, RRWC moved from Fargo to Moorhead, Minnesota — a mile-and-a-half away – amid the legal battle.
Tammi Kromenaker, director of RRWC, applauded the decision but said there were no plans to return to North Dakota.
“The court made the right decision and sided with the people of North Dakota today,” she said in a statement. “Those seeking abortion care know what’s best for themselves and their families and should be able to access such essential services if and when they need it.”
She continued, “While I’m heartbroken that we have been forced to close our doors here in Fargo, we will continue to serve the region at our new clinic in Moorhead, Minnesota.”
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley, who had been asking the Court to reinstate the ban, criticized the ruling in a statement.
“Today’s North Dakota Supreme Court decision does not bar the people of North Dakota from regulating abortion through the enactments by their elected representatives in our state legislature,” he said. “Thankfully, our legislature has spent the past two months working on legislation that recrafts North Dakota’s abortion laws and they will now have the opportunity to enact the will of North Dakotans aware of the latest North Dakota Supreme Court pronouncement.”
The New York Dolls’ David Johansen is the subject of a new documentary set to premiere next month on Showtime. Personality Crisis: One Night Only, directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi, will debut April 14 at 8 p.m., and a new trailer for the film has just been released.
The doc, which had its world premiere at the 2022 New York Film Festival, tells Johansen’s story alongside footage of a January 2020 performance of his cabaret show at the Café Carlyle in New York.
“I’ve known David Johansen for decades, and his music has been a touchstone ever since I listened to the Dolls when I was making Mean Streets,” Scorsese shares. “Then and now, David’s music captures the energy and excitement of New York City.”
He adds, “I often see him perform, and over the years I’ve gotten to know the depth of his musical inspirations. After seeing his show at the Café Carlyle, I knew I had to film it because it was so extraordinary to see the evolution of his life and his musical talent in such an intimate setting.”
L-R: Fallah, El Arbi on ‘Ms. Marvel’ set — Marvel Studios
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who directed new Oscar winner Brendan Fraser in the eventually shelved Warner Bros. Batgirl film, are all smiles in a cute video in which they rap their congratulations to the star.
The pair explained the video they just posted to social media was the same one they sent to Fraser “just after” he won this year’s Best Actor trophy for his performance in The Whale.
With El Arbi beatboxing, Fallah did the rapping: “Since we were little kids/ We thought you were the sh**/ Then we made Batgirl together, couldn’t believe it.”
“I hope we make another movie back together/ Because we always say Brendan Fraser forever!” they conclude.
“So happy for my bro!!” Fallah captioned the post, adding, “And I know my rap sucks.”
As reported, Fraser was to play the pyromaniac baddie Firefly in the film, which was scrapped after it was shot, reportedly for budgetary reasons. All involved were shocked by the announcement, with Fraser telling Variety the decision was “tragic.”
“The fans really wanted to see this film made,” he said, calling lead Leslie Grace, who played Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, “a dynamo.”
(WASHINGTON) — A ban on TikTok in the United States or a sale of the app by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, will not resolve national security concerns or fears TikTok could be used to siphon Americans’ data, according to a new cybersecurity report obtained by ABC News.
The report, from the cybersecurity company Feroot, said the app still has your data even if you’ve never used TikTok. And it’s collecting and transferring that data whether or not the app is deleted, according to the report.
“TikTok can be present on a website in pretty much any sector in the form of TikTok pixels/trackers,” the report said. “In many cases, the pixels/trackers immediately start executing and have little to nothing to do with the immediate business of the website owner.”
Webpages associated with everything from airlines and e-commerce sites to technology companies and state and federal governments are riddled with TikTok’s trackers called pixels, which are part of the code that loads into your browser from various websites, according to Feroot. They immediately link to data harvesting platforms that pick off usernames and passwords, credit card and banking information and details about users’ personal health.
Sites that require logins and authentications may think they’re adding a layer of security, but TikTok’s pixels just collect those names, passwords and authentication codes along with other data, according to Feroot.
The pixels transfer the data to locations around the globe, including China and Russia, often before users have a chance to accept cookies or otherwise grant consent, the Feroot report said.
TikTok is not the only company that uses its pixels throughout the internet. The report found Google, Meta and Microsoft, among others, use these trackers.
The company told ABC News on Thursday that since June, all new U.S. user data has been routed to the Oracle cloud, and since October, access to that secure environment has been limited to employees of TikTok U.S. Data Security; Today, those employees manage all access to U.S. user data.
A TikTok spokesperson told ABC News this week amid the Biden administration’s call for ByteDance to divest from the app, “The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting and verification, which we are already implementing.”
TikTok said it will continue to move forward with a plan called “Project Texas” to safeguard U.S. user data as it evaluates the administration’s position.
ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel Jack Smith is pushing to question an attorney for former President Donald Trump about an alleged phone call the two held as investigators were building evidence about Trump’s potential obstruction of the government’s efforts to retrieve classified materials that he had retained after leaving the White House, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
Smith in recent weeks has pressed for a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to pierce attorney-client privilege and force Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to testify, according to those sources, about a June 24, 2022, phone call that investigators believe Corcoran held with Trump.
The alleged call would have been on the same day that investigators subpoenaed the Trump Organization for surveillance footage from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort as the government grew suspicious that Trump continued to hold onto classified materials even after one of his attorneys asserted in a sworn statement that he had complied with a subpoena requesting any remaining documents in his possession.
It’s not immediately clear how Smith’s investigators learned of the call, or why they have zeroed in on it as part of their investigation into potential obstruction by Trump and his legal team.
Investigators have also sought to compel the testimony of another attorney for the former president, Jennifer Little, who has also sought to assert attorney-client privilege, as part of the investigation into the Mar-a-Lago documents, sources tell ABC News. Little has been representing Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia, probe into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state. She did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
A spokesperson for the special counsel declined to comment when contacted by ABC News. An attorney for Corcoran did not respond to a request for comment.
“President Trump has done nothing wrong,” a spokesperson for Trump told ABC News in a statement. “Radical Democrats continue to weaponize the justice system against President Trump, including in their attempts to demolish our Constitution by stripping away President Trump’s right to counsel, because they know that he will win back the White House, as he leads both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins. President Trump will not be deterred and will always continue to fight for the American people.”
Trump has blasted the DOJ’s documents probe as being politically motivated, calling it “an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country.”
In a previous appearance before a D.C. grand jury, Corcoran declined to answer any questions regarding communications he had with Trump as his attorney, sources told ABC News.
Sources said that Corcoran also declined to answer questions regarding his efforts to locate potentially classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort following a May subpoena sent by the government for any documents that remained in Trump’s possession, as well as Corcoran’s role in drafting a document signed on June 3 by another Trump attorney, Christina Bobb, asserting that to the best of her knowledge a “diligent search” of the premises had been conducted and that all documents in response to the subpoena had been handed over.
Corcoran asserted attorney-client privilege at his testimony as a basis for declining to answer questions about whether Trump or any others in his office were aware of Bobb’s certification, or the reasons for any edits made to the certification document, sources said.
After the government built evidence through witnesses and other means following that signed statement, the FBI conducted a court-authorized search of Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022, according to public court records. During the search, investigators found roughly 100 documents with classification markings — including some in Trump’s personal office and in a closet in his residence.
Prosecutors are trying to convince a judge to compel Corcoran’s testimony under the “crime-fraud exception,” which allows attorney-client privilege to be pierced in cases where there is sufficient evidence that legal services have been rendered in furtherance of a crime.
According to public court records, during a June 2022 visit by DOJ officials to Mar-a-Lago, Corcoran handed over 38 documents with classification markings inside a sealed envelope that he said had been found during a review of boxes held inside a storage room at the estate. Corcoran told investigators he “had been advised” that all Trump’s remaining records from the White House remained in that storage room, but Corcoran restricted them from reviewing any of the boxes.
According to sources, after the August search the government found at least 76 of the roughly 100 classified documents inside that same storage room, leading investigators to believe some had been transferred there after the FBI’s search of the property.
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) — A Minnesota Republican said he opposed a bill to guarantee meals for all students because he had “yet to meet a person in Minnesota who is hungry.”
State Sen. Steve Drazkowski made the comments Tuesday as he argued against HF 5, a proposal to dedicate roughly $400 million of taxpayer money to feeding the state’s children.
Drazkowski, elected to the state Senate last year, pushed to use the money instead to boost proficiency levels in reading and math.
“Hunger is a relative term,” he added. “I had a cereal bar for breakfast. I guess I’m hungry now.”
The bill’s author, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Sen. Heather Gustafson, said that in fact, nearly 275,000 Minnesota K-12 students are on free and reduced meals. Roughly one in six are “food insecure,” meaning they don’t know when their next meal will be available, she added, citing state figures.
“I’m a mom. I have four kids. There are a lot of years that we couldn’t afford much. I would have appreciated a policy like that,” she said.
“Being hungry makes learning almost impossible,” she added.
Drazkowski framed the bill as a form of “socialism” that would open the door to an array of expenses he deemed unnecessary.
“[Students] will be coming to buy their socks, buy their pants, buy their shirts, their hats, maybe their winter clothing. Who knows what’s next?” he said.
“We should be using this nearly half a billion dollars of the taxpayers’ money to make sure we have reading proficiency happening in our schools again, math proficiency happening, science proficiency happening, and that the kids are learning,” he said. “That is what our schools are for. That is what parents pay tax money for. That is what our constitution provides them: to teach them, not to feed them.”
Gustafson argued that the proposed increase accounts for “less than one percent of the state’s education budget.”
Citing her own experience working in classrooms, she said, “As a teacher, I’ve had countless students come into my classroom. They’re looking for food, not just for themselves but for their siblings as well.”
The bill passed the state senate by a vote of 38-26.
Drazkowski’s office did not immediately return requests from ABC News for comment.
Gov. Tim Walz said he would sign the legislation into law.
“As a former teacher, I know firsthand that kids can’t learn on an empty stomach. When universal school meals reaches my desk — a historic, bipartisan bill — I’ll be proud to sign it into law,” Walz tweeted.
Their documentary, tentatively named Child Star, is heading toward the streaming giant, which is eyeballing a 2024 release. Demi will serve as director of the upcoming production, which “will deconstruct the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most famous former child stars.”
According to the press release, the film will also “explore how children are propelled to superstardom at a young age and how their rise to fame, fortune and power affects their futures.”
Demi will also share their firsthand experiences in the upcoming documentary.
“There is no better film or topic for my directorial debut than this story, which is close to home,” they said in a statement. “Our project sheds light on important messages about growing up in the public eye, learning to protect our boundaries, and becoming active advocates of our own destinies. I’m humbled to be able to learn from the individuals who have lived the unique experience of child stardom and share their stories in our film.”
The currently named Child Star will also look into the stories of those who walked away from acting and those who threw themselves into their career. Aside from Demi, it is unknown who will be lending their personal experiences to the upcoming documentary.
However, the project will “reach beyond the traditional narratives seen in op-eds and tabloids to consider the changing nature of growing up in an increasingly connected and public world.”
In addition to Demi, the documentary will be directed by Stay On Board: The Leo Baker Story, Song Exploder‘s Nicola Marsh and produced by Michael D. Ratner‘s OBB Pictures.
Shania Twain has released three new songs as part of the Spotify Singles series, and they include an acoustic rendition of her song “Queen of Me,” as well as covers of Harry Styles‘ “Falling” and Howlin’ Wolf‘s “Spoonful.”
Unlike its jaunty, synth-pop studio version, the reimagined “Queen of Me” features a sparse production and is primarily led by an acoustic guitar which, in turn, shines the spotlight on Shania’s signature vocals.
“The Spotify studio is crazy, like I just want to move in there,” Shania says of the Los Angeles-based studio where she recorded her songs. “It’s state of the art, but it’s so friendly! It’s a very soothing place. So I’ll just be going back there to goof around and record more stuff. I told them I need a locker here, I’m moving in!”
Of her decision to record Harry’s heartbreak ballad, the country-pop star shares, “I just fell in love with ‘Falling.’ I love Harry Styles anyway and his version of the song really moved me and I wanted to try it on. It came out more emotional than I thought it would and I was very pleased – I can kind of hear my pain in it. It was also a tip to Harry Styles as well because he has often done my songs in his shows.”
This is Shania’s latest music release following her sixth full studio record, Queen of Me, which dropped last month.
Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has announced the debut album with his new band, Dieth.
The record is titled To Hell and Back and will arrive June 2. You can listen to the To Hell and Back title track now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.
Along with Ellefson, Dieth includes guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda and drummer Michał Łysejko, formerly of the bands Entombed A.D. and Decapitated, respectively.
“This album has been a terrific collaboration, building upon our past as we created a new sound together,” says Ellefson. “We’re looking forward to unleashing the fury!”
To Hell and Back also includes the previously released single “In the Hall of the Hanging Serpents.” Here’s the track list:
“To Hell and Back”
“Don’t Get Mad … Get Even!”
“Wicked Disdain”
“Free Us All”
“Heavy Is the Crown”
“Walk With Me Forever”
“Dead Inside”
“The Mark of Cain”
“In the Hall of the Hanging Serpents”
“Severance”
