Billy Corgan has a word for people criticizing his voice. Or, rather, a finger representing two words.
In a recent Instagram post, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman shared a picture of himself onstage while raising his middle finger. Text across the image reads, “To the conspiracists about the state of my voice.”
While it’s unclear exactly who or what inspired Corgan’s ire, Pumpkins fans on Reddit theorize Corgan was responding to comments on his recent vocal performance of the song “X.Y.U.” during last weekend’s Beale Street festival, which featured some pretty intense screaming.
However, a quick perusal of the comments on the performance seem to be in favor of the screaming — perhaps Corgan’s middle finger was more of a triumphant eff-you to doubters rather than an angry one.
To hear Corgan’s voice in person, you can catch the Pumpkins’ ongoing Rock Invasion 2 tour, which finally kicked off this week after a two-year pandemic delay.
(MILFORD, Conn.) — Dozens of police officers from multiple states held a rally outside a Connecticut courthouse Tuesday as a white state trooper they contend was charged with manslaughter for doing his job was arraigned in the 2020 killing of a Black 19-year-old alleged carjacker.
Connecticut State Trooper Brian North, 31, appeared at a brief hearing in Superior Court in Milford, but did not enter a plea to a felony manslaughter charge stemming from the fatal shooting of Mubarak Soulemane.
North, who is free on $50,000 bail, did not speak at the hearing and a judge scheduled his next court date for June 2.
Soulemane’s mother, Omo Klusum Mohammed, attended the hearing and later said she and her family would not be intimidated from pursuing justice.
“I feel in my heart they were here to try to intimidate us,” Mohammed said at a post-hearing news conference outside the courthouse. “But there is no officer or any trooper who will intimidate us. We are here to stand for justice, and I’m here to stand for justice for my son, Mubarak Soulemane. And I hope and pray justice will be served and Brian North will go to jail.”
Mohammed vowed to attend every court hearing to ensure North is held accountable for her son’s death.
“We are here today for justice, justice for my son Mubarak Soulemane, who has been massacred by state Trooper Brian North,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed’s attorney, Stanford Rubenstein, added, “Ultimately, this case will be decided on the evidence. And I believe once pictures of the truth, video of what happened, is shown to a jury, they will come to the same conclusion I have: that this was an execution.”
North was arrested last month and charged in Soulemane’s death after the state inspector general released a lengthy report alleging North’s use of deadly force was not justified in the January 2020 shooting of Soulemane.
State Inspector General Robert Devlin Jr.’s investigation found that although Soulemane was allegedly armed with a steak knife, had stolen a Lyft rideshare vehicle and was apparently off his medication for schizophrenia, he was not a threat to North and other officers when he was shot multiple times.
Soulemane was killed when North allegedly fired seven times at him through the closed driver’s side window of a stolen Lyft vehicle after troopers stopped him and pinned him in on Interstate 95 in West Haven following a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, according to the report.
Devlin’s investigation found that Soulemane was sitting behind the wheel of the car surrounded by troopers and officers from other agencies. He was trapped inside because North’s cruiser was blocking the driver’s side door.
An officer from the West Haven Police Department was bashing in the passenger-side window with a baton and another trooper was poised to deploy a stun gun on Soulemane when North opened fire as Soulemane reached into his pocket and pulled a knife, according to the report.
“Stated briefly, the investigation establishes that, at the time Trooper North fired his weapon, neither he nor any other person was in imminent danger of serious injury or death from a knife attack at the hands of Soulemane,” the inspector general concluded in his report. “Further, any belief that persons were in such danger was not reasonable. I therefore find that North’s use of deadly force was not justified under Connecticut law.”
But several dozen state police officers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania who rallied in support of North outside the courthouse on Tuesday said they strongly disagree with Devlin’s findings.
Andrew Matthews, executive director of the Connecticut State Police Union, said he and other union members believe North should not have been charged.
“When our troopers are, what we believe, prosecuted for doing their job, we will defend them,” Matthews said at a news conference outside the courthouse prior to North’s hearing. “We will defend their actions when we believe that they are justified in doing and performing their duties to protect the public.”
Matthews said he and other members of the union felt “obligated” to rally around North, adding, “our troopers put their lives on the line every day to protect the public.”
“And when people make split-second decisions that others can review over and over again and form their own judgment of what they did or what they would have done, we have to stand up for our troopers,” Matthews said.
North’s attorney, Jeffrey Ment, declined to comment on the case, but said, “Trooper North appreciated the support of his brother and sister officers from not only Connecticut, but also from surrounding states.”
Maguire and Dunst in 2002 — Kevin Winter/Getty Images
It might be hard to believe, but director Sam Raimi‘s first Spider-Man film turns 20 Tuesday.
It technically wasn’t the first hit film to star a Marvel movie superhero and usher in the still-going wave of cinematic comics-based adventures — that honor, most experts agree, belongs to 1998’s Blade.
X-Men followed in 2000, but Raimi’s first of three Sony Pictures-produced Spidey films in 2002 became a benchmark — so much so that Tobey Maguire reprising his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe returning as Norman Osborne/The Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home helped push that film far past the billion-dollar mark worldwide.
Kirsten Dunst starred as Parker’s long-pined-for classmate, Mary Jane Watson, in Raimi’s trilogy. The original Spider-Man also gave fans Oscar-winner JK Simmons as Spidey-hating newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson — the latter another characterization so beloved it was brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Spider-Man went on to earn $825 million and set up Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 in 2004, which may have earned less but is widely considered by fans to to be the best of the trilogy, and one of the best comic movies ever made.
While Raimi’s 2007 Spider-Man 3 was a financial success, the critics were less than kind — including Raimi himself, who recently called it “awful.” The director stepped back from the genre after that film, until recently, when Marvel Studios hired him for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That film, which opens Friday, is so far receiving very positive reviews.
(NEW YORK) — An unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion is putting a new spotlight on what could happen if the court overturns Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that made abortion a federally protected right in the United States.
The document, obtained by Politico, shows the Supreme Court’s conservative majority of justices are ready to overturn nearly 50 years of established abortion rights precedent via the Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case the court heard last year and is expected to rule publicly on by the end of June.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” writes Justice Samuel Alito, the opinion’s apparent author, in a copy of the draft posted online Tuesday night.
Chief Justice John Roberts called the leaked draft a “singular and egregious breach” of trust in a statement issued Wednesday.
Here are five things to know about the leaked draft, the Mississippi case and what is expected to happen to abortion access in the U.S. if Roe is overturned.
1. The Mississippi case centers on a 15-week abortion ban.
In the case, the state of Mississippi is arguing to uphold a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while Jackson Women’s Health, Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic, argues the Supreme Court’s protection of a woman’s right to choose the procedure is clear, well-established and should be respected.
Since the Roe v. Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the decision, the court has never allowed states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies prior to fetal viability outside the womb, roughly 24 weeks, according to medical experts.
Mississippi, through its state health officer, Dr. Thomas E. Dobbs, an infectious disease physician, argues Roe and Casey were wrongly decided and that each state should be allowed to set its policy.
2. How the draft ruling became public remains a mystery.
The leak of the draft ruling on a high-stakes issue like abortion is being described as an extraordinary breach of protocol and tradition for the Supreme Court, whose nine justices and their clerks are known for being extremely discreet.
The document, which Politico said it obtained from a “person familiar with the court’s proceedings,” is marked “first draft” and dated Feb. 10, 2022 — two months after oral arguments were heard in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion,” the draft states. “Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives.”
Following the publication of the draft, Chief Justice Roberts announced he has directed the Marshal of the Court — its chief operations and security officer — to investigate the leak.
“To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way,” Roberts said in a statement. “We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce — permanent employees and law clerks alike — intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law.”
“Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court. This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here,” he said. “I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”
3. The draft ruling is not a final Supreme Court decision.
The drafting of Supreme Court opinions is a fluid and dynamic process, sources familiar with the internal operations have told ABC News.
The leaked document is part of that fluid process and is not the court’s final ruling.
Though the document is from February, an unnamed source familiar with the deliberations told Politico that Justices Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett all initially supported a ruling siding with Mississippi and “that line-up remains unchanged as of this week.”
A Wall Street Journal editorial this month suggested that Chief Justice John Roberts, known for his passion for established precedent and the court’s reputation, may try to convince one of his conservative colleagues to join him in a narrower opinion that would not completely overturn Roe v. Wade.
4. Overturning Roe v. Wade would give power to the states.
If the Supreme Court rules to overturn Roe v. Wade, the power to decide abortion access would rest with the elected leaders of each state.
As of today, more than half of the nation’s 50 states are prepared to ban abortion if Roe is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights organization.
Twenty-one states already have laws on the books that would immediately ban abortion if Roe were overturned. Five additional states are likely to ban abortion should Roe be overturned, the Guttmacher report said.
Because the states that plan to ban abortion are focused in specific geographic regions, including the South, the expected effect is that women will have to travel much longer distances, at a greater cost and inconvenience, to seek abortion care, according to Elizabeth Nash, interim associate director of state issues at the Guttmacher Institute.
On the other side, states that support abortion rights, like California, Connecticut and New York, are also ones to watch if Roe is overturned because they could fortify laws that enhance and protect abortion access in their states, experts say.
5. Abortion remains legal in all 50 states as of now.
Abortion rights advocates are messaging to people that abortion is currently legal in all 50 states.
Though many states over the past several decades have passed laws that limit abortion access — as seen most recently in Oklahoma, Florida and Texas — Roe v. Wade, which made access to abortion a constitutional right, currently remains the law of the land.
(MIAMI) — A 23-year-old man featured in a video that went viral after he groped two flight attendants, punched a third, screamed his parents had $2 million and was duct taped to a seat of a Frontier Airlines flight was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in jail followed by one year of supervised release.
Max Berry pleaded guilty to three counts of assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction and faced 1.5 years and a $15,000 fine. Berry had been drinking on a Frontier Airlines flight in August from Philadelphia to Miami when he spilled his drink on himself and a flight attendant. Berry went to the bathroom and came out without his shirt.
As flight attendants tried to help him, he groped them.
A fight ensued and Berry was eventually restrained with duct tape. The incident racked up more than 13 million views online.
In court documents, Berry’s attorney said, “Max Berry is a good man who committed a bad act, that was not planned, it was committed in an unsophisticated manner, and it is an aberration.”
According to WPLG, in court Tuesday, Berry apologized, took full responsibility for his actions and explained how he has been remorseful from the very start.
Two of the flight attendants gave victim impact statements about how this experience has affected them. After the hearing, both victims said the 60-day sentence was not enough, but better than nothing.
Before issuing the sentence, the judge said to Maxwell there’s “no delete button” and people can’t think they’re able to go on a plane and do this, adding that flight attendants shouldn’t feel unsafe at their job, WPLG reporter Annaliese Garcia told ABC News.
Court documents show several character witnesses’ statements detailing Berry’s hard work, good grades, leadership and volunteer service in the community.
Documents show he has received substance abuse treatment and therapy for depression and anxiety since the incident.
Berry, who recently graduated from college has struggled to find work.
“Due to the tremendous media attention that this case garnered, Max’s efforts to find a job utilizing his recently obtained college degree in finance economics were futile, as he was constantly being denied positions that he was applying for in the finance world and elsewhere without an explanation,” Berry’s attorney wrote in court documents.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. government now considers WNBA star Brittney Griner to be “wrongfully detained” in Russia, the State Department said.
“The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is among the highest priorities of the U.S government. The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a department spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday. “With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”
With this classification, the U.S. will now be more involved in negotiating for her freedom.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was visiting Russia to play basketball off-season and was arrested in February at a Moscow area airport for allegedly having vape cartridges in her luggage that contained hashish oil — an illegal substance in Russia.
She is facing drug charges with up to 10 years in prison, according to Russian media reports, and her pre-trial detention was extended in March to May 19.
Griner met with a U.S. official from the consular officer in Russia on March 24 amid a push from the U.S. to gain access to the WNBA star.
Calls to free Griner escalated last week following the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed, who was freed from Russian prison as part of a prisoner exchange.
Former Marine Paul Whelan has also been detained in Russia since 2019. Whelan’s brother, David Whelan,told ABC News on Monday that his brother asked, “Why was I left behind?” following Reed’s release.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained on Feb. 17. Some officials are concerned that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players Association, told Good Morning America last month that the league understands the importance of being “strategic” when discussing Griner’s case so her safety is not compromised.
“It’s tough — that could have been us,” Ogwumike said. “We’re really most concerned about her health and safety. Especially her mental health. We’re hearing that … she’s OK. But we want her home.”
The WNBA announced on Tuesday that the league will honor Griner with a floor decal bearing her initials and jersey number (42) on the sideline of all 12 WNBA teams as the 2022 season kicks off on Friday.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement on Tuesday. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
Griner is a seven-time WNBA All-Star, who has been playing for the Phoenix Mercury since 2013.
Jim Pitman, executive vice president and general manager of the Phoenix Mercury, said in a statement on Tuesday that the team will also launch various philanthropic initiatives, including BG’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive, to recognize Griner’s contributions to the community.
“In conjunction with the league, the other 11 teams, and those closest to BG, we will work to keep her top-of-mind as we tip the 2022 season,” he said. “While we await her return, our main concern remains for her safety and well-being.”
Griner’s trip to Russia to play off-season has underscored the issue of pay inequality in professional basketball.
Many WNBA players have traveled around the world to play in the off-season because they don’t make enough money during the season — an issue that is not as prevalent for NBA players who are paid more. The top WNBA salary is $228K, whereas star NBA players can make at least $1 million a year.
Ogwumike, who also traveled overseas to play during the off-seasons, said she believes there is a gender issue at play in Griner’s case.
“When is it not? It’s disappointing that the question of it being a gender issue is top of mind now when it comes to this type of circumstance and the reality is she’s over there because of a gender issue, pay inequity,” she said.
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan, Matthew Stone and Kelly McCarthy contributed to this report.
Britney Spears broke her social media hiatus to share a never-before-seen dance rehearsal video, claiming it was taken shortly before she was involuntarily committed at a mental health facility.
“This is from 4 years ago … three months before my dad sent me to that place,” Britney captioned the Monday Instagram post, which saw her smiling and coaching her all-male group of backup dancers. It is unknown when exactly the video was taken or if Britney was rehearsing for her tour or upcoming Vegas residency.
“No lie … even though I taught this routine I messed up like crazy because there were new dancers that were way bigger than me and I got way too excited,” she continued.
Britney’s comments echo what she told a court in June of last year during a hearing on her conservatorship. She spoke then about being forced to do another Vegas residency after finishing her Piece of Me Tour.
“I was basically directing most of the show,” she said at the time. “I actually did most of the choreography, meaning I taught my dancers my new choreography myself. I take everything I do very seriously. There’s tons of video with me at rehearsals.” It’s unknown whether Monday’s posted clip is one of those videos, but Britney said of her performance: “I wasn’t good. I was great.”
Britney closed her new post by saying that, while she’s still on her social media break, “I guess it’s a good time to REFLECT.”
The girls (and guys) showed up and showed out at Monday night’s Met Gala.
As one of the red carpet co-hosts, Lala Anthony kicked off the evening’s fashion show, modeling a Laquan Smith red satin gown with a bedazzled top portion and long wrap-design train with a slit. She finished the look with a matching burgundy flat-top hat and Louboutin heels.
Anthony was soon joined by Janelle Monáe, who donned a glittery, hooded Ralph Lauren gown she called “gilded glamour from the future.”
Alicia Keys‘ tribute to New York City definitely stole the show. Alongside husband Swizz Beatz, she rocked a shimmery silver tube dress with a custom embellished Ralph Lauren cape, embroidered with the NYC skyline.
Normani and Lori Harvey showed off their tight physiques while sporting all-black looks, one from Christian Siriano, the other by Michael Kors.
Ciara also gave a little body in her Michael Kors gown — a sparkly silver and black dress with a high leg slit that she paired with Jimmy Choo pumps.
Despite the slight wardrobe malfunction of her breast cup size being too small, Nicki Minaj graced the carpet with Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci in a black feather tube dress and leather black cap.
Teyana Taylor and Winnie Harlow both stunned in their purple and white couture gowns by Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen.
Lizzo‘s special guest to the show was her flute, and in addition to the finger waves she rocked in her hair, the singer confidently displayed the hand-embroidered gold and black Thom Browne coat that she says took 22,000 hours to make.
SZA paired her hot pink Vivienne Westwood gown with a giant black hat and her favorite latex thigh-high boots, while Megan Thee Stallion served up body and skin her gold Moschino gown.
While Donatella Versace walked the carpet alongside Cardi B, who wore a gold, strapless chain dress, the Italian fashion brand also dressed Lena Waithe in a two-piece aqua suit, and Gabrielle Union in a silver and white gown — a tribute to the late Diahann Carroll.
Cindy Ord/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Billie Eilish has been selected to present at the upcoming climate change conference, called “Overheated,” which takes place next month in London.
Billboardreports the Grammy winner and her brother, FINNEAS, have been tapped as headline presenters at the six-day conference, which starts June 10. Billie will be first to speak at the conference and will introduce the schedule of events and keynote speaker, alongside her brother.
Billie’s also set to appear in an upcoming documentary, Overheated, alongside her brother, and singer Yungblud, that will screen at the event.
Her participation in the climate event makes sense, considering Billie has been outspoken about the need for sustainably sourced fashion and food. She recently released a sustainably sourced and recyclable shoe with Nike, and the Gucci dress she wore at the Met Gala was made of upcycled materials. The singer is also a vegan and regularly speaks out on the climate change crisis.
In addition, Billie will already be in the U.K. during the Overheated event, as part of her world tour.
Overheated ticket sales begin with a pre-sale on Wednesday, May 4, at 4 a.m. ET, with general admission opening on Friday, May 6, on the conference’s website.
The conference, which encourages participants to “discuss the climate crisis and their work to make a difference,” will be held at London’s O2 Arena. It place on June 10 and June 12, June 16 and from June 25 through June 26.
After revealing last Thursday that Ozzy had contracted the virus, his wife Sharon told the U.K.’s The Talk Monday that she and their daughter, Kelly, have since tested positive, too. Sharon, who’d been in the U.K. when Ozzy was diagnosed, traveled back to Los Angeles to help care for husband.
“The entire household has it now,” Sharon said.
Sharon adds that she “feel[s] OK,” and generally seems to be in much brighter spirits than when she announced Ozzy’s diagnosis through tears last week. She also shares that Ozzy is “doing much better.”
“His temperature is now back to normal, his coughing has stopped,” Sharon said.
Sharon previously tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020, and was briefly hospitalized.
