Another lawsuit has been filed against Alec Baldwin and the other producers of the Western Rust, following a shooting incident on October 21 that left cinematographer HalynaHutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured.
According to documents obtained by ABC News, the movie’s script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, is claiming “assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and deliberate infliction of harm” due to the shooting.
Baldwin fired his Colt revolver at the camera during a rehearsal, striking Hutchins fatally and leaving Souza with an arm wound. Investigators say a live round was loaded in the pistol that Baldwin claims he was assured was “cold,” or safe.
Mitchell, who was first to call 911 after the shooting, is being represented by attorney Gloria Allred. Mitchell’s suit echoes a claim in a lawsuit filed last week by the film’s head gaffer, Serge Svetnoy: that Baldwin allegedly was never supposed to pull the trigger on the pistol.
According to Mitchell’s suit, three shots were to be filmed in the scene Baldwin was rehearsing. “One camera shot would be focused on DEFENDANT BALDWIN’s eyes, one would be focused on a bloodstain on DEFENDANT BALDWIN’s shoulder, and the third would focus on DEFENDANT BALDWIN’s torso as he reached his hand down to the holster and removed the gun.”
The suit continues, “There was nothing in the script about the gun being discharged by DEFENDANT BALDWIN or by any other person.”
Mitchell further is claiming that cost-cutting measures on the set “intentionally endangered the lives of crew members.”
Investigators say “a mix” of 500 rounds were recovered from the scene. They included blanks, which can be harmful at close range; dummy rounds, which are inert; and live ammunition, which the suit says should “never” be brought onto a set.
Attorneys for the movie’s armorer, Hanna Gutierrez-Reed, have claimed, without offering proof, that the film’s set was sabotaged by the placement of live rounds there.
(WASHINGTON) — The House voted for a resolution on Wednesday that both censures Republican Rep. Paul Gosar and removes him from his committee assignments after the Arizona congressman tweeted an edited Japanese anime cartoon last week showing him stabbing President Joe Biden and killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., before he deleted it.
The vote was 223-207, largely along party lines. GOP Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming voted with all Democrats to censure Gosar. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, voted “present.”
Gosar, flanked by nearly two dozen colleagues in the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, stood in the well of the House as the censure resolution was read aloud.
Democrats spent hours on the House floor Wednesday excoriating GOP leaders for not publicly condemning the Twitter post from Gosar, an ardent Trump supporter who has espoused conspiracy theories and associated with white nationalist groups in the past.
“This is not about me,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an impassioned floor speech. “This is not about representative Gosar. This is about what we’re willing to accept. “
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the first to kick off debate on Gosar’s actions which, she said, “demand a response.”
“We cannot have members joking about murdering each other or threatening the president of the United States. This is both an indictment of our elected officials and an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives. It’s not just about us as members of Congress. It is a danger that it represents to everyone in the country,” Pelosi said.
“When a member uses his or her national platform to encourage violence, tragically, people listen to those words,” Pelosi added, before condemning House GOP leadership for, in her view, not holding their colleague accountable. “It is sad that this entire House must take this step because of the refusal of the leadership of the other party.”
She said it took nine days for Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to speak out publicly about the incident and that when he did, he “merely” said there was no harm intended.
Sources confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday that Gosar apologized for the tweet behind closed doors during a GOP conference meeting. McCarthy said he had also spoken privately with Gosar about the tweet, but he did not appear to take further action against him.
McCarthy opposes the Democratic move to censure Gosar and remove him from his committee assignments, but instead of defending Gosar’s actions ahead of the vote, he blasted Democrats for what he deemed was an overreach of power.
“The speaker is burning down the House on her way out the door,” McCarthy said. “Let me be clear. I do not condone violence, and representative Gosar has echoed that sentiment.”
Gosar, speaking publicly about the video for the first time, which he said in an earlier statement was an attempt by his staff to reach a younger audience, said he doesn’t condone violence but appeared to accept his fate as Democrats barrel towards the vote.
“I do not espouse violence or harm towards any member of Congress or Mr. Biden,” Gosar said, notably not calling Biden “president.”
“If I must join Alexander Hamilton, the first person attempted to be censored by this House, so be it. It is done,” he added.
Ocasio-Cortez urged her colleagues to vote “yes” and said the depictions are part of a larger trend of misogyny and racism in America.
“Can you find anyone in the chamber that finds this behavior acceptable?” she asked her colleagues. “Would you allow that in your home? Do you think this should happen on a school board…a church?”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said to reporters during a press call on Tuesday, “I have never in 40 years seen such a vile, hateful, outrageous, dangerous, and inciting to violence against a colleague, ever.”
“The fact that they would not take some action themselves or make some comments themselves, which I have not seen, is a testament that perhaps they are rationalizing, as they rationalize other items of criminal behavior, this particular action,” Hoyer said of Republicans.
The resolution would boot Gosar from the Oversight and Reform Committee, which he serves on alongside Ocasio-Cortez. It would also remove him from the Committee on Natural Resources.
Late Monday night, Pelosi told reporters it was up to McCarthy to rein in and reprimand his conference members — but Democrats, outraged over Gosar’s behavior, insisted on a floor vote. On Tuesday, she deemed the resolution as an appropriate measure.
“Why go after [Gosar]? Because he made threats, suggestions about harming a member of Congress…We cannot have members joking about murdering each other as well as threatening the president of the United States,” Pelosi said.
A censure resolution requires a simple majority of lawmakers present and voting. If it is approved, Gosar could be forced to stand in the center of the House chamber as the resolution condemning his actions is read aloud.
Later on, Gosar tweeted out a meme that says, “God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
Twenty-three members of Congress have been censured for misconduct, according to a 2016 Congressional Research Service Report.
Former Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., was the last member of Congress to be censured — in December 2010 — accused of nearly a dozen ethics violations.
The Kid LAROI is one of those artists who’s constantly posting on social media, but he deleted everything on his Instagram on Tuesday but a note to his fans.
Announcing that his F**k Love era is “finally” over, he announces, “Last week, I went on a small vacation for the first time in a while. During that time, I started thinking and I made the decision that I need to take some time away from everything and focus on the next project: my debut album.”
“I’m going to miss you all beyond words can describe, but I do believe that this is what I need to do to give you all the best music possible,” he added. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
The chart-topping Australian star also paid tribute to his fans, noting that he owes his success to “every single one of you,” adding, “There is now way I will ever be able to repay you.”
LAROI will kick off his first headlining tour at the top of next year.
Baseball has always been a big part of Brett Young’s life. As a teen, he even thought he’d pursue the sport professionally, and he was drafted to play on the Minnesota Twins after high school. But he chose to go to Ole Miss instead, where he played baseball for a year before getting sidelined by an elbow injury.
And while the singer’s very happy in his country music career, he’s found a way to incorporate his passion for baseball into his life, too. On Wednesday, he joined Music City Baseball’s Music Advisory Board, People reports. That means that Brett will have a hand in lobbying for a Major League team to officially make its home in Nashville.
“I would absolutely love bringing a team to Nashville that I could get behind and support and be a part of,” he explains. “I think it would be great for the city, and selfishly, it would be amazing for me to have a team here in town.”
Even though he’s not a professional ball player anymore, Brett says he learned a valuable skill set during his time on the field.
“As an adult, I realize that the most important thing that ever happened to me as a result of baseball was the work ethic that I learned,” he reflects. “It’s something that carried over to my music career and has served me very well, and I’ll always be grateful to baseball for that.”
In his new position on Music City Baseball’s Music Advisory Board, Brett’s in superstar company: Darius Rucker, Justin Timberlake and Luke Combs are also board members.
Justin Bieber enters the metaverse on Thursday with a free, virtual concert on the platform Wave. Ahead of the show, Wave teased the massive world they created to host the musical affair.
The official trailer shows Justin’s virtual avatar interacting with concertgoers through a series of colorful backgrounds, including a tranquil green backdrop of rolling green hills, the ocean illuminated by the setting sun, as well as Justin performing on the hood of a car parked in a city intersection.
It appears Justin can interact with his surroundings as he performs, with the trailer showing his avatar — which he will control using real-time motion-capture technology — creating splashes of light and fireworks as he sings.
Wave says fans will also be able to interact with and influence the concert’s performances and environments.
The “Peaches” singer will perform songs off his new album, Justice, which will serve as the perfect teaser for his upcoming world tour.
You can sign up on Wave.watch and experience the event for free on November 18 starting at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. It will be rebroadcast on both the Wave platform and on YouTube on November 20 and 21 for fans worldwide in their respective time zones.
(NEW YORK) — In a high-stakes move, Travis McMichael, the man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery, took the witness stand in his own defense Tuesday afternoon.
The 35-year-old McMichael was the first defense witness called to testify a day after the prosecution rested its murder case against him, his 65-year-old father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 53.
Under questioning from his attorney, Jason Sheffield, Travis McMichael began his testimony by saying he was aware he had no obligation to testify.
“Do you want to testify?” Sheffield asked.
Travis McMichael responded, “I want to give my side of the story. I want to explain what happened and to be able to say what happened from the way I see.”
The McMichaels and Bryan have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
The defense began putting on its case after Judge Timothy Walmsley rejected each defendant’s request to acquit them after their lawyers argued the state had not met its burden of proof.
Crime spike in Satilla Shores
Travis McMichael testified that when he first moved into his parents’ home in the Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick, Georgia, the waterfront community was mostly peaceful, full of retirees and young families with children.
“It’s one of the typical small-town neighborhoods,” he said. “You’d have people ride around golf carts, people walking dogs, people with their kids, the little power wheels… And it’s just a real quiet community.”
But Travis McMichael testified that after moving to Satilla Shores, he and his neighbors began to experience a crime wave with frequent burglaries and “more suspicious persons lurking around.”
“It was rare at first, but it started building up,” he said of crime in Satilla Shores.
He said his own car was burglarized multiple times to the point he would just leave it unlocked. He also said a Smith & Wesson pistol was stolen from his truck parked outside his parents’ house on Jan. 1, 2020.
Travis McMichael said the crime spike was the talk of his household and became a major topic of discussion among his neighbors and on a community watch Facebook page.
Coast Guard training
Sheffield then asked Travis McMichael about his background as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard between 2007 and 2016. He said he had extensive training in law enforcement, including the use of deadly force and de-escalation, while in the Coast Guard and that besides his primary job as a mechanic, he also participated in search-and-rescue operations, and immigration and drug enforcement operations.
He said one de-escalation technique he was trained to do was to use a firearm as a deterrent.
“You pull a weapon on someone from what I’ve learned in my training that usually causes people to back off or to realize what’s happening,” McMichael testified.
He added that on two occasions as a civilian he once scared off would-be robbers at an ATM machine and on another occasion deterred a potential carjacker.
He said that as part of his training in the military he also learned never to let someone take his gun in a confrontation because if that occurs they could use it to harm him and others.
Encounter with prowler
Sheffield directed Travis McMichael’s attention to an incident that occurred on Feb. 11, 2020, twelve days before the fatal encounter with Arbery.
He testified that he was driving to get gas when he saw a man dart across the road in front of him and start “creeping through the shadows” outside a home under construction down the street from his parent’s house.
“I got out of the vehicle to ask him what he was doing, maybe run him off,” Travis McMichael said.
He said the man came out of the shadows toward him.
“He pulls up his shirt and goes to reach for his pocket or his waistband area,” he testified. “It startled me. It freaked me out.”
He testified that he went home and called 911, armed himself and returned to the house with his father, but the prowler had vanished.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A person in St. Vincent‘s “camp” has tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement posted Wednesday, the “Los Ageless” rocker writes, “Despite vigilant and strict adherence to COVID protocols including vaccinations and indoor masking requirements, a member of the St. Vincent camp has tested positive.”
As a result, St. Vincent is pulling out of the ironically named Corona Capital festival, set to take place this weekend in Mexico City.
“As disappointing and difficult as this decision has been, the safety of all those playing an attending the festival comes first,” the statement reads.
Corona Capital, which also includes Tame Impala, Royal Blood and Twenty One Pilots on the bill, was St. Vincent’s last live date scheduled for 2021. She’ll return to the live stage in February to play Arizona’s Innings Festival.
The annual National Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington, D.C., will feature a star-studded lineup that includes soul/R&B legend Patti LaBelle and will be hosted by recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee LL Cool J.
Other performers who will be on hand to spread some holiday cheer at the event include Chris Stapleton, H.E.R., Keb’ Mo’, Kristin Chenoweth, Maren Morris and Billy Porter. The lighting ceremony will be taped on Thursday, December 2, on The Ellipse in President’’ Park in the nation’s capital.
Brad Paisley will head across the pond next summer for a seven-date European run that kicks off in Glasgow, Scotland.
The overseas trip will also take him to cities in the Netherlands, Norway, Germany and more. “Kiss Somebody” hit-maker Morgan Evans, who recently released his new EP The Country and the Coast Side A, will join Brad as an opening act.
A couple months after the tour, Brad will share the stage with Morgan once again — and Kane Brown, too — during a stop in Australia as part of CMC Rocks Fest. That performance will take place in September.
Brad also serves as duet partner on Jimmie Allen’s latest country radio single, “Freedom Was a Highway.” Over the summer, he also shared a new song called “City of Music.”
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 57 years after the assassination of Malcolm X in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is moving to vacate the convictions of two of the men convicted as accomplices, his office said Wednesday.
Muhammad Aziz, now 83 and previously known as Norman Butler, spent 22 years in prison before he was paroled in 1985. A co-defendant who also maintained his innocence, Khalil Islam, died in 2009. Confessed assassin Thomas Hagan had long said neither man participated in killing Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965.
Vance’s office, along with the Innocence Project and civil rights attorney David Shanies, began reexamining the investigation last year.
“The assassination of Malcolm X was a historic event that demanded a scrupulous investigation and prosecution but, instead, produced one of the most blatant miscarriages of justice that I have ever seen,” Barry Scheck with the Innocence Project said in a statement Wednesday.
A spokesman said the FBI cooperated with the district attorney’s review.
Vance, Shanies Law and Innocence Project will file a joint motion on Thursday to vacate the 1966 convictions.
“The joint motion is the culmination of a collaborative reinvestigation of the case which began in January 2020 and unearthed new evidence of Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam’s innocence, including FBI documents that had been available at the time of trial but were withheld from both the defense and prosecution,” the lawyers for Aziz and Islam said in a statement Wednesday.
This past February new questions were raised about the NYPD’s handling of the investigation after a letter surfaced that had been written by a former New York City Police Department officer on his death bed.
On Jan. 25, 2011, Ray Wood, who was serving as an undercover police officer on the day of Malcolm X’s death, wrote a letter in which he admitted he “participated in actions that in hindsight were deplorable and detrimental to the advancement of my own black people.”
When Wood was hired by the NYPD in 1964, his job was to “infiltrate civil rights organizations” to find evidence of criminal activity so the FBI could discredit the subjects and arrest its leaders, Wood wrote in the letter obtained by ABC News.
Wood’s handler devised the arrest of two of Malcolm X’s “key” security detail members in a plot to bomb the Statue of Liberty days before his 1965 assassination, Wood wrote.
“It was my assignment to draw the two men into a felonious federal crime, so that they could be arrested by the FBI and kept away from managing Malcolm X’s door security on February 21, 1965,” Wood wrote. “… At that time I was not aware that Malcolm X was the target.”
Wood wrote that, as he faced failing health, he was concerned that the family of Thomas Johnson, one of the men convicted of killing Malcolm X, would not be able to exonerate him after Wood died. Johnson was arrested at the Audubon Ballroom the night Malcolm X was killed to protect Wood’s cover and “the secrets of the FBI and NYPD,” Wood wrote.
Wood placed his full confession into the care of his cousin, Reginald Wood Jr., and requested that the information be held until after his death.
“Muhammad’s and Khalil’s convictions were the product of gross official misconduct and a criminal justice system weighed against people of color,” Their exoneration was decades in the making and is proof that we need—and are able—to do better.” Deborah Francois, Shanies Law, said in a statement Wednesday.
