Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police

Demetrio Jackson was desperate for medical help when the paramedics arrived. The 43-year-old was surrounded by police who arrested him after responding to a trespassing call in a Wisconsin parking lot. Officers had shocked him with a Taser and pinned him as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Now he sat on the ground with … Read more

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs files motion to dismiss some claims in a sexual assault lawsuit

LOS ANGELES — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs pushed back against a woman’s lawsuit that accused him of sexual assault, filing a motion on Friday to dismiss some claims that were not under law when the alleged incident occurred. The motion filed in a New York court claims Combs cannot be sued because certain laws … Read more

Retrial of Harvey Weinstein unlikely to occur soon, if ever, experts say

NEW YORK — The retrial in New York of Harvey Weinstein — whose moviemaking prowess once wowed Hollywood — won’t be coming to a courtroom anytime soon, if ever, legal experts said on a day when one of two women considered crucial to the case said she wasn’t sure she would testify again. A ruling … Read more

Harvey Weinstein due back in court, while a key witness weighs whether to testify at a retrial

Harvey Weinstein will appear in a New York City court next week, the first step in potentially retrying the film mogul after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned. New York’s highest court on Thursday threw out Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, ordering a new trial. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has said it intends to pursue … Read more

Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November. In a statement Friday, Biden’s top health official gave no timeline for issuing the rule, saying only that the administration would take more time … Read more

Mexican film wins top prize at Moscow International Film Festival while major studios boycott Russia

MOSCOW — A Mexican film has won the top prize Friday at the Moscow International Film Festival, which took place as major Western studios boycott the Russian market and as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its third year. “Shame,” a film by director Miguel Salgado and co-produced by Mexico and Qatar, was the most … Read more

Chicago appeals court rejects R. Kelly ‘s challenge of 20-year sentence

CHICAGO — The singer R. Kelly was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison on child sex convictions in Chicago, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. Jurors in 2022 convicted the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, on three charges of producing child porn and three charges of enticement of minors for sex. … Read more

USDA tells producers to reduce salmonella in certain frozen chicken products

Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning under a final rule issued Friday by U.S. agriculture officials. When the regulation takes effect in 2025, salmonella will be considered an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause foodborne illness — when … Read more

‘There’s Still Tomorrow’ director Paola Cortellesi talks success, toxic relationships and hope

LONDON — Actor Paola Cortellesi has long been a staple on the Italian pop culture scene, mostly known for her work as a comedian. Then she turned to directing and her first feature movie, “There’s Still Tomorrow,” took Italy by storm. The black-and-white film about an ordinary woman trapped in a toxic marriage in post-World … Read more

Repatriated South African apartheid-era artworks on display to celebrate 30 years of democracy

JOHANNESBURG — A selection of South African artworks produced during the country’s apartheid era which ended up in foreign art collections is on display in Johannesburg to mark 30 years since the country’s transition to democracy in 1994. Most of the artworks were taken out of the country by foreign tourists and diplomats who had … Read more