New Ram electric pickup can go up to 500 miles on a charge
DETROIT (AP) —
An electric Ram pickup truck with up to 500 miles of range per charge and a battery-powered people-hauling Kia SUV are among the new vehicles being introduced Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show.
The two debuts in New York on Wednesday are among only nine automaker press conferences, far short of previous years. Many of the new models have been rolled out previously as automakers move away from auto shows and introduce new products virtually.
The Ram 1500 Rev joins pickups from Ford, General Motors, Rivian and Lordstown Motors in a field that’s growing increasingly crowded. Tesla is supposed to start selling its long-awaited Cybertruck later in the year.
The Ram looks more like the current gas-powered model than a more futuristic concept vehicle the company showed off in January. But it’s full of new technology.
The Rev will come with a choice of two battery packs, the standard one with up to 350 miles of range and an optional larger pack with an expected range of 500 miles.
The company says it also can tow up to 14,000 pounds and carry 2,700 pounds in its bed. The 654-horsepower truck also can travel from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometers per hour) in 4.4 seconds, exceptionally quick for a vehicle that size.
Stellantis, which makes Ram vehicles, says the all-wheel-drive Rev can add up to 110 miles of range in about 10 minutes with a 350 kilowatt fast charger. The truck also is capable of powering worksite tools, sending power back to the grid or powering a home during an outage, the company says.
It’s built on a new frame designed specifically for larger electric vehicles.
The truck isn’t due in showrooms until the fourth quarter of 2024. The price will be announced closer to the on-sale date.
Ram hasn’t announced where the electric truck will be built, but says under current rules, it should qualify for a $7,500 U.S. electric vehicle tax credit. To qualify, vehicles must be assembled North America. Also a certain percentage of battery minerals and parts must come from the U.S. or free trade partners.
Kia’s new EV9 is a little longer than the automaker’s popular gas-powered Telluride, and it can seat up to seven people in three rows of seats.
The EV9 comes with two powertrain options, a standard battery and rear-wheel-drive, and an optional larger battery that’s expected to go 300 miles on a charge. All-wheel-drive also is an option.
Kia says the dual-motor GT line comes with 379 horsepower and can go from zero to 60 mph in five seconds. The battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in under 25 minutes at a fast-charging station, Kia says.
The EV9 will hit U.S. showrooms late this year, and it’s expected to be built at the company’s plant in West Point, Georgia, starting next year. The automaker says it’s reviewing requirements and doesn’t know yet whether it will qualify for the $7,500 tax credit.
The EV9′s price will be announced closer to the date it goes on sale.
Portuguese NGO sues TikTok, says platform 'profits from children'
LISBON, April 5 (Reuters) - A Portugal-based European consumer protection group has sued short-video app TikTok for allegedly allowing children aged under 13 to sign up for an account without parental consent and failing to implement measures to protect them.
The lawsuit came a day after Britain's data watchdog said it had fined TikTok 12.7 million pounds ($15.81 million) for breaching data protection law, including by using the personal data of children without parental consent.
Amid growing security concerns that China could use the Beijing-based company, owned by ByteDance Ltd, to harvest users' data, Australia, the United States, France and other Western countries have also lately banned TikTok from government devices.
"TikTok profits from children under the age of 13, taking advantage of their particular vulnerability," the non-profit group Ius Omnibus said in a statement, asking a Lisbon court to "put an end to the unlawful conduct" and order the financial compensation of those affected.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told Portuguese newspaper Publico in a statement that protecting its users and their data was of "utmost importance".
Ius Omnibus claims TikTok ends up collecting and processing children's personal data in breach of Portugal's constitution, the European Union's general data protection regulation and the unfair commercial practices law.
Despite TikTok's age limit, it "does not implement mechanisms to prevent registration" by users aged below 13, the group said.
In a separate lawsuit, it claims users older than 13 are also victims of "misleading business practices" and that certain personal data is used without their full consent.
Ius Omnibus said the situation exposes the children to "dangers to their moral, psychological and physical integrity and to their safety and health, as well as to the intimacy of their private and family life".
($1 = 0.8031 pounds)
Lukaku calls for 'real action' after racist abuse
Romelu Lukaku says Serie A must take "action for real this time" after he was racially abused by Juventus fans before being sent off on Tuesday.
He was shown a second yellow card for holding his finger to his lips in front of the home fans after scoring a 95th-minute penalty in the Coppa Italia tie.
"History repeats itself," the Inter Milan striker wrote on Instagram. "Been through it in 2019 and 2023 again.
"This beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone."
He added: "I hope the league really take actions for real this time."
Michael Yormark, president of Lukaku's representatives Roc Nation Sports International, said the abuse was "beyond despicable".
Juventus said they would work with police to identify those responsible following the game.
A statement read: "Juventus Football Club, as always, are collaborating with the police to identify those responsible for the racist gestures and chants which took place last night."
Scuffles broke out between players from both sides after Lukaku's equaliser.
Inter captain Samir Handanovic and midfielder Juan Cuadrado were shown red cards after the final whistle, with the fracas continuing down the tunnel.
"Tonight's racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted," Yormark said in a statement.
"Romelu scored a penalty late in the game. Before, during and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse.
"Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals. The referee's response was to award a yellow card to Romelu.
"Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus and I expect the league to condemn the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters immediately.
"The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse."
Lukaku, who returned to Inter on loan from Chelsea last summer, suffered racist abuse during his first spell at Inter between 2019 and 2021.
In September 2019 he said the game "was going backwards" after he was racially abused by Cagliari fans.
Cagliari were later cleared of racist chanting, with Piara Powar - chief of anti-discriminatory body Fare - claiming the disciplinary systems to combat racism in Italian football were "not fit for purpose".
In September 2021, Lukaku said racism in football was at an "all-time high" and that players, football authorities and social media could do more to tackle the issue.
In January, Serie A opened an investigation into allegations of racist abuse aimed towards Lukaku by Napoli fans.
The same day Lazio supporters racially abused Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda of Lecce, with the club later ordered to close part of their stadium for their next match.
In the Coppa Italia tie, midfielder Cuadrado put Juventus ahead in the 83rd minute before Gleison Bremer's handball presented Inter with the added-time spot-kick that Lukaku converted.
Cremonese host Fiorentina in the second semi-final on Wednesday, with the second legs of both ties set to be played on 26 and 27 April.
Source: BBC
Missouri tornado death toll up to 5 as crews search rubble
ST. LOUIS (AP) — At least five people were killed an an unknown number of others were hurt when a large tornado tore through an area of southeastern Missouri before dawn on Wednesday, authorities said.
The twister caused significant destruction in and around the small rural communities of Glen Allen and Grassy, Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham said in a post on his office’s Facebook account.
At least five people were killed, Graham wrote, noting that he was withholding the names of the dead to make sure their families could be notified first.
Crews from several agencies are searching through the rubble of destroyed and damaged homes, authorities said.
Justin Gibbs, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Paducah, Kentucky, said the tornado remained on the ground for roughly 15 minutes, traveling an estimated 15-20 miles (24-32 kilometers).
A weather service team was headed to Bollinger County to gather details about the tornado, but Gibbs said it’s clear “it was big. It was a significant tornado.”
He noted that tornadoes are especially dangerous when they touch down late at night or early in the morning, as this one did.
“It’s definitely a nightmare from a warning standpoint,” Gibbs said. “It’s bad anytime, but it’s especially bad at 3:30 in the morning.”
Finland joins NATO, doubling military alliance’s border with Russia in a blow for Putin
(CNN) — Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.
The Nordic nation’s accession was sealed during a formal ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were on hand as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto, established Finland’s accession.
“Finland has today become a member of the defense alliance NATO. The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins,” the Finnish presidency said in a statement.
“Each country maximizes its own security. So does Finland. At the same time, NATO membership strengthens our international position and room for maneuver. As a partner, we have long actively participated in NATO activities. In the future, Finland will make a contribution to NATO’s collective deterrence and defense,” it added.
Finland’s acceptance into the US-led security alliance presents a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought to undermine NATO, and before invading Ukraine, demanded the bloc refrain from further expansion.
The invasion instead drove non-aligned Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and seek protection within NATO, though Sweden’s attempt to join the bloc has been stalled by alliance members Turkey and Hungary.
On the eve of Tuesday’s ceremony, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg heralded the raising of the Finnish flag for the first time at the alliance’s headquarters in Belgium, saying “it will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.”
But Russia has warned that further NATO expansion will not bring more stability to Europe, and on Monday said it would scale up forces near Finland if the alliance sent any troops or equipment to the new member country.
“We will strengthen our military capabilities in the west and northwest if NATO members deploy forces and equipment on Finnish territory,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Finland’s accession will force Moscow to “take counter-measures to ensure our own security, both tactically and strategically.”
Prior to Tuesday, Russia shared about 1,215 kilometers (755 miles) of land border with five NATO members. Finland’s accession more than doubles NATO’s land border with Russia.
Stoltenberg said Putin had “failed” in his attempt to “slam NATO’s door shut.”
“Today, we show the world that he failed, that aggression and intimidation do not work. Instead of less NATO, he has achieved the opposite – more NATO – and our door remains firmly open,” he added.
“Joining NATO is good for Finland. It is good for Nordic security and it’s good for NATO as a whole. Finland brings substantial and highly capable forces expertise on national resilience and years of experience working side by side with NATO allies.”
What it means for Finland and the alliance
Finland’s NATO membership guarantees the northern European nation access to the resources of the entire alliance in the event of attack.
It includes the protection offered by NATO’s Article 5 principle, which states that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members. It’s been a cornerstone of the 30-member alliance since it was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union.
NATO membership also better integrates Finnish forces in training and planning with NATO allies.
The country is no stranger to working with NATO, with its troops regularly participating in NATO exercises under a partner status.
The Finnish Defense Force also operate some of the same weapons systems as other NATO members, including US-made F/A-18 fighters, German-designed Leopard main battle tanks and K9 Howitzers used by Norway and Estonia among others.
Helsinki has also signed on the F-35 stealth fighter program, which will allow its air force to work smoothly with NATO members including the US, UK, Norway, Italy, Canada, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands.
A November report from the Washington-based Wilson Center lists three key areas where Finland benefits NATO: reserve forces, technology access and artillery forces.
“Finland’s artillery forces are the largest and best-equipped in western Europe,” the report said.
“With some 1,500 artillery weapons, including 700 Howitzer guns, 700 heavy mortar, and 100 rocket launcher systems, the Finnish artillery has more artillery firepower than the combined militaries of Poland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden can currently muster,” it said.
The Wilson Center report also noted Finland’s strong cyber security record, pointing out the country is home to Nokia, “a major provider of 5G infrastructure,” and one of three major providers of 5G infrastructure in the world, along with Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei.
And it said Finland can muster 900,000 reserves who have been trained as conscripts in its armed forces. The wartime strength of Finnish forces is 280,000 troops, it says.
Sweden still waiting
Finland’s accession comes days after Turkey’s parliament voted to ratify the country’s membership, clearing the final hurdle for the country to join NATO and putting an end to months of delays.
Finnish and Swedish public support for joining NATO surged following the invasion of Ukraine. “Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine,” outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last April. “People’s mindset in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and shifted very dramatically.”
NATO has an open-door policy, meaning that any country can be invited to join if it expresses an interest, as long as it is able and willing to uphold the principles of the alliance’s founding treaty.
However, under the accession rules, any member state can veto a new country from joining.
An overwhelming majority of NATO members welcomed Finland and Sweden’s applications, but two countries – Turkey and Hungary – began to stall the process.
Turkey and Hungary later softened their stance on Finland’s accession, opening the door to its membership in March, while continuing to block Sweden’s membership application.
There is hope for Sweden’s bid, however. On Monday, Stoltenberg said Finland’s accession is “in itself something we should celebrate” but that it was also good for Sweden.
“It makes Sweden more integrated into NATO and makes Sweden even more safer,” Stoltenberg said. “At the same time we celebrate and enjoy that Finland is now a full-fledged member, we should continue work to finalize the Swedish accession process.”
Finland’s fold into the alliance also reignited calls from Ukraine to join.
“Finland’s accession is a clear message that the time to revise old strategies and old perceptions has come and there is no better solution to ensuring Euro-Atlantic security as a whole than eventual membership of Ukraine in NATO,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said as he was welcomed to the NATO headquarters by Stoltenberg on Tuesday.
World leaders welcome Finland’s accession
A chorus of NATO members congratulated Finland as it joined the alliance on Tuesday.
“Finland, welcome to NATO,” Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. “This is a historic day for you and for our alliance. It’s a step that makes every one of us safer. All NATO members now need to take the necessary steps to admit Sweden, so we stand together as one to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.”
He also called on Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s bid for NATO membership.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also hailed Finland’s accession to NATO.
“Finland is now a member of #NATO - this is good news and a victory for transatlantic security. With #Finland, our defense alliance has gained a strong friend,” he tweeted.
Scholz also gave his backing to Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, tweeted: “I warmly welcome the accession of #Finland to @NATO. This historic step will strengthen the Alliance, reinforce European & Transatlantic security and contribute to further fostering our #EU-NATO strategic partnership.”
———
CNN’s Brad Lendon, Allegra Goodwin, Alex Hardie and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.
Trump, facing criminal charges, calls for defunding the FBI
WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, one day after pleading not guilty in New York to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump, who is seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, took aim at federal law enforcement authorities even though the historic criminal charges against him - the first brought against any former or sitting president - were pursued by the Manhattan district attorney.
"REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. DOJ stands for the Department of Justice.
Trump's proposal would be a sharp turn for Republicans, who in the past have supported robust funding for law enforcement and have criticized proposals from some on the left in recent years to "defund" local police departments.
The FBI, part of the Justice Department, is the U.S. domestic intelligence and security agency. Trump himself appointed the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, after firing its previous chief, James Comey, in 2017.
Trump backed spending increases for the Justice Department while serving as president from 2017 to 2021. Its budget increased 4% during that span to $38.7 billion, White House figures showed.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has asked Congress in his budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 for about $50 billion in funding for the Justice Department, an increase over current levels.
Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by a special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. One focuses on efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost to Biden. The other focuses on classified documents that Trump retained after leaving office.
Congress appears unlikely to follow through on Trump's demand. Republicans control the House of Representatives and Democrats control the Senate. Republicans have called for sharp federal spending cuts in return for voting to raise the U.S. debt ceiling but have yet to put forward specific proposals.
The FBI on Wednesday declined to comment on Trump's remarks. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reduced funding for federal law enforcement also would not affect another criminal investigation involving Trump led by a county prosecutor in Georgia, focusing on whether he unlawfully sought to overturn his 2020 election loss in that state.
PAYMENTS TO TWO WOMEN
The office of Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, charged Trump on Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over allegations that he orchestrated payments to two women before the 2016 election to suppress publication of their sexual encounters with him.
Prosecutors said the payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal constituted an attempt to conceal a violation of election law.
Opinion polls show Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as he seeks to deny Biden a second term in office.
Trump over the years has complained that law enforcement at the national and state level were targeting him for political purposes, and his fellow Republicans in Congress have held hearings to examine what they describe as the "weaponization" of government.
He and his allies have accused Bragg, a Democrat, of bringing the charges for political reasons. Bragg in comments after the charges were brought on Tuesday said he has a responsibility to ensure everyone stands equal before the law.
Trump appeared at an arraignment in New York on Tuesday before flying back to his home in Florida to make public remarks. He declared himself the victim of election interference, without offering evidence.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday found that 51 percent of Americans, including 80% of Republicans, said they believed the charges are politically motivated.
The judge in the Manhattan case, Juan Merchan, has set the next hearing for Dec. 4, when campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination will be intensifying. Legal experts have said a trial may not get under way for a year.
Indictment or even conviction does not legally prevent a person from running for president.
In court on Tuesday, prosecutors raised concerns about Trump's social media posts, which have included a warning he made last month that the United States could face "death & destruction" if he were charged, and posting a photograph of him holding a baseball bat next to a picture of Bragg.
Merchan asked Trump's lawyers to remind him to refrain from making statements likely to incite violence or civil unrest, or jeopardize the safety of individuals. The judge said he will "have to take a closer look" at the issue if Trump were to make posts like those in the future.
At the Justice Department, Special Counsel Jack Smith has seemingly accelerated his Trump-related investigations in recent months. Trump has sought to block some former top aides and attorneys from being compelled to testify before the grand jury hearing evidence in Smith's two inquiries.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday he does not agree with the charges brought against Trump.
"Supposedly legal issues should not be used for electoral, political purposes," Lopez Obrador told a news conference in Mexico City.
———
Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and David Morgan in Washington and Karen Freifeld in New York; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Will Dunham and Andy Sullivan
Gwyneth Paltrow scores court win that means more than $1
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — All that for a dollar?
Nah, Gwyneth Paltrow ’s motivation to go to trial to fight a lawsuit accusing her of sending a fellow skier “absolutely flying” at a posh Utah ski resort in 2016 was about vindication.
She got it when a jury found her not at fault in the collision, granting her exactly the $1 she sought in her countersuit. As a court reporter read the verdict, the courtroom gallery made up mostly of her supporters exhaled while Paltrow sat next to her lawyer intently and avoided displaying emotion that could be interpreted as surprise or gloating.
She might have come out ahead in the court of public opinion, too, Hollywood lawyers and publicists say.
“It’s not often that you go through the whole expense and time and bother of litigation for a dollar,” said Tre Lovell, a Los Angeles lawyer who handles many celebrity cases. “But she wanted to turn this into a positive as a way of saying ‘I’m not going to get taken advantage of,’ and ‘I’m a good person.’”
The actor-turned-influencer avoided engaging in any memorable missteps during the eight-day trial that she attended every day as viewers in Park City, Utah, and around the world watched closely. She even ended things on a classy note when she stopped before leaving court to lean over and tap her accuser’s shoulder to wish him best of luck.
“She came across on the stand very well,” said Emily D. Baker, legal analyst and former Los Angeles deputy district attorney. “She was personable, she was firm, but she wasn’t ever aggressive. And it actually came across that she had empathy for what this plaintiff has gone through.”
When 76-year-old Terry Sanderson filed the lawsuit in 2019, it was the kind of case that seemed to scream for the quick, confidential settlement typical in lawsuits against celebrities. Instead, it endured for four years through trial.
“I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” Paltrow posted to her 8.3 million Instagram followers after the verdict.
Sanderson himself questioned afterward whether the lawsuit was worth it and said he believed that people tend to naturally trust celebrities like Paltrow.
Juror Samantha Imrie said in an interview on Good Morning America that it was evidence, not Paltrow’s celebrity, that swayed the jury. She said Sanderson seemed to be telling “his truth” but she thought it was “distorted.” Imrie, a 31-year-old nurse, said she found Paltrow’s testimony convincing.
“I think, you know, there was in the back of my mind, ‘Yes, this woman’s an actress,’ and you know, I took that into account,” Imrie said. “But, I didn’t feel that she had a reason to lie under oath. She’s always in the spotlight, so she always has to be honest.”
Holly Baird, a publicist who handles major celebrity crises including many court cases, says that while trials have potential downsides, there is no reason for famous people to avoid them at all costs.
“I didn’t see this being a downfall for her,” Baird said. “This isn’t like a murder case or anything. It humanizes her. People have similar stories.”
There were moments of potential pitfall, as when Paltrow answered a question about damages by saying she “had lost half a day of skiing,” acknowledged paying nearly $9,000 for her then-small kids’ skiing instruction and explained why she let her ski instructor stay behind to check on Sanderson and exchange information. As he waited to be tobogganed down the mountain by ski patrol, she followed her children Moses and Apple down the mountain, testifying that she was accustomed to having things done for her.
But the honest answer may not have done her damage.
“They live in a different world and it becomes their normal, but people are going to assume that,” Lovell said. “You can have that and people are going to know it and accept. You’ve just got to come across as humble.”
Baird agreed.
“I think she was authentic,” she said. “She’s with her children, she’s worried about them.”
The jury apparently found Paltrow likeable enough, returning after just 2 1/2 hours to give her a resounding win that blamed the collision 100% on Sanderson. Paltrow was awarded the $1 she requested in her countersuit, a symbolic amount that mirrored Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. Swift was awarded $1 in 2017. She may also be awarded money to pay attorney fees, a decision that rests with the judge. He had not posted a decision on the online court docket as of Friday.
His lawsuit had sought more than $300,000, though in closing arguments, his attorneys estimated damages as more than $3.2 million.
Trial lawyers are known to regularly engage in seemingly friendly repartee with witnesses to try and cultivate sympathy among the jury. But many observers thought Sanderson’s attorney Kristin VanOrman did the actor a major favor when she at times appeared charmed by Paltrow when she was on the stand.
When VanOrman asked Paltrow her height and she responded “just under 5′10”,” VanOrman replied, “I am so jealous! I think I’m shrinking. I have to wear heels just to make it to 5’5”.”
VanOrman’s efforts to flag for the jury that Paltrow was larger than the man she collided with were overshadowed when the actor said back: “They’re very nice.”
Lovell said it was so “bizarre and ineffective” that he thought VanOrman was Paltrow’s attorney when he first tuned in.
“That was ridiculous,” she said. “The jury sees that and thinks she must not be that bad if the opposing attorney likes her. She seemed star struck.”
Once among the most ubiquitous leading women in Hollywood, the Oscar winner has taken fewer and fewer roles in recent years. Many now identify her more with her wellness-and-lifestyle company Goop, whose offerings have brought her ridicule in some quarters as the quintessential out-of-touch peddler of celebrity woo-woo.
But that also makes Paltrow her own boss, who is not beholden to others for work, and has brought her a devoted set of customer-fans.
“Gwyneth has such a cult following in the lifestyle and wellness brand, and people love to see another side of their life like this,” Baird said. “I think her PR team should be using it. She’s getting way more TV time than she would any other way.”
Paltrow’s fight to clear her name resonated with many of her fans, including those who braved blizzards to fill the gallery of the Park City courtroom for two weeks.
“When you are a celebrity you know that you’re going to get some of this, but that was totally over the top,” said Ann Malcolm, a Park City local who enjoys skiing at Deer Valley, the mountain where Paltrow and Sanderson crashed.
A crowd made up of locals and some who traveled from California to catch a glimpse of the trial snapped selfies, showed each other mockups of t-shirts that read “#Gwynnocent” and commended Paltrow for being both gracious and fighting to clear her name.
“He thought it would be an easy payday,” said David Madow, a retired dentist and avid skier who attended multiple days of court proceedings. “I was impressed with the fact that she said ‘No, I’m not gonna do that.’”
___
Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
___
Associated Press Writer Krysta Fauria contributed.
Oscar Pistorius stays in prison after his parole is denied
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Former Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was denied parole Friday and will have to stay in prison for at least another year and four months after it was decided that he had not served the “minimum detention period” required to be released following his murder conviction for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 10 years ago.
The parole board ruled that Pistorius would only be able to apply again in August 2024, South Africa’s Department of Corrections said in a short, two-paragraph statement. It was released soon after a parole hearing at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre prison where Pistorius is being held.
The board cited a new clarification on Pistorius’ sentence that was issued by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal just three days before the hearing, according to the statement. Still, legal experts criticized authorities’ decision to go ahead with the hearing when Pistorius was not eligible.
Reeva Steenkamp’s parents, Barry and June, are “relieved” with the decision to keep Pistorius in prison but are not celebrating it, their lawyer told The Associated Press.
“They can’t celebrate because there are no winners in this situation. They lost a daughter and South Africa lost a hero,” lawyer Tania Koen said, referring to the dramatic fall from grace of Pistorius, once a world-famous and highly-admired athlete.
The decision and reasoning to deny parole was a surprise but there has been legal wrangling over when Pistorius should be eligible for parole because of the series of appeals in his case. He was initially convicted of culpable homicide, a charge comparable to manslaughter, in 2014 but the case went through a number of appeals before Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murder in 2017.
Serious offenders must serve at least half their sentence to be eligible for parole in South Africa. Pistorius’ lawyers had previously gone to court to argue that he was eligible because he had served the required portion if they also counted periods served in jail from late 2014 following his culpable homicide conviction.
The lawyer handling Pistorius’ parole application did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
June Steenkamp attended Pistorius’ hearing inside the prison complex to oppose his parole. The parents have said they still do not believe Pistorius’ account of their daughter’s killing and wanted him to stay in jail.
Pistorius, who is now 36, has always claimed he killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law student, in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine’s Day 2013 after mistaking her for a dangerous intruder in his home. He shot four times with his licensed 9 mm pistol through a closed toilet cubicle door in his bathroom, where Steenkamp was, hitting her multiple times. Pistorius claimed he didn’t realize his girlfriend had got out of bed and gone to the bathroom.
The Steenkamps say they still think he is lying and killed her intentionally after a late-night argument.
Lawyer Koen had struck a more critical tone when addressing reporters outside the prison before the hearing, saying the Steenkamps believed Pistorius could not be considered to be rehabilitated “unless he comes clean” over the killing.
“He’s the killer of their daughter. For them, it’s a life sentence,” Koen said before the hearing.
June Steenkamp had sat grim-faced in the back seat of a car nearby while Koen spoke to reporters outside the prison gates ahead of the hearing. June Steenkamp and Koen were then driven into the prison in a Department of Corrections vehicle. June Steenkamp made her submission to the parole board in a separate room to Pistorius and did not come face-to-face with her daughter’s killer, Koen said.
Barry Steenkamp did not travel for the hearing because of poor health but a family friend read out a statement to the parole board on his behalf, the parents’ lawyer said.
Pistorius was once hailed as an inspirational figure for overcoming the adversity of his disability, before his murder trial and sensational downfall captivated the world.
Pistorius’s lower legs were amputated when he was a baby because of a congenital condition and he walks with prosthetics. He went on to become a double-amputee runner and multiple Paralympic champion who made history by competing against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, running on specially designed carbon-fiber blades.
Pistorius’ conviction eventually led to him being sent to the Kgosi Mampuru II maximum security prison, one of South Africa’s most notorious. He was moved to the Atteridgeville prison in 2016 because that facility is better suited to disabled prisoners.
There have only been glimpses of his life in prison, with reports claiming he had at one point grown a beard, gained weight and taken up smoking and was unrecognizable from the elite athlete he once was.
He has spent much of his time working in an area of the prison grounds where vegetables are grown, sometimes driving a tractor, and has reportedly been running bible classes for other inmates.
Pistorius’ father, Henke Pistorius, told the Pretoria News newspaper before the hearing that his family hoped he would be home soon.
“Deep down, we believe he will be home soon,” Henke Pistorius said, “but until the parole board has spoken the word, I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
___
Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.
Italy temporarily blocks ChatGPT over privacy concerns
ROME (AP) — Italy is temporarily blocking the artificial intelligence software ChatGPT in the wake of a data breach as it investigates a possible violation of stringent European Union data protection rules, the government’s privacy watchdog said Friday.
The Italian Data Protection Authority said it was taking provisional action “until ChatGPT respects privacy,” including temporarily limiting the company from processing Italian users’ data.
U.S.-based OpenAI, which developed the chatbot, said late Friday night it has disabled ChatGPT for Italian users at the government’s request. The company said it believes its practices comply with European privacy laws and hopes to make ChatGPT available again soon.
While some public schools and universities around the world have blocked ChatGPT from their local networks over student plagiarism concerns, Italy’s action is “the first nation-scale restriction of a mainstream AI platform by a democracy,” said Alp Toker, director of the advocacy group NetBlocks, which monitors internet access worldwide.
The restriction affects the web version of ChatGPT, popularly used as a writing assistant, but is unlikely to affect software applications from companies that already have licenses with OpenAI to use the same technology driving the chatbot, such as Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
The AI systems that power such chatbots, known as large language models, are able to mimic human writing styles based on the huge trove of digital books and online writings they have ingested.
The Italian watchdog said OpenAI must report within 20 days what measures it has taken to ensure the privacy of users’ data or face a fine of up to either 20 million euros (nearly $22 million) or 4% of annual global revenue.
The agency’s statement cites the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and pointed to a recent data breach involving ChatGPT “users’ conversations” and information about subscriber payments.
OpenAI earlier announced that it had to take ChatGPT offline on March 20 to fix a bug that allowed some people to see the titles, or subject lines, of other users’ chat history.
“Our investigation has also found that 1.2% of ChatGPT Plus users might have had personal data revealed to another user,” the company had said. “We believe the number of users whose data was actually revealed to someone else is extremely low and we have contacted those who might be impacted.”
Italy’s privacy watchdog, known as the Garante, also questioned whether OpenAI had legal justification for its “massive collection and processing of personal data” used to train the platform’s algorithms. And it said ChatGPT can sometimes generate — and store — false information about individuals.
Finally, it noted there’s no system to verify users’ ages, exposing children to responses “absolutely inappropriate to their age and awareness.”
OpenAI said in response that it works “to reduce personal data in training our AI systems like ChatGPT because we want our AI to learn about the world, not about private individuals.”
“We also believe that AI regulation is necessary — so we look forward to working closely with the Garante and educating them on how our systems are built and used,” the company said.
The Italian watchdog’s move comes as concerns grow about the artificial intelligence boom. A group of scientists and tech industry leaders published a letter Wednesday calling for companies such as OpenAI to pause the development of more powerful AI models until the fall to give time for society to weigh the risks.
The president of Italy’s privacy watchdog agency told Italian state TV Friday evening he was one of those who signed the appeal. Pasquale Stanzione said he did so because “it’s not clear what aims are being pursued” ultimately by those developing AI.
If AI should “impinge” on a person’s “self-determination” then “this is very dangerous,″ Stanzione said. He also described the absence of filters for users younger than 13 as ”rather grave.”
San Francisco-based OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, announced this week that he’s embarking on a six-continent trip in May to talk about the technology with users and developers. That includes a stop planned for Brussels, where European Union lawmakers have been negotiating sweeping new rules to limit high-risk AI tools, as well as visits to Madrid, Munich, London and Paris.
European consumer group BEUC called Thursday for EU authorities and the bloc’s 27 member nations to investigate ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots. BEUC said it could be years before the EU’s AI legislation takes effect, so authorities need to act faster to protect consumers from possible risks.
“In only a few months, we have seen a massive take-up of ChatGPT, and this is only the beginning,” Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl said.
Waiting for the EU’s AI Act “is not good enough as there are serious concerns growing about how ChatGPT and similar chatbots might deceive and manipulate people.”
___
O’Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan contributed from London.
Trump indictment ends decades of perceived invincibility
NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump steps before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. It will also represent a reckoning for a man long nicknamed “Teflon Don,” who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny.
Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to turn himself in Tuesday. He faces charges including at least one felony offense related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign. Like any other person facing trial, he will be booked, fingerprinted and photographed before being given the chance to enter a plea.
The spectacle that is sure to unfold will mark an unprecedented moment in American history that will demonstrate once again how dramatically Trump — who already held the distinction of being the first president to be impeached twice — has upended democratic norms. But on a personal level, the indictment pierces the cloak of invincibility that seemed to follow Trump through his decades in business and in politics, as he faced allegations of fraud, collusion and sexual misconduct.
“Boy, after all this time it’s a bit of a shock,” Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio said of the indictment. “You know I always thought of him as the Gingerbread Man, shouting, ‘You can’t catch me!’ as he ran away.”
“Given his track record,” he said, “I had trouble imagining he would ever be held accountable.”
“These are not things that Donald Trump ever thought in his entire life, nor I, for that matter, that he would ever be confronted with,” Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer and a key witness in the case who served jail time for the payments, told CNN.
Of course, some of the celebration by Trump’s detractors may be premature. The former president could seek to have a judge quickly dismiss the case. And even if it moves forward, there’s no guarantee of conviction. Intensifying investigations in Atlanta and Washington are seen as potentially more serious legal threats.
Still, Trump and his team were caught by surprise when word of the New York indictment broke Thursday evening, following news reports that the grand jury hearing the case was set for a weeks-long hiatus. As the deliberations dragged on, some in Trump’s orbit had become convinced that the case had stalled and that charges might never be brought. That included Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, who said Friday morning he had hoped the “rule of law would prevail.”
Trump, he said on the “Today” show, was “initially was shocked” by news of the charges, but quickly pivoted to his usual pushback playbook.
“After he got over that,” he said, Trump “put a notch on his belt and he decided we have to fight now. And he got into a typical Donald Trump posture where he’s ready to be combative on something that he believes is an injustice. ... I think he’s now in the posture that he’s ready to fight this.”
In the meantime, Trump and his team have tried to use the news to his advantage, hoping to energize his loyal base by painting the investigation as part of a larger plot to derail his candidacy.
Already, the charges have been a boon to his struggling fundraising. The campaign announced Friday evening that it had raised over $4 million in the 24 hours after the indictment became public, far smashing its previous record after the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
More than 25% of donations, according to the campaign, came from first-time donors. The average contribution: $34.
His campaign also continued to blast out supportive statements from dozens of top Republicans who have rallied behind Trump, including several of his declared and likely challengers, underscoring his continued hold on the party. Trump has been in contact by phone with key congressional allies, including members of House leadership and top committees, according to people familiar with the conversations, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the response.
Trump ally Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who formally endorsed the former president Friday, said Trump “doesn’t back down” and was going to “fight back,” telling a local radio show it was “yet another chapter where Donald Trump is going to come back on top in the end.”
The media maelstrom has catapulted the former president back into the spotlight he craves, at least temporarily limiting attention being paid to his rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge Trump for the nomination, and has been holding events across the county to promote his book.
Trump aides have been discussing other ideas to maximize the situation, including the possibility of holding a press event either before or after the arraignment. Trump is expected to travel from Florida to New York on Monday and stay overnight at Trump Tower in Lower Manhattan before heading to the courthouse early Tuesday. He will then return to Florida after the arraignment.
Trump has long denied that he had a sexual encounter with the porn actor known as Stormy Daniels and has blasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for pursuing the years-old case.
Trump is also facing continued investigations in Georgia, over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and in Washington, where a special counsel is probing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as well as Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and potential obstruction of the investigation.
But Sam Nunberg, a longtime former aide who broke with Trump years ago, said that while he no longer supports Trump, he believes the Manhattan case is “a waste of time,” given the allegations, which remain under seal. And he said he was skeptical it would ultimately matter.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said of the indictment. “What would surprise me is if he actually ended up behind bars in prison and I don’t see that happening.”
D’Antonio said that sentiment — and a continued belief that Trump will somehow prevail and dodge the charges — continues among the many people who have reached out to him in the last 24 hours, despite the charges.
“They’re like, he’s going to get away with it,” he said. “Somehow, he’s going to get it thrown out.”