Week In Review

By Kajon Pompey Edited by Elissa D. Hecker

Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News: Entertainment Deliberations Begin in Johnny Depp v. Heard Trial With more than one million online viewers, deliberations in the Depp v. Heard defamation trial started. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/arts/depp-heard-closing-arguments-libel.html

Judy Huth v. Cosby is Headed to Trial Judy Huth met with Bill Cosby as a teenager. She accepted an invitation to attend his personal tennis club where Huth and her friend were given alcohol and then taken to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. There, Huth accused Cosby of forcing her to engage in a sexual act on him in bed. Huth filed a case against Cosby in 2014 and Cosby has since denied her account as fabrication. Currently, the judge will decide the credibility of each party. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/22/arts/television/bill-cosby-civil-lawsuit-sexual-assault.html

Former 'Power Ranger' Actor Caught in Covid Relief Fraud Scheme Jason Lawrence Geiger, former "Mighty Morphine Power Rangers" actor is charged, along with 17 others, with fraud where Geiger and others are accused of stealing millions of dollars from the government's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) pandemic relief fund. Geiger is accused of using a mix of sham and genuine businesses to obtain the PPP loans. According to court documents, he and others are accused of spending the relief funds on jewelry, precious metal, and cars. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/red-power-ranger-actor-charged-multimillion-dollar-ppp-covid-relief-fr-rcna29813

New York: Adult Victims Allowed to Sue in Old Sex-Abuse Cases The Adult Survivors Act now enables victims, those 18 or older of alleged sexual abuse, a one-year window to sue their abusers in New York. At the forefront is Drew Dixon, a former music producer, who worked closely with media mogul Russell Simmons in the early 90s. Dixon alleged that Simmons raped her. Simmons has since denied the allegations. Dixon, like potentially many other older survivors, may have felt that they were forced to choose between coming forward and their careers; however, the passage of this bill will allow older survivors to come forward and carry some of the burden currently borne by more recent victims. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/nyregion/adult-survivors-act.html

Spacey Accused of Sexual Assaults The British authorities have brought criminal charges against Kevin Spacey on four counts of sexual assault against three men. An independent investigation concluded that Spacey's notoriety and status prevented people from speaking up against the actor and asking for help. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/arts/television/kevin-spacey-sexual-assault-charges.html

Iran's Crackdown Impacts Filmmakers In the face of increased food price demonstrations by its citizens, Iranian authorities have arrested, raided, and confiscated personal items of documentary and internationally known filmmakers in Iran. Experts consider this the largest crackdown on Iran's filmmaking industry in recent years. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/22/world/middleeast/iran-filmmakers.html

Arts Broadway Theaters Extend Mask Mandate for Ticketholders The Broadway League, a trade association representing theatre owners and producers, will continue to require ticket holders to wear masks through at least June 30th. Although NYC Mayor Eric Adams is rejecting a mask mandate, a number of performing arts venues have opted to stick with a more restrictive policy. Currently, NYC has been declared as a "high Covid alert." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/theater/broadway-masks.html

Current Art Valuation: Speculation and Hype Until recently, the value of art, collectively, was determined by: curators, scholars, editors, educators, and art critics. Now, the most recent sale of modern and contemporary art in New York has changed the landscape, with younger artists and artists of colors' works selling well, without institutional backing. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/arts/design/art-auction-value-christies-phillips.html

Minority Art Groups on the Rise The Wallace Foundation, an organization that fosters equity and improvements in the arts, will provide millions to aid 18 organizations of color nationwide. The new initiative is aimed to provide up to $3.75 million over the next 5 years and the acknowledgement that "organizations of color have a certain history of undercapitalization." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/arts/wallace-foundation-arts-funding-initiative.html

One Snap at a Time: The Capturing of the Indigenous Culture Matika Wilbur is a Swinish and Tulip (tribes from the Puget Sound region) storyteller and photographer who spent 10 years exploring and capturing in photographs every federally recognized tribe in the U.S. To date, Wilbur has traveled over 600,000 road miles and visited 400 tribal nations. The goal is to allow the tribes to express and represent themselves in their own languages and to correct a narrative that has been misrepresented for centuries due to cultural erasure. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/18/arts/indigenous-native-photography-matika-wilbur.html

Building a Brand with Used Goods Designer Erin Beauty is up cycling existing items to create a viable business in the fashion industry. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/21/style/rentrayage.html

Art Dealer Sentences to 7 Years in Prison for $86 million Fraud Scheme A London art dealer sentenced to 7 years in prison for duping investors and then fleeing to the Pacific Islands. Dealer Indigo Phillbrick pleaded guilty for wire fraud, agreeing to forfeit $86 million. Phillbrick was a fixture in the postwar and contemporary art world, known for traveling on private jets, renting villas in Ibiza and wearing handmade Italian suits. Prosecutors said that Phillbrick sold a total of more than 100% ownership in an artwork to multiple investors, sold artworks or used them as collateral on loans without the knowledge of their co-owners, and created fraudulent documents to inflate the value of artwork. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/arts/inigo-philbrick-art-dealer-sentenced-prison.html

The Louvre's Former President Charged with Artifact Trafficking Jean-Luc Martinze, the former president of the Louvre from 2013- 2021, was charged with complicity in fraud and money laundering in connection with an investigation into Egyptian artifacts that were trafficked over the past decade. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/arts/design/louvre-jean-luc-martinez-trafficking.html

Sports Climate Change v. Our Beloved Winter Sports Sports like Skiing and Bobsledding are threatened by warming arctic regions. Further, a shrinking sea ice has impacted seal hunting and birthing habits of polar bears. Research has pointed to summer monsoons in India and unexpected cold weather in North America as the links to a warming Arctic. Scientists say that the warming Arctic should provide a sober alert for sports officials worldwide and how the impact of a warming climate will have on events, such as the Winter Olympics, and alert us to issues, such as golf and water resources, and even team and individual athletes' carbon footprint. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/sports/arctic-sports-climate-change.html

Anaheim Mayor Resigns Amid Bribery, Fraud, and Obstruction of Justice Allegations Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhul is accused of bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering in connection with the city's $320 million sale of Angel Stadium and its surrounding land. Sidhul has since resigned. The FBI alleged that he negotiated against the city's interest in the sale of the stadium by sharing confidential information with seller, the Los Angeles Angels. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/us/anaheim-mayor-resigns-harry-sidhu.html https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-23/anaheim-mayor-harry-sidhu-resigns-corruption-probe-angel-stadium-land-sale

Giants' Manager Boycotts National Anthem In protest of "the direction of our Country", Giants Manager Gabe Kapler decided that he will not come out of the clubhouse or dugout for the playing of the national anthem for the time being. Kapler's decision comes at the wake of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/sports/baseball/all-star-georgia-voting-law.html https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/giants-gabe-kapler-skipping-national-anthem-until-i-feel-better-about-the-direction-of-our-country/

Yankees: 'We Cannot Look the Other Way' The New York Yankees have decided to use their social media platforms to spread awareness of gun violence in the United States. The Tampa Bay Rays have also collaborated with the Yankees to spread awareness of gun violence on their platforms in lieu of game coverage. http://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/sports/yankees-rays-gun-violence-uvalde.html https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/yankees-rays-social-media-gun-violence-uvalde/bjmxcixpffec0dghy7zsq5q2

Transgender Athletes Barred in Indiana Indiana Republican lawmakers banned transgendered girls from playing girls' sport teams at their schools. State Senator Shelli Yoder, a Democrat, worries that the legislation could potentially damage children's mental health: "we are spending our times to make children feel bad about themselves..." At least 17 other states have introduced similar restrictions on transgender sports participation in recent years. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/us/indiana-legislature-transgender-sports-ban.html

U.S. Won't Prosecute Two FBI Agents in Nassar Scandal Two former agents in the Nassar scandal were accused of mishandling the sexual abuse allegations against Nassar, a convicted sex abuser and former USA Gymnastics doctor. The U.S. Department of Justice said that it did not have enough evidence to prosecute. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/us/politics/justice-dept-fbi-nassar.html

22-Time Grand Slam Tennis Player Reveals Sexual Abuse Against Coach Professional tennis player Pamela Shriver surprised the tennis community by revealing her sexual relationship with her longtime coach, Don Candy, who passed away in 2020. Shriver never told her mother and says that such inappropriate relationships are commonplace in tennis. Shriver revealed that the relationship has impacted her ability to form normal relationships. http://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/sports/tennis/tennis-predatory-coaches.html https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/apr/20/pam-shriver-had-traumatic-affair-with-50-year-old-coach-when-she-was-17

Gruden Suit Against National Football League Can Proceed with a Public View Jon Gruden won an important motion, one that otherwise could have compelled him to have a closed-door arbitration, in his lawsuit against the National Football League (NFL). Gruden sued the NFL over a New York Times report that revealed emails where he used racist language when referring to DeMaurice Smith of the NFL Player's Union. The reporting on his emails led him to resign from his position as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/sports/football/jon-gruden-lawsuit-nfl.html

$3.1 Billion British Icon Deal - The Purchase of Chelsea F.C. The British government is permitting the purchase of Chelsea F.C., one of European soccer's blue-ribbon teams, by an American led investment group. The deal was permitted after assurances were made that the proceeds would not land in the hand of the club's Russian owner. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/sports/soccer/chelsea-sale-abramovich-boehly.html

Media/Technology Twitter Shareholders v. Musk Twitter shareholders filed suit against Elon Musk alleging that his actions are causing the stock price to drop so that he can negotiate a lower price. Musk has plans to buy the company at $44 billion, but then stated that the deal could not go through until the company provided information about the number of span and bot accounts. https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/ap-top-news/2022/05/26/twitter-shareholders-sue-musk-say-he-deflated-stock-price https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/business/twitter-elon-musk.html

Employees of Activision Vote to Form a Union Employees at a subsidiary of gaming company Raven Software, Blizzard voted to unionize the same day the company was found guilty of threatening its workers from speaking out against working conditions by the National Labor Relations Board. The employees in the video game industry have complained for years about poor pay, gender discrimination, and arduous working hours --often 12 to 14 hour shifts in order to meet deadlines. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/technology/activision-raven-union.html https://www.npr.org/2022/05/23/1100743563/in-major-video-game-company-first-activision-blizzard-employees-are-joining-a-un

Borderless Data is Ending Digital data, from Instagram ads to swiping our credit cards are all pieces of digital information that may be disrupted due to nations accelerating their efforts to control data within their perimeters. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/technology/data-privacy-laws.html

A.I. and Its Impact on Test-takers The pandemic has affected the way students are tested and provides an unexpected and yet major drawback to remote testing. Remote proctoring companies offering web browser extensions that detect keystrokes and cursor movements, and the collection of audio are acting a complication with their algorithm. One case study provides an example where it has taken many academics, bureaucracy, and technology to conclude that ultimately it is a human judgement call to decide whether a student actually cheated on her test. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/technology/college-students-cheating-software-honorlock.html

General News Supreme Court Limits Inmates Ineffective Counsel Challenge The 6-to-3 decision split led to the Supreme Court's decision to cut back sharply on prisoners' abilities to challenge their convictions in federal court by arguing that their lawyers had been ineffective in state court proceedings. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, looked to a 1996 federal law limiting habeas corpus petitions on the judicial system's interest in finality and on state sovereignty. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/us/politics/supreme-court-ineffective-counsel.html

National Rifle Association Blame Violence on Evil but Not Guns At the latest National Rifle Gathering gathering, while gun supporters mourn the many lives lost in the latest shooting massacres, there still remains a divide on what to do next nationwide and who is to blame. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/us/politics/nra-convention-guns.html

U.S. to Permit Asylum to Some Starting at the end of the month, the Biden Administration will allow some migrants from the Southwestern border to seek asylum. The new process will deliver migrant decisions within months rather than years and is currently being taken up by the immigrant court system. Further, the new process will apply to a 'few hundred' migrants per month. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/us/politics/asylum-system.html

Donald Trump's Latest Legal Blow: New York Civil Investigation to Continue A federal judge dismissed Trump's lawsuit seeking to holt the New York attorney general's civil investigation into his business practices. Consequently, Attorney General James may continue with her investigation in the coming months. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/nyregion/trump-letitia-james-ny.html