From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
Despite the Biglaw focus of Above the Law, it's almost strange to refer to George J. Mitchell as merely the former chair of international law firm DLA Piper. While absolutely accurate, Mitchell is also a former senator from Maine, a former Democratic Senate Majority Leader, a former special adviser and US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, a key negotiator of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a former Special Envoy to the Middle East, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In March 2021, we published an open letter signed by over 150 artists and art workers calling on the Museum of Modern Art in New York to cut ties with its then-chairman, private equity billionaire Leon Black, for his close relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. It worked, kind of. Black stepped down from his role, but still sits on the museum's board of trustees to this day.
"My reaction has always been the same," Allen told Variety in an interview published this week. "The situation has been investigated by ... two major investigative bodies. And both, after long detailed investigations, concluded there was no merit to these charges. ... The fact that it lingers on always makes me think that maybe people like the idea that it lingers on. You know, maybe there's something appealing to people."
Corletto, who was interviewed by NBC News, was 21 when he first attended services at McClurkin's church on Long Island in 2003. Corletto was motivated by reading McClurkin's autobiography, in which the singer said his religious faith helped him overcome the "curse" of being gay. At the service, McClurkin "talked about being raped as a child, which resonated with me because that's similar to my story," Corletto told NBC. McClurkin claimed the abuse made him gay.
"Sean Combs: The Reckoning" shows a side of Diddy we've never seen before. Netflix's four-part docuseries chronicles the rise and fall of Combs, also known as Diddy, as he goes from hip-hop mogul and billionaire business owner to the subject of a federal prosecution and over 60 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse. Combs, who pleaded not guilty, was ultimately convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and is serving a 50-month prison sentence.
A jury has been asked to decide whether a 44-year-old Danville cheer coach was sexually abusing teen girls, or if he was the victim of false accusations and prosecution cherrypicking after accidentally sending a masturbation video to a 15-year-old girl that was meant for a prostitute. Nicholas Moseby, a former biology teacher at San Ramon Valley High School who also coached cheerleading for a private group called Nor*Cal Elites, has been on trial for the past six weeks.
Given that this hospital serves many of our constituents, our offices are requesting a detailed account of the actions your hospital has taken since these allegations were first brought to your attention, Min and Levin wrote. Beyond the immediate case, we are deeply concerned with the systemic failures that may have allowed such alleged behavior to occur and persist. Looking ahead, we are eager to learn what proactive measures your hospital will be taking to prevent such incidents from ever happening again, they said.
I'm aware of the recent posts this artist made about our relationship, and while I support her need to express herself publicly, the relationship was completely consensual, based on mutual feelings and attraction, Franti said in the post. I vehemently dispute any version of the story that says otherwise. He continues on to say he takes full accountability for not recognizing the power imbalance as she was younger than me, and I was the headliner on the tour.
Dozens of women have come forward with allegations of abuse by the late Harrods owner going as far back as 1977, with numbers steadily increasing since the broadcast last year of the BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.