‘Saltburn’ actor Barry Keoghan named Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year

‘Saltburn’ actor Barry Keoghan named Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals has named Barry Keoghan, best known for his roles in “Dunkirk,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “Eternals,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin,” as the recipient of its 2024 Man of the Year Award. Keoghan recently starred in the comedy psychological thriller “Saltburn” and can be seen … Read more

A COVID-era program is awash in fraud. Ending it could help Congress expand the child tax credit

A COVID-era program is awash in fraud. Ending it could help Congress expand the child tax credit

WASHINGTON — When IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel met privately with senators recently, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee asked for his assessment of a startling report: A whistleblower estimated that 95% of claims now being made by businesses for a COVID-era tax break were fraudulent. “He looked at his shoes and he basically said, … Read more

Prominent celebrity lawyer pleads guilty to leaking documents to reporters in Fugees rapper’s case

Prominent celebrity lawyer pleads guilty to leaking documents to reporters in Fugees rapper’s case

WASHINGTON — A prominent defense attorney whose star clients have included Snoop Dogg pleaded guilty Friday to leaking grand jury information to reporters about a political conspiracy case against a rapper from the Fugees. David Kenner, a California-based attorney known for his representation of celebrities like Suge Knight and Tory Lanez, was sentenced to a … Read more

New Jersey already protects abortion rights. Now Democrats want to cover out-of-pocket costs, too

New Jersey already protects abortion rights. Now Democrats want to cover out-of-pocket costs, too

TRENTON, N.J. — Dawn Ericksen was struggling with an opioid addiction a dozen years ago when she got pregnant and realized she couldn’t keep herself safe, much less a baby. Working part-time, she couldn’t afford the hundreds of dollars she would need for an abortion and had to turn to a trusted friend to help … Read more

Transgender veterans sue to have gender-affirming surgery covered by Department of Veteran Affairs

Transgender veterans sue to have gender-affirming surgery covered by Department of Veteran Affairs

A group of transgender veterans filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to begin providing and paying for gender-affirming surgeries. The lawsuit from the Transgender American Veterans Association seeks to compel the VA to codify in its regulations verbal assurances the department has made that it would begin providing those … Read more

A famed NYC museum is closing two Native American halls. Harvard and others have taken similar steps

A famed NYC museum is closing two Native American halls. Harvard and others have taken similar steps

NEW YORK — New York’s American Museum of Natural History is closing two halls featuring Native American objects starting Saturday, acknowledging the exhibits are “severely outdated” and contain culturally sensitive items. The mammoth complex across from Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is the latest U.S. institution to cover up or remove Native American … Read more

Pentagon chief Austin’s cancer prognosis is ‘excellent,’ no further treatments needed, doctors say

Pentagon chief Austin’s cancer prognosis is ‘excellent,’ no further treatments needed, doctors say

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center say his prostate cancer prognosis is excellent and no further treatments will be needed after seeing him for a follow-up appointment Friday. Austin, 70, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December and spent two weeks in the hospital following complications from … Read more

Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after ex-employee files sex abuse suit

Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after ex-employee files sex abuse suit

STAMFORD, Conn. — Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigned Friday from WWE’s parent company t he day after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex. McMahon stepped down from the his position as executive chairman of the … Read more

Utah poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people

Utah poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people

Utah is poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people after its Republican-controlled Legislature passed a measure Friday that requires people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government-owned buildings that match their sex assigned at birth. Transgender people can defend themselves against a complaint that they … Read more

A private prison health care company accused of substandard care is awarded new contract in Illinois

A private prison health care company accused of substandard care is awarded new contract in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois has awarded a more than $4 billion prison medical care contract to the same company it’s used for three decades, despite multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the firm and statewide complaints alleging substandard care. Pittsburgh-based Wexford Health Sources was one of two companies responding to a request for proposals from the Illinois Department … Read more