Inmate mistakenly released from same New Orleans jail where 10 others escaped

Inmate mistakenly released from same New Orleans jail where 10 others escaped

An inmate was mistakenly released last week from the same New Orleans jail that was the scene of abrazen breakout in May, officials said. Officials at an Orleans Parish correctional facility said they accidentally released 30-year-old Khalil Bryan, who was being held on a warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, child endangerment and home invasion. He has a criminal history that includes burglary, assault and drug violations. The Orleans Parish sheriff said that Bryan's release was a clerical error because another inmate scheduled for release had a similar last name. "The mistaken release of Khalil Bryan was a serious error, and as sheriff, I take full responsibility," Sheriff Susan Hutson said during a news conference on Friday. "While our systems are designed to catch these discrepancies, human error led to a breakdown in the verification process." CBS affiliate WWLreported that Bryan was released shortly after 1 a.m. Friday. However, the public was not notified until later in the afternoon. It is still unclear when deputies realized their mistake and when the sheriff was notified, the station reported, citing sources. Hutson said an investigation has been launched into Bryan's release. "I want the public to know this should not have happened," she said. "It was a failure of internal processes, and the public has every right to expect better." Bryan was released from the same jail where 10 inmates escaped in May after ripping a toilet from the wall. All but one have been caught. The sheriff called that escape an "inside job," and more than a dozen people have been charged with aiding the escapees. Amaintenance worker at the jail was arrestedand accused of helping them escape. His lawyer said last week thathe is being used as a scapegoat. "The Wizard of Oz" as you've never seen it before John Oliver: The 60 Minutes Interview Finding the plane used for Argentina's dictatorship-era "death flights" | 60 Minutes

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 28, 2025

Inmate mistakenly released from same New Orleans jail where 10 others escaped

Inmate mistakenly released from same New Orleans jail where 10 others escaped An inmate was mistakenly released last week from the same New ...

Read More

Iona becomes first hurricane in central Pacific Ocean this year

Iona becomes first hurricane in central Pacific Ocean this year

A tropical storm in the central Pacific Ocean rapidly strengthened into Hurricane Iona on Monday, forecasters said. The hurricane didn't pose an immediate threat to the Hawaiian Islands. As of early Monday morning in Hawaii, Iona was located about 895 miles southeast of Honolulu, according to the National Hurricane Center based in Miami. Map shows Hurricane Iona's projected path Iona was expected to move westward for the next couple of days, forecasters with the hurricane center said. "Confidence remains high that Iona will stay well south of the Hawaiian Islands," forecasters said. The storm was aCategory 1 hurricaneand it is expected to strengthen. By Tuesday, Iona's maximum sustained wind speeds were forecast to be at Category 2 strength. The storm was then expected to gradually weaken during the week. Iona initially formed as a tropical depression late Saturday night, forecasters said. As the depression gained strength, it turned into the first named storm in the central Pacific Ocean this season. The eastern Pacific has seen several named storms so far this season. Last month,Erickmade landfall in Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane. Earlier this month,Flossiealso reached Category 3 strength as it skirted up the Mexican coast, but ultimately didn't make landfall.Barbara, this season's first hurricane in the eastern Pacific, reached Category 1 strength off Mexico's coast, and also didn't make landfall. The Atlantic Ocean has seen three named tropical storms so far this year. Forecasters at Colorado State University expect the Atlantic season to beabove averagewith 16 named storms, eight of which are expected to be hurricanes. "The Wizard of Oz" as you've never seen it before John Oliver: The 60 Minutes Interview Finding the plane used for Argentina's dictatorship-era "death flights" | 60 Minutes

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 28, 2025

Iona becomes first hurricane in central Pacific Ocean this year

Iona becomes first hurricane in central Pacific Ocean this year A tropical storm in the central Pacific Ocean rapidly strengthened into Hurr...

Read More

Judge blocks Trump administration's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

Judge blocks Trump administration's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

A federal judge on Monday ruled Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding as the nation's largest abortion provider fights PresidentDonald Trump's administration over efforts to defund the organization in his signature tax legislation. The new order replaces a previous edict handed down by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston last week. Talwaniinitially granted a preliminary injunction specifically blockingthe government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood members that didn't provide abortion care or didn't meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year. "Patients are likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable," Talwani wrote in her Monday order. "In particular, restricting Members' ability to provide healthcare services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs." A provision in Trump's tax bill instructed the federal government to end Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023, even to those like Planned Parenthood that also offer medical services like contraception, pregnancy tests and STD testing. Although Planned Parenthood is not specifically named in the statute, which went into effect July 4, the organization's leaders say it was meant to affect their nearly 600 centers in 48 states. However, amajor medical provider in Maineand likely others have also been hit. In her Monday order, Talwani said that the court was "not enjoining the federal government from regulating abortion and is not directing the federal government to fund elective abortions or any healthcare service not otherwise eligible for Medicaid coverage." Instead, Talwani said that her decision would block the federal government from excluding groups like Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements when they have demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success in their legal challenge. In its lawsuit, Planned Parenthood had argued that they would be at risk of closing nearly 200 clinics in 24 states if they are cut off from Medicaid funds. They estimated this would result in more than 1 million patients losing care. "We're suing the Trump administration over this targeted attack on Planned Parenthood health centers and the patients who rely on them for care," said Planned Parenthood's president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson in a statement on Monday. "This case is about making sure that patients who use Medicaid as their insurance to get birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment can continue to do so at their local Planned Parenthood health center, and we will make that clear in court." The lawsuit was filed earlier this month against Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.by Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member organizations in Massachusetts and Utah. A health department spokesperson reiterated Monday that the agency strongly disagreed with the judge's order, repeating previous arguments that her decision "undermines state flexibility and disregards longstanding concerns about accountability." "States should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care," said the department's communication director, Andrew Nixon, in an email. Medicaid is a government health care program that serves millions of low-income and disabled Americans. Nearly half of Planned Parenthood's patients rely on Medicaid.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 28, 2025

Judge blocks Trump administration's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

Judge blocks Trump administration's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood A federal judge on Monday ruled Planned Parenthood clinics nati...

Read More

John Oliver Slams Trump Over Epstein Files Switch-Up: ‘Distraction Is Usually Trump’s Greatest Weapon. It Doesn’t Seem to Be Working Here’

John Oliver Slams Trump Over Epstein Files Switch-Up: 'Distraction Is Usually Trump's Greatest Weapon. It Doesn't Seem to Be Working Here'

John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" returned on Sunday, just in time to join the conversation around President Donald Trump's switch-up regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Despite Trump's promise to reveal the convicted sex offender's client list if he won re-election, the FBI and Department of Justice released a statement earlier this month saying the Epstein files actually do not exist. This has sparked a firestorm among Trump's supporters and many attempts by the president to distract from the backlash. More from Variety White House Bashes 'South Park' After Trump Parody: 'This Show Hasn't Been Relevant for Over 20 Years' and Can't 'Derail Trump's Hot Streak' TikTok Will Be Banned in September if China Doesn't Approve U.S. App Sale, Trump Official Warns 'South Park' Launches Website for Naked Trump Parody PSA: 'His Penis Is Teeny-Tiny, but His Love for Us Is Large' Trump has also been facing renewed heat over his alleged connections to Epstein. Though he has claimed he was "not a fan" of the former financier, theWall Street Journal recently publisheda story alleging that he wrote Epstein a lewd note for his 50th birthday, including a remark that the two have "certain things in common." Trump asserted the story was false andfiled a $20 billion defamation lawsuitagainst the publication. "He basically spent this week desperately trying to draw people's attention anywhere else," Oliver said on "Last Week Tonight." "He threatened the Washington Commanders' stadium deal unless they revert to their old name, posted an inexplicable three-minute highlight reel of old internet clips like a woman grabbing a snake with her bare hands and various jet-ski tricks, and accused Obama of treason for trying to steal the 2016 election." Oliver then played a clip of Trump encouraging his fellow Republicans to deflect questions about Epstein, saying: "Every time they give you a question that's not appropriate, just say, 'Oh by the way, Obama cheated on the election.'" "It's that easy," Oliver quipped. "And if they keep asking, just say: Hillary shot JFK, Rosie O'Donnell did 9/11 and Nancy Pelosi f—d a bat, that's how we got COVID. No further questions. And while distraction is usually one of Trump's greatest weapons, it doesn't seem to be working here." The late-night host added that "it's understandable why Trump's struggling to get even his own base to take his word for it … because to do so you essentially have to believe everything we've learned about Trump over the years is irrelevant or sheer coincidence." He then went down a laundry list of all Trump's reported connections to Epstein, including allegedly being a passenger on his private plane and inviting him to Mar-a-Lago and to one of his weddings. "Beyond that though, there's nothing there!" Oliver said. "Except for a jury finding him liable for sexual abuse. But other than that, there's nothing to see!" Oliver even showed a video from Epstein's 2010 deposition where he was asked if he'd ever socialized with Trump and underaged girls. Instead of answering, Epstein evoked the fifth, sixth and 14th amendments. "Yeah, not great," Oliver said. "If the answer's no, just say that. Instead, Epstein started listing amendments like he was ordering off the value menu. I'll have the No. 5, 6, 14, 10, 12, 3 and whatever else means I don't have to break bro code." Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 28, 2025

John Oliver Slams Trump Over Epstein Files Switch-Up: ‘Distraction Is Usually Trump’s Greatest Weapon. It Doesn’t Seem to Be Working Here’

John Oliver Slams Trump Over Epstein Files Switch-Up: 'Distraction Is Usually Trump's Greatest Weapon. It Doesn't Seem to Be Wor...

Read More

Billy Joel recalls wife giving him 'ultimatum' to go to rehab for drinking: 'I didn't want to do it'

Billy Joel recalls wife giving him 'ultimatum' to go to rehab for drinking: 'I didn't want to do it'

Billy Joelis reflecting on his time in rehab. The "Uptown Girl" singer, 76, says he sought treatment for alcohol abuse at the Betty Ford Center in 2005 after his wife at the time, chef and cookbook author Katie Lee, presented him with a tough choice. "She kinda gave me an ultimatum," Joel recalled in HBO Max's new two-part documentaryBilly Joel: And So It Goes."'Either you do something about your drinking or this isn't gonna work out.'" Lee, who was 23 when she tied the knot with the 55-year-old Joel the year before, said their marriage was left in a "very fragile" state after he returned home from treatment. Joel also admitted that it "wasn't doing well" by that point. Bill McCay/WireImage Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. "She became very career-oriented and she wanted to be in the city — she wanted to socialize," he recalled in the doc. "There's a theory that she was having an affair with some guy. That's a bunch of bulls---. We just drifted apart from each other." Lee added that their 32-year age gap didn't help matters — nor did her ultimatum. "I wanted to be doing all of the things together, but I think that's where our age came into play," she confessed. "Also, I think that there was maybe always a little resentment that I had really pushed him to go to Betty Ford." JOE SCHILDHORN/Patrick McMullan via Getty "With the rehab, you don't go for somebody else — you have to go for yourself," Joel said. "You have to want to do it. I didn't want to do it." Lee admitted that it was "hard to recover" their bond after Joel's stint in rehab. "I don't think either one of us wanted it to not work out, but it just became obvious that it wasn't working," she said. "And I remember one night we had dinner and I said, 'Bill, I'm unhappy.' And he said, 'Do you wanna get a divorce?' And I said, 'Yeah,' and he said, 'Okay.' And that was it." The couple ultimately went their separate ways in 2009 after five years of marriage. The divorce proceedings and the reality of being alone once again after his third failed marriage led Joel to start drinking again. D Dipasupil/Getty "I was going through another divorce — three times," he said in the documentary. "Three-time loser. And the fear of being alone again, dying alone, not having that person in my life anymore, and getting old … so I was drinking again, just to kind of ease that pain. It was kind of a lost time." Both Joel and Lee have found love again. Lee married television producer Ryan Biegel in 2018, while Joel tied the knot with Alexis Roderick in 2015. Billy Joel: And So It Goesis streaming now in full on HBO Max. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 28, 2025

Billy Joel recalls wife giving him 'ultimatum' to go to rehab for drinking: 'I didn't want to do it'

Billy Joel recalls wife giving him 'ultimatum' to go to rehab for drinking: 'I didn't want to do it' Billy Joelis reflec...

Read More