ABC News/Steve Iervolino(LOS ANGELES) — Sometime soon, Dancing with the Stars will return for its 29th season, but not without some major changes. Most noticeably, there will be a new host this season, Tyra Banks.
The America’s Next Top Model creator revealed to Us Weekly how she feels about taking over for longtime host Tom Bergeron and summed it up in one simple word, “Pressure!”
However, she’s not sweating it and touched upon what she intends to bring to the dance floor when the series premieres later this fall on ABC.
“My goal is for a 12-year-old to be sitting on the couch with their parents and grandparents and everybody can relate personally to what they see on that screen,” said Banks.
However, when Us tried squeezing more information out of the former supermodel, Tyra refused to budge.
“Not giving up the goods,” the 46-year-old chided. “You’ll have to tune in!”
Tyra won’t only serve as the show’s first solo-host, she will be pulling double duty as the new executive producer of DWTS.
She previously revealed that she’s been a longtime fan of the show, saying in a press release that “the fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances” is what made her a fan from the very start.
(WASHINGTON) — Family members of murdered Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen are expected to travel from Texas to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to bring awareness to the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill.
The half-day of events is scheduled to begin with a press conference at the National Mall at 8:30 a.m. local time, with attendees expected to demand justice for Guillen and service members who have been victims of sexual harassment or violence.
Guillen, 20, was last seen on the Texas military base on April 22 before law enforcement officials on June 30 found her remains buried near a lake 20 miles away.
Her alleged killer, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, died by suicide on July 1. His girlfriend, Cecily Ann Aguilar, has been charged with assisting with discarding Guillen’s body.
A not-guilty plea was entered on Aguilar’s behalf during a bond hearing at which a federal judge denied her bail.
Following the press conference, a march called “Justice for Vanessa,” from the Capitol to the White House, has been scheduled.
Guillen’s family and their attorney, Natalie Khawam, said Guillen had been sexually harassed by another soldier who allegedly watched her while she was taking a shower. Guillen told her family she didn’t report the incident because she feared retaliation.
Investigators “identified some information” that Vanessa Guillen was “potentially” harassed at Fort Hood, but that it was “not of a sexual nature,” according to an Army official, who added that there may have been “some sexual comments made to her” but they were not from Robinson or “any other parties of interest in the investigation.”
The #IAmVanessaGuillen bill would allow active duty members to file harassment and assault claims to a third-party agency instead of through their chain of command.
“We will not accept anything less than justice for Vanessa,” Khawam said in a statement. “When someone volunteers to serve our country, they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by their fellow service members. This bill will help us provide the protection and respect to others that was denied to Vanessa.”
After the march, around noon local time, the Guillen family and Khawam are slated to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House, after which Trump is expected to hold a press conference speaking in support of the bill.
“The White House declined to comment on the meeting,” a White House spokesperson said on Thursday.
Following that, the Guillen family and Khawam are planning to meet at The Ellipse, a park near the White House, to discuss their meeting with Trump and next steps related to the bill.
(NEW YORK) — Dozens of previously sealed court documents from a now-settled civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell are expected to be publicly released in the coming days, igniting a fresh round of speculation about what details the records might contain about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged child sex-trafficking operation and about Maxwell’s alleged role in the conspiracy.
Interest in the court records has only intensified in the aftermath of Maxwell’s indictment earlier this month on charges accusing her of enabling and, in some instances, participating in the sexual abuse of three minor girls in the mid-1990s. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held without bond while she awaits a trial next year.
Maxwell’s lawyers are still fighting to halt the release of some documents, asking Senior U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska to reconsider her ruling or — alternatively — to delay the release of the documents pending an appeal.
In a letter to the court on Wednesday, Maxwell’s attorneys contended that she was set up in a “perjury trap” by federal prosecutors and lawyers for an alleged victim of Epstein and Maxwell.
The letter suggested — without direct evidence — that sealed portions from Maxwell’s depositions in the case were leaked to the government, who then charged her with two counts of perjury for alleged false statements in her testimony. Prosecutors declined to comment on the allegation.
Preska denied Maxwell’s motion but agreed to a two-day reprieve for Maxwell to appeal the unsealing decision. As a result, some documents will be unsealed Thursday and others as soon as Monday, unless the appeals court acts before then.
The court papers — potentially running into the thousands of pages — come from a defamation lawsuit filed in 2015 against Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that Maxwell recruited her as a 16-year-old into a life of sexual servitude to Epstein. She also accused Maxwell and Epstein of directing her, between 2000 to 2002, to have sex with a number of their prominent associates, most famously Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Maxwell and all the men accused by Giuffre, including the prince, have denied the allegations.
The sealed court filings contain the names of hundreds of people — some famous and some not — who socialized, traveled or worked with Epstein over the span of more than a decade. Epstein, a registered sex-offender, was found dead last August in an apparent suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The late financier has previously been linked to a host of high-profile business leaders, scientists, royals and politicians.
Giuffre and Maxwell reached a confidential settlement just days before a scheduled trial in 2017, leaving behind a court docket littered with sealed and redacted records inaccessible to the public and the press. A substantial majority of the non-public court records were kept private by both sides of the dispute under a court-approved confidentiality order.
The non-public records also include the identities of people who provided information in the case under an expectation of confidentiality, plus the names of alleged victims and individuals accused of enabling Epstein or participating in the abuse, according to public portions of the court record.
A fight for transparency
In April 2018, the Miami Herald intervened in the closed case, filing a motion to unseal the court records. Giuffre and her attorneys then joined the Herald in arguing for near-total disclosure, while Maxwell’s lawyers advocated for keeping the vast majority of the documents sealed.
Last year, a federal appeals court in New York granted the Herald’s motion in part, releasing about 2,000 pages of previously-sealed documents, including limited excerpts from sworn testimony of Maxwell and Giuffre, who each sat for multiple depositions prior to the settlement. The appellate court then sent the case back to the trial court to decide what to do about the rest of the sealed documents.
The sheer volume of the remaining sealed and redacted filings in the case, and the hundreds of individuals whose names appear in the court record, resulted in months of disputes over a protocol for reviewing the documents and notifying non-parties whose names would become public as documents are unsealed.
Preska, who inherited the case following the death of the original trial court judge Robert Sweet, eventually settled on initiating the process to review the documents in stages.
The unsealing of the first cache of documents comes with exceptions for medical records, personally identifying information such as addresses and social security numbers, and for the identities of alleged minor victims. That information will remain redacted.
And, for the time being, records will be unsealed only as they relate to the first two of the hundreds of non-party “John Does” whose names appear in the records. (“John Doe” is the generic name given to all the non-parties. It does not mean that all the people are men.)
Those two people, referred to as John Does 1 and 2 in the record, received notice in May that their names could become public. Neither responded. The unsealing of the remainder of the names won’t happen until each is notified and given an opportunity to object — a process that could take many more months.
‘Extremely personal, confidential’ testimony
Included in the first batch of court documents reviewed by Preska are filings and exhibits associated with Maxwell’s first seven-hour deposition in April of 2016. Giuffre’s lawyers subsequently went to the judge in May 2016 seeking a court order to compel Maxwell to respond to questions she declined to answer.
Maxwell’s attorneys have described these documents, which include multiple excerpts of her testimony, as containing “intrusive questions about her sex life,” and contended that Giuffre’s lawyers “extensively, selectively, and misleadingly” quote from Maxwell’s deposition.
“The subject matter of these [documents] is extremely personal, confidential, and subject to considerable abuse by the media,” wrote Maxwell’s attorney, Jeffrey Pagliuca, in June.
Giuffre’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, argued that public interest in the case “weighs in favor of unsealing Maxwell’s deposition, not against it.”
“Maxwell’s objection is a blatant attempt to stall the unsealing process by creating unjustified obstacles and inducing this Court into a pattern of delay that will ensure the documents in this case, which are clearly subject to a presumption of public access, never see the light of day,” McCawley wrote.
Other exhibits to these filings include summaries of flight logs kept by Epstein’s pilots, portions of police reports and other documents concerning the person identified as “John Doe 1.”
Though Maxwell argued that release of these records would cause her undue embarrassment and annoyance, Preska ordered the documents partially unsealed, with names of non-parties other than John Does 1 and 2 remaining sealed, pending notification.
“In her first deposition … Ms. Maxwell refused to testify as to any consensual adult behavior and generally disclaimed any knowledge of underage activity,” Preska said during a hearing on July 23. “In the context of this case, especially its allegations of sex trafficking of young girls, the Court finds that any minor embarrassment or annoyance resulting from disclosure of Ms. Maxwell’s mostly non-testimony about behavior that has been widely reported in the press is far outweighed by the presumption of public access.”
Emails between Maxwell and Epstein in 2015
Another group of documents set to be partially unsealed concern an effort by Giuffre’s lawyers to get court approval to take additional witness depositions and an extension of time in order to complete them.
Maxwell sought to keep these records sealed, too. Her lawyers argued that Giuffre’s team had used this routine court filing to gratuitously attach as exhibits the entire transcript of a witness deposition and the full text of Maxwell’s 418-page testimony of April 2016.
“These pleadings concern what should have been a straightforward request by [Giuffre] to exceed the presumptive 10 deposition limit set by the Court,” Maxwell’s lawyers argued. “It was not. Instead of simply asking to exceed the presumptive limit, [Giuffre] felt the urge to pack the record with deposition testimony subject to the protective order and references to multiple non-party Does.”
But Preska was unpersuaded and ordered the filings unsealed, subject to the continued redactions of non-party names.
The judge also ruled that an exhibit containing communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015 would be unsealed. Based on previous court records in the case, Maxwell and Epstein exchanged at least seven emails in the weeks following a court filing by Giuffre containing the allegations that she had been directed to have sex with several of their prominent associates.
(NEW YORK) — Authorities in New York City are ramping up efforts to crack down on massive parties and other large gatherings as more videos pop up on social media showing mask-less revelers flouting the rules.
The city’s Phase 4 regulations forbid indoor gatherings of more than 50 people, and say that anyone who attends a properly sized event must adhere to health department guidelines on social distancing and mask-wearing. Video evidence has shown many ignoring the mandates, resulting in additional warnings and the revocation of dozens of liquor licenses, authorities said.
The Office of the New York City Sheriff, which has taken the lead on enforcing social distancing guidelines, is responding to tips from the public on parties believed to violate COVID-19 measures.
One such tip led to authorities busting up what they say was a sex party of about 30 people in Midtown Manhattan on Friday. The person who allegedly coordinated the event is expected in court soon, authorities said. Deputies also upped enforcement in Queens earlier this month after they say crowds were seen drinking and partying along Steinway Street.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo shared a video on Twitter on Monday night of a charity concert in the Hamptons that appeared to be in breach of social distancing rules.
“We have no tolerance for the illegal and reckless endangerment of public health,” he wrote.
Organizers claimed in promotional material prior to the event that it would abide by all COVID-19 emergency orders. An investigation is underway.
Cuomo on Tuesday said that 45 businesses, including 12 New York City bars, have had their liquor licenses revoked for “egregious violations” of COVID-19 executive orders since he threatened to yank licenses on June 18 to incentivize compliance with his emergency orders.
The New York State Liquor Authority issued more than 130 COVID-19-related violations on July 24-26, which can carry fines of up to $10,000. This brought the total number of pandemic-related charges to 503.
After a least a dozen social media posts surfaced advertising yacht parties, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said it was working with boat companies to remind them of COVID-19 restrictions and will take action on those that defy the rules. Promoters of these parties promised in their social media posts to abide by all COVID-19 restrictions despite so many vessels featuring enclosed spaces where people could gather.
Some private events companies have resorted to organizing “pop-up” parties, with locations disclosed at the last minute in an effort to avoid drawing too much attention.
Event companies trying to flout COVID emergency orders have used Whatsapp and Telegram to communicate details of pop-up parties and advised people not to take pictures at events or upload social media posts that contained details of parties.
Joe Fucito, the NYC Sheriff, told ABC News that many parties that they target were illegal because those who host them didn’t hold valid liquor licenses.
“They were illegal activity before the COVID-19 pandemic, and violations of the mayor’s and governor’s orders in conjunction with the social event just compound the criminal activity,” he said. “Because of the fast-changing nature and location of the events, the Sheriff’s Office does not comment on criminal investigations, but we readily accept tips about these activities.”
While there have been challenges to the COVID-19 emergency orders across the country, including a church in Nevada and bar owners in Texas, the restrictions imposed are justifiable from a legal standpoint, said Richard Briffault, a professor of state and local government law at Columbia Law School.
Briffault said because there was a scientific basis behind limiting the size of gatherings the emergency orders should stand up in court unless there are allegations of targeted enforcement against certain groups of people.
“These orders are pretty consistent with powers a governor or mayor has to take, steps to protect public health,” he told ABC News. “There is no fundamental right to party.”
ABC AudioOn Wednesday, Garth Brooks revealed he’s officially taken home an Entertainer of the Year trophy for the very last time.
Reiterating he’s not retiring or slowing down — and still hopes to be competitive in other categories — the superstar admitted he’s been thinking along these lines ever since winning a record seventh title in November.
Initially, it looked like the Country Music Association might be on the road to giving him an emeritus honor at CMA Fest. But after the annual celebration had to be cancelled because of COVID-19, CMA ultimately decided they could not “pull [Garth] out of [the running for] an award.”
So, “with all the gratefulness, [all] the love in the world,” he did it himself.
“There was one tweet in there that really stuck in my head,” he explained, “that said, ‘Hey, man, this guy, why doesn’t he step down and just have the Entertainer for the next generation?’ [I] one-hundred-percent agreed…”
“The last thing I want to do is seem ungrateful to the CMAs and everybody that has voted for us…” Garth added. “My number is seven… And we feel very lucky with seven.”
“It’s time for somebody else to hold that award, [to] know what that Entertainer feels like. Because they’re all out there busting their butts,” he said of his contemporaries.
After a year when touring was mostly sidelined by the global pandemic, Garth points out it should be an interesting race.
“This is probably the perfect year for it,” he reflected, “because I don’t know how they’re gonna judge Entertainer this year… I feel very grateful. And for twenty-five years, you get to be the Entertainer of the Year. So that’s been pretty sweet.”
ABC News/Steve Iervolino(LOS ANGELES) — Sometime soon, Dancing with the Stars will return for its 29th season, but not without some major changes. Most noticeably, there will be a new host this season, Tyra Banks.
