Thousands of Australians protested in support of the Palestinian cause on Sunday, two weeks after the country announced it would recognise a Palestinian state. The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
Month: August 2025
The family of Virginia Giuffre, who was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent sex trafficking accusers, have said they are “outraged” over the US Department of Justice’s release of an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) went from a jihadist movement once aligned to al Qaeda to forming the official government of Syria.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
The legacy of Vincent Chin has recently been commemorated in a street sign bearing his name on the corner of Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street in Detroit’s historic Chinatown.
I was glad to see it. Watching the 1987 documentary “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” and learning about his life and Asian American activism changed my life.
I was 18 and taking my first Asian American studies class at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The film made me realize two things: Asian Americans are targets of racial violence, and Asian Americans across the ethnic spectrum could join together to fight for civil rights. This led to my passion for social justice.
I’m proud to now be a professor of Asian American studies and critical race theory who teaches my students about Vincent Chin.
So who was Chin, and why did his death catalyze an Asian American civil rights movement?
A fatal brawl
Chin, an Oak Park resident, was 27 years old on the night of his bachelor party, June 19, 1982. He got into a fight with two white men – Ronald Ebens, a Chrysler car plant supervisor, and Michael Nitz, an unemployed autoworker and Ebens’ stepson.
Bettmann Archive/via Getty Images
According to Racine Colwell, a dancer at the Fancy Pants Club in the Detroit area, Ebens shouted, “It’s because of you little motherf–kers that we’re out of work.” Detroit in the early 1980s was in an automotive slump. People blamed Japanese auto imports and the Japanese people, in general, for the economic downturn. The assailants didn’t seem to understand or care that Chin was actually Chinese.
After the fight between Chin and Nitz and Ebens, Chin and his friends ran out of the club. Ebens and Nitz ran after them, with Nitz grabbing a baseball bat from his car. When they found Chin outside a McDonald’s on Woodward Avenue, Nitz held Chin while Ebens beat his body and head with the bat. They were stopped by two off-duty police officers who had been inside the fast-food restaurant.
After the attack, Jimmy Choi, a member of the bachelor party, cradled Chin in his arms. He said that Chin’s last words were “It’s not fair.” Chin died four days later.
Ebens and Nitz were charged with second-degree murder, but their lawyers pleaded the charge down to manslaughter. At the end of the trial, Judge Charles Kaufman fined them US$3,000 each and sentenced each to three years’ probation, explaining: “These weren’t the kind of people you send to prison. … You don’t make the punishment fit the crime. You make the punishment fit the criminal.”
Asian Americans organize for legal justice
The sentencing enraged Chin’s friends, family and the greater Chinese and Asian American community of Detroit.
Activists of various Asian ethnicities and their non-Asian allies created American Citizens for Justice, an organization that pressured the Justice Department to investigate the violation of Chin’s civil rights and to see Ebens and Nitz imprisoned for Chin’s murder. Lily Chin, Vincent’s mother, was a key advocate in the pursuit of justice for her son, showing up to rallies and interviews to remind people of Vincent’s death for nearly a decade.
Bettmann archives/via Getty images
While there were other moments, such as the anti-eviction fight for the I-Hotel in San Francisco, that brought Asian Americans of all ethnicities together to fight for civil rights, Chin’s murder sparked a broad awareness. Asian Americans realized that what happened to Chin could happen to them.
American Citizens for Justice held press conferences and gained support from local African American activists in Michigan and national Black leaders like Jesse Jackson, whose presence helped bring more attention to the Chin tragedy.
Activists were successful in forcing the FBI to open an investigation. The resulting 1984 federal trial was the first time the Justice Department had argued that the civil rights of an Asian American person had been violated. Nitz was found not guilty on two counts. Ebens was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, a 1986 federal appeals court ruling overturned the conviction, freeing Ebens.
A civil suit filed against Ebens and Nitz on behalf of Lily Chin was settled out of court in 1987. Nitz agreed to pay $50,000 and Ebens $1.5 million – the projected income that Chin would have made had he lived.
Nitz fulfilled his debt, but Ebens made only a few payments. By 1987, Ebens had been unemployed for five years. He stopped making payments after he moved to Nevada. Estimates in 2016 place Ebens’ debt to the Chin estate at over $8 million, including accumulated interest.
Chin’s death had a profound impact on the criminal justice system in Michigan and nationally. Michigan made it harder to plead down murder charges to manslaughter and required prosecutors to be present at sentencings to face victims. Nationally, victim impact statements are now commonplace. Victims and their families now have more of a voice in the justice system.
Chin’s death spurred Pan-Asian American activism across the U.S., leading to the eventual founding of organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice in 1991 and Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stop AAPI Hate recorded violence against Asians happening in the U.S. and educated people about anti-Asian racism.
Today, Asian Americans fight for social justice through organizations like these and 18 Million Rising, a group that advocates for racial justice for Asian Americans and all marginalized people.
This is the lasting legacy of Vincent Chin.
Jennifer Ho does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Politics + Society – The Conversation
Has President Donald Trump survived the latest and most serious firestorm of controversy over the Epstein scandal? Or has the Trump administration’s handling of the release of information concerning the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child sex trafficker and Trump’s former friend, hurt the president?
A number of journalists, pointing to recent public opinion polls, have claimed that the scandal has hurt Trump. Others have argued that the public has largely moved on and the Epstein controversy no longer presents a political liability for Trump.
But both of these conclusions are based on limited polling about the Epstein controversy and thus may be premature.
Our recent University of Massachusetts Amherst national poll includes particularly detailed questions about the Epstein controversy and attitudes toward Trump, and thus provides fresh insights on how the controversy has affected public support for Trump.
We find that Trump’s handling of the Epstein controversy has done significant damage to his standing, particularly among his core supporters.
Trump ‘fumbling the matter’
Americans are paying close attention to the prolonged Epstein controversy. Our polling finds that 3 in 4 respondents have heard, read or seen “a lot” or “some” about Epstein.
Moreover, most believe that Trump is fumbling the matter.
Seven in 10 Americans believe that Trump is handling the matter “not well.” This includes pluralities of Trump’s most loyal supporters, 43% of Republicans, 43% of conservatives, and 47% of those who voted for him in 2024.
When we drill down on the 47% of 2024 Trump voters who disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Epstein controversy, we find significant cracks in the MAGA facade. Among members of this group, 28% now disapprove of Trump as president.
When we take demographics, ideology, partisanship and assessments of the economy into account, disapproval of Trump’s handling of the release of the Epstein files is still associated with an increase in disapproval of Trump.
Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
Voter regret
Even more significantly, we find that among 2024 Trump voters, negative views of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files are associated with an increased desire to make a different choice if the 2024 election could be rerun.
More specifically, among Trump voters who believe that the president has mishandled the release of the Epstein files, more than one quarter – 26% – indicate that they would not vote for Trump if they had the opportunity to vote again in the 2024 election.
While there are no election do-overs, it is clear that the Epstein scandal has hurt Trump among his base of voters.
Much can happen between now and the midterm elections in November 2026, of course.
But if Trump fails to satisfy his political base, perceptions among Trump voters that he has mishandled the controversy could reduce enthusiasm and participation in the elections. Even if the share of Republicans alienated by the Epstein controversy is relatively small, this could hurt Republicans in close contests.
With over a year to go, the facts on the ground will likely change. But as of today, the controversy over the release of the Epstein files remains relevant. Whether the president responds in a manner that satisfies his voters is a question that could have important political consequences.
Jesse Rhodes receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and Demos. He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Adam Eichen, Alexander Theodoridis, Raymond La Raja, and Tatishe Nteta do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Politics + Society – The Conversation
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Blake Shelton has a twin!
Not a literal long-lost, previously secret twin. And not a traditional celebrity lookalike, either.
Instead, Gwen Stefani’s middle son is the spitting image of her husband.
The trend of him walking in Shelton’s footsteps is delighting fans. Take a look!
Zuma is twinning with Blake Shelton
On Thursday, August 21, Gwen Stefani took to social media to give a shoutout.
The tribute was not for her husband, Blake Shelton, but for her middle son.
Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale turned 17 on that date. And his famous mother was in a celebratory mood.
“Happy birthday to our sweet and talented Zuma!!” Stefani wrote in her Instagram caption.
“We love you soooo much!!” she added, including a red heart emoji.
What truly caught people’s eye was the photo. As you can see, the now 17-year-old Zuma is sporting a very Country ensemble.
Happy birthday, Zuma!
Though Gwen Stefani shared a series of throwback pics and videos, the images where Zuma more recently appears in a Country outfit caught people’s attention.
He and Blake Shelton appear to have a lot of similar shirts and cowboy hats.
They even have similar mullets. Though, for reasons that we cannot explain, some mullet styles are “in” among some Gen Z folks who are too young to remember society’s last mullet infestation.
So that part could be a coincidence.
Zuma has displayed a clear interest in Country music.
Stefani herself is a famous musician — better known than her ex-husband, rocker Gavin Rossdale, or her current husband, Country singer Blake Shelton.
She has been fascinated by watching her three sons develop their own taste in music, “discovering” songs from decades long before they were born.
This is not a huge surprise, right?
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton have been together for about a decade.
What began as a seemingly random pairing among The Voice judges became a whirlwind romance that took fans of both singers (two very disparate groups) by surprise.
At this point, Shelton has been with Stefani for most of her sons’ lives. It is not a huge surprise that at least one of them has similar interests to the Country star.
Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani’s Son Are TWINNING in Matching Country Music … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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Last month, Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to four life sentences after pleading guilty to the murders of four Idaho college students.
News that Kohberger’s case will not be going to trial prompted a deluge of new information that had previously been classified for legal reasons.
The release of new details continued today in the form of police bodycam footage taken in the aftermath of the murders.
Shocking footage from aftermath of murders released
We would like to caution our readers that some may find the footage distressing.
The clip — which was obtained and published by the Law & Crime Network on YouTube — documents the reaction from Dylan Mortenson and Brittany Funke, the two roommates who survived Kohberger’s massacre.
The survivors’ faces have been blurred for their protection.
“Slow down, just come here. There’s two, looks like fatalities,” one officer tells another cop, apparently having yet to discover the other two bodies.
“I remember I was in my room and I was trying to go to bed and I heard Kaylee. All I heard was her go upstairs and I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to go to sleep now, ’cause she is going upstairs,’” Mortensen tells police elsewhere in thr clip.
“And then all of a sudden I heard her walking up and I heard a scream and she ran upstairs ’cause she saw someone,” her account continues.
“That’s when I’m pretty sure she said ‘someone’s here’ and she screamed and ran downstairs and I called for her name and I jumped up and locked my door because I was so scared.
“I heard her in the bathroom and I heard her crying and I heard some guy say that ‘You’re going to be OK. I’m going to help you,’” Mortensen recalls. “I kept calling her name and she wasn’t answering.”
News that Kohberger used Kaylee’s name on the night of the murders bolsters claims made by her family that she was specifically targeted and stalked.
Mortensen then states that the man’s voice, which we now know was Kohberger’s, did not have a “nice” tone.
“I don’t know how to explain it. Like it wasn’t in a nice way. It was a weird way. Like a weird tone,” she said.
Kohberger repprtedly struggling with life behind bars
The footage comes on the heels of reports that Kohberger has been complaining of sexual harassment behind bars.
“A snitch who is weak will never survive,” retired NYPD officer Paul Mauro told Fox News this week.
“Let’s put this delicately: According to the reporting, Kohberger seems to be turning out to be something of a jailhouse Karen. He would have been better off just keeping this mouth shut and taking it,” the podcast host continued.
“They would have stopped harassing him after a while, but now that they know they’re not just getting a reaction from him but now he is requesting a transfer? They are going to ramp it up in ways that he can’t even imagine. It doesn’t bode well for his longtime prognosis for getting along in that environment.”
Kohberger will never be eligible for parole. And it sounds like he might have a rough few decades ahead of him.
Bryan Kohberger: New Police Body Cam Footage Reveals Aftermath of Crimes as Experts … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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Well, here’s a couple we didn’t see coming!
Christine Baranski is an iconic actress who currently stars on HBO’s The Gilded Age.
And King Princess is an alternative pop star who’s probably best known for her 2024 hit “1950.”
Speaking of 1950, that’s just a couple years before Christine was born — which is why people were so surprised to see her holding hands with King, who is currently just 26 years old.
The summer’s most unexpected May-December romance
The public display of affection took place this week on the red carpet ahead of a Broadway performance of Mamma Mia!, according to Us Weekly.
On its own, perhaps the hand-holding would have been no big deal.
But Christine and King have apparently been hanging out together quite a lot in recent months.
In fact, these two have been working red carpets together since at least March, when they attended a performance of The Picture Of Dorian Gray at New York City’s The Music Box Theatre.
Princess posted pics from this week’s PDA on her Instagram page, and her caption has captured quite a bit of attention.
“#loveislove,” the signer wrote.
King Princess’ followers lose their minds over apparent relationship reveal
For obvious reasons, KP’s 750,000 followers are loving that their queen seems to have found love.
“Obsessed with whatever is going on here,” one commenter wrote.
“I honestly can’t tell what’s happening here but I’m loving that the girls and the gays are finally giving Christine the attention she deserves,” another added.
“I don’t know if this is a joke but I love it either way,” a third chimed in.
“If you really pulled Christine Baranski…. Holy sh-t I bow to you bro,” a fourth enthused.
You get the idea! It’s important to note that neither Christine nor King has officially confirmed that they’re an item.
But clearly, fans are already heavily shipping the amazing ChrisKing.
In addition to the age difference, the possible partners come from quite different romantic backgrounds.
Christine is a mother of two who was married to actor Matthew Cowles from 1982 until his death in 2010.
King identifies as non-binary and genderqueer, and she previously dated actress Amandla Stenberg.
It’s anyone’s guess what the future holds for these two crazy kids.
But they both appear to be happy, and that’s all that really matters! We wich them the best!
Christine Baranski, 73, Appears to Be Dating King Princess, 26 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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As you may have heard already, Sister Wives is coming back for Season 20.
There was some uncertainty this summer over the future of this franchise (considering there are no longer any sister wives in Kody Brown’s life), but then TLC went ahead and released a first look trailer on Thursday.
The main takeaway from this footage?
Kody telling Robyn that a woman had reached out to him online about possibly joining this family.
Previously, Kody had made it sound as if he had no interest in any spouses beyond Robyn.
(Back in November 2021, of course, Christine left Kody. A short time later, Janelle did the same. After that, Meri did the same.)
Now, meanwhile, we can reveal the official TLC synopsis for Sister Wives Season 20.
It will feature each cast member thinking hard about the future and what he or she may want from it.
A new address? A new partner? A new rivalry between former close friends?
“Meri dips her toe into dating with an awkward but promising speed dating event, while Janelle takes steps toward a spiritual divorce after a freeing trip to New Orleans,” the network description reads.
“Christine and [husband] David [Woolley] are settling into married life, but Christine is shaken when her kids begin moving to North Carolina near Janelle, sparking jealousy and hurt.”
It concludes as follows:
[Kody] continues to struggle with the aftermath of his fractured family and wants to move again and start fresh” due to being “haunted by painful memories in the home he shared with Robyn. In an effort to make peace, Kody meets one-on-one with his ex-wives to offer long overdue apologies.
Meanwhile, Robyn clings to her belief in plural marriage, even as Kody questions its future and entertains attention from a woman online asking to be his new wife.
As for those overdue apologies cited above?
Christine doesn’t seem open to the idea, as she tells husband David Woolley, “I don’t want to talk to Kody ever again.”
Janelle is of a similar mindset, as she says on air that she wants to “tell him that we’ll never be friends.”
Then there’s Meri, who goes ahead and channels Taylor Swift as she flat-out tells her ex:
“We are never, ever, ever getting back together.” Janelle is of a similar mindset, as she admits that she wants to “tell him that we’ll never be friends.”
Sister Wives Season 20 kicks off on Sunday, September 28, at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
It’s also worth noting that Christine’s book, Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family and Finding Freedom, drops earlier that month on September 2.
Sister Wives Spoilers: Kody May Move! Meri May Date! Christine May Never Recover! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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As we previously reported, Jace Evans exposed Jenelle Evans earlier this week by posting photos of abusive text messages she had sent him.
Amazingly, Jenelle did not deny that she was the author of the texts.
She did, however, ship Jace back to North Carolina while she continues to reside in Las Vegas.
Needless to say, the relationship between mother and son has hit yet another rough patch.
And now, we’re getting another glimpse at just how badly things have deteriorated, thanks to new Instagram Stories posted by Jace.
Jace tells his tale on Instagram
Seemingly inspired by his mother’s continued social media posts about their relationship (Jenelle isn’t exactly leading by example, if she hopes to keep this mess out of the tabloids), Jace told his side of the story in a series of Instagram Stories.
“Crazy how my mom blocked me but I’m doing a lot better. Just a FYI, I’m down back in NC,” he began, adding:
“I just don’t understand why my Momma keeps putting up with all this bs, she needs to let everything go.”
From there, Jace seemingly criticized Jenelle for continuing to engage in drama with tabloid and online gossip outlets, including one bizarre saga in which she accused Jace’s father, Andrew Lewis, of selling false stories about her.
“She shut my phone off cus she’s mad but she keeps posting stupid stuff about tabloids. IDGAF about [that s–t]. Nobody in my family is doing that. So think what you wanna think but the truth is the truth,” he wrote.
“Ur never gonna like it. Suck[s] to hear that but, like I said, the truth is the truth,” Jace continued, adding:
“She just needs to stop posting all this stuff. It’s over. I’m back in NC and that’s that. She’s scared for her own loss.”
Jace appears to be winning the war of words
Jenelle always has a rough time on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), but her TikTok audience is usually more sympathetic.
However, as The Ashley’s Reality Roundup reports, it seems that commenters have now turned against her on that platform as well.
“How is she not cancelled?” one person commented on Jenelle’s latest post.
“Because nothing is factual you hear about me, I’m in fact a great mother,” Jenelle peevishly replied.
“No matter what our babies do to us, we shouldn’t ever cuss them directly,” another person wrote.
“And you don’t have any context but one sentence, don’t comment on things you don’t know about in detail,” the fired Teen Mom star clapped back.
Of course, the “it’s generally not good to cuss out your kids” critique only requires one sentence — one word, in fact — to be valid, and Jenelle provided it when she texted “F–K YOU!” to her teenage son.
But Jenelle being Jenelle, she’ll likely continue to defend her every action instead of considering ways in which she might improve her relationship with her son.
Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that these two currently have a couple thousand miles between them.
We will have further updates on this developing situation as new information becomes available.
Jace Evans Lashes Out at Jenelle Evans: My Mom Blocked Me! She’s Scared! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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