Weinstein rape accuser gives emotional testimony at US retrial

Actors created with artificial intelligence will not be eligible for an Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday as it launched a crackdown on the use of AI.

New rules include a requirement that only real, live human performers -- not their AI avatars -- are eligible for the film world's biggest prizes, and screenplays must have been penned by a person, rather than a chatbot.

"In the Acting category, only roles credited in the film's legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible," the Academy said.

"In the Writing categories, the rules codify that screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible."

The ruling comes days after an AI version of the late Val Kilmer was unveiled to an audience of cinema owners, a year after the "Top Gun" star's death.

A youthful, digital version of Kilmer appeared in the trailer for archeological action pic "As Deep as the Grave," telling another character: "Don't fear the dead and don't fear me."

The project was created with the enthusiastic support of the actor's family, who granted access to Kilmer's video archives, which were used to recreate the actor at multiple stages of his life.

The use of artificial intelligence remains one of the most sensitive issues in the entertainment industry and was central to the 2023 strikes that shut down Hollywood, as actors and writers warned that unchecked technology threatened their livelihoods.

Other updates to the Academy's rules include a change in the way that films can be nominated for best international feature.

Until this year, only a film selected by an official national grouping could be entered -- a problem for any critical movie made in an authoritarian state.

For example, Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" was nominated earlier this year as a submission from France.

Under the new rules, a non-English language film also can be submitted in the category if it wins a qualifying award at a major international film festival, including Cannes, Berlin, Busan, Venice or Toronto.

In that same category, the film will be deemed the nominee and not the country, and its director will be "listed on the statuette plaque after the film title" along with the country if applicable, the Academy announced.

hg/sst

Actors created with artificial intelligence will not be eligible for an Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday as it launched a crackdown on the use of AI.

New rules include a requirement that only real, live human performers -- not their AI avatars -- are eligible for the film world's biggest prizes, and screenplays must have been penned by a person, rather than a chatbot.

"In the Acting category, only roles credited in the film's legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible," the Academy said.

"In the Writing categories, the rules codify that screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible."

The ruling comes days after an AI version of the late Val Kilmer was unveiled to an audience of cinema owners, a year after the "Top Gun" star's death.

hg/sst

BYU transfer guard and Vashon High School graduate Kennard Davis Jr. committed to Mizzou men's basketball for the 2026-27 season Friday, according to On3 reporting.

The 6-foot-6 rising senior averaged 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game this past season at BYU. He started all 32 games he played for the Cougars, averaging 29.6 minutes per game. He connected on 53 of 165 3-point attempts this past season for the Cougars, a 32.1% clip. For his career, he is a 34.1% shooter from beyond the arc (138 of 405) on 4.2 attempts per game.

Before BYU, Davis spent two seasons at Southern Illinois, where he caught the attention of many power schools with his performances and ability to shoot the 3, defend and fill in as a primary ball handler.

The St. Louis product also has declared for the NBA Draft, one of 71 early-entry applicants. With the current setup, players can declare for the draft without giving up their college eligibility, often using the process to gauge interest and collect information from pro teams.

This coming season will be Davis' fourth in college, leaving open the possibility that he will be eligible for a fifth season if the new 5-in-5 rule passes. 

Davis was suspended for three games during the 2025-26 season in Provo, Utah, because of a DUI charge that was recently dropped. Davis was arrested Nov. 13 after being involved in a two-car crash on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was later charged with a Class B misdemeanor for DUI, which has recently been withdrawn.

The four-star transfer was reportedly also receiving interest from Kentucky, Marquette, Ole Miss, Maryland and Virginia, according to 247Sports, before committing to Mizzou.

So far, Dennis Gates and the Tigers have added Jamier Jones from West Virginia, Bryson Tiller from Kansas, Jaylen Carey from Tennessee and now Davis from the portal. They join five-star recruits and McDonald's All Americans Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant and fellow incoming freshman Aiden Chronister, a four-star prospect, as new Tigers.

Mizzou still has two more scholarship spots to fill, although it is thought that for the time being, at least, it will leave one unfilled — as it did last season — in case it wants to add a player down the road.

US oil giants reported lower earnings Friday with accounting effects muting the benefits of the Middle East oil shock, as ExxonMobil's CEO cautioned that crude prices could still increase.

Oil prices jumped during the quarter from the mid-$60s in early February to more than $100 a barrel at times in March as Iran's almost complete shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz roiled global markets.

While surging prices are ultimately expected to boost US oil company earnings, both ExxonMobil and Chevron suffered a significant hit in the first quarter because of how US accounting rules require the reporting of derivative contracts.

ExxonMobil reported profits of $4.2 billion, down 45.8 percent from the year-ago period. But profits would have been $8.8 billion excluding these "timing effects" that ExxonMobil expects will reverse in future quarters.

At Chevron, profits came in at $2.2 billion, down 36.9 percent. But the hit from timing effects was around $3 billion, said chief financial officer Eimear Bonner.

While oil prices have risen since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, the increase thus far has been measured, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said, but he warned that prices could spike.

"If you look at the unprecedented disruption in the world's supply of oil and natural gas, the market hasn't seen the full impact of that yet," Woods said.

"You only have to look at the ranges that oil prices have moved at, which are very consistent with the last 10 years in the history versus this (historically) unprecedented disruption," he said. 

"So there's more to come if the strait remains closed."

Woods said the oil market has so far been able to manage the dislocation because of the amount of crude in commercial inventories and the release of some strategic governments reserves.

However, those supplies are running their course, he said.

An April securities filing by ExxonMobil revealed that attacks on facilities in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had negatively affected its output.

Woods said Friday it was hard to estimate how long it would take to repair a site in Qatar because officials with the project, which is operated by QatarEnergy, have not yet been able to do enough work. 

The Qatar outage dented ExxonMobil's natural gas output, which fell 8.2 percent from the year-ago level.

- Questions on Venezuela -

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth described the outlook for the oil market as extremely uncertain, saying: "I'm not sure I could argue with a lot of confidence that I could describe what it looks like."

Under one scenario, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened relatively quickly "and we get back into a market that's pretty well supplied," Wirth said. 

But another scenario would yield a much "tighter" market, said Wirth, adding that the company is not ramping up investment or otherwise shifting from its long-term strategy.

On Venezuela, Wirth reiterated that Chevron remains interested in bolstering its long-term position but continues to await key details on issues such as royalty terms and dispute resolution.

"There are still questions," Wirth said. "We need to see further progress before you would put more capital to work."

Shares of ExxonMobil fell 1.2 percent in afternoon trading while Chevron dropped 1.6 percent.

jmb/sst

Charles Leclerc topped the times for Ferrari ahead of Red Bull's revitalised four-time champion Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri in Friday's sole practice session at the Miami Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver clocked a best time in one minute and 29.310 seconds to outpace his Dutch rival by 0.164 seconds and finish four-tenths clear of Piastri as championship leaders Mercedes were pushed aside.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, the youngest leader of the title race in F1 history, with George Russell sixth in the second Mercedes. 

World champion Lando Norris was seventh in the second McLaren ahead of Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull and Carlos Sainz of Williams as the teams with most upgrades appeared to gain from their improvements.

Mercedes, with no significant changes to the cars that had won the first three races before the cancellations of events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, were unable to exert their usual authority.

After a five-week hiatus due to the conflict in the Middle East, Sainz was the first man out ahead of the two Ferraris, all of them seeking early feedback on their extensive upgrades on a warm morning in the Sunshine State.

- Engine rules issues -

It had emerged overnight that F1's engine rules for 2027 were expected to be decided within two weeks and ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, introducing speculation about a move away from 50/50 to a 60/40 split between engine and electrical power. 

This was an issue sure to provoke more discussion and perhaps decide the futures of some drivers, including four-time champion Max Verstappen and two-time champion Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen has criticised the new hybrid era cars for producing artificial racing and said he was considering ending his F1 career.

Alonso, at 44, had also said he was ready to decide on his future with struggling Aston Martin.  

Hamilton said he welcomed the recent dialogue between drivers and ruling bodies, but wanted to see the drivers offered a permanent voice when future rule changes are discussed. 

"The drivers all work together," he said. "We meet and talk, but we don't have a seat at the table, which I think needs to change."

On track, Norris soon showed McLaren's speed to take control while Russell complained his car's turbo sounded like a steam train and Gasly reported a curious smell from his Alpine.

After 46 minutes, Leclerc grabbed the initiative in 1:29.885 ahead of Antonelli with Hamilton, also in a Ferrari, going third.

It appeared that the heavily revised Ferrari, sporting 11 new parts, was responding well to the team's investment –- the most of any team, ahead of McLaren, while Aston Martin had none and Haas just one.

After an hour of the only practice session, extended to allow more time for preparation with the new cars at a sprint race weekend, both Verstappen and Hadjar were complaining of gearbox problems.

"The shifts are horrendous, up and down," said the Dutchman.

With 15 minutes remaining, the top contenders pitted for soft-tyre runs and an opportunity to prepare for sprint qualifying later in the day. 

Antonelli, who took sprint pole last year, was unable to run due to a power-unit issue as Leclerc stayed top ahead of Verstappen, Piastri and Hamilton.

str/js/pb

(The Center Square) – The first drones intended to stop school shootings from Campus Guardian Angel are set to go live Friday at Deltona High School.

Florida’s legislature has appropriated $557,000 to have drones in the Broward, Leon, and Volusia school districts, with Deltona High School being the first. Georgia has also appropriated $550,000 for drones in five of their high schools, yet to be decided by the State’s Department of Education.

“Georgia went from first conversations to funding a pilot through the legislature in maybe 120 days,” CEO and co-founder of Campus Guardian Angel Justin Marston told The Center Square, which is lightning speed for Congress.

Many other states are interested in piloting these drones. So far, Florida and Georgia have appropriated the funds to test out the drones for a year, with hope of expanding. The drones cost about $8 per student for the pilot program. If the schools want to keep the drones, the cost drops to $4 per student.

“We expect to see things in Texas next year, we’ve had good conversations with the Republican Senate caucus, and done a demonstration for them,” Marston continued. Campus Guardian Angel is based in Austin, Texas. The Texas State legislature only meets every two years. In the meantime, some parents in Spring Branch Independent School District, near Houston, are actively working to fundraise for these drones independently.

Estra Cockrell headed the fundraising committee in Texas.

“I was just blown away by their technology and what they can do,” she told Click 2 Houston.

“We’re working in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, a bunch of other states,” Marston said, mentioning promising movement in Louisiana.

The way Campus Guardian Angel is deploying drones is like a “paradigm shift” for many people — like “comparing Uber to a Formula One car,” Marston says. But he is convinced it is the only way to stop school shootings. “It sounds fantastical, but it needs to be instantaneous, it needs to be elite, it needs to be scalable, and it needs to be affordable. I can’t think of any other way to do that than using robots and centralizing talent.”

Originally, Marston’s light bulb moment started with war. “I had the idea looking at how successful small drones were against people with guns in Ukraine.” The difference with Campus Guardian Angel’s drones is that the goal is to incapacitate, not kill. The drones can trigger loud sirens, strobe lights, spray pepper, and even knock active shooters down.

“We could put less lethal effects on these drones and they would be incredibly effective against people with guns.” Marston said this was the first aha moment.

The second involved enabling pilots to be a thousand miles away instead of a few miles away. In other words, pilots at Campus Guardian Angel headquarters in Austin could control drones operating in a high school in Florida.

Marston has a background in entrepreneurial pursuits, starting four successful companies.

“I pinged Bill on LinkedIn,” Marston told The Center Square. Bill King is the other co-founder of Campus Guardian Angel. He spent 32 years as a navy SEAL, serving in elite teams and becoming Senior Enlisted Leader for all SEAL teams. Martson pitched to King: “Hey I’ve got this idea, and I know the tech side to make this work, but I need someone with tactical experience.”

King worked with these drones in combat zones. His role is to train with local law enforcement to work alongside the drones in a school shooter situation. Most school shootings are over in 120 seconds. “Instead of running around with no idea where the shooter is on the campus,” Marston said, referring to the police, “we tell them.”

Law enforcement will have access to an app created by Campus Guardian Angel that taps into the security cameras already existing in schools. This map is also projected on ceiling-high monitors at Guardian Angel’s operating center in Texas. The demonstration of the app looks just like a video game — and in fact uses Unreal Engine, the basis of Fortnite — where the user can walk through each room of the school and zoom out for a top-down view. The threat can be marked in the app and communicated directly with other app users.

When there is an active shooter on campus, a student or teacher signals a panic button. Through the camera system, the shooter is identified. Then, the pilots deploy the drones, and law enforcement is on its way.

“Our central team is a mix of ex-law enforcement, the best 911 operators, SWAT guys, and people from the Elite Special Forces Unit,” Marston said. In addition to these players, the company has five of the top ten drone racing pilots in North America — “these guys are video gamers.” Professional drone racing takes astonishing talent, as any video footage of ESPN competitions can attest.

Come next school year, everything should be set to see what these drones can do in Florida and Georgia schools.

(The Center Square) – More than two months after the joint U.S., Israel strikes against Iran, President Donald Trump won’t say if he is considering further strikes against the Islamic Republic.

Trump described the Iranian leadership as “disjointed” to reporters outside the White House Friday. He confirmed a reported meeting on Thursday with U.S. Central Command leader Adm. Brad Cooper.

The president said he was presented with options, including plans to “blast the hell” out of Iran, echoing prior threats to target bridges and energy infrastructure in the country.

Iran submitted a proposed deal Friday through Pakistan; however, the president said he is not “satisfied” with the current proposal.

Trump added that he had just spoken with Iran, though it appears the two are still far from reaching a deal the president would be satisfied with.

“I would say that I am not happy… They’ve got to come up with the right deal. At this moment, I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” the president told reporters.

Trump maintains that the Iranian leadership wants to make a deal, as their defense industry has been decimated. He indicated negotiations have been challenging as the U.S. doesn’t know who the leaders are.

After one failed in-person meeting with Iranian leaders in Pakistan with Vice President JD Vance, and two canceled trips back to Pakistan, the president told Iranian leaders they may reach out to him directly to make a deal.

As the ceasefire hangs in the balance, the U.S. continues its naval blockade on Iranian ports, which the Trump administration claims is strangling the Iranian regime’s economy as it is unable to sell its oil.

Latin pop queen Shakira will bring the heat to Rio de Janeiro on Saturday for her biggest concert to date -- an outdoor party on Copacabana beach.

The free gig by the 49-year-old Colombian superstar is expected to draw a crowd of two million people, transforming the city into the capital of Latin pop for one night only.

In 2024, Madonna vogued for 1.6 million people and last year, Lady Gaga belted out her greatest hits to a throng of 2.1 million people at what has become an annual event.

Shakira will take to the stage between 9:45 pm and midnight (0045 to 0300 GMT Sunday) as part of her world tour.

With more than 90 million records sold, four Grammys, 15 Latin Grammys and a generation-spanning repertoire including bangers "Hips Don't Lie," "Waka Waka" and "Whenever, Wherever," she enjoys unique popularity in Brazil.

"She creates a link between Brazil and other Latin American countries," the president of Shakira's Brazilian fan club, Jouzeffer Fernandes Pereira, told AFP.

"If planet Earth had an altar capable of speaking for itself, that altar would be Copacabana," Shakira, who speaks fluent Portuguese, wrote in an open letter published in the daily newspaper O Globo.

Rio is more than ready to welcome the star, and her fans have dubbed the concert venue "Lobacabana" after the singer's track "She Wolf" ("Loba" in Spanish).

"The city is breathing Shakira," said longtime Brazilian fan Levi Tavares.

Videos of vast crowds learning the steps to "Waka Waka", the official song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, on Copacabana beach have recently gone viral on social media.

Authorities have deployed nearly 8,000 officers, drones, facial recognition cameras and 18 security checkpoints with metal detectors in the largest-ever security operation for a Copacabana mega-concert.

During Lady Gaga's 2025 performance, police thwarted an attempted bomb attack in the crowd.

Shakira's highly-anticipated concert is expected to inject more than 800 million reals (around $160 million) into the local economy, according to Rio city hall.

Brazil's tourism agency recorded an 80-percent increase in flight bookings for this week compared to the same period in 2024. 

Most visitors are coming from elsewhere in the Americas, including Argentina, the United States, Uruguay, Chile and Colombia.

ll/cc/sst

(The Center Square) - An Arizona congressman is attempting to bring a state law that protects victims from their abusers to the federal level.

U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Surprise, this week introduced Kayleigh’s Law, which would allow for victims of federal sex crimes and violent felonies to petition courts to issue lifetime no-contact injunctions against convicted offenders.

Hamadeh, who is a former prosecutor, said he knows “how vulnerable victims can be, how determined their predators often are and how judges can frequently fail victims of crime.”

“That is why we must require federal courts to impose these lifetime injunctions when requested by the government or the victim during sentencing,” Hamadeh said, answering The Center Square's questions by email.

“I have seen what victims go through as the predator’s adjudication process plays out and know how important it is for the victim’s healing process to begin,” the representative said. “That process cannot be interrupted by their predators simply because our courts fail to take crime seriously and fail to impose lifetime injunctions.”

Hamadeh said the legislation would “apply to already convicted offenders and any future cases.” Furthermore, he said convicted abusers who violate the lifetime injunction “would be punished” with a contempt-of-court charge.

“It is enforced under existing federal contempt powers, which give judges discretion,” the congressman said.

Besides Hamadeh, Kayleigh’s Law is being sponsored by 19 representatives, including Arizona's U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert; David Schweikert, R-Scottsdale; Juan Ciscomani, R-Sierra Vista; Eli Crane, R-Flagstaff; and Paul Gosar, R-Buckeye.

Kayleigh’s Law was originally an Arizona law that permits victims of dangerous crimes and sexual assault to seek a lifetime, no-contact injunction against their perpetrator. Victims of dangerous felony offenses, violent or aggravated felonies or dangerous crimes against children can seek these injunctions.

The law has been in effect since 2022. This year, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1211 into law, which allows victims of domestic violence to also seek lifetime protection against their abusers.

Kayleigh Kozak, the inspiration for Kayleigh's Law, told The Center Square that she and Hamaedeh have been working on the federal version for about a year.

What makes Kayleigh’s Law the “gold standard” is that the lifetime injunction can be served at the time of a convicted abuser’s sentencing, said Kozak, a survivor of abuse who became an advocate for victims.

“That is huge because then a victim doesn’t have to go back and ask for protection from the person who has harmed them. Additionally, the perpetrator is not allowed to appeal the order or have it removed,” she said.

“The trauma and impact for survivors is lifelong, and they are worthy of protection for their entire life,” Kozak added.

On Wednesday, Kozak testified in front of the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, advocating for Congress to pass Kayleigh’s Law at the federal level.

In her testimony before the committee, Kozak, who was sexually abused as a 12-year-old, told committee members that “sexual predators don’t make mistakes. They make conscious choices. Victims —when brave enough to speak up against their abusers — are at the mercy of the decisions made by the criminal justice system.”

“I have zero sympathy for pedophiles and sex offenders," Kozak, who's now in her early 30s, told the committee. "The hardships they face as a result of the disgusting choices they made should never supersede a victim’s right to indefinite, lifelong protection from them."

“I could not protect myself then. But I can fight to protect myself, other innocent children, and every victim now. I ask that you fight to protect them too,” she added.

Kozak told The Center Square on Thursday that she thought the hearing went well.

She noted that politicians from both parties had “a lot of questions” and expressed interest in Kayleigh’s Law.

Since Kayleigh’s Law went into effect in Arizona, it has helped thousands of victims of abuse give their abuser a lifetime no-contact injunction, Kozak said. “Victims have come forward and said they feel so much better knowing that they have this permanent protection in place."

She said it's sad to think that so many Arizonans “were victims in crimes that made them eligible to be able to obtain a natural life injunction under Kayleigh’s Law.”

Kozak testified at the House hearing that she obtained a lifetime no-contact injunction against the man convicted of abusing her. That man is Josh Jacobson, a former Phoenix-area elementary school teacher and soccer coach who pleaded guilty to molestation almost two decades ago under a plea agreement for lifetime probation instead of a long prison sentence.

Besides Arizona, Wisconsin passed Kayleigh’s Law in 2023. Kozak said Missouri’s version of Kayleigh’s Law is waiting for a signature from Gov. Mike Kehoe.

Kozak noted she thinks if Kayleigh’s Law passes at the federal level, more states will pass their own versions of the law.

The federal version of Kayleigh’s Law is similar to Arizona’s, Kozak said. 

She added that the federal version would cover crimes associated with sex trafficking and child pornography. She said victims would be eligible to petition for a lifetime injunction against their abusers.