A New York City grand jury has indicted former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual assault or harassment by at least 80 women, on new charges that reportedly revolve around other cases of sexual harassment. In 2017, women started coming forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual abuse. Weinstein’s 2020 conviction of third-degree rape of one woman and first-degree criminal sex act of another was overturned in April by an appellate court. But in 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault, and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a decision that is being appealed by his attorneys. Earlier this week, Weinstein was transported from Rikers Island jail to Bellevue Hospital for emergency heart surgery. Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. Weinstein’s Miramax company, which he founded with his brother Bob, produced three films that won the Best Picture Oscar: “The English Patient,” “Shakespeare in Love,” and “Chicago,” as well as the films “Pulp Fiction” and “Good Will Hunting.” The appellate court that overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction wrote, “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes. The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial. … It is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them.” After 2017 reports in The New York Times and The New Yorker detailed Weinstein’s alleged sexual harassment of women, Weinstein was dismissed from Miramax, expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He resigned from the Directors Guild of America. In what was called the “Weinstein Effect,” after the reports of Weinstein’s alleged sexual harassment became public, many women and some men came forward to speak of being sexually harassed by prominent individuals. RELATED: New York Appeals Court Tosses Harvey Weinstein Rape Conviction

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin released two attack ads on Wednesday focusing on abortion and claiming that her Republican opponent Mike Rogers supports a federal abortion ban. Slotkin’s campaign said the two 30-second spots will appear on broadcast, cable, and digital platforms and are part of a multimillion-dollar ad buy, The Detroit News reported. Slotkin, a current congresswoman, has been focusing on business and the economy throughout much of her campaign, but with fewer than 60 days until Election Day, she’s again playing up abortion. Democrats in tight races across the country have been emphasizing their pro-abortion positions throughout the 2024 campaign, hoping to ride the Left’s recent electoral success on abortion amendments in red and blue states. Despite Michigan voters approving a constitutional amendment in 2022 to enshrine a “fundamental right” to abortion in state law, a woman in one of Slotkin’s ads says she is “scared that Mike Rogers will continue to take away my rights.” “I had already had four miscarriages and in our fifth pregnancy, we were filled with so much hope. At 19 weeks, I received the most devastating phone call. I had a child dying inside of me. All of our options were terrible,” the woman, identified as Sarah from Byron Center, Michigan, says in the ad. “But Mike Rogers thinks it’s okay for politicians to make those medical decisions that saved my life.” “Rogers even supported a nationwide ban on abortion. I’m scared that Mike Rogers will continue to take away my rights,” she continues. The ad highlights Rogers, a former member of the U.S. House, supporting a constitutional amendment “to protect the right of unborn children” when he ran for Congress in 2000. Slotkin’s second attack ad on Rogers quotes the Republican saying in 1994 that he supports “all restrictions on abortion.” “So if you believe Mike Rogers and anti-abortion activists will protect your rights, we got a bridge to sell you,” the ad continues. Rogers said he does not support overhauling Michigan’s abortion law and addressed the issue in a video he released on Wednesday titled, “THE TRUTH.” “I know that a decision about a pregnancy is one of the most difficult and personal decisions a woman will make,” Rogers says in the video, which he filmed alongside his wife Kristi. “Michigan voters have already decided the issue, and I respect that decision. In the Senate, I won’t do anything to change it.” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has also vowed that he would not sign a federal abortion ban if it came to his desk, but his promise has not stopped Democrats from claiming that pro-abortion laws would be threatened if Republicans win the White House and gain control of the Senate in November. Rogers represented Michigan’s 8th District in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and Slotkin currently represents the state’s 7th District. Earlier this year, Slotkin slammed the Senate filibuster for preventing Democrats from ramming through “up-or-down” votes on issues such as abortion. Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. “I am like loud and proud on reforming the filibuster, so we can vote on gun laws, voter access, women’s rights, all those things could be voted on tomorrow if we only needed 51 [senators] instead of 60 to get an up-or-down vote,” she told constituents in March. Imagine a world where the Senate could actually vote on gun violence prevention, voting rights, and protecting abortion and IVF. All of those critical issues could get an up-or-down vote if we reformed the filibuster. pic.twitter.com/AOwNGuEhEC — Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) March 5, 2024 Slotkin leads Rogers in the latest polls. The most recent survey from CBS News shows Slotkin up by 7 points over Rogers, while the Republican-friendly Trafalgar Group’s latest poll has Slotkin leading by 4 points.

Actress Patricia Heaton, the former star of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” issued a message on the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks on America in which she stated that the same kinds of terrorists who wanted to butcher Americans on 9/11 now target Israel, and, by extension, Americans and all of Western democracy. “I happened to be in New York City on September 11, 2001 with the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond,” Heaton, a devout Catholic, wrote on X. “It was a terrifying experience. It’s hard to believe now that Israel is experiencing the same horrors. It needs to end.” Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. In the accompanying video, she delivered this message: It’s 9/11 again. And here we are. The same terrorists are back in full force, this time going after Israel but really they’re going after all of us. They’re going after Western democracy. They’re going against anyone who’s not a radical Islamist. And anyone who calls for Israel to lay down its arms, you are supporting the same people who took down the Twin Towers. You are supporting Hamas; you are being used by Hamas. If you don’t understand this, you are being profoundly naive. It is Hamas who broke the ceasefire on October 7. It’s Hamas who murdered all those Israelis. It is Hamas who took hostages, including babies, like Ariel and Kfir Bibas. It is Hamas who puts Palestinians in the line of danger. It is Hamas who has refused — over twenty times — to sign a ceasefire deal. It is Hamas who executed the hostages. It’s not the United States. It’s not Israel. Please understand this: Israel has to stay in it and do what is necessary until the terrorists are eliminated. Please understand this. God bless everyone who died on 9/11, everyone in the Twin Towers, and all the first responders. And God bless their families. And God bless everyone who’s still waiting for people to come home from Gaza. I happened to be in New York City on September 11, 2001 with the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond. It was a terrifying experience. It’s hard to believe now that Israel is experiencing the same horrors. It needs to end. pic.twitter.com/UrCqfsl7SF — Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) September 11, 2024

Comedian Kathy Griffin is worried that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump plans to go after comedians if he is re-elected in November.  “He’s going to pick us off, one by one, like bowling pins, and I’m not kidding and I’m not being paranoid,” the celeb told Entertainment Weekly during a recent interview.  “I’m a D-lister, he’s not going to get to me on day one, but he’ll get to me, trust me,” Griffin continued. “He’s got a list. I’ve known this guy for 25 years, maybe 30. He’s so petty that he lives for this. He doesn’t want to be President or do any president-ing.” Griffin referenced the infamous photograph from 2017 of her holding a replica of Trump’s decapitated head in her hand. That image and the extreme backlash she received inspired Griffin to create her current tour, called “My Life on the PTSD List.” Griffin, 63, also told the outlet she was almost arrested for conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States following a “chilling” investigation.  Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. She went on to make predictions if Trump returns to the Oval Office.  “If he gets re-elected, he’ll go after Jimmy Kimmel, he’ll go after Jon Stewart, all the name ones, but he’ll go after Rosie O’Donnell. That’s all he’s going to do all day,” Griffin told the outlet. “He’ll have press conferences about it. He’s so much crazier than he was the first go-round.” The photographer who helped Griffin create the severed head image in 2017, Tyler Shields, told EW at the time that Griffin had expressed she was perfectly fine with going to jail for the image. “Fortunately, we have freedom of speech [in the first amendment], and all art is generally protected by these things, but again, this was [Griffin’s] first thought, ‘Will you bail me out of jail?’ You know, again, it wasn’t, ‘I don’t want to do this because I might go to jail.’ It was like, ‘Well, I’m gonna do it and whatever happens, happens.’” Griffin later publicly apologized for the image and has since expressed regret, saying it caused her to lose many social media followers. 

There are some people whose impact on others can be seen long after they are gone. Jillian Renae Branciforte is the perfect example. At 29 years old, she had become a beacon of light for countless students in the Greece Central School District, located in the state of New York. There were few thing she loved more than learning and helping others, values her students are sure to carry with them, even now that she’s no longer with us. That’s because, last week, Jillian was tragically killed in a car crash. The impact of this loss is being felt across the school district. But amidst the grief, the people who loved Jillian are finding ways to celebrate her beautiful, impactful life. This can be seen in the thoughtful display at the teacher’s former desk. Miss. G, a fellow teacher and friend of Jillian, shares it in the video below. @miss_g.eometry This was your desk at 7:24 this morning. We all loved you SO much. @Jill | fashionista & ‘24 bride #grief #missgeometry ♬ Pink Skies – Zach Bryan Students and Colleagues of Jillian Renae Branciforte Express Love for This Late Teacher in the Sweetest Way As the above video shows, Jillian’s desk is full of beautiful flowers and other sweet items in her honor. The immense amount of love both students and colleagues alike had, and continue to have, for Jillian can be felt through the screen. What an incredible sign of a life dedicated to helping others. “She was always there for me,” a student named Abby said, even though she wasn’t in any of Jillian’s classes. “We’d joke around and talk about everything.” As the Greece Central School District’s Trauma, Illness, and Grief team provide support for students and staff, there’s no doubt that they will continue to find new ways to honor Jillian and the impact she had on so many. The InspireMore team sends our condolences to everyone impacted by this tragic loss. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Students & Colleagues Display Beautiful Outpouring Of Love For Late Teacher appeared first on InspireMore.

It can be really tough for parents to drop their kids off at kindergarten for the first time, but this teacher’s note helped one mom feel more at ease. Tavia Wade shared the sweetest video on social media about how she received a touching gift when she brought her twin daughters to school that morning. Understandably, the woman was dealing with some pretty heavy emotions as she prepared to say goodbye for the day. However, the girls’ new instructor knew exactly what to say! As Tavia told her story online, she produced a pack of tissues with a letter attached. She revealed that her daughters’ kindergarten teacher had given her this note, which contained a moving poem. Mom proceeded to read the verses out loud. @taviawade It needed to be heard ♬ original sound – Tavia Wade “I dare you not to cry when I read this,” she said. In her sweet note, the kindergarten teacher wrote that she understood what parents were going through as they dropped off their kids that day. However, she promised that she would care for these children as if they were her own. “So please put your mind at ease and cry those tears no more, for I will love them and take them in when you leave them at my door,” read the poem’s conclusion. This kindergarten teacher’s note was so beautiful and reassuring, Tavia had already read it several times. She said that it took her quite a while to be able to do this without crying her eyes out! Her husband was also moved by the educator’s promise. Although these parents were still feeling emotional, it helped to know that their kids were safe and loved! Screengrab from TikTok Commenters thought this kindergarten teacher’s thoughtful note was absolutely precious. Other educators also chimed in to reassure the mother that, yes, educators do care about their students! “We really do love your babies as our own, I promise,” one person wrote. Another added, “I do this every year. I truly just want the parents to know how loved their child is going to be.” What a beautiful tradition! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Mom Shares Precious Reason “My Daughter’s Kindergarten Teacher Made Me Cry” appeared first on InspireMore.