This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.
Alleged Docs Leakers Appears In Court
The 22-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified documents appeared in court this week for his detention hearing. Jack Texiera’s attorneys asked the judge Thursday to allow the defendant to be released to his father’s home to await trial. The Justice Department wants to keep him detained. The judge said he will issue his decision at a later date.
Elizabeth Holmes Wins Sentencing Appeal
Convicted fraudster and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was set to begin her 11-year prison sentence on Thursday, but it has been delayed due to a last-minute appeal. Her legal team filed the appeal Tuesday, which has automatically pushed back the start of her sentence by up to a month.
Down Syndrome Barbie
Toymaker Mattel has unveiled a new “Down syndrome Barbie doll.” In a statement, Mattel said, “Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves. Doll play outside of a child’s own lived experience can teach understanding and build a greater sense of empathy, leading to a more accepting world.” The Barbie franchise has come under fire in the past for portraying women in an unrealistic way.
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Spielberg Regrets Edits
During a Times 100 Master class on Tuesday, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg said he regrets editing out firearms from his classic film, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
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The director also criticized the modern trend of remaking old films and rewriting books to appease modern audiences.
“Nobody should ever attempt to take the chocolate out of Willy Wonka! Ever! And they shouldn’t take the chocolate or the vanilla, or any other flavor out of anything that has been written,” he said. “For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.”
South Korean President Nails Rendition Of “Bye-Bye Miss American Pie”
And, at the state dinner held at the White House Wednesday evening, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol surprised international guests with a rendition of Don McLean’s 1971 hit “Bye-Bye Miss American Pie”
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol grabbed a mic and sang the Don Mclean classic “American Pie” to an astonished audience at the White House state dinner.
“I had no damn idea you could sing,” Biden told his counterpart. https://t.co/MIYlQuZvwk pic.twitter.com/uFhJBymKEP
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 27, 2023
Yoon was in town to announce the Washington Declaration and discuss how to strengthen the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. Afterward, Biden gave his South Korean counterpart an acoustic guitar signed by the American Pie Singer himself.
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