Grave peril of digital conspiracy theories: ‘What happens when no one believes anything anymore?’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days after Maui’s wildfires killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes last August, a shocking claim spread with alarming speed on YouTube and TikTok: The blaze on the Hawaiian island was set deliberately, using futuristic energy weapons developed by the U.S. military.

Claims of “evidence” soon emerged: video footage on TikTok showing a beam of blinding white light, too straight to be lightning, zapping a residential neighborhood and sending flames and smoke into the sky. The video was shared many millions of times, amplified by neo-Nazis, anti-government radicals and supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, and presented as proof that America’s leaders had turned on the country’s citizens.

“What if Maui was just a practice run?” one woman asked on TikTok. “So that the government can use a direct energy weapon on us?”

The TikTok clip had nothing to do with the Maui fires. It was actually video of an electrical transformer explosion in Chile earlier in the year. But that didn’t stop a TikTok user with a habit of posting conspiracy videos from using the clip to sow more fear and doubt. It was just one of several similar videos and images doctored and passed off as proof that the wildfires were no accident.

Conspiracy theories have a long history in America, but now they can be fanned around the globe in seconds, amplified by social media, further eroding truth with a newfound destructive force.

With the United States and many other nations facing big elections in 2024, , the perils of rapidly spreading disinformation, using ever more sophisticated technology such as artificial intelligence, now also threaten democracy itself — both by fueling extremist groups and by encouraging distrust.

“I think the post-truth world may be a lot closer than we’d like to believe,” said A.J. Nash, vice president for intelligence at ZeroFox, a cybersecurity firm that tracks disinformation. “What happens when no one believes anything anymore?”

Extremists and authoritarians deploy disinformation as potent weapons used to recruit new followers and expand their reach, using fake video and photos to fool their followers.

And even when they fail to convince people, the conspiracy theories embraced by these groups contribute to mounting distrust of authorities and democratic institutions, causing people to reject reliable sources of information while encouraging division and suspicion.

Melissa Sell, a 33-year-old Pennsylvania resident, is among those who has lost faith in the facts.

“If it’s a big news story on the TV, the majority of the time it’s to distract us from something else. Every time you turn around, there’s another news story with another agenda distracting all of us,” she said. Sell thinks the Maui wildfires may have been intentionally set, perhaps to distract the public, perhaps to test a new weapon. “Because the government has been caught in lies before, how do you know?” she said.

Absent meaningful federal regulations governing social media platforms, it’s largely left to Big Tech companies to police their own sites, leading to confusing, inconsistent rules and enforcement. Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, says it makes an effort to remove extremist content. Platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Telegram and far-right sites like Gab, allow it to flourish.

Federal election officials and some lawmakers have suggested regulations governing AI, including rules that would require political campaigns to label AI-generated images used in its ads. But those proposals wouldn’t affect the ability of extremist groups or foreign governments to use AI to mislead Americans.

Meanwhile, U.S.-based tech platforms have rolled back their efforts to root out misinformation and hate speech, following the lead of Elon Musk, who fired most of the content moderators when he purchased X.

“There’s been a big step backward,” said Evan Hansen, the former editor of Wired.com who was Twitter’s director of curation before leaving when Musk purchased the platform. “It’s gotten to be a very difficult job for the casual observer to figure out: What do I believe here?”

Hansen said a combination of government regulations, voluntary action by tech titans and public awareness will be needed to combat the coming wave of synthetic media. He noted the Israel-Hamas war has already seen a deluge of fake and altered photos and video. Elections in the U.S. and around the world this year will create similar opportunities for digital mischief.

The disinformation spread by extremist groups and even politicians like former President Donald Trump can create the conditions for violence, by demonizing the other side, targeting democratic institutions and convincing their supporters that they’re in an existential struggle against those who don’t share their beliefs.

Trump has spread lies about elections, voting and his opponents for years. Building on his specious claims of a deep state that controls the federal government, he has echoed QAnon and other conspiracy theories and encouraged his followers to see their government as an enemy. He even suggested that now-retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, whom Trump himself nominated to be the top U.S. military officer during his administration, was a traitor and deserved execution. Milley said he has had to take security precautions to protect his family.

The list of incidents blamed on extremists motivated by conspiracy theories is growing. The Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, attacks on vaccine clinics, anti-immigrant fervor in Spain; and anti-Muslim hate in India: All were carried out by people who believed conspiracy theories about their opponents and who decided violence was an appropriate response.

Polls and research surveys on conspiracy theories show about half of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory, and those views seldom lead to violence or extremism. But for some, these beliefs can lead to social isolation and radicalization, interfering with their relationships, career and finances. For an even smaller subset, they can lead to violence.

The credible data that exists on crimes motivated by conspiracy theories shows a disturbing increase. In 2019, researchers at the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism identified six violent attacks in which perpetrators said their actions were prompted by a conspiracy theory. In 2020, the year of the most recent survey, there were 116.

Laws designed to rein in the power of social media and artificial intelligence to spread disinformation aren’t likely to pass before the 2024 election, and even if they are, enforcement will be a challenge, according to AI expert Vince Lynch, CEO of the tech company IV.AI.

“This is happening now, and it’s one of the reasons why our society seems so fragmented,” Lynch said. “Hopefully there may be AI regulation someday, but we are already through the looking glass. I do think it’s already too late.”

To believers, the facts don’t matter.

“You can create the universe you want,” said Danielle Citron, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who studies online harassment and extremism. “If the truth doesn’t matter, and there is no accountability for these false beliefs, then people will start to act on them.”

Sell, the conspiracy theorist from Pennsylvania, said she began to lose trust in the government and the media shortly after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 students and six educators dead. Sell thought the shooter looked too small and weak to carry out such a bloody act, and the gut-wrenching interviews with stricken loved ones seemed too perfect, almost practiced.

“It seemed scripted,” she said. “The pieces did not fit.”

That idea — that the victims of the rampage were actors hired as part of a plot to push gun control laws — was notably spread by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The families of Sandy Hook victims sued, and the Infowars host was later ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages.

Claims that America’s elected leaders and media cannot be trusted feature heavily in many conspiracy theories with ties to extremism.

In 2018, a committed conspiracy theorist from Florida mailed pipe bombs to CNN, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and several other top Democrats; the man’s social media feed was littered with posts about child sacrifice and chemtrails — the debunked claim that airplane vapor clouds contain chemicals or biological agents being used to control the population.

In another act of violence tied to QAnon, a California man was charged with using a speargun to kill his two children in 2021. He told an FBI agent that he had been enlightened by QAnon conspiracy theories and had become convinced that his wife “possessed serpent DNA and had passed it on to his children.”

In 2022, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters. Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss.

The coronavirus pandemic, with its attendant social isolation, created ideal conditions for new conspiracy theories as the virus spread fear and uncertainty around the globe. Vaccine clinics were attacked, doctors and nurses threatened. 5G communication towers were vandalized and burned as a wild theory spread claiming they were being used to activate microchips hidden in the vaccine. Fears about vaccines led one Wisconsin pharmacist to destroy a batch of the highly sought after immunizations, while bogus claims about supposed COVID-19 treatments and cures led to hospitalizations and death.

Few recent events, however, display the power of conspiracy theories like the Jan. 6 insurrection, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, vandalized the offices of Congress and fought with police in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election.

More than 1,200 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related crimes. About 900 have pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials. Over 750 have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving some term of imprisonment, according to data compiled by The Associated Press. Many of those charged said they had bought into Trump’s conspiracy theories about a stolen election.

“We, meaning Trump supporters, were lied to,” wrote Jan. 6 defendant Robert Palmer in a letter to a judge, who later sentenced him to more than five years for attacking police. “They kept spitting out the false narrative about a stolen election and how it was ‘our duty’ to stand up to tyranny.”

Many conspiracy theorists reject any link between their beliefs and violence, saying they’re being blamed for the actions of a tiny few. Others insist these incidents never occurred, and that events like the Jan. 6 attack were actually false-flag events concocted by the government and media.

“Lies, lies lies: They’re lying to you over and over and over again,” said Steve Girard, a Pennsylvania man who has protested the incarceration of Jan. 6 defendants. He spoke to the AP while waving a large American flag on a busy street in Washington.

While they may have taken on a bigger role in our politics, surveys show that belief in conspiracy theories hasn’t changed much over the years, according to Joe Uscinski, a University of Miami professor and an expert on the history of conspiracy theories. He said he believes that while the internet plays a role in spreading conspiracy theories, most of the blame lies with the politicians who exploit believers.

“Who was the bigger spreader of COVID misinformation: some guy with four followers on Twitter or the president of the United States? The problem is our politicians,” Uscinski said. “Jan. 6 happened, and people said: ‘Oh, this is Facebook’s fault.’ No, the president of the United States told his followers to be at this place, at this time and to fight like hell.”

Governments in Russia, China, Iran and elsewhere have also pushed extremist content on social media as part of their efforts to destabilize Western democracy. Russia has amplified numerous anti-U.S. conspiracy theories, including ones claiming the U.S. runs secret germ warfare labs and created HIV as a bioweapon, as well as conspiracy theories accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi state.

China has helped spread claims that the U.S. created COVID-19 as a bioweapon.

Tom Fishman, the CEO at the nonprofit Starts With Us, said that Americans can take steps to defend the social fabric by turning off their computer and meeting the people they disagree with. He said Americans must remember what ties them together.

“We can look at the window and see foreshadowing of what could happen if we don’t: threats to a functioning democracy, threats of violence against elected leaders,” he said. “We have a civic duty to get this right.”

David Klepper, The Associated Press

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3:

Jan. 28: Actor Nicholas Pryor (“Risky Business”) is 89. Actor Alan Alda is 88. Actor Susan Howard (“Dallas”) is 82. Actor Marthe Keller (“Marathon Man”) is 79. Actor Barbi Benton is 74. Director Frank Darabont (“The Green Mile,” “The Shawshank Redemption”) is 65. Guitarist Dave Sharp of The Alarm is 65. Singer Sam Phillips is 62. Guitarist Dan Spitz (Anthrax) is 61. Bassist Greg Cook of Ricochet is 59. Gospel singer Marvin Sapp is 57. Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan is 56. Musician DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill is 56. Rapper Rakim is 56. Actor Kathryn Morris (“Cold Case”) is 55. Humorist Mo Rocca is 55. Keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna of Fitz and the Tantrums is 54. Singer Anthony Hamilton is 53. Singer Monifah is 52. Actor Gillian Vigman (“The Hangover” films) is 52. Keyboardist Brandon Bush (Train) is 51. Actor Terri Conn (“One Life to Live”) is 49. Singer-actor Joey Fatone of ’N Sync is 47. Rapper Rick Ross is 47. Actor Angelique Cabral (“Life in Pieces”) is 45. Actor Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) is 45. Singer Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys is 44. Actor Vinny Chhibber (“The Red Line”) is 44. Actor Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings”) is 43. Rapper J. Cole is 39. Actor Alexandra Krosney (“Last Man Standing”) is 36. Actor Yuri Sardarov (“Chicago Fire”) is 36. Actor Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”) is 26.

Jan. 29: Actor Katharine Ross is 84. Actor Tom Selleck is 79. Singer Bettye LaVette is 78. Actor Marc Singer is 76. Actor Ann Jillian is 74. Drummer Louie Perez of Los Lobos is 71. Singer Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band is 71. Actor Terry Kinney (“Oz”) is 70. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 70. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 68. Actor Diane Delano (“The Ellen Show,” ″Northern Exposure”) is 67. Actor Judy Norton (“The Waltons”) is 66. Guitarist Johnny Spampinato of NRBQ is 65. Drummer David Baynton-Power of James is 63. Bassist Eddie Jackson of Queensryche is 63. Actor Nicholas Turturro (“NYPD Blue”) is 62. Singer-guitarist Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera is 60. Director-actor Ed Burns is 56. Actor Sam Trammell (“True Blood”) is 55. Actor Heather Graham is 54. Actor Sharif Atkins (“White Collar,” ″ER”) is 49. Actor Sara Gilbert is 49. Actor Kelly Packard (“Baywatch”) is 49. Actor Justin Hartley (“This Is Us”) is 47. Actor Sam Jaeger (“Parenthood”) is 47. Former “The View” co-host Jedediah Bila is 45. Actor Andrew Keegan (“Party of Five”) is 45. Actor Jason James Richter (“Free Willy”) is 44. Guitarist Jonny Lang is 43. Singer Adam Lambert (“American Idol”) is 42. Country singer Eric Paslay is 41.

Jan. 30: Actor Gene Hackman is 94. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 87. Actor Vanessa Redgrave is 87. Country singer Norma Jean is 86. Horn player William King of The Commodores is 75. Musician Phil Collins is 73. Actor Charles S. Dutton (“Roc”) is 73. Actor Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is 68. Comedian Brett Butler (“Anger Management,” ″Grace Under Fire”) is 66. Singer Jody Watley is 65. Actor Wayne Wilderson (“Veep”) is 58. Country singer Tammy Cochran is 52. Actor Christian Bale is 50. Guitarist Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket is 50. Actor Olivia Colman is 50. Actor Lena Hall is 44. Singer Josh Kelley is 44. Actor Wilmer Valderrama (“That ’70s Show”) is 44. Actor Mary Hollis Inboden (“The Real O’Neals”) is 38. Actor Kylie Bunbury (“Big Sky,” “Pitch”) is 35. Actor Jake Thomas (“Lizzie McGuire,” ″AI”) is 34. Actor Danielle Campbell (“Tell Me a Story,” “The Originals”) is 29.

Jan. 31: Composer Philip Glass is 87. Bluesman Charlie Musselwhite is 80. Actor Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul,” ″Breaking Bad”) is 77. Actor Glynn Turman (“The Wire,” ″A Different World”) is 77. Singer Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band is 73. Singer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols is 68. Actor Anthony LaPaglia (“Without a Trace,” ″Murder One”) is 65. Actor Kelly Lynch is 65. Singer-guitarist Lloyd Cole is 63. Actor Paulette Braxton (“The Parkers,” ″In The House”) is 59. Bassist Al Jaworski of Jesus Jones is 58. Actor Minnie Driver is 54. Actor Portia de Rossi (“Arrested Development,” ″Ally McBeal”) is 51. Comedian Bobby Moynihan (“Saturday Night Live”) is 47. Actor Kerry Washington (“Scandal,” ″Ray”) is 47. Singer Justin Timberlake is 43. Actor Tyler Ritter (“The McCarthys”) is 39. Singer Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line is 37. Singer Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons is 37. Actor Joel Courtney (“Super 8,” “The Kissing Booth”) is 28.

Feb. 1: Actor-comedian Garrett Morris is 87. Bluegrass singer Del McCoury is 85. TV personality Joy Philbin is 83. Guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is 74. Blues musician Sonny Landreth is 73. Actor-writer-producer Billy Mumy (“Lost in Space”) is 70. Singer Exene Cervenka of X is 68. Actor Linus Roache (“Law & Order”) is 60. Actor Sherilyn Fenn (“Twin Peaks”) is 59. Comedian Pauly Shore is 56. Actor Brian Krause (“Charmed”) is 55. Jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman is 55. Drummer Patrick Wilson of Weezer is 55. Actor Michael C. Hall (“Dexter,” ″Six Feet Under”) is 53. Rapper Big Boi of Outkast is 49. Musician Jason Isbell is 45. Country singer Julie Roberts is 45. Singer Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT is 41. TV personality Lauren Conrad (“The Hills,” ″Laguna Beach”) is 38. Actor-singer Heather Morris (“Glee”) is 37. Singer Harry Styles is 30.

Feb. 2: Singer Graham Nash is 82. Singer Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers is 78. TV chef Ina Garten (“Barefoot Contessa”) is 76. Actor Jack McGee (“The McCarthys”) is 75. Actor Brent Spiner (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 75. Bassist Ross Valory of Journey is 75. Model Christie Brinkley is 70. Actor Michael Talbott (“Miami Vice”) is 69. Actor Kim Zimmer (“Guiding Light”) is 69. Actor Michael T. Weiss (“The Pretender”) is 62. Comedian Adam Ferrara (“Rescue Me”) is 58. Bassist Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots is 58. Actor Jennifer Westfeldt (“Kissing Jessica Stein”) is 54. Rapper T-Mo (Goodie Mob) is 52. Actor Marissa Jaret Winokur is 51. Actor Lori Beth Denberg (“The Steve Harvey Show”) is 48. Steel guitarist Jesse Siebenberg of Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real is 48. Singer Shakira is 47. Actor Rich Sommer (“Mad Men” Film: “The Devil Wears Prada”) is 46. Actor Zosia Mamet (“Girls”) is 36.

Feb. 3: Actor Blythe Danner is 81. Guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks is 77. Singer Melanie is 77. Actor Morgan Fairchild is 74. Actor Pamela Franklin (“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”) is 74. Actor Nathan Lane is 68. Guitarist Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth is 68. Actor Thomas Calabro (“Melrose Place”) is 65. Drummer Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) is 65. Actor Michele Greene (“L.A. Law”) is 62. Country singer Matraca Berg is 60. Actor Maura Tierney (“ER,” ″NewsRadio”) is 59. Actor Warwick Davis (“Harry Potter” films, “Willow”) is 54. Actor Elisa Donovan (“Clueless”) is 53. Singer Daddy Yankee is 48. Actor Isla Fisher is 48. Singer Jessica Harp (The Wreckers) is 42. Actor Matthew Moy (“2 Broke Girls”) is 40. Rapper Sean Kingston is 34. Actor Brandon Micheal Hall (“God Friended Me”) is 31.

The Associated Press

Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2023

From a hot dog vendor to head of the formidable mercenary army Wagner Group, his rise through Russian society could easily be described as meteoric. But it all came to a sudden end when the plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded.

The Aug. 23 death of Yevgeny Prigozhin put an exclamation point on what had already been an eventful year for the brutal mercenary leader. His Wagner troops brought Russia a rare victory in its grinding war in Ukraine, successfully capturing the city of Bakhmut. But internal friction with Russian military leaders later burst into the open, with Prigozhin briefly mounting an armed rebellion — the most severe challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule.

The rebellion was called off and a deal was struck after less than 24 hours. However, just two months later, Prigozhin joined the list of those who have run afoul of the Kremlin and died unnatural deaths.

He was just one of many noteworthy people who died in 2023.

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Serving under two presidents, Kissinger’s shadow loomed large in the foreign policy arena, prompting both admiration and criticism from around the globe. And he continued his involvement in global affairs even in his final months.

Another political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. She was the closest adviser to her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, during his one term in the White House and then across four decades of global humanitarian work.

Others from the world of politics who died this year include: former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi; former U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley and James Abourezk; former British treasury chief Nigel Lawson; former Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang; former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari; former New Mexico governor and American ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson; former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver; and former Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos.

Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Turner’s powerful voice and stage presence brought her fame across multiple decades, first with her abusive husband, Ike Turner, in the 1960’s and 70’s. But after leaving their marriage, she found fame again in the 1980’s with her hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Others in the world of arts and entertainment who died this year include: actors Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree and Tom Sizemore; musicians Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee and Tony Bennett; civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte; author Cormac McCarthy; filmmaker William Friedkin; TV hosts Bob Barker and Jerry Springer; poet Louise Glück; guitarist Jeff Beck; fashion designer Mary Quant; wrestler The Iron Sheik; composer Kaija Saariaho; and “Sesame Street” co-creator Lloyd Morrisett.

Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):

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JANUARY

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Fred White, 67. A drummer who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire. Jan. 1.

Ken Block, 55. A motorsports icon known for his stunt driving and for co-founding the action sports apparel brand DC Shoes. Jan. 2. Snowmobiling accident.

Walter Cunningham, 90. The last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program. Jan. 3.

Fay Weldon, 91. A British author known for her sharp wit and acerbic observations about women’s experiences and sexual politics in novels including “The Life And Loves Of A She-Devil.” Jan. 4.

Russell Pearce, 75. A Republican lawmaker who was the driving force behind Arizona’s landmark 2010 anti-immigration legislation known as the “show me your papers” law. Jan. 5.

Charles Simic, 84. The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who awed critics and readers with his singular art of lyricism and economy, tragic insight and disruptive humor. Jan. 9.

Lynette “Diamond” Hardaway, 51. An ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and one half of the conservative political commentary duo Diamond and Silk. Jan. 8.

Jeff Beck, 78. A guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player. Jan. 10.

Constantine, 82. The former and last king of Greece, who won an Olympic gold medal in sailing and spent decades in exile after becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s. Jan. 10.

Tatjana Patitz, 56. She was one of an elite group of supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and ’90s and appeared in George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” music video. Jan. 11.

Lisa Marie Presley, 54. The only child of Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy. Jan. 12.

Robbie Knievel, 60. An American stunt performer who set records with daredevil motorcycle jumps following in the tire tracks of his thrill-seeking father Evel Knievel. Jan. 13.

Ray Cordeiro, 98. He interviewed music acts including the Beatles during a six-decade career on Hong Kong radio that earned him the title of the world’s longest-working disc jockey. Jan. 13.

Lloyd Morrisett, 93. The co-creator of the beloved children’s TV series “Sesame Street,” which has used empathy and fuzzy monsters like Elmo and Cookie Monster to charm and teach generations around the world. Jan. 15.

Gina Lollobrigida, 95. An Italian film legend who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one of her movies. Jan. 16.

Chris Ford, 74. A member of the Boston Celtics 1981 championship team, a longtime NBA coach and the player credited with scoring the league’s first 3-point basket. Jan. 17.

David Crosby, 81. The brash rock musician who evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and troubadour in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Sept. 18.

Cindy Williams, 75. She was among the most recognizable stars in America in the 1970s and 1980s for her role as Shirley on the beloved sitcom “Laverne & Shirley.” Jan. 25.

Billy Packer, 82. An Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS. Jan. 26.

Sylvia Syms, 89. She starred in classic British films including “Ice Cold in Alex” and “Victim.” Jan. 27.

Barrett Strong, 81. One of Motown’s founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company’s breakthrough single “Money (That’s What I Want)” and collaborated with Norman Whitfield on such classics as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “War” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” Jan. 28.

Tom Verlaine, 73. The guitarist and co-founder of the seminal proto-punk band Television who influenced many bands while playing at ultra-cool downtown New York music venue CBGB alongside the Ramones, Patti Smith and Talking Heads. Jan. 28.

Bobby Hull, 84. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final. Jan. 30.

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FEBRUARY

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Paco Rabanne, 88. The Spanish-born designer known for perfumes sold worldwide but who made his name with metallic space-age fashions that put a bold, new edge on catwalks. Feb. 3.

Harry Whittington, 95. The man who former Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot while they were hunting quail on a Texas ranch more than 17 years ago. Feb. 4.

Hsing Yun, 95. A Buddhist abbot who established a thriving religious community in southern Taiwan and built universities overseas. Feb. 5.

Pervez Musharraf, 79. The general who seized power in a bloodless coup and later led a reluctant Pakistan into aiding the U.S. war in Afghanistan against the Taliban. Feb. 5.

Burt Bacharach, 94. The singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and dozens of other hits. Feb. 8.

Carlos Saura, 91. Spain’s celebrated filmmaker who earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Language Film during his seven-decade career. Feb. 10.

Hugh Hudson, 86. A British filmmaker who debuted as a feature director with the Oscar-winning Olympics drama “Chariots of Fire” and made other well-regarded movies including “My Life So Far” and the Oscar-nominated “Greystroke.” Feb. 10.

Hans Modrow, 95. He served as East Germany’s last communist leader during a turbulent tenure that ended in the country’s first and only free election. Feb. 11.

David Jude Jolicoeur, 54. Widely known as Trugoy the Dove, he was one of the founding members of the Long Island hip hop trio De La Soul. Feb. 12.

Huey “Piano” Smith, 89. A beloved New Orleans session musician who backed Little Richard, Lloyd Price and other early rock stars, and with his own group made the party favorites “Don’t You Just Know It” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu.” Feb. 13.

Leiji Matsumoto, 85. The anime creator known for ”Space Battleship Yamato” and other classics using a fantastical style and antiwar themes. Feb. 13.

Raquel Welch, 82. Her emergence from the sea in a skimpy, furry bikini in the film “One Million Years B.C.” propelled her to international sex symbol status in the 1960s and ’70s. Feb. 15.

Tim McCarver, 81. The All-Star catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster who during 60 years in baseball won two World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals and had a long run as one of the country’s most recognized, incisive and talkative television commentators. Feb. 16.

Stella Stevens, 84. A prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis’s affection in “The Nutty Professor.” Feb. 17.

Richard Belzer, 78. The longtime stand-up comedian who became one of TV’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Feb. 19.

Ahmed Qureia, 85. A former Palestinian prime minister and one of the architects of interim peace deals with Israel. Feb. 22.

James Abourezk, 92. A South Dakota Democrat who grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, became the first Arab American U.S. senator and was known for his quick wit as he advocated for populist causes. Feb. 24.

Betty Boothroyd, 93. The first female speaker of Britain’s House of Commons. Feb. 26.

Ricou Browning, 93. A skilled swimmer best known for his underwater role as the Gill Man in the quintessential 3D black-and-white 1950s monster movie “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Feb. 27.

Gérard Latortue, 88. A former interim prime minister of Haiti who helped rebuild and unite the country after a violent coup in the mid-2000s. Feb. 27.

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MARCH

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Just Fontaine, 89. The French soccer great who scored a record 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup. March 1.

Barbara Everitt Bryant, 96. The first woman to run the U.S. Census Bureau and its leader during the contentious debate over how to compensate for undercounts of minority groups in the 1990 census. March 2.

Tom Sizemore, 61. The “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions. March 3.

Kenzaburo Oe, 88. The Nobel literature laureate whose darkly poetic novels were built from his childhood memories during Japan’s postwar occupation and from being the parent of a disabled son. March 3.

Judy Heumann, 75. A renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities. March 4.

Gary Rossington, 71. A co-founder and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd who helped write the classic answer song “Sweet Home Alabama” and played unforgettable slide guitar on the rock anthem “Free Bird.” March 5.

Georgina Beyer, 65. A trailblazing New Zealand politician who in 1999 became the world’s first openly transgender member of Parliament. March 6.

Traute Lafrenz, 103. She was the last known survivor of a German group known as the White Rose that actively resisted the Nazis. March 6.

Peterson Zah, 85. A monumental Navajo Nation leader who guided the tribe through a politically tumultuous era and worked tirelessly to correct wrongdoings against Native Americans. March 7.

Chaim Topol, 87. A leading Israeli actor who charmed generations of theatergoers and movie-watchers with his portrayal of Tevye, the long-suffering and charismatic milkman in “Fiddler on the Roof.” March 8.

Robert Blake, 89. The Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife. March 9.

Jiang Yanyong, 91. A Chinese military doctor who revealed the full extent of the 2003 SARS outbreak and was later placed under house arrest for his political outspokenness. March 11.

Bud Grant, 95. The stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in eight years and lost all of them. March 11.

Dick Fosbury, 76. The lanky leaper who revamped the technical discipline of high jump and won an Olympic gold medal with his “Fosbury Flop.” March 12.

Pat Schroeder, 82. A pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress. March 13.

Gloria Bosman, age unknown. A smooth-voiced South African jazz musician who was lauded for her contribution to the country’s music industry in a career spanning more than two decades. March 14.

Jacqueline Gold, 62. She helped make lingerie and sex toys a female-friendly mainstream business as head of Britain’s Ann Summers chain. March 16.

Lance Reddick, 60. A character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including “The Wire,” ″Fringe” and the “John Wick” franchise. March 17.

John Jenrette, 86. The former U.S. congressman was a colorful politician who was convicted in the Abscam bribery scandal in the late 1970s and whose wife talked to Playboy about an in-session dalliance on the U.S. Capitol steps. March 17.

Fito Olivares, 75. A Tejano musician known for songs that were wedding and quinceanera mainstays, including the hit “Juana La Cubana.” March 17.

Willis Reed, 80. He dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports’ most enduring examples of playing through pain. March 21.

Darcelle XV, 92. The iconic drag queen who was crowned the world’s oldest working drag performer in 2016 by the Guinness Book of World Records. March 23.

Paul O’Grady, 67. An entertainer who achieved fame as drag queen Lily Savage before becoming a much-loved comedian and host on British television. March 28.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, 71. A world-renowned Japanese musician and actor who composed for Hollywood hits such as “The Last Emperor” and “The Revenant.” March 28.

Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, 99. A bridal industry pioneer and Holocaust survivor who decided over a half century ago that brides deserved better than cookie-cutter dresses. March 29.

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APRIL

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Nigel Lawson, 91. The tax-cutting U.K. Treasury chief under the late Margaret Thatcher and a lion of Conservative politics in the late 20th century. April 3.

Ben Ferencz, 103. The last living prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, who tried Nazis for genocidal war crimes and was among the first outside witnesses to document the atrocities of Nazi labor and concentration camps. April 7.

Elisabeth Kopp, 86. An advocate of equal rights and the environment who was the first woman elected to Switzerland’s seven-member executive branch. April. 7.

Michael Lerner, 81. The Brooklyn-born character actor who played a myriad of imposing figures in his 60 years in the business, including monologuing movie mogul Jack Lipnick in “Barton Fink,” the crooked club owner Bugsy Calhoun in “Harlem Nights” and an angry publishing executive in “Elf.” April 8.

Anne Perry, 84. The best-selling crime novelist known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk detective series, and for her own murderous past that inspired the movie “Heavenly Creatures.” April 10.

Al Jaffee, 102. Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and ageless wise guy who delighted millions of kids with the sneaky fun of the Fold-In and the snark of “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.” April 10.

Mary Quant, 93. The visionary fashion designer whose colorful, sexy miniskirts epitomized Swinging London in the 1960s and influenced youth culture around the world. April 13.

Charles Stanley, 90. A prominent televangelist who once led the Southern Baptist Convention. April 18.

Richard Riordan, 92. A wealthy Republican businessman who served two terms as Los Angeles mayor and steered the city through the Northridge earthquake and the recovery from the deadly 1992 riots. April 19.

Todd Haimes, 66. He led the Roundabout Theatre Company from an off-off-Broadway company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy into a major theatrical force with works on five stages — including three Broadway theaters — and dozens of Tony Awards. April 19.

Barry Humphries, 89. A Tony Award-winning comedian internationally renowned for his garish stage persona Dame Edna Everage, a condescending and imperfectly-veiled snob whose evolving character delighted audiences over seven decades. April 22.

Len Goodman, 78. A long-serving judge on “Dancing with the Stars” and “Strictly Come Dancing” who helped revive interest in ballroom dancing on both sides of the Atlantic. April 22.

Harry Belafonte, 96. The civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world. April 25.

Carolyn Bryant Donham, 88. The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances leading to his lynching in Mississippi in 1955. April 25.

Jerry Springer, 79. The onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional guests willing to bare all — sometimes literally — as they brawled and hurled obscenities before a raucous audience. April 27.

LeRoy “Lee” Carhart, 81. He emerged from a two-decade career as an Air Force surgeon to become one of the best-known late-term abortion providers in the United States. April 28.

Larry “Gator” Rivers, 73. He helped integrate high school basketball in Georgia before playing for the Harlem Globetrotters and becoming a county commissioner in his native Savannah. April 29.

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MAY

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Gordon Lightfoot, 84. The legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity. May 1.

Tori Bowie, 32. The sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. May 2. Complications of childbirth.

Vida Blue, 73. A hard-throwing left-hander who became one of baseball’s biggest draws in the early 1970s and helped lead the brash A’s to three straight World Series titles before his career was derailed by drug problems. May 6.

Grace Bumbry, 86. A pioneering mezzo-soprano who became the first Black singer to perform at Germany’s Bayreuth Festival during a more than three-decade career on the world’s top stages. May 7.

Rita Lee Jones, 75. Brazil’s million-selling “Queen of Rock” who gained an international following through her colorful and candid style and such hits as “Ovelha Negra,” “Mania de Você” and “Now Only Missing You.” May 8.

Denny Crum, 86. He won two NCAA men’s basketball championships and built Louisville into one of the 1980s’ dominant programs during a Hall of Fame coaching career. May 9.

Heather Armstrong, 47. Known as Dooce to fans, the pioneering mommy blogger laid bare her struggles as a mother and her battles with depression and alcoholism on her website and on social media. May 9.

Jacklyn Zeman, 70. She played Bobbie Spencer for 45 years on ABC’s “General Hospital.” May 9.

Rolf Harris, 93. The veteran entertainer whose decades-long career as a family favorite on British and Australian television was shattered when he was convicted of sexual assaults on young girls. May 10.

Kenneth Anger, 96. The shocking and influential avant-garde artist who defied sexual and religious taboos in short films such as “Scorpio Rising” and “Fireworks,” and dished the most lurid movie star gossip in his underground classic “Hollywood Babylon.” May 11.

Doyle Brunson, 89. One of the most influential poker players of all time and a two-time world champion. May 14.

Jim Brown, 87. The pro football Hall of Famer was an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s. May 18.

Timothy Keller, 72. A pastor and best-selling author who founded the influential Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. May 19.

Andy Rourke, 59. Bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s. May 19.

Ray Stevenson, 58. The Irish actor who played the villainous British governor in “RRR,” an Asgardian warrior in the “Thor” films, and a member of the 13th Legion in HBO’s “Rome.” May 21.

Ed Ames, 95. The youngest member of the popular 1950s singing group the Ames Brothers, who later became a successful actor in television and musical theater. May 21.

Tina Turner, 83. The unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” May 24.

George Maharis, 94. A stage-trained actor with rough-hewn good looks who became an icon to American youth in the 1960s as he cruised the country in a Corvette convertible in the hit television series “Route 66.” May 24.

Carroll Cooley, 87. The retired Phoenix police captain was the arresting officer in the landmark case partially responsible for the Supreme Court’s Miranda rights ruling that requires suspects be read their rights. May 29.

John Beasley, 79. The veteran character actor who played a kindly school bus driver on the TV drama “Everwood” and appeared in dozens of films dating back to the 1980s. May 30.

Theodoros Pangalos, 84. A former Greek foreign minister known for his undiplomatic outbursts and on whose watch Greece suffered one of its most embarrassing foreign policy debacles in 1999. May 31.

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JUNE

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Kaija Saariaho, 70. She wrote acclaimed works that made her the among the most prominent composers of the 21st century. June 2.

George Winston, 73. The Grammy-winning pianist who blended jazz, classical, folk and other stylings on such million-selling albums as “Autumn,” “Winter Into Spring” and “December.” June 4.

Astrud Gilberto, 83. The Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer whose off-hand, English-language cameo on “The Girl from Ipanema” made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova. June 5.

Robert Hanssen, 79. A former FBI agent who took more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds to trade secrets with Moscow in one of the most notorious spying cases in American history. June 5.

Richard Snyder, 90. A visionary and imperious executive at Simon & Schuster who in bold-faced style presided over the publisher’s exponential rise during the second half of the 20th century and helped define an era of consolidation and growing corporate power. June 6.

Françoise Gilot, 101. A prolific and acclaimed painter who created art for more than a half-century but was nonetheless more famous for her turbulent relationship with Pablo Picasso — and for leaving him. June 6.

The Iron Sheik, 81. A former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality. June 7.

Pat Robertson, 93. A religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president, and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition. June 8.

Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, 81. Branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI, he was the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. June 10.

Roger Payne, 88. The scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing. June 10.

Silvio Berlusconi, 86. The boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy’s longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption. June 12.

Treat Williams, 71. An actor whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series “Everwood” and the movie “Hair.” June 12. Motorcycle crash.

Cormac McCarthy, 89. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who in prose both dense and brittle took readers from the southern Appalachians to the desert Southwest in novels including “The Road,” “Blood Meridian” and “All the Pretty Horses.” June 13.

Glenda Jackson, 87. A two-time Academy Award-winning performer who had a second career as a British lawmaker before an acclaimed late-life return to stage and screen. June 15.

Daniel Ellsberg, 92. The history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation. June 16.

Big Pokey, 48. A popular Texas rapper and original member of Houston’s pioneering Screwed Up Click. June 18.

George Frazier, 68. The former pitcher was a World Series champion who had a nearly three-decade run as a television broadcaster. June 19.

H. Lee Sarokin, 94. The federal judge who freed boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and in a landmark case famously said tobacco companies engaged in a “vast” conspiracy to conceal the dangers of smoking. June 20.

Winnie Ewing, 93. A charismatic politician who is considered the mother of the modern Scottish independence movement. June 21.

Sheldon Harnick, 99. A Tony- and Grammy Award-winning lyricist who with composer Jerry Bock made up the premier musical-theater songwriting duos of the 1950s and 1960s with shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Fiorello!” and “The Apple Tree.” June 23.

John Goodenough, 100. He shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work developing the lithium-ion battery that transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones, computers, and pacemakers to electric cars. June 25.

Peg Yorkin, 96. She donated $10 million to the Feminist Majority Foundation, which she co-founded and pushed to bring the most common method of abortion to the United States. June 25.

Sue Johanson, 93. A nurse who became a popular TV sex expert in Canada and the United States when she was in her 60s. June 28.

Alan Arkin, 89. The wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in everything from farcical comedy to chilling drama, receiving four Academy Award nominations and winning an Oscar in 2007 for “Little Miss Sunshine.” June 29.

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JULY

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Yan Mingfu, 91. A former top Communist Party figure who acted as an envoy to pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 and was forced out after the protests were crushed. July 3.

John Berylson, 70. An American businessman known for his enthusiastic ownership of the English soccer team Millwall. July 4. Car crash.

Coco Lee, 48. A Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia. July 5.

James Lewis, 76. The suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area, triggered a nationwide scare and led to an overhaul in the safety of over-the-counter medication packaging. July 9.

Mikala Jones, 44. A Hawaii surfer known for shooting awe-inspiring photos and videos from the inside of massive, curling waves. July 9. Surfing accident.

André Watts, 77. A pianist whose televised debut with the New York Philharmonic as a 16-year-old in 1963 launched an international career of more than a half-century. July 12.

Jane Birkin, 76. An actor and singer who made France her home and charmed the country with her English grace, natural style and social activism. July 16.

Kevin Mitnick, 59. His pioneering antics tricking employees in the 1980s and 1990s into helping him steal software and services from big phone and tech companies made him the most celebrated U.S. hacker. July 16.

Tony Bennett, 96. The eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga. July 21.

Hugh “Sonny” Carter Jr., 80. He was an organizer in the “Peanut Brigade” that helped elect his cousin Jimmy to the White House and later enforced the president’s frugal ways in the West Wing. July 23.

Sinéad O’Connor, 56. The gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s was as much known for her private struggles and provocative actions as her fierce and expressive music. July 26.

Randy Meisner, 77. A founding member of the Eagles who added high harmonies to such favorites as “Take It Easy” and “The Best of My Love” and stepped out front for the waltz-time ballad “Take It to the Limit.” July 26.

Paul Reubens, 70. The actor and comedian whose Pee-wee Herman character — an overgrown child with a tight gray suit and an unforgettable laugh — became a 1980s pop cultural phenomenon. July 30.

Angus Cloud, 25. The actor who starred as the drug dealer Fezco “Fez” O’Neill on the HBO series “Euphoria.” July 31.

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AUGUST

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Sheila Oliver, 71. The New Jersey lieutenant governor rose to become one of the state’s most prominent Black leaders and passionately advocated for revitalizing cities and against gun violence. Aug. 1.

Mark Margolis, 83. The Emmy-nominated actor who played murderous former drug kingpin Hector Salamanca in “Breaking Bad” and then in the prequel “Better Call Saul.” Aug. 3.

William Friedkin, 87. The Oscar winning director who became a top filmmaker in his 30s with the gripping “The French Connection” and the horrifying “The Exorcist” and struggled in the following decades to match his early success. Aug. 7.

Sixto Rodriguez, 81. He lived in obscurity as his music career flamed out early in the U.S. only to find success in South Africa and a stardom of which he was unaware. Aug. 8.

Robbie Robertson, 80. The Band’s lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek” mined American music and folklore and helped reshape contemporary rock. Aug. 9.

Tom Jones, 95. The lyricist, director and writer of “The Fantasticks,” the longest-running musical in history. Aug. 11.

Magoo, 50. The rapper known for his work in the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo and hit song “Up Jumps da Boogie” featuring Aaliyah and Missy Elliott. Aug. 13.

Clarence Avant, 92. The judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and was known as the “Black Godfather” of music and beyond. Aug. 13.

Ada Deer, 88. An esteemed Native American leader from Wisconsin and the first woman to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Aug. 15.

Jerry Moss, 88. A music industry giant who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert and rose from a Los Angeles garage to the heights of success with hits by Alpert, the Police, the Carpenters and hundreds of other performers. Aug. 16.

Michael Parkinson, 88. The renowned British broadcaster who interviewed some of the world’s most famous celebrities of the 20th century from Muhammad Ali to Miss Piggy. Aug. 16.

Jiri Cerny, 87. A legendary Czech music critic who introduced Western music to generations of listeners behind the Iron Curtain and became one of the voices of the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution. Aug. 17.

Betty Tyson, 75. Convicted in a 1973 murder, she spent 25 years in prison before being exonerated on the basis of new evidence. Aug. 17.

James Buckley, 100. The former New York senator was an early agitator for then-President Richard Nixon’s resignation and winner of a landmark lawsuit challenging campaign spending limits. Aug. 18.

John Warnock, 82. The Silicon Valley entrepreneur and computer scientist who helped invent the PDF and co-founded Adobe Systems. Aug. 19.

Ron Cephas Jones, 66. A veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series “This Is Us.” Aug. 19.

Howard Hubbard, 84. A retired Catholic bishop who acknowledged covering up allegations of sexual abuse in his upstate New York diocese and later married a woman in a civil ceremony. Aug. 19.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62. As head of the Wagner Group, he made his name as a profane and brutal mercenary boss before mounting an armed rebellion that was the most severe and shocking challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Aug. 23. Plane crash.

Bob Barker, 99. The enduring, dapper game show host who became a household name over a half century of hosting “Truth or Consequences” and “The Price Is Right.” Aug. 26.

Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher, 49. He was thrust into the political spotlight as “Joe the Plumber” after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign. Aug. 27.

Gil Brandt, 91. The Pro Football Hall of Fame member was the player personnel director alongside the stoic, fedora-wearing coach Tom Landry and media-savvy general manager Tex Schramm as part of the trio that built the Dallas Cowboys into “America’s Team” in the 1970s. Aug. 31.

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SEPTEMBER

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Jimmy Buffett, 76. The singer-songwriter who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions. Sept. 1.

Bill Richardson, 75. A two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations who dedicated his post-political career to working to secure the release of Americans detained by foreign adversaries. Sept. 1.

Steve Harwell, 56. The longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth that was behind the megahit “All Star.” Sept. 4. Acute liver failure.

Shabtai Shavit, 84. The Israeli spymaster who was credited with advancing Israel’s historic peace treaty with Jordan during his term as director of the Mossad intelligence agency. Sept. 5.

Ian Wilmut, 79. The cloning pioneer whose work was critical to the creation of Dolly the Sheep in 1996. Sept. 9.

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, 95. The controversial South African politician and traditional minister of the Zulu ethnic group. Sept. 9.

Roy Kidd, 91. He coached Eastern Kentucky to two NCAA Division I-AA football championships in a Hall of Fame career. Sept. 12.

Eno Ichikawa, 83. He revived the spectacular in Japanese Kabuki theater to woo younger and global audiences. Sept. 13.

Michael McGrath, 65. A Broadway character actor who shined in zany, feel-good musicals and won a Tony Award for “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” Sept. 14.

Fernando Botero, 91. A renowned Colombian painter and sculptor whose depictions of people and objects in plump, exaggerated forms became emblems of Colombian art around the world. Sept. 15.

Giorgio Napolitano, 98. The first former Communist to rise to Italy’s presidency and the first person to be elected twice to the mostly ceremonial post. Sept. 22.

Matteo Messina Denaro, 61. A convicted mastermind of some of the Sicilian Mafia’s most heinous slayings, Italy’s No. 1 fugitive was captured after decades on the run. Sept. 25. Died in a prison hsopital.

David McCallum, 90. The actor who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular “NCIS” 40 years later. Sept. 25.

Dianne Feinstein, 90. A centrist Democrat from California and champion of liberal causes who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics. Sept. 28.

Michael Gambon, 82. The Irish-born actor knighted for his storied career on the stage and screen who gained admiration from a new generation of moviegoers with his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films. Sept. 28.

Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, 98. A renowned agricultural scientist who revolutionized India’s farming and was a key architect of the country’s “Green Revolution.” Sept. 28.

Saad Eddin Ibrahim, 85. A prominent Egyptian-American academic and pro-democracy activist during the reign of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Sept. 29.

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OCTOBER

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Tim Wakefield, 57. The knuckleballing workhorse of the Red Sox pitching staff who bounced back after giving up a season-ending home run to the Yankees in the 2003 playoffs to help Boston win its curse-busting World Series title the following year. Oct. 1.

Dick Butkus, 80. A Hall of Fame middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears whose speed and ferocity set the standards for the position in the modern era. Oct. 5.

Michael Chiarello, 61. A chef known for his Italian-inspired Californian restaurants who won an Emmy Award for best host for “Easy Entertaining With Michael Chiarello” and appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef Masters.” Oct. 6. Allergic reaction that resulted in anaphylactic shock.

Burt Young, 83. The Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie, the rough-hewn, mumbling-and-grumbling best friend, corner-man and brother-in-law to Sylvester Stallone in the “Rocky” franchise. Oct. 8.

Hughes Van Ellis, 102. He was the youngest known survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre and spent his latter years pursuing justice for his family and other descendants of the attack on “Black Wall Street.” Oct. 9.

Kevin Phillips, 82. The author, commentator and political strategist whose landmark book, “The Emerging Republican Majority,” became a blueprint for GOP thinking in the 1970s and beyond. Oct. 9

Louise Meriwether, 100. The author and activist whose coming-of-age novel “Daddy Was a Number Runner” is widely regarded as a groundbreaking and vital portrait of race, gender an

AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

Israel’s war with Hamas resumes with airstrikes in Gaza after a weeklong truce ends

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s war with Hamas erupted again Friday, as airstrikes hit houses and buildings in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired. Health authorities in the besieged territory reported dozens of Palestinians killed and Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave, urging civilians to flee to avoid the fighting.

Militants in Gaza resumed firing rockets into Israel, and fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah militants operating along its northern border with Lebanon.

The resumption of the war threatens to compound the suffering in Gaza. Some 2 million people — almost its entire population — are crammed into the territory’s south, where Israel urged people to relocate at the war’s start and has since vowed to extend its ground assault. Unable to go into north Gaza or neighboring Egypt, their only escape is to move around within the 85-square-mile area (220 square kilometers).

Renewed hostilities also heighten concerns for about 140 hostages still held captive by Hamas and other militants, after more than 100 were freed during the truce. For families of remaining hostages, the truce’s collapse was a blow to hopes their loved ones could be the next out after days of seeing others freed. The Israeli army said Friday it had confirmed the deaths of four more hostages, bringing the total known dead to seven.

Qatar, which has served as a mediator along with Egypt, said negotiators were still trying for a deal to restore the cease-fire. Israel and Hamas traded blame for ending the truce.

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Bombs are falling on Gaza again. Who are the hostages still remaining in the besieged strip?

JERUSALEM (AP) — A weeklong cease-fire that brought the exchanges of dozens of hostages held by Hamas for scores of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel gave way Friday morning to resumed fighting between Israel and Hamas. As mediators scuttle between the warring sides in a last-ditch effort to broker another swap, questions emerge on who remains in captivity in the besieged enclave.

Hamas and other militants seized around 247 hostages in their deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip in return, killing at least 13,300 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Here’s a closer look at the fate of the hostages.

Israel said on Friday that 136 hostages remain in Gaza. They include 119 men and 17 women and children, according to military spokesperson Daniel Hagari. Roughly 10 of the hostages are 75 and older, the Prime Minister’s Office said Friday.

The vast majority are Israeli while 11 are foreign nationals, including eight from Thailand, one from Nepal and Tanzania each, and one French-Mexican.

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House expels New York Rep. George Santos. It’s just the sixth expulsion in the chamber’s history

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a blistering ethics report on his conduct heightened lawmakers’ concerns about the scandal-plagued freshman. Santos became just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues, and the third since the Civil War.

The vote to expel was 311-114, easily clearing the two-thirds majority required. House Republican leaders opposed removing Santos, whose departure leaves them with a razor-thin majority, but in the end 105 GOP lawmakers sided with nearly all Democrats to expel him.

The expulsion marked the final congressional chapter in a spectacular fall from grace for Santos. Celebrated as an up-and-comer after he flipped a district from Democrats last year, Santos’ life story began to unravel before he was even sworn into office. Reports emerged that he had lied about having Jewish ancestry, a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree, among other things.

Then, in May, Santos was indicted by federal prosecutors on multiple charges, turning his presence in the House into a growing distraction and embarrassment to the party.

Santos joins a short list of lawmakers expelled from the House, and for reasons uniquely his own. Of the previous expulsions in the House, three were for siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War. The remaining two occurred after the lawmakers were convicted of crimes in federal court, the most recent in 2002.

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Judge rejects Trump’s claim of immunity in his federal 2020 election prosecution

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution in his election interference case in Washington, a federal judge ruled Friday, knocking down the Republican’s bid to derail the case charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision amounts to a sharp rejection to challenges the Trump defense team had raised to the four-count indictment in advance of a trial expected to center on the Republican’s multi-pronged efforts to undo the election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Though the judge turned aside Trump’s expansive view of presidential power, the order might not be the final say in the legal fight. Lawyers for Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing, are expected to quickly appeal to fight what they say an unsettled legal question.

In her ruling, Chutkan said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office.”

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Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, has died at age 93

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday. She was 93.

O’Connor died in Phoenix, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court said in a news release.

Chief Justice John Roberts mourned her death. “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice,” Roberts said in statement issued by the court. “She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.”

In 2018, she announced that she had been diagnosed with “the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease.” Her husband, John O’Connor, died of complications of Alzheimer’s in 2009.

O’Connor’s nomination in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and subsequent confirmation by the Senate ended 191 years of male exclusivity on the high court. A native of Arizona who grew up on her family’s sprawling ranch, O’Connor wasted little time building a reputation as a hard worker who wielded considerable political clout on the nine-member court.

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Trump attorney says trial during campaign would be ‘election interference’ if he is GOP nominee

ATLANTA (AP) — An attorney for former President Donald Trump said Friday it would amount to “election interference” if his client is the Republican nominee for president while on trial in Georgia in the months running up to the general election.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee opened the door for discussion on trial timing while considering requests by two of the former president’s co-defendants to delay certain pretrial deadlines. But he said he didn’t plan to make any immediate decisions on a trial date.

District Attorney Fani Willis last month asked that all defendants remaining in the case — currently Trump and 14 others — be tried together beginning Aug. 5. Prosecutors have previously estimated it would take them four months to present their case, not including jury selection. That would mean the trial would be underway during the final months of the election campaign.

“Can you imagine the notion of the Republican nominee for president not being able to to campaign for the presidency because he is, in some form or fashion, in a courtroom defending himself?” Sadow said during the Friday hearing, later adding, “That would be the most effective election interference in the history of the United States.”

Prosecutor Nathan Wade rejected that idea.

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Inmate who stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times is charged with attempted murder, prosecutors say

Derek Chauvin was stabbed in prison 22 times by a former gang leader and one-time FBI informant who told investigators he targeted the ex-Minneapolis police officer because of his notoriety for killing George Floyd, federal prosecutors said Friday.

John Turscak was charged with attempted murder a week after the Nov. 24 attack at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. He told correctional officers he would have killed Chauvin had they not responded so quickly, prosecutors said.

Turscak, who is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes committed while a member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang, told investigators he thought about attacking Chauvin for a month because he is a high-profile inmate but denied wanting to kill him, prosecutors said.

Turscak is accused of attacking Chauvin with an improvised knife in the prison law library around 12:30 p.m. on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Correctional officers used pepper spray to subdue Turscak, prosecutors said. The Bureau of Prisons said employees performed “life-saving measures.” Chauvin was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Turscak told FBI agents interviewing him after the assault that he attacked Chauvin on Black Friday as a symbolic connection to the Black Lives Matter movement, which garnered widespread support in the wake of Floyd’s murder in 2020, and the “Black Hand” symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia, prosecutors said.

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Chicago and other northern US cities scramble to house migrants with coldest weather just ahead

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago is scrambling to house hundreds of asylum-seekers who are still sheltering on sidewalks, at police stations and at the city’s busiest airport as the cold weather sets in and with winter just around the corner.

The country’s third-largest city announced a partnership with religious leaders this week to house 400 of the migrants in churches. But with nighttime temperatures dropping below freezing and chillier conditions still ahead, more than 1,000 were still living at police stations or at O’Hare International Airport as of Friday, according to the city dashboard.

“As winter fast approaches, our need for greater collaboration and coordination grows. And that is why we are mobilizing Chicago’s faith community and our partners in the philanthropic community to meet this moment,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a news conference announcing the partnership.

More than 23,000 asylum-seekers have been bused to Chicago from Texas since the start of the year, according to the city. Other Democratic-led cities are grappling with similar influxes, including Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, which has received more than 120,000 asylum-seekers.

Illinois announced this month that it would funnel an additional $160 million to help resettle migrants who arrive in Chicago, including $65 million to help the city build and operate two temporary shelters to avoid people sleeping out in the cold. On Friday, the state announced it would give an additional $4 million that will go toward feeding asylum-seekers in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository

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A world away from the West Bank, Vermont shooting victims and their families face new grief and fear

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Nearly a week after three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously wounded while taking an evening walk, relatives of two of the victims have arrived in Vermont from the war-torn West Bank, grappling with a new reality that has shattered their lives and a place they thought was a safe haven.

Elizabeth Price and her husband Ali Awartani flew in Wednesday just as their son, Hisham Awartani, underwent surgery. After the Israel-Hamas war erupted in early October, they decided it would be safer for Hisham to stay in the United States instead of coming home for the holidays.

Now they don’t know if he will ever walk again.

“When my nephew came to this country to pursue his studies and when he came to stay with me for Thanksgiving in Burlington, Vermont, it never occurred to me that he may be victim to this type of violence,” Awartani’s uncle Rich Price said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday. “And so I feel a sense of shame, I feel a sense of outrage, and it’s been a really difficult awakening to the fact that even here — even in this country, even in this town — that many of the risks that exist for my nephew and his friends in Palestine exist for them here.”

Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, all age 20 and attending colleges in the eastern U.S., were visiting Price and his family for the holiday break. The three have been friends since first grade at Ramallah Friends School, a private school in the West Bank. While they were out for a walk Saturday evening after a family birthday party, a man approached them and shot them without saying a word, they told police.

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AP Exclusive: America’s Black attorneys general discuss race, politics and the justice system

BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people of all races and across the political spectrum.

For many, recent protests against police brutality called attention to longstanding discrepancies in the administration of justice. For others, criticism of perceived conflicts of interest in the judiciary, as well as aspersions cast by former President Donald Trump and others on the independence of judges and law enforcement, have further damaged faith in the rule of law among broad swaths of the public.

Yet many Black attorneys understood the disparate impact the legal system can have on different communities long before the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police. Many pursued legal careers and entered that same system to improve it, with some rising to one of its most influential roles, the top enforcement official: attorney general.

There is a record number of Black attorneys general, seven in total, serving today. Two Black attorneys, Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, have served as U.S. attorney general. And the vice president, Kamala Harris, was the first Black woman elected attorney general.

In that same moment of increased representation, the U.S. is gripped by intense debates regarding justice, race and democracy. Black prosecutors have emerged as central figures litigating those issues, highlighting the achievements and limits of Black communal efforts to reform the justice system.

The Associated Press

AP Exclusive: America’s Black attorneys general discuss race, politics and the justice system

BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people of all races and across the political spectrum.

The Associated Press spoke with six sitting Black attorneys general about their views on racial equity, public safety, police accountability and protecting democratic institutions. While their worldviews and strategies sometimes clash, the group felt united in a mission to better a system they all agreed too often failed the people it’s meant to serve.

A spokesperson for Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.

All interviewed attorneys general are Democrats. Each attorney general discussed how their backgrounds informed their approach to the law.

“I loved math, and I thought I was going to become an accountant. Clearly, that went a different direction as life happened,” said Andrea Campbell, the attorney general of Massachusetts. She soon began a career providing legal aid in her community because “most of my childhood was entangled with the criminal legal system.”

Anthony Brown and Kwame Raoul learned from their fathers, who were both physicians and Caribbean immigrants. Raoul, now the attorney general of Illinois, said he learned “to never forget where you came from and never forget the struggles that others go through.”

Brown’s father drew satisfaction from knowing that he made a difference in people’s lives and taught him the importance of public service. “I saw that every day as a kid growing up,” said Brown, a retired army colonel now serving as attorney general of Maryland.

Letitia James, the New York attorney general, said she came from “humble beginnings” and was “shaped by those who know struggle, pain, loss, but also perseverance.” Aaron Ford, the attorney general of Nevada, attributed his achievements “because the government helped in a time of need to get to my next level.”

And Keith Ellison, the attorney general of Minnesota, was raised on stories of his grandparents organizing Black voters in Louisiana at the height of Jim Crow, when they endured bomb threats and a burned cross at their home.

“That’s who raised me. Because of that, I have a sensitivity to people who are being punished for trying to do the right thing. And that’s what we dedicate our work to. And there’s a lot more to it,” Ellison said.

On reducing disparities in the criminal justice system

The American criminal justice system is plagued with well-documented inequality and racial disparities at every level. And while an outsized portion of defendants are people of color, prosecutors are mostly white. Many Black prosecutors entered the legal profession to bring the perspective of communities most impacted by the system into its decision-making processes.

“If we are in these roles, I think people expect, and rightfully so, that we will take on criminal legal reform, that we will take out bias that exists in criminal or civil prosecutions, that we will focus on communities of color and do it in such a way that recognizes those communities are often overpoliced and under-protected,” Campbell said.

Efforts at reforming the justice system have been mixed. The disparity between Black and white rates of incarceration dropped by 40% between 2000 and 2020, according to a September 2022 report by the Council on Criminal Justice. But while the number of people incarcerated overall across that period slightly fell, policing and sentencing policies vary by state, leading to divergent realities across regions.

Brown has made reducing Maryland’s high rate of Black male incarceration his “number one strategy priority.” Maryland has the highest percentage of Black people incarcerated of any state, though Southeastern states like Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have higher total populations.

He created a civil rights division in his office and obtained greater powers from Maryland’s general assembly to prosecute police-involved killings and bring such cases under civil rights law.

Both Brown and Campbell said that such reform efforts were in pursuit of both improving equity and law enforcement.

Better prison conditions and fairer justice systems, Campbell argued, reduce issues like recidivism and promote trust in the justice system overall.

“You can have accountability while also improving the conditions of confinement,” Campbell said.

On addressing police misconduct

For Ellison, improving outcomes in the legal system can’t happen without ensuring fair and equitable policing across communities.

“We want the system of justice to work for defendants and for victims both. And there’s no reason it shouldn’t,” Ellison said. He believes involvement from attorneys general is “probably” needed “in order for it to happen.”

Ellison, who successfully prosecuted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for Floyd’s murder, doesn’t believe such a high-profile case of accountability for police misconduct, by itself, signaled a meaningful shift in police relations with underserved communities.

“One of my big worries after the Floyd case is that now people get to say, ‘Well, you know, we convicted that guy. Move on,’” Ellison said.

Ellison reflected on how his experience as a Black man informed Chauvin’s prosecution. “I knew right off that, based on my life experience, they’re probably going to smear (Floyd),” Ellison said, referencing the various tropes he had expected the defense to use. “If I hadn’t walked the life that I walk, I’m not sure I would have been able to see that coming.”

He also noted that no federal policing legislation had been passed since the national protests in the wake of Floyd’s murder. That didn’t mean progress had not been made in Ellison’s eyes, who pointed to various states and local reforms, including in Minnesota, which have enacted higher standards on police training, reforms on practices like no-knock warrants and instituted chokehold bans.

Such changes were often facilitated by Black lawmakers and law enforcement officials. Raoul recalled working on police reform measures with Republican legislators, several of whom were former law enforcement officers.

“Being a Black man in a position of power during that particular time gave me a voice where I was able to get unanimity,” Ford said.

Campbell doesn’t see public safety and racial justice as mutually exclusive.

“You can absolutely make sure that we are giving law enforcement every tool they need, every resource they need to do their jobs effectively, while at the same time taking on the misappropriation of funds, police misconduct, police brutality. All of that can happen at once,” she said.

On protecting democracy and the rule of law

On issues such as voting rights and election interference, Black prosecutors have also drawn national attention for litigating cases examining potential election fraud and voter disenfranchisement.

“I took an oath of office when I got elected to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Nevada,” Ford said. “And I didn’t know that literally meant we’d be protecting democracy in the sense that folks would be pushing back on the legitimacy of our elections and undermining our democracy.”

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, his office litigated six lawsuits against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and allied groups, which argued without evidence that widespread voter fraud had corrupted Nevada’s elections.

In November, Ford’s office opened an investigation into the slate of electors Nevada Republicans drafted that falsely certified Trump had won the state’s votes in the Electoral College. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of efforts by prosecutors at all levels of government to pursue potential criminal wrongdoing by Trump and his allies in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Two Black prosecutors, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in New York, are prosecuting cases on related issues, as is a special counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice. The efforts have not come without criticism. Trump has lambasted James, Bragg and Willis with language often evoking racist and stereotypical tropes, such as using terms like “animal” and “rabid” to describe Black district attorneys.

James, who has sued Trump in a civil fraud case in which she argues the real estate mogul misrepresented the values of his New York properties for tax purposes, said Trump tends to use his multiple legal entanglements “as a microphone” to sow more distrust for governmental institutions.

“He unfortunately plays upon individuals’ fears and lack of hope and their dissolution in how the system has failed them. That’s why he’s garnered so much support,” James said of Trump.

“He claims he wants to make America great again, but the reality is that America is already exceptional,” James said. “It’s unfortunate that we are so polarized because of the insecurities of one man.”

On public safety and community needs

Public safety, the cost of living and other material needs are top of mind for most Americans since the coronavirus pandemic caused a spike in crime and economic anxiety. Attorneys general have broad mandates in administering resources, meaning they often can be nimbler in responding to pressing challenges than legislators.

“You don’t solve crimes unless you have communities that trust that they can go to law enforcement,” said Raoul, the Illinois attorney general. “And people don’t trust that they can go to law enforcement if they think that law enforcement is engaging in unconstitutional policing.”

Ellison and James both said a top priority was housing. “We’ve sued a lot of bad landlords,” Ellison said. James said she was focused on real estate investors buying large amounts of working- and middle-class housing across her state, as well as cracking down on deed theft and rental discrimination in New York City.

Ellison has also established a wage theft unit in his office, which he says was informed by the experience of Black Americans.

The prosecutors learn from each other’s crime-fighting techniques but aren’t uniform in their strategies. Ford said he “can’t just do a cut and paste job” for constituencies as diverse as his. But Raoul, for instance, has spearheaded a crackdown on retail store theft in Illinois that Brown has begun to emulate in Maryland.

“We do have significant authority to do a lot at once,” Campbell said. “Divisiveness” at the federal level has prompted many people to turn to local and state officials for action, she said.

On increasing Black representation among prosecutors

Even as the number of high-profile black attorneys in the legal system has risen, many Black lawmakers, district attorneys, attorneys general, and judges are often still a barrier breaker in their communities and, in some cases, the country. While the interviewed officials say they stay in touch with all their peers, they also lean on their fellow Black attorneys general in unique ways.

“Keith Ellison and I served together in Congress. He was an inspiration to me when I was making the decision to move from Congress to the attorney general,” Brown said. The group is in frequent communication through texts, calls and even joint travel domestically and abroad as they build working and personal relationships with each other.

“We have a little group and we’re in regular communication. We boost each other up. We stick with each other and celebrate each other a lot,” Ellison said.

The group views that collaboration as increasingly necessary due to a rising amount of litigation specifically aimed at issues of great interest to Black communities, several attorneys general said.

“There’s an assault going on, an intentional assault against opportunities for the Black community at large and on diversity and inclusion,” Raoul said.

Raoul cited lawsuits against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in areas ranging from higher education, contracting and employment opportunities as evidence of a “coordinated, well-funded assault on opportunity,” he said.

“We cannot be found asleep at the wheel.”

The group also uses their growing size and shared perspective as Black Americans to influence other attorneys general across the country.

“We know that we collectively force a conversation in the (attorney general) community at large simply by us being there,” Raoul said. “That’s not to say we don’t debate with each other, and that’s healthy as well. But we force a conversation that needs to be had.”

James dismissed her barrier-breaking accolades as “nothing more than historical footnote.”

“All that history means nothing to me nor to anyone else. People only look for results,” James said. “Every day I wake up and make sure that I still have this fire in my belly for justice. Sweet, sweet justice.”

Being the first, James said, “doesn’t do anything to feed my soul.”

For most Black attorneys general, the work is ongoing.

“If we’ve made a change, it’s been incremental. I think it would be a little presumptuous of us to think we’ve changed the system,” Ellison said. “We might be changing the system. Hopefully, we are.”

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Matt Brown is a member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on social media.

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The Associated Press’s coverage of race and democracy receives support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Matt Brown, The Associated Press

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 26-Dec. 2

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 26-Dec. 2:

Nov. 26: Impressionist Rich Little is 85. Singer Jean Terrell (The Supremes) is 79. Bassist John McVie of Fleetwood Mac is 78. Actor Marianne Muellerleile (Film’s “Memento,” TV’s “Life With Bonnie”) is 75. Actor Scott Jacoby (“That Certain Summer”) is 67. Actor Jamie Rose (“Falcon Crest,” “St. Elsewhere”) is 64. Country singer Linda Davis is 61. Actor Scott Adsit (“30 Rock”) is 58. Actor Kristin Bauer (“True Blood”) is 57. Actor Peter Facinelli (“Nurse Jackie”) is 50. Actor Tammy Lynn Michaels (”The L Word,” “Popular”) is 49. Hip-hop artist DJ Khaled is 48. Actor Maia Campbell (“In the House”) is 47. Country singer Joe Nichols is 47. Musicians Randy and Anthony Armstrong of Red are 45. Actor Jessica Bowman (“Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman”) is 43. Singer Natasha Bedingfield is 42. Actor Jessica Camacho (“Taken,” “The Flash”) is 41. Singer-guitarist Mike Gossin of Gloriana is 39. Drummer Ben Wysocki of The Fray is 39. Singer Lil Fizz of B2K is 38. Singer Aubrey Collins (Trick Pony) is 36. Singer-actor Rita Ora is 33. Actor Aubrey Peeples (“Nashville,” “Sharknado”) is 30.

Nov. 27: Director Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) is 72. TV personality Bill Nye (“Bill Nye the Science Guy”) is 68. Actor William Fichtner (“Mom,” “Invasion”) is 67. Guitarist Charlie Burchill of Simple Minds is 64. Actor Michael Rispoli (“The Rum Diary,” “To Die For”) is 63. Jazz musician Maria Schneider is 63. Drummer Charlie Benante of Anthrax is 61. Drummer Mike Bordin (Faith No More) is 61. Actor Fisher Stevens (TV’s “Early Edition,” film’s “Short Circuit”) is 60. Actor Robin Givens is 59. Actor Michael Vartan (“Alias”) is 55. Actor Elizabeth Marvel (“Homeland,” “House of Cards”) is 54. Rapper Skoob of DAS EFX is 53. Actor Kirk Acevedo (“Fringe,” “Oz”) is 52. Rapper Twista is 51. Actor Jaleel White (“Family Matters”) is 47. Actor Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die”) is 36.

Nov. 28: Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is 94. Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel is 83. Singer Randy Newman is 80. Musician Paul Shaffer (“Late Show With David Letterman”) is 74. Actor Ed Harris is 73. Actor S. Epatha Merkerson (“Law & Order”) is 71. Country singer Kristine Arnold of Sweethearts of the Rodeo is 67. Actor Judd Nelson is 64. Director Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma,” “Gravity”) is 62. Drummer Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) is 61. Actor Jane Sibbett (“Friends, “Herman’s Head”) is 61. Comedian Jon Stewart (“The Daily Show”) is 61. Actor Garcelle Beauvais (“NYPD Blue,” ″The Jamie Foxx Show”) is 57. Singer Dawn Robinson (En Vogue, Lucy Pearl) is 55. Actor Gina Tognoni (“The Young and the Restless”) is 50. Musician apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas is 49. Actor Malcolm Goodwin (“iZombie”) is 48. Actor Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”) is 47. Actor Aimee Garcia (“Lucifer”) is 45. Rapper Chamillionaire is 44. Actor Daniel Henney (“Criminal Minds”) is 44. Keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) is 40. Singer-keyboardist Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees is 40. Singer Trey Songz is 39. Actor Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”) is 39. Actor Scarlett Pomers (“Reba”) is 35. Actor-rapper Bryshere Gray (“Empire”) is 30.

Nov. 29: Blues musician John Mayall is 90. Actor Diane Ladd is 88. Musician Chuck Mangione is 83. Singer-keyboardist Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals is 81. Actor Jeff Fahey (“Lost,” “The Marshal”) is 71. Director Joel Coen is 69. Actor-comedian Howie Mandel is 68. Actor Cathy Moriarty is 63. Actor Kim Delaney (“NYPD Blue”) is 62. Actor Andrew McCarthy is 61. Actor Don Cheadle is 59. Actor-producer Neill Barry (“Friends and Lovers”) is 58. Singer Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block is 55. Actor Larry Joe Campbell (“According to Jim”) is 53. Keyboardist Frank Delgado of Deftones is 53. Actor Paola Turbay (“True Blood”) is 53. Contemporary Christian singer Crowder is 52. Actor Gena Lee Nolin (“Sheena,” ″Baywatch”) is 52. Actor Brian Baumgartner (“The Office”) is 51. Actor Julian Ovenden (“Downton Abbey”) is 48. Actor Anna Faris (“Mom,” ″Scary Movie”) is 47. Gospel singer James Fortune is 46. Actor Lauren German (“Lucifer,” ″Chicago Fire”) is 45. Rapper The Game is 44. Drummer Ringo Garza of Los Lonely Boys is 42. Actor-comedian John Milhiser (“Saturday Night Live”) is 42. Actor Lucas Black (“NCIS: New Orleans,” ″Sling Blade”) is 41. Actor Diego Boneta (“Scream Queens”) is 33. Actor Lovie Simone (“Greenleaf”) is 25.

Nov. 30: Country singer-record company executive Jimmy Bowen is 86. Director Ridley Scott is 86. Writer-director Terrence Malick (“The Thin Red Line”) is 80. Bassist Roger Glover of Deep Purple is 78. Singer-actor Mandy Patinkin is 71. Guitarist Shuggie Otis is 70. Country singer Jeannie Kendall of The Kendalls is 69. Singer Billy Idol is 68. Guitarist John Ashton of Psychedelic Furs is 66. Comedian Colin Mochrie (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) is 66. Rapper Jalil of Whodini is 60. Actor-director Ben Stiller is 58. DJ Steve Aoki is 46. Singer Clay Aiken (“American Idol”) is 45. Actor Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) is 41. Actor Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory”) is 38. Model Chrissy Teigen is 38. Actor Christel Khalil (“The Young and the Restless”) is 36. Actor Rebecca Rittenhouse (“The Mindy Project”) is 35. Actor Adelaide Clemens (“Rectify”) is 34. Actor Tyla Harris (“For Life”) is 23.

Dec. 1: Actor-director Woody Allen is 88. Singer Dianne Lennon of the Lennon Sisters is 84. Bassist Casey Van Beek of The Tractors is 81. Singer-guitarist Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult is 79. Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 79. Actor-singer Bette Midler is 78. Singer Gilbert O’Sullivan is 77. Country singer Kim Richey is 67. Actor Charlene Tilton is 65. Model-actor Carol Alt is 63. Actor Jeremy Northam (“The Tudors,” ″Happy, Texas”) is 62. Actor Katherine LaNasa (“Longmire,” “Deception”) is 57. Actor Nestor Carbonell (“Lost,” ″Suddenly Susan”) is 56. Actor Golden Brooks (“Girlfriends”) is 53. Comedian Sarah Silverman is 53. Singer Bart Millard of MercyMe is 51. Actor David Hornsby (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is 48. Guitarist Brad Delson of Linkin Park is 46. Actor Nate Torrence (“Hello Ladies”) is 46. Singer Mat Kearney is 45. Actor Riz Ahmed (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) is 41. Actor Ilfenesh Hadera (“Godfather of Harlem,” “She’s Gotta Have It”) is 38. Singer-actor Janelle Monae is 38. Actor Ashley Monique Clark (“The Hughleys”) is 35. Singer Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots is 35. Actor Zoe Kravitz (“Insurgent,” ″Divergent”) is 35. Singer Nico Sereba of Nico and Vinz is 33.

Dec. 2: Actor Cathy Lee Crosby (“That’s Incredible”) is 79. Director Penelope Spheeris (“Wayne’s World,” “The Decline of Western Civilization”) is 78. Actor Ron Raines (“Guiding Light”) is 74. Country singer John Wesley Ryles is 73. Actor Keith Szarabajka (”Angel,” “The Equalizer”) is 71. Actor Dan Butler (“Frasier”) is 69. News anchor Stone Phillips is 69. Actor Dennis Christopher (“Breaking Away,” ″Chariots of Fire”) is 68. Actor Steven Bauer (“Scarface”) is 67. Bassist Rick Savage of Def Leppard is 63. Actor Brendan Coyle (“Downton Abbey”) is 60. Actor Lucy Liu is 55. Bassist Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters is 55. Actor Suzy Nakamura (“Dr. Ken”) is 55. Actor Rena Sofer (“24,” ″Just Shoot Me”) is 55. Rapper Treach of Naughty By Nature is 53. Actor Joe Lo Truglio (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 53. Singer Nelly Furtado is 45. Singer Britney Spears is 42. Singer-actor Jana Kramer is 40. Actor Daniela Ruah (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 40. Actor Alfred Enoch (“How To Get Away With Murder”) is 35. Singer Charlie Puth is 32.

The Associated Press

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Sept. 24-30

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Sept. 24-30:

Sept. 24: Singer Phyllis ″Jiggs” Allbut Sirico of The Angels is 81. News anchor Lou Dobbs is 78. Actor Gordon Clapp (“NYPD Blue”) is 75. Actor Harriet Walter (“The Crown”) is 73. Actor Kevin Sorbo (“Hercules: Legendary Journeys”) is 65. Singer Cedric Dent (Take 6) is 61. Actor-writer Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) is 61. Drummer Shawn Crahan of Slipknot is 54. Drummer Marty Mitchell (Ricochet) is 54. Singer-guitarist Marty Cintron of No Mercy is 52. Guitarist Juan DeVevo of Casting Crowns is 48. Actor Ian Bohen (“Yellowstone,” TV’s “Teen Wolf”) is 47. Actor Spencer Treat Clark (“Animal Kingdom”) is 36. Actor Grey Damon (“Station 19”) is 36. Actor Kyle Sullivan (“Malcolm in the Middle”) is 35. Actor Ben Platt is 30.

Sept. 25: Polka band leader Jimmy Sturr is 82. Actor Josh Taylor (“Days of Our Lives,” “Valerie’s Family”) is 80. Actor Robert Walden (“Lou Grant”) is 80. Actor Michael Douglas is 79. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 76. Actor Mimi Kennedy (“Dharma and Greg”) is 75. Actor Anson Williams (“Happy Days”) is 74. Actor Mark Hamill is 72. Actor Colin Friels is 71. Actor Michael Madsen is 65. Actor Heather Locklear is 62. Actor Aida Turturro (“The Sopranos”) is 61. Actor Tate Donovan (“The O.C.”) is 60. TV personality Keely Shaye Smith (“Unsolved Mysteries”) is 60. Actor Maria Doyle Kennedy (“Orphan Black,” ″The Tudors”) is 59. Actor Jason Flemyng (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” ″The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”) is 57. Actor-singer Will Smith is 55. Actor Hal Sparks (“Queer as Folk”) is 54. Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones is 54. Actor Bridgette Wilson-Sampras (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”) is 50. Actor Clea DuVall (“Heroes”) is 46. Actor Robbie Jones (“One Tree Hill”) is 46. Actor Joel David Moore (“Avatar”) is 46. Actor Chris Owen (“American Pie” films) is 43. Rapper T.I. is 42. Actor Lee Norris (“One Tree Hill”) is 42. Actor-rapper Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) (“Atlanta,” ″Community”) is 40. Actor Zach Woods (“Silicon Valley,” ″The Office”) is 39. Actor Jordan Gavaris (“Orphan Black”) is 34. Actor Emmy Clarke (“Monk”) is 32.

Sept. 26: Country singer David Frizzell is 82. Actor Kent McCord (“Adam 12”) is 81. “The Weakest Link” host Anne Robinson is 79. Singer Bryan Ferry is 78. Actor Mary Beth Hurt is 77. Actor James Keane (“Bulworth,” TV’s “The Paper Chase”) is 71. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos is 69. Country singer Carlene Carter is 68. Actor Linda Hamilton is 67. Singer Cindy Herron of En Vogue is 62. Actor Melissa Sue Anderson (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 61. Singer Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl is 61. TV personality Jillian Barberie is 57. Guitarist Jody Davis of Newsboys is 56. Actor Jim Caviezel (“The Passion of the Christ”) is 55. Actor Tricia O’Kelley (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 55. Actor Ben Shenkman (“Royal Pains,” “Angels in America”) is 55. Singer Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men is 51. Music producer Dr. Luke is 50. Jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton is 50. Singer and TV personality Christina Milian is 42. Actor Zoe Perry (“Young Sheldon”) is 40. Singer-songwriter Ant Clemons is 32.

Sept. 27: Actor Kathleen Nolan is 90. Actor Claude Jarman Jr. (“The Yearling”) is 89. Singer-guitarist Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 80. Actor Liz Torres (“Gilmore Girls”) is 76. Actor A Martinez (“LA Law,” ″Santa Barbara”) is 75. Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (“Pearl Harbor”) is 73. Actor-opera singer Anthony Laciura (“Boardwalk Empire”) is 72. Singer-actor-director Shaun Cassidy is 65. Comedian and podcast host Marc Maron is 60. Singer-guitarist Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is 59. Actor Patrick Muldoon (“Melrose Place”) is 55. Singer Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd is 53. Actor Gwyneth Paltrow is 51. Actor Indira Varma (“For Life”) is 50. Singer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down is 45. Bassist Grant Brandell of Underoath is 42. Actor Anna Camp (“The Mindy Project,” ″True Blood”) is 41. Rapper Lil’ Wayne is 41. Singer Avril Lavigne is 39. Bluegrass musician Sierra Hull is 32. Actor Sam Lerner (“The Goldbergs”) is 31. Actor Ames McNamara (“The Connors”) is 16.

Sept. 28: Actor Brigitte Bardot is 89. Actor Joel Higgins (“Silver Spoons”) is 80. Actor Jeffrey Jones is 77. Actor Vernee Watson (“Bob Hearts Abishola,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) is 74. Writer-director-actor John Sayles is 73. Guitarist George Lynch (Dokken) is 69. Actor Steve Hytner (“Seinfeld”) is 64. Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 59. Country singer Matt King is 57. Actor Mira Sorvino is 56. TV personality and singer Moon Zappa is 56. Actor Naomi Watts is 55. Country singer Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town is 54. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 48. Rapper Young Jeezy is 46. Actor Peter Cambor (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 45. TV personality Bam Margera (“Jackass”) is 44. Actor Jerrika Hinton (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 42. Guitarist Luke Mossman of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats is 42. Musician St. Vincent is 41. Comedian Phoebe Robinson (“What Men Want”) is 39. Drummer Daniel Platzman of Imagine Dragons is 37. Actor Hilary Duff is 36. Actor Keir Gilchrist (“United States of Tara”) is 31.

Sept. 29: Filmmaker Robert Benton (“Kramer vs. Kramer”) is 91. Actor Ian McShane (“American Gods,” “Deadwood”) is 81. Jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty is 81. TV theme composer Mike Post is 79. Actor Patricia Hodge is 77. Guitarist Mike Pinera of Iron Butterfly is 75. Singer-guitarist Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad is 75. TV personality Bryant Gumbel is 75. Country singer Alvin Crow is 73. Actor Drake Hogestyn (“Days of Our Lives”) is 70. Singer Suzzy Roche of The Roches is 67. Comedian Andrew “Dice” Clay is 66. Actor Roger Bart (“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” ″Desperate Housewives”) is 61. Singer-bassist Les Claypool of Primus is 60. Actor Ben Miles (“The Crown”) is 57. Actor Jill Whelan (“Love Boat”) is 57. Bassist Brad Smith of Blind Melon is 55. Actor Erika Eleniak (“Baywatch”) is 54. Singer Devante Swing of Jodeci is 54. Actor Emily Lloyd is 53. Actor Natasha Gregson Wagner is 53. Actor Rachel Cronin (“Ed”) is 52. Guitarist Danick Dupelle of Emerson Drive is 50. Actor Alexis Cruz (“Shark,” “Touched by an Angel”) is 49. Actor Zachary Levi (“Chuck”) is 43. Actor Chrissy Metz (“This Is Us”) is 43. Actor Kelly McCreary (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 42. Guitarist Josh Farro (Paramore) is 36. Actor Doug Brochu (“Sonny With a Chance”) is 33. Singer and “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips is 33. Singer Halsey is 29.

Sept. 30: Actor Angie Dickinson is 92. Singer Cissy Houston is 90. Singer Johnny Mathis is 88. Actor Len Cariou (TV’s “Blue Bloods,” film “The Four Seasons”) is 84. Singer Marilyn McCoo is 80. Actor John Finn (“Cold Case”) is 71. Guitarist John Lombardo (10,000 Maniacs) is 71. Country singer Deborah Allen is 70. Actor Calvin Levels (“Adventures in Babysitting”) is 69. Jazz singer Patrice Rushen is 69. Actor Barry Williams (“The Brady Bunch”) is 69. Actor Fran Drescher is 66. Country singer Marty Stuart is 65. Actor Crystal Bernard (“Wings”) is 62. Actor Eric Stoltz is 62. Rapper-producer Marley Marl is 61. Country singer Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry is 60. Singer Trey Anastasio of Phish is 59. Actor Monica Bellucci (“The Passion of the Christ,” ″The Matrix Reloaded”) is 59. Bassist Robby Takac of The Goo Goo Dolls is 59. Actor Lisa Thornhill (“Veronica Mars”) is 57. Actor Andrea Roth (“Rescue Me”) is 56. Actor Amy Landecker (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is 54. Actor Silas Weir Mitchell (“Grimm”) is 54. Actor Tony Hale (“Veep,” ″Arrested Development”) is 53. Actor Jenna Elfman is 52. Actor Ashley Hamilton is 49. Actor Marion Cotillard (“Public Enemies,” ″La Vie en Rose”) is 48. Actor Christopher Jackson (“Bull,” ″Oz”) is 48. Actor Toni Trucks (“SEAL Team”) is 43. Actor Lacey Chabert (“Mean Girls,” ″Party of Five”) is 41. Actor Kieran Culkin is 40. Rapper T-Pain is 39.

The Associated Press

Taylor Swift, Austin Butler, Keke Palmer and Ke Huy Quan invited to join film Film Academy

Taylor Swift, best supporting actor Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan, “Elvis” star Austin Butler, “Nope’s” Keke Palmer and The Weeknd have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organization behind the Oscars said Wednesday that it extended invitations to 398 individuals to join its ranks this year.

Among those invited are 22 Oscar winners and 76 nominees, like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” writer-director-producers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who must choose one of the three branches, as well as actors Paul Mescal, Stephanie Hsu and Kerry Condon.

A majority of this year’s invitees hail from countries outside of the U.S., including “RRR” actors Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr., “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, “Triangle of Sadness” breakout Dolly De Leon, “Shoplifters’” Sakura Ando, “Phantom Thread” star Vicky Kreips and “Decision to Leave’s” Park Hae-il. Other Hollywood actors on the list include Lashana Lynch, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Hader, Paul Reiser, Selma Blair and “The Goonies” actor Robert John Davi.

Those invited to join the director’s branch include Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick), Edward Berger (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), Santiago Mitre (“Argentina, 1985”), Michael Showalter (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) and Carlos López Estrada (“Raya and the Last Dragon”).

Among the executive branch invitees are Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente and SXSW director emeritus Janet Pierson.

In the music branch, in addition to Swift who recently penned a song for “Where the Crawdads Sing,” and Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (“The Weeknd”), other notables include David Byrne, “RRR’s” M.M. Keeravaani and Son Lux’s Ryan Lott and Ian Chang.

Some directors were invited to other branches. “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” director Dean Fleischer-Camp scored an invitation to the animation and short film branch, while “Aftersun’s” Charlotte Wells’ invitation was for the writer’s branch, which Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro was also invited to.

The academy has continued to make progress diversifying its ranks. Should all the invitees accept their invitations, the makeup of the Academy’s ranks will be 34% women, 18% from underrepresented ethnic or racial communities and 20% from non-U.S. countries.

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

Supporter defends expelled Jesuit priest against ‘lynching’, says abuse claims unproven

ROME (AP) — The head of a religious art and culture center founded by a disgraced Jesuit priest came to his defense Saturday after he was expelled from the Jesuit religious order following allegations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse against adult women.

Maria Campatelli, director of the Rome-based Aletti Center, said the claims against the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik were “defamatory and unproven” and amounted to a form of mediatic “lynching” against the Slovene priest and his art center.

The Jesuits announced this week that Rupnik had been ordered expelled from the order June 9 because of “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.” The Jesuits acted after Rupnik had been accused by several women of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuses over a 30-year period.

Until the case exploded publicly late last year, Rupnik had largely escaped punishment, apparently thanks in part to his exalted status in the church and at the Vatican, where even the role of Pope Francis in the case came into question.

Rupnik is one of the most celebrated religious artists in the Catholic Church, whose mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at the Vatican. The Aletti center trains artists in his mosaic style to work on the commissions and also runs an editorial house that sells artistic reproductions, coffee table books and calendars.

In a letter on the center’s website Saturday, Campatelli accused Rupnik’s Jesuit superiors of releasing partial information about the case. She said Rupnik had actually requested to leave the order in January and that other Jesuit priests at the Aletti center had made similar requests because of their “overriding distrust of superiors” in their handling of the case.

She accused the Jesuits of essentially concocting the “disobedience” violation, by ordering Rupnik to transfer to a Jesuit community in Lombardy three months after he had requested to leave the order. She said the transfer order thus merely provided the “prerequisite for a disobedience which in fact occurred.” An email request seeking comment from Rupnik’s superior wasn’t immediately returned.

The Rupnik scandal exploded in December when Italian blogs and websites reported that consecrated women had complained for years about abuse by him, only to have their claims discredited or covered up by Rupnik’s Jesuit superiors. The case posed a problem for the Vatican and the Jesuits because of suspicions that the charismatic priest received preferential treatment by the Holy See, where a Jesuit pope reigns and Jesuit priests are in top positions at the sex abuse office.

After the allegations erupted, the Jesuits reluctantly admitted Rupnik had been declared excommunicated in 2020 for having committed one of the gravest crimes in church law — using the confessional to absolve a woman with whom he had engaged in sexual activity — but had repented and had the sanction quickly removed.

The next year, Rupnik was accused by nine women of having sexually, psychologically and spiritually abused them in the 1990s at a community he co-founded in Slovenia. Even though the Jesuits recommended a church trial, the Vatican’s sex abuse office refused to waive the statute of limitations and declared the crimes too old to prosecute.

That outcome underscored how the Catholic hierarchy routinely refuses to consider spiritual and sexual abuse of adult women as a crime that must be punished, but rather a mere lapse of priestly chastity that can be forgiven, without considering the trauma it causes victims.

Part of the dilemma was that Rupnik still had plenty of supporters, especially at the Aletti center, as evidence by Campatelli’s vigorous defense of him. The Jesuit investigator who first uncovered the alleged victims’ claims, Bishop Daniele Libanori, has lamented in correspondence that Rupnik’s supporters had tried to discredit the accusers by questioning their mental health.

Campatelli blasted the Jesuits for what she said was their decision to “favor a media campaign based on defamatory and unproven accusations (which exposed Fr. Rupnik and the entire Aletti Center to forms of lynching), as opposed to providing the press with correct information based on acts and documents in their possession, demonstrating a different truth from what was being published.”

She said that Rupnik remained firm in his desire to leave the order and would continue to “live this moment in discernment and ecclesial communion.”

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

Oklahoma county worried about fallout from racist recording

IDABEL, Okla. (AP) — So many residents of northern Texas cross the border into McCurtain County in far southeast Oklahoma each week that the area has earned the nickname of the “Dallas-Fort Worth Hamptons.”

With its clean rivers and lakes, these forested foothills of the Ouchita Mountains have become dotted with luxury cabins, and a tourism boom over the last two decades has fueled a renaissance in the region. Jobs are no longer limited to the timber industry or the chicken processing plant, and parents are more optimistic that their children won’t have to leave the community to find work.

But the growing optimism about the county’s future took a gut punch last week when the local newspaper identified several county officials, including Sheriff Kevin Clardy and a county commissioner, who were caught on tape discussing killing journalists and lynching Black people. One commissioner has already resigned, and elected officials, including the mayor of Idabel and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, have called for the others to step down.

“Just hearing it on audio and coming from our elected officials’ mouths in a meeting, it made my stomach turn,” said Lonnie Watson, a lifelong county resident and 7th grade teacher and coach who is Black. “It was shocking. It was sad. It was hurtful. Just to hear the hate … was just gut-wrenching.”

For its part, the sheriff’s office has only released one formal statement since the McCurtain Gazette-News broke the story last weekend in which the sheriff’s office didn’t address the remarks, but claimed the recording was illegally obtained.

“Unfortunately, all of our attorneys are telling us we are supposed to stay quiet,” Undersheriff Mike Manning told The Associated Press on Thursday, declining further comment. “I’d love for everybody to hear both sides of the story.”

On Friday, the governor, who has called for Clardy and others said to be involved in the taped conversation to resign, released a letter that he sent to state Attorney General Gentner Drummond, asking him to investigate possibly removing Clardy from office for willful misconduct.

“As I understand it, Sheriff Clardy has, at the least, willfully failed or neglected to diligently and faithfully ‘keep and preserve the peace’ of McCurtain County,” according to the letter signed by Stitt. “Should you find that there is reasonable cause for such complaint, I urge you to institute proceedings to oust Sheriff Clardy from office.”

A spokesperson for Drummond did not immediately return messages for comment Saturday to The Associated Press.

While many county residents say the racist remarks are a throwback to a bygone era, they still worry about the negative repercussions the incident will have on the community’s reputation.

“We have concerns. We do. Anyone in their right mind would,” said Tommy “Blue” McDaniel, who owns and operates the county’s first legal distillery, Hochatown Distilling, in the heart of the county’s tourism region. “But that stuff down there is a few individuals. It’s not what McCurtain County is, and it’s definitely not what Hochatown is.

“It’s a diverse community, a welcoming community.”

McDaniel’s assessment was echoed by many in the county. With a population of about 31,000 and bordering both Arkansas and Texas, the county is a part of the state known as “Little Dixie” because of the influence in the area from white Southerners who migrated there after the Civil War. Although about 60% of the county is white, there are significant numbers of Native American (18%), Black (8%) and Hispanic (7%) people.

Like many communities across the country, particularly in the South, the towns in McCurtain County were historically segregated, but have become more integrated since the 1960s. Idabel, the county seat, was the site of racial violence in 1980 when a riot erupted after a local Black teenager was fatally shot outside an all-white club. Tensions grew so high that martial law was declared and the governor called in the National Guard, said Kenny Sivard, a local historian.

“What didn’t help was the grand imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan came down to the Idabel courthouse and made his appearance,” Sivard said. “That didn’t help matters at all, as you can imagine.”

The county also has a long history of lawlessness dating back to days before statehood in 1907, when Oklahoma was Indian Territory and bandits would take refuge in the mountainous region, said Bob Burke, a McCurtain County native who has written more than 100 nonfiction books about Oklahoma and its people.

With its clean rivers and remote locations, the area also became a haven for moonshiners who set up stills in the heavily forested hills. That reputation for operating outside the law continued into the later part of the 20th century when the methamphetamine epidemic swept through the area. Even today, although Oklahoma became the last state to ban cockfighting in 2002, animal rights activists say the blood sport still takes place in the region and that local law enforcement sometimes turns a blind eye. One state lawmaker from nearby Atoka County is still working to reduce the penalties for cockfighting.

Still, McCurtain County has worked hard to shed its reputation for lawlessness and racial strife, aided in large part by the construction of Broken Bow Lake in the heart of the county in the late 1960s. Fed by the Mountain Fork River, the clear lake surrounded by forested hills has been a huge tourism draw that continues to this day.

The Choctaw Nation’s historic reservation encompasses the entire county and most of southern Oklahoma, and the tribe has broken ground on a $165 million, 200,000-square-foot (18,580-square-meter) resort hotel and casino near the lake and Beavers Bend State Park that is scheduled to open later this year.

It’s projects like these and the growing tourism industry that residents like McDaniel, the distillery operator, hope McCurtain County will come to be known for.

“I see a bright future,” McDaniel said. “We’ve got some problems we’re going to have to work through, but those problems, those are some dying vestiges. Those are some dying cries of people here who want to preserve the old ways, but we’re moving forward, and forward doesn’t include what’s going on down there.”

___

Follow Sean Murphy on Twitter: @apseanmurphy

Sean Murphy, The Associated Press

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