Matthew Perry’s assistant gets over three years in prison for injecting actor with ketamine

Matthew Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his central role in the actor’s fatal ketamine overdose.
Iwamasa, 60, received the sentence from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles federal court, which also included two years of probation and a $10,000 fine.
This sentencing marks the fifth and final resolution in the 2 1/2-year investigation and prosecution following the death of the “Friends” star, who passed away at 54 on October 28, 2023.
Iwamasa was a constant presence in Perry’s final days, acting as an enabler, drug messenger, and de facto medical provider. He was the last person to see Perry alive and discovered his body in a Jacuzzi.
Iwamasa was the first to cooperate with prosecutors, pleading guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.
His testimony became crucial to the prosecution’s case. His lawyers argued in a court filing that he was m..

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Newt Gingrich admits that it was a mistake to impeach Bill Clinton over Monica Lewinsky sex scandal

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich admitted in an interview that it was a “mistake” to impeach former President Bill Clinton over the sex scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, saying it drew attention away from Clinton’s perjury charge.
Gingrich, a Republican congressman from Georgia and Speaker of the House, led the 1998 House impeachment inquiry into Clinton, which arose after the affair between Clinton and Lewinsky became public. But reflecting on his role to “Pod Force One with Miranda Devine,” the Republican expressed remorse.
“I think it was a mistake because the real problem wasn’t Lewinsky,” Gingrich said. “The real problem was he had committed perjury in a case involving sexual harassment while he was governor.”
Gingrich was referring to Clinton’s comments stemming from a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Paula Jones in 1994, when Clinton was still governor of Arkansas. In a deposition, Clinton denied Jones’s allegations, though he settled out of court with her in 1998..

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Ebola-hit DR Congo faces ‘catastrophic collision’ of disease and conflict, WHO warns

Ebola-hit DR Congo faces 'catastrophic collision' of disease and conflict, WHO warns2 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDan SalesAnadolu via Getty ImagesDR Congo is the epicentre of the outbreak though a few cases have been detected in UgandaOngoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering the Ebola outbreak response, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ituri province in the east of the country was at the centre of a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict”.
In a statement posted on X, Tedros said the WHO could not “build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling”. He is due to travel to DR Congo this week to spearhead efforts to contain the virus.
Meanwhile Uganda has announced it is temporarily closing its border with DR Congo. There have been 220 suspected deaths since the outbreak was declared.
Aid workers have been struggling as travel is difficult because of ..

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2-year-old left needing stitches and rabies shot after being attacked by a raccoon at Massachusetts playground: ‘It happened so fast’

A two-year-old boy was bitten and scratched by a raccoon at a popular Massachusetts playground Friday afternoon, prompting local police to warn families to remain alert.
The incident occurred at Wayland Town Beach in Wayland, a wooded community about 20 miles west of Boston. Grayson Cohen was playing on a jungle gym with his nanny when the animal lunged from behind the structure and attacked him.
The child’s father, Spencer Cohen, said the attack occurred so quickly that the nanny was initially unaware of the full extent of the interaction.
“It happened so fast,” Spencer Cohen told NBC10 Boston. “She didn't even know he was bitten until she got him in the car seat.”
When the nanny brought the toddler home, Cohen saw how severe the injury was and took his son to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
open image in galleryThe boy’s mother, Megan Cohen, says her son’s injuries were far more severe than she initially expected (Spencer Cohen)“I got a text saying he had an ‘encounter’ with a racc..

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Boston Red Sox’s TV network pulls ad of Senate candidate who criticized the team

A Democratic Senate candidate seemingly provoked the owners of the Boston Red Sox by airing a critical political advertisement during a baseball game this past week – which was taken off the air midway through the game.
Graham Platner, the Democrat hoping to replace Maine Senator Susan Collins, aired a somewhat trolling ad on May 22, accusing the Red Sox owners of destroying the team by allowing private equity firms to own portions of the team.
“Private equity has destroyed our favorite baseball team. Stripping them for parts,” Platner said in the 15-second ad, while promising to “reverse the private equity curse.”
“I’m Graham Platner, and I approve this message because I miss Mookie Betts,” he added, referring to the outfielder traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
But midway through the game, the New England Sports Network, which is also partly owned by the Red Sox, pulled the ad, Platner said in an X post Saturday.
open image in galleryDemocratic candidate Graham Platner accu..

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Iran condemns US strikes as ‘gross violation’ of ceasefire

Iran condemns US strikes as 'gross violation' of ceasefire5 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleIan AikmanGetty ImagesIran said US strikes near the Strait of Hormuz had violated the fragile ceasefire, which started in AprilIran says the US has committed a “gross violation” of the ceasefire with new air strikes it launched on the country.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines had been targeted with what it called “self-defence strikes” in southern Iran on Monday.
Iran's foreign ministry said it held the US responsible for the consequences of its “aggressive and unjustified actions” in the Hormozgan region, which has a coast along the Strait of Hormuz – the crucial waterway Iran has blocked causing a spike in world energy prices.
It is unclear what impact the strikes will have on talks aimed to end the conflict.
“Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any evil unanswered and will not h..

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Russia threatens more Kyiv strikes and tells foreign nationals to leave

Russia threatens more Kyiv strikes and tells foreign nationals to leave17 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleIan AikmanandLaura GozziReutersRussian strikes destroyed several buildings in the Ukrainian capital on SaturdayRussia has threatened to launch a fresh wave of “systematic strikes” against Kyiv, days after carrying out one of its largest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war.
The new strikes will target “decision-making centres and command posts”, alongside drone manufacturing facilities in the city, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moscow has called for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv “as soon as possible” and warned citizens to stay away from administrative and military buildings.
Ukraine said Russia's threats were “nothing short of shameless blackmail” and urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow.
With its warning to foreign nationals, Moscow is “effectively admitting that its shelling is aimed, among oth..

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Thomas Massie files to run again in 2028 for Kentucky seat after Trump-led ouster

After losing a primary challenge to a Donald Trump-backed candidate last week, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is already preparing for a return to politics in 2028.
The Kentucky congressman has already filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission, which will allow him to continue fundraising for any potential campaigns before the next congressional elections.
“I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run,” he said Monday.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Massie said he wasn’t ruling out “anything” for his political future.
“Look, I’ve spent the last five days on my farm with my grandkids, and my cattle, and my peach trees, and it’s a pretty nice life,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to screw that up again. I’ve been in Congress 14 years, fighting. Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more.”
open image in galleryRepublican Rep Thomas Massie is already eyeing a political comeback, days after losing a ..

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Hundreds of ICE detainees in New Jersey on hunger strike over ‘unsafe, inhumane and unconstitutional’ conditions

Roughly 300 people locked up inside an immigration detention center in New Jersey are reportedly on hunger strike inside the facility, where detainees have alleged deteriorating and inhumane conditions and a dangerous lack of due process.
The strike follows similar actions in California, where at least 20 immigrants at the Desert View Annex in Adelanto have been on hunger strike for nearly a week to bring attention to allegations of unsafe drinking water and a lack of necessary medical care.
The actions join growing unrest inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers across the country, where immigrants, lawyers and members of Congress are demanding urgent attention to the growing numbers of people in sprawling, prison-like facilities where the vast majority of detainees haven’t been accused of a crime.
“We feel vulnerable and, in a way, kidnapped — detained without justification — not to mention that we are being tortured physically and psychologically due to the poor ..

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Oil prices slide on hopes of US-Iran peace deal

Oil prices slide on hopes of US-Iran peace deal7 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePeter HoskinsBusiness reporterHindustan Times via Getty ImagesOil prices have fallen sharply on hopes of a deal that could bring an end to the US-Israel war with Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiators had a “pretty solid thing on the table” and an agreement to end the conflict might be reached on Monday.
On Monday morning, global oil benchmark Brent fell 5.5% to $97.90 a barrel, and remained around $97.70 a barrel in the afternoon.
US President Donald Trump said the negotiations were “proceeding nicely” but added it would either be “a great deal for all or no deal at all”.
While Iran says progress has been made, a government spokesman added that a deal was “not imminent”.
Trump had previously said the deal would include the reopening of the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route, without giving further details.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world&#03..

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