WASHINGTON (AP) — The Hollywood writers’ strike that’s snarling the television and movie industries has now scrambled the White House schedule.
An MTV special on mental health that was expected to feature Vice President Kamala Harris next week has been postponed, according to her office.
A person familiar with the decision said Harris chose not to travel to the Los Angeles-area event because that would have been seen as crossing the picket line. That’s a political nonstarter for Democrats who rely on union support.
The person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about the decision to postpone MTV’s Mental Health Action Day Conversation.
President Joe Biden called for a “fair deal” for writers at a White House movie screening this week.
“Nights like these are a reminder of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and the value they deserve,” Biden said. “I sincerely hope the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Jonathan Majors was confronted Tuesday with a revised domestic violence charge stemming from a woman’s allegations that the Marvel star twisted her arm, struck her head and shoved her into a vehicle in New York City in March.
Majors, appearing by video, did not enter a plea to the misdemeanor assault charge and said little else at the arraignment, which lasted all of three minutes.
Prosecutors say the charge was rewritten to reflect the perspective of Majors’ 30-year-old accuser, rather than the police officer whose account was used in the original version — an indication she is cooperating with authorities.
Majors, 33, still faces other misdemeanor charges in connection with his March 25 arrest in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, some of which are punishable by up to a year in jail.
His lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, says Majors is innocent. She blasted prosecutors after Tuesday’s hearing for pursuing what she called a “witch hunt” against the actor.
Chaudhry said she provided the Manhattan district attorney’s office with “irrefutable evidence that the woman is lying, including video proof showing nothing happened, especially not where she claimed.” The woman, she said, assaulted Majors.
“Instead of dismissing the allegations in the face of the woman’s clear lies, the DA has adjusted the charges to match the woman’s new lies,” Chaudhry said.
Majors had been a fast-rising Hollywood star with major roles in recent hits like “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.” But in the wake of his arrest, the U.S. Army pulled TV commercials narrated by Majors, saying it was “deeply concerned” by the allegations.
Majors’ face was beamed Tuesday onto a flat-screen monitor in front of the judge’s bench in Manhattan’s domestic violence courtroom. The room was crowded with reporters straining to catch a glimpse of the celebrity while around them non-famous New Yorkers waited for their cases to be called.
Virtual appearances are an occasional accommodation in the court. But Judge Rachel Pauley warned that Majors must show up in person at a follow up hearing on June 13 or face a possible warrant for his arrest. At that hearing, Pauley said, she will decide on a motion challenging the case that Majors’ lawyers have filed under seal.
Majors must also continue to abide by a protection order barring any contact with his accuser, Pauley said.
According to the revised assault charge, Majors’ accuser alleges that he pulled her finger; twisted her right arm behind her back; struck and cut her right ear; and pushed her into a vehicle, causing her to fall backwards.
The woman, who was not named in court papers, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries to her head and neck, police said.
Chaudhry accused police and prosecutors of racial bias against Majors, who is Black. She said a white police officer got in the actor’s face and taunted him when he tried showing the officer injuries that he said the woman caused.
A message seeking comment on Chaudhry’s claims was left with the NYPD and Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Struggling with suicidal ideation is common, and getting help is available. But, for Black youth in the U.S., the rates of suicide attempts are rising. Regularly facing stigma, racial discrimination, and implicit bias from healthcare providers, many Black teens are suicidal.
Abraham Sculley was one of those teens.
During his first year of college, he moved away from home. Got his first apartment. And felt the brunt of being the first in his family to attend college. As the son of immigrant parents, he says he thought the stress was normal.
Over a few months, Sculley outlined his symptoms. He struggled to sleep. He could not eat. And he did not have the same energy he used to.
A friend stepped in to ask if he was OK.
“She created a safe space for me to open up, and I shared with her what I was experiencing,” he says. “I was having really dark and negative thoughts.”
Sculley then went to see a counselor. To his surprise, he was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Prior to his diagnosis, Sculley thought he was “going crazy.”
Part of his treatment was regular medication and counseling. But, due to the stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community, he was hesitant to keep up with his treatment. After feeling better from the medication, he decided to stop taking it — without telling his psychiatrist.
Things took a turn.
“Every symptom that I was experiencing with depression intensified when I came off the medication. And that’s when the suicidal ideation and thoughts started to creep in,” Sculley says. “I was fearful that I may act on this thought, and I didn’t trust myself. I wasn’t confident that I could overcome the intensity of the feelings and thoughts that I was having about ending the pain by taking my life.”
Sculley was 19 when he thought of ending his life.
He made the decision to leave school. He went home, hoping to get more support, but his family wasn’t able to give him the help he needed.
He realized there were things he could go to his parents about and things he could only talk to with his therapist. Sculley was doing the work of educating his family on mental health while setting a blueprint for them to follow.
I found one of my greatest treasures through one of my darkest moments.
ABRAHAM SCULLEY, MENTAL HEALTH SPEAKER
As a Black man, he says the mindset in the Black community to just push through contributed to his mental health struggles. The belief to push through is a means of survival, Sculley says — something many Black youth experience.
COVID-19 Impact on Black Youth Mental Health
Khadijah Booth Watkins is the associate director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry training program at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also serves on the advisory board at the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit working to prevent teen and young adult suicide. The organization has a resource center that helps youth manage their emotional needs and cope with life’s challenges.
As a psychiatrist, she says there was a surge in the number of young people seeking mental health services during the pandemic.
“There was a tremendous amount of suffering and loss,” Watkins says.
The Black community was hit hardest during the pandemic in terms of loss of employment, illness, death, and food insecurity — with the community recovering the slowest when it comes to employment.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details the increase of suicide attempts by self-poisoning among people aged 10-19 during COVID-19. In 2021, more than 54,000 teens aged 16-19 attempted suicide.
With school closures and uncertainty of illness, Watkins says youth were struggling with the lack of structure. One of the differences she noticed about Black youth was a reluctance to talk about depression and suicidality. The youth in her office would complain about physical symptoms — like headaches, tiredness, and no motivation.
“In the Black community, we don’t talk about feelings. We ‘suck it up, buttercup,’ and that really doesn’t help anyone,” Watkins says. “If we hold it all in, we suffer in silence.”
The biggest thing a parent, friend, or loved one can do is to make it OK to have conversations on mental health, she says. The danger comes when we wait to the point where we are struggling with suicidality. It is important to address the stigma so we can move forward as a community.
“Suicide is preventable,” Watkins says.
There Is Strength in Vulnerability
Part of the reason Sculley did not talk about what he was experiencing during college was because he was uncomfortable. The friend who noticed his changing behavior patiently listened and provided a safe space for him to open up.
“I really felt validated at that moment,” he says.
Now, at 27, he encourages others not to be afraid to check in with their friends. There is a common thread in the Black community that strength looks one way. Like resilience and endurance, and seeking help is the opposite of strength. But Sculley disagrees.
“There is strength in being vulnerable,” he says. “There is strength in having the self-awareness to know I need help in this area. And having the courage to ask for help.”
Despite working through his suicidal ideation in college, Sculley says the pandemic brought similar feelings back up. “I thought I beat this.” But he came to terms with the fact that this global experience of trauma was not normal. With the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and the media’s portrayal of Black people dying, a series of questions flooded his mind.
“What role do I play? Where do I fit in? How do I survive with all that’s going on?” he says. “So, there were times during the pandemic where I wasn’t doing well mentally. And I was having these dark thoughts.”
But, for Black youth or adults who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, Sculley has one message. “You are not alone.” Help is available, and resources like The Suicide Prevention Lifeline are free to call or text at 988.
Although he initially dropped out of college, Sculley went back. He finished his degree, and is now working as a mental health speaker and advocate. In 2020, he published his first book about reshaping the way we think about depression.
“I found one of my greatest treasures through one of my darkest moments.”
Resources
Find a therapist — psychologytoday.com offers a network of therapists who can help in your area.
Call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress.
The Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, confidential support through text messages to people in crisis when they dial 741741.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Prosecutors have slammed controversial New York GOP Rep. George Santos with federal charges, according to several news outlets citing multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
CNN was the first to report that federal prosecutors had filed criminal charges against the Republican congressman, although the nature of the alleged violations remains unclear.
Santos could appear in court as early as Wednesday morning in the Eastern District of New York in Manhattan to answer the charges.
In November, voters elected Santos to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
However, he has spent most of his time in Congress under investigation by state and federal prosecutors because of revelations that he fabricated parts of his background.
The FBI also investigated Santos’ alleged role in soliciting donations for an ailing veteran’s dog through a pet charity while federal prosecutors probed his campaign finances and financial disclosures.
Separate complaints were filed against Santos with the Federal Election Commission regarding his campaign expenditures and the House Ethics Committee concerning his financial disclosure reports.
Constant revelations about Santos’ past prompted demands for his resignation, including from fellow New York GOP lawmakers.
However, the embattled congressman has resisted pressure to resign from Congress.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Army sergeant plans to appeal his 25-year prison sentence for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, and will cooperate with efforts by the state’s Republican governor to issue a pardon, his attorney said Wednesday.
Daniel Perry, 36, was convicted of murder in April for killing 28-year-old Garrett Foster during the downtown Austin protest in July 2020.
“After three long years we’re finally getting justice for Garrett,” the victim’s mother, Sheila Foster, told the court after sentencing Wednesday.
“Mr. Perry, I pray to God that one day, he will get rid of all this hate that is in your heart,” she said.
Perry attorney Clinton Broden said in a statement that his client would appeal. He called Perry’s conviction the product of “political prosecution” and said the defense team would “fully cooperate in the pardon process.”
Perry’s conviction prompted outrage from prominent conservatives, and Gov. Greg Abbott, citing Texas’ Stand Your Ground laws, has said he would sign a pardon once a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles hits his desk
The board — which is stacked with Abbott appointees — is reviewing Perry’s case on the governor’s orders, but it is unclear when it will reach a decision.
District Judge Clifford Brown delivered a statement during sentencing that didn’t address the potential pardon directly. But he insisted that Perry had a “fair and impartial trial” and that the jury’s decision “deserves our honor and it deserves to be respected.”
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said it was Abbott “who decided to insert politics in this case.”
Garza said he’s been in touch with the board and has been assured that prosecutors will be allowed to present a case against a pardon, and that it will include a presentation from Foster’s family.
The pardon process is a valuable check on the court system, Broden said.
“Those who claim that Governor Abbott’s expressed intent is based on politics simply choose to ignore the fact that it was only the political machinations of a rogue district attorney which led to Sgt. Perry’s prosecution in the first instance,” he said.
Perry was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Austin, when the shooting happened. He had just dropped off a ride-share customer and turned onto a street filled with protesters.
Perry said he was trying to get past the crowd and fired his pistol when Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.
Perry said he acted in self-defense. His lawyers asked the judge to consider his more than a decadelong military career and hand down a sentence of no more than 10 years. Army spokesman Bryce Dubee has said Perry is classified as in “civilian confinement” pending separation from the military.
On Tuesday, prosecutors submitted into evidence dozens of texts and social media posts Perry wrote, shared or liked, including some shockingly racist images. They had been excluded from Perry’s trial, but were publicly released after his conviction and allowed into the sentencing phase by Brown.
“This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat,” prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez said, urging Brown to issue a sentence of at least 25 years. “He’s going to do it again.”
Perry, who is white, was working as a ride-share driver in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020, when he shot and killed Foster, an Air Force veteran. Foster, who was also white, was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle as he participated in the demonstration against police killings and racial injustice, following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.
Among Perry’s statements introduced Tuesday, he wrote on Facebook a month before the shooting: “It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.”
Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. A few days later as protests erupted, Perry sent a text message to an acquaintance: “I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.”
Perry attorney Douglas O’Connell argued that the texts and posts were presented by prosecutors out of context, and that Perry has a right to free speech.
“Some of those social media posts are frankly repugnant,” O’Connell said, while classifying others as “dark humor.”
Foster was with his girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, who is Black and uses a wheelchair, when Perry gunned him down.
“Black lives mattered to Garrett,” his mother told the courtroom Wednesday. “The love of his life was a Black woman.”
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