Author: NBC

When a friend of Luis Fonsi’s passed him a film script, the global pop star agreed to look at it as a courtesy. “I wasn’t looking (to act). I wasn’t auditioning. It wasn’t something that was next on my to-do list,” said the artist, whose song “Despacito” became a global phenomenon. “I’m thinking in my head that by page 10, I’d be like, nah, (I’ll) just stick to the music thing.” But as he read the script on a long flight from Miami to Madrid, he realized that he could identify with the movie’s main character, he told NBC News…

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court sentenced dozens of leading pro-democracy figures to up to 10 years in prison Tuesday in the single largest trial under a national security law that critics say has been used to all but eliminate political dissent in the Chinese territory.Benny Tai, 60, a former law professor at the University of Hong Kong who co-organized an unofficial primary election at the center of the case, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the longest of the 45 sentences and the longest since the national security law was introduced in 2020. The others ranged from…

Trump transition team compiling list of U.S. military officers for possible courts-martialThe Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could be court-martialed, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plan.Officials working on the transition are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, including gathering information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges…

Donald Trump’s vision for Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and “government efficiency” raises questions. The trial for the man suspected in college student Laken Riley’s death is set to begin. And Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will face off in a boxing match.Here’s what to know today.The ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ won’t be an actual ‘department’ — or be inside the governmentElon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy.AFP via Getty Images; Getty ImagesPresident-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of an advisory commission chaired by billionaire Elon Musk and onetime presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy turned heads earlier this week. The two were tapped to lead the “Department…

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled against lawmakers who used their subpoena power to halt the execution of a death row inmate for his daughter’s “shaken baby” death, paving the way for it to proceed.Robert Roberson, 58, was set to be questioned by the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, which issued a legislative subpoena last month for him to testify about his case — setting off a flurry of litigation that temporarily stopped his Oct. 17 execution with only hours to spare.”Categorically prioritizing a legislative subpoena over a scheduled execution, in other words, would become a potent legal tool that could…

The Onion, the satirical news company that repeatedly spoofed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, has won the bankruptcy auction for control over his media empire — most notably Infowars, the far-right, conspiracy-minded website that served as Jones’ primary online platform.Jones announced the sale on X on Thursday morning.“I just got word 15 minutes ago that my lawyers and folks met with the U.S. trustee over our bankruptcy this morning and they said they are shutting us down even without a court order this morning,” Jones said.“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m going to be here until they come…

Donald Trump will meet with Joe Biden at the White House. The latest consumer price index is expected to show a slight increase for October. And a test that uses DNA to help diagnose medical mysteries was deemed a “breakthrough device.”Here’s what to know today.Trump returns to White House for symbolic meetingPresident-elect Donald Trump will meet with President Joe Biden today in a symbolic White House ceremony meant to signal the peaceful transfer of power. It’s a meeting Trump denied to Biden in 2020 when he refused to concede the election results and worked to delay Biden’s taking office. It’s…

Former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years for stealing classified information from the Defense Department and sharing it online, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts announced.Attorneys for Teixeira didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Teixeira apologized, according to coverage of the hearing in U.S. District Court by NBC affiliate WJAR of Providence, Rhode Island.Jack Teixeira.via Facebook“All of the responsibility falls on my shoulders,” Teixeira said. “And I accept what that may bring.”The U.S. attorney’s office argued for a 200-month sentence, or roughly 17 years, the maximum under an agreement between Teixeira and…

The former CVS clerk charged in the 2017 killings of two middle school girls was convicted of murder Monday in a case that shook the small Indiana town of Delphi.The jury reached its verdict after a four-week trial in which Richard Allen, 52, pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the Feb. 13, 2017, slayings of close friends Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14.Allen is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20.Liberty German and Abigail Williams. NBC ChicagoA gag order remained in effect, NBC affiliate WTHR of Indianapolis reported. A spokesperson for Indiana State Police, which investigated the killings, declined…

Something wicked this way comes on the packaging of Mattel‘s “Wicked” dolls.There’s a website listed on the toy box, but instead of linking to the webpage for the movie adaptation of the Tony-winning musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Mattel has mistakenly listed the URL to a pornographic website.The film’s official website is WickedMovie.com, but the address listed on the plastic packaging for the special edition dolls, created in partnership with Universal Pictures, directs to a page that requires users to be 18 years or older to enter.In a statement shared with Variety on Sunday regarding the erroneous web address, Mattel said: “Mattel was…