More than twenty years ago, a Bronx detective revealed to me that he knew two men imprisoned for the 1990 murder of a Manhattan nightclub bouncer were innocent, therefore introducing me to the secret epidemic of false convictions. What made him so certain? He answered, "Because I know who did it." My life was transformed by that conversation, which also gave me a newfound sense of purpose as a journalist. For almost 30 years, I have been involved in every facet of the legal system as a producer for NBC's Dateline. I've been embedded with defense lawyers, prosecutors, and investigators for years. Numerous victims of crime have told me stories that will never be forgotten. I've spoken with numerous jurors, judges, and death row inmates. I've also been incarcerated for hundreds of days. Six ...

Author E. Jean Carroll's $5 million legal judgment against President-elect Donald Trump has been affirmed by a federal appeals court. In 2023, a jury found Trump guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and then defaming her after she came out with her claims. Trump has refuted the accusations and filed an appeal, arguing that the judge who oversaw the nine-day trial rendered unjust decisions and that the verdict was "grossly excessive" and ought to be overturned. A group of judges from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed. "We come to the conclusion that Mr. Trump hasn't proven the district court made a mistake in any of the contested decisions. Additionally, he has failed to prove that any one of the alleged errors—or a combination of them—affected his substantive right...

The ceremonial state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter is scheduled for January 9, the same day that President Joe Biden declared a national day of mourning for his loss on Sunday. Biden is anticipated to give the former president a eulogy. Carter passed away on Sunday. He was the 39th president of the United States and the first to turn 100. Since February 2023, he and his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, had been in hospice care at their Plains, Georgia, home. On November 19, 2023, the former first lady passed away at the age of 96. On Monday night, there will be a prayer vigil at Maranatha Baptist Church, where the former president was a member and taught Sunday school for many years. In statements from the previous year, Biden said that Carter had asked him to give the eulogy...

The ceremonial state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter is scheduled for January 9, the same day that President Joe Biden declared a national day of mourning for his loss on Sunday. Biden is anticipated to give the former president a eulogy. Carter passed away on Sunday. He was the 39th president of the United States and the first to turn 100. Since February 2023, he and his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, had been in hospice care at their Plains, Georgia, home. On November 19, 2023, the former first lady passed away at the age of 96. On Monday night, there will be a prayer vigil at Maranatha Baptist Church, where the former president was a member and taught Sunday school for many years. In statements from the previous year, Biden said that Carter had asked him to give the eulogy...

Only a few months after her husband and his brother were killed by an alleged drunk driver, Madeline Gaudreau, the widow of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau's brother Matthew Gaudreau, gave birth to her first child. On Sunday, the new mother revealed the name of her baby boy, Tripp Matthew, on Instagram. With the description, "Mommy & Daddy's world," the image showed the newborn's small hand resting on a baby blanket next to a sign that said, "He's Here." On August 29, Madeline lost her husband, Matthew Gaudreau, 29, and his brother, Johnny Gaudreau, 31, after they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes in New Jersey. The night before they were scheduled to be groomsmen at their sister's wedding, they passed away. Sean M. Higgins, 43, is the driver and is charged wi...

Author E. Jean Carroll's $5 million legal judgment against President-elect Donald Trump has been affirmed by a federal appeals court. In 2023, a jury found Trump guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and then defaming her after she came out with her claims. Trump has challenged the decision, arguing that it ought to be overturned.Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!

The Tony Award-winning stage actress Linda Lavin, who rose to fame as a working-class icon while playing a waitress in a paper hat on the television sitcom Alice, passed away. She was eighty-seven. According to an email forwarded to The Associated Press by her representative, Bill Veloric, Lavin passed away in Los Angeles on Sunday due to complications from newly diagnosed lung cancer. In the middle of the 1970s, Lavin, a Broadway success, made an attempt at Hollywood. Based on the Martin Scorsese-directed movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, in which Ellen Burstyn won an Oscar for her portrayal of the title waitress, she was selected to star in a new CBS sitcom. In the abbreviated title, Alice and Lavin, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old boy who works in a roadside cafe outside of Pho...

LGBTQ issues consistently made headlines in a presidential election year when people' top concerns were often immigration and the economy. Following the tragic death of Nex Benedict, a transgender student from Oklahoma, gay activists worldwide expressed their fury, sparking the start of the year in LGBTQ news. As the Supreme Court seemed to move toward maintaining a Tennessee law that restricts gender-affirming care for kids, it concluded with a similar emphasis on trans youth. From the ascent of singer Challen Roan and a wider lesbian renaissance in pop music to the historic election of Sarah McBride as the first openly transgender person to Congress, the LGBTQ community had plenty to celebrate this year. These are the stories that marked significant queer milestones, had the greatest imp...