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Harvey Weinstein hospitalized with COVID, double pneumonia, representative says
Harvey Weinstein tested positive for COVID-19 and contracted double pneumonia, an authorized representative confirmed Thursday.
Weinstein, who is awaiting retrial in his New York criminal case and is appealing his California conviction, is also dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis and fluid on his heart and lung, the representative said. He’s currently at the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, according to New York City Department of Correction records.
The former Hollywood mogul has been hospitalized several times in recent years. He was brought to Bellevue Hospital with chest pains in 2020 shortly after he was sentenced to 23 years behind bars on rape and criminal sexual act charges.
Weinstein also underwent a heart procedure at Bellevue to open a blocked artery after his conviction, CBS New York reported.
He was also hospitalized in April shortly after an appeals court ruling overturned his 2020 rape conviction. At the time, his attorney, Arthur L. Aidala, told CBS News in a statement that the New York City Department of Correction “determined that Mr. Weinstein needed immediate medical attention. A myriad of tests are being performed on Harvey and he is being kept for observation.”
“Harvey Weinstein was used to drinking champagne and eating caviar and now he’s at the commissary paying for potato chips and M&Ms,” Aidala said in May. “Mentally, he’s fine. He’s sharp as a tack. But physically, he’s been breaking down for years.”
Weinstein remained behind bars after his New York conviction was overturned because he was convicted in a separate case in California.
Prosecutors in New York are pursuing a new trial for Weinstein. It’s expected to begin sometime after Labor Day. Weinstein’s attorneys last month appealed his Los Angeles conviction. He was found guilty in that case and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2023.
Weinstein has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. He’s appeared in court in recent years using a walker and a wheelchair.
CBS News
German soccer club St. Pauli quits X ahead of snap elections, calls platform a “hate machine”
A German soccer club is leaving X because of the increase in hate speech and disinformation on the social media platform that it claims could undermine the snap elections in the country.
FC St. Pauli announced the decision on Thursday, saying billionaire owner Elon Musk has turned the platform into a “hate machine” since he took over the company in 2022.
“Racism and conspiracy theories are allowed to spread unchecked and even curated,” St. Pauli said in a statement. “Insults and threats are seldom sanctioned and are sold as freedom of speech.”
The club said it had already limited posts on X and increased “political statements in support of diversity and inclusion to make a stand against hate.”
Selim Sudheimer / Getty Images
Named after Hamburg’s St. Pauli district, the club, which plays in the Bundesliga, is known among soccer fans for its left-leaning supporter base. Fan groups often chant anti-racist slogans and promote diversity within the club.
St. Pauli also underlined Musk’s role in last week’s U.S. presidential election, and alleged his platform could affect the outcome of the snap elections in Germany, which are scheduled to take place next February, by “manipulating the public discourse.”
“Musk was a major backer of the Trump campaign and also used X for this purpose,” the club said. “It is to be assumed that X will also promote authoritarian, misanthropic and far-right content during the forthcoming German election campaign.”
St. Pauli said it would no longer share content on X but it will not deactivate the account. The club urged supporters to follow its updates on Bluesky, an alternative social media platform that has observed a surge of new members after President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory last week.
Musk was a key figure in Trump’s third election campaign, donating millions of dollars and promoting content for his message on X. Trump announced this week that he will be part of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who sought the Republican Party’s nomination.
On Nov. 6, the German coalition government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed the finance minister, who represented the pro-business Free Democratic Party. The chancellor will seek a vote of confidence at the German Bundestag in December.
St. Pauli aims to migrate its nearly 250,000 followers ahead of February’s snap elections in Germany in which the center-right opposition Christian Democratic Union is expected to make significant gains.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party has also gained popularity. With 76 seats, it is the fifth largest party in the Bundestag. In September’s Thuringian state election, the AfD became the first far-right party in Germany to have won an election since World War II.
CBS News
Trump meets with Argentina’s president, the first foreign leader he’s met with since election
Donald Trump met Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club with Argentine President Javier Milei, the first foreign leader to meet with the president-elect since his victory in last week’s election.
The meeting was confirmed by a person who insisted on anonymity to discuss an event that hadn’t yet been announced publicly. The person said the meeting went well and said Milei also met with investors.
A short time later, Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” and frequent recipient of Trump praise, addressed the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-a-Lago. He slammed left-wing ideologies and saluted Elon Musk, the owner of X, saying his social media site is helping to “save humanity.”
Trump also spoke to the gala crowd, congratulating Milei “for the job you’ve done for Argentina” and saying it was an “honor” to have Argentina’s president at Mar-a-Lago.
“The job you’ve done is incredible. Make Argentina Great Again, you know, MAGA. He’s a MAGA person,” Trump said to applause. “And you know, he’s doing that.”
Shortly after Milei’s election in November 2023, Trump posted on social media, “You will turn your country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!”
Milei first met Trump in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in the Washington area. He has openly declared his admiration for Trump and when he saw him, he rushed to him screaming “president!” and gave him a close hug before they posed for pictures.
The Argentine president is known for his eccentric personality and first made a name for himself by shouting against Argentina’s “political caste” on television. The right-wing populist campaigned with a chainsaw as his prop to symbolize his plans to slash public spending and scrap government ministries.
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German soccer club St. Pauli quits X ahead of snap elections, calls platform a “hate machine”
Minnesota man killed while serving as missionary in Angola
Trump meets with Argentina’s president, the first foreign leader he’s met with since election
German soccer club St. Pauli quits X ahead of snap elections, calls platform a “hate machine”
Minnesota man killed while serving as missionary in Angola