TV News LIES

James Caan, who portrayed Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather" and Paul Sheldon in "Misery," has died at 82.

The actor's official Twitter account shared the news on Thursday, writing in a statement he died Wednesday.

"The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time," the tweet read.

Born in the Bronx to German-Jewish immigrants, Caan collected many accolades across his acting career, spanning nearly five decades.

One of his most memorable roles was as the short-tempered Sonny Corleone, brother of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone, in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather." He was nominated in best supporting actor categories at the 1972 Academy Awards and the Golden Globes that same year.

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A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors in a landmark lawsuit that accused them of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills over eight years in one West Virginia county ravaged by opioid addiction.

The verdict came nearly a year after closing arguments in a bench trial in the lawsuit filed by Cabell County and the city of Huntington against AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp.

"The opioid crisis has taken a considerable toll on the citizens of Cabell County and the City of Huntington. And while there is a natural tendency to assign blame in such cases, they must be decided not based on sympathy, but on the facts and the law," U.S. District Judge David Faber wrote in the 184-page ruling. "In view of the court's findings and conclusions, the court finds that judgment should be entered in defendants' favor."

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The Federal Reserve is expected Wednesday afternoon to announce its largest interest rate hike since 1994 — a bigger increase than it had previously signaled and a sign that the central bank is struggling to restrain stubbornly high inflation.

The central bank is considered likely to raise its benchmark short-term rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, far larger than the typical quarter-point increase, to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%. It will also likely forecast additional large rate hikes through the end of the year.

A series of sizeable increases would heighten borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, likely leading to an economic slowdown and raising the risk of a recession. The Fed's previous rate hikes have already had the effect of raising mortgage rates roughly 2 percentage points since the year began and have slowed home sales.

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Lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection said Sunday they can provide evidence that Donald Trump tried to overthrow his election loss to Joe Biden even though he knew he had lost – a key legal point if he is prosecuted over actions that led directly to the violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Future hearings, including one on Monday, will demonstrate how a succession of advisers also told Trump that his claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election were bogus, Jan. 6 committee members said during a string of Sunday show appearances.

"I think any reasonable person in America will tell you, he had to have known he was spreading a 'Big Lie,'" said Rep, Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a member of the Jan. 6 select committee, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union."

Raskin added: "He continues to spread it to this very day."

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A jury on Wednesday ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.

The jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax.

Jury members found Depp should be awarded $10.35 million in damages, while Heard should receive $2 million.

The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage. Fans — overwhelmingly on Depp’s side — lined up overnight to grab a seat in the courtroom. Spectators who couldn’t get in lined up on the street to cheer Depp and jeer Heard whenever either appeared outside.

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