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LONDON (AP) — British prosecutors said Thursday they have charged actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men. The Crown Prosecution Service said Spacey “has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” The alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s. Rosemary Ainslie, head of the service’s Special Crime Division, said the charges follow a review of evidence gathered by London’s Metropolitan Police. Spacey, a 62-year-old double Academy Award winner, was questioned by British police in 2019 about claims by several men that he had assaulted them. The former “House of Cards” star ran London’s Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2015. Spacey won a best supporting actor Academy Award for the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” and a lead actor Oscar for the 1999 movie “American Beauty." … [Read more...] about Kevin Spacey charged in UK with 4 counts of sexual assault

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow pressed the West on Thursday to lift sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, seeking to shift the blame for a growing food crisis that has been worsened by Kyiv’s inability to ship millions of tons of grain and other agricultural products due to the conflict. Britain immediately accused Russia of “trying to hold the world to ransom,” insisting there would be no sanctions relief, and a top U.S. diplomat blasted the "sheer barbarity, sadistic cruelty and lawlessness” of the invasion. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war, including a Russian blockade of its ports, has halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tried to put the blame squarely on the sanctions. "We accuse Western countries of taking a series of unlawful actions that has led to the blockade,” he said in a call with reporters. … [Read more...] about Russia slams sanctions, seeks to blame West for food crisis

New York (CNN Business) Decades-high inflation is leading to a split in American consumers' behavior. Affluent shoppers are splurging on new outfits at Macy's, Nordstrom and other high-end outlets, while lower-income customers are pulling back on discretionary items, leading retailers say. Macy's ( M ) said Thursday that comparable sales at stores open for at least one year grew 12.4% during its latest quarter compared with the same stretch a year ago. "While macroeconomic pressures on consumer spending increased during the quarter, our customers continued to shop," Macy's CEO Jeffrey Gennette said in a press release. What rotisserie chicken prices say about stores' inflation strategy Macy's saw a "notable shift" in consumers buying clothes for special events and shopping in stores, Gennette said. Dresses, women's shoes, accessories and men's tailored clothing saw strong sales performance during the quarter. … [Read more...] about Wealthy shoppers are splurging at Macy’s. Low-income shoppers are pulling back at Walmart

New York (CNN Business) Russia has spent the past half-century attempting to build a reputation on the world stage as a reliable supplier of energy. It took Vladimir Putin mere months to cast serious doubt on that reputation. "I wouldn't trust them," US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNN in response to a question about whether Russia will ever again be considered a reliable energy supplier. "They have to prove they are a reliable partner and they're certainly not doing that." Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions from the West have sent oil prices skyrocketing, lifting gasoline and diesel prices in the United States to unprecedented levels. Natural gas prices also have climbed around the world. Biden is 'obsessed' with lowering 'outrageous' gas prices, but presidents don't control prices, says Energy Secretary After the West imposed tough penalties on Russia, Putin warned that "unfriendly" nations would … [Read more...] about ‘I wouldn’t trust them.’ Energy Secretary blasts Russia for ‘weaponizing’ energy

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 Sen. Ted Cruz is doubling down on blaming mental health as the cause for the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 22 people dead, including 19 children and two teachers. The Republican senator stormed out of an interview Wednesday after being asked if gun laws will change following the nation's worst school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012. The Republican senator joined Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican politicians as well as hundreds of relatives and friends of the victims mourning at a vigil in Uvalde Wednesday. At the vigil, Cruz was approached by British journalist Mark Stone of Sky News . The Republican senator told Stone: "There are 19 sets of parents who are never going to get to kiss their child tonight." Stone then questioned the Republican senator if now was the moment to reform gun laws. In response, Cruz rolled his eyes, and accused Stone of … [Read more...] about ‘Stop being a propagandist’: Sen. Ted Cruz dodges questions from reporters about gun reform

close Video Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines 5/24 Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! A court in Spain on Thursday dismissed Colombian singer Shakira's appeal in a tax fraud case, paving the way for a trial after a judge previously concluded there was enough evidence to suggest the pop star may have avoided her fiscal obligations to the state. The case first made headlines in December 2018 after Spanish prosecutors charged the singer with failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($15.5 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. Shakira, 45, denied any wrongdoing when she testified in June 2019. At the heart of the legal wrangling is the question of the singer’s residence: Prosecutors allege she lived mostly in Spain despite having an official residence in the Bahamas. … [Read more...] about Spanish court dismisses Shakira appeal in tax fraud case

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 13 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres brought her nearly two-decade daytime talk show to an end Thursday with a celebrity lovefest and a forceful assertion of her achievement as a gay woman daring to be herself. DeGeneres and guests Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink shared memories and affection as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” concluded its Emmy-winning, 3,200-plus episode run that began in September 2003. “Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said of the pushback from TV stations. When the syndicated show went on the air, she was prevented from saying the word “gay” or even the pronoun “we,” DeGeneres said, since the latter would imply she had a partner. She didn't specify who … [Read more...] about Ellen DeGeneres ends daytime show with plea for compassion

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week for the second week in a row, though interest rates on the key 30-year home loan remain at decade-high levels. Economic uncertainty and weakened homebuyer demand continue to loom over mortgage rates. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate declined to 5.1% from 5.25% last week. By contrast, the average rate stood at 2.95% a year ago. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, dipped to 4.31% from 4.43% last week. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve intensified its fight against the worst inflation in 40 years by raising its benchmark interest rate by a half-percentage point and signaling more big rate hikes to come. The Fed’s move, its most aggressive since 2000, means higher costs for mortgages as well as credit cards, auto loans and other borrowing for individuals and businesses. Higher borrowing rates appear to be slowing … [Read more...] about Average long-term mortgage rates fall; 30-year loan at 5.1%

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 18 FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Amber Heard told jurors Thursday that a harassment campaign waged against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp has left her humiliated and scared for her life from multiple death threats, and said she just wants “Johnny to leave me alone.” Heard was the final witness in the six-week libel trial Depp brought against his ex-wife. With cameras in the courtroom, millions of people have followed the trial, and interest seemed to gain momentum as the weeks went on and both Depp and Heard testified about the ugly details of their relationship. Online and at the courthouse, Depp's fans have overwhelmingly dominated the narrative, with groupies lining up overnight to get one of the few spots in the courtroom and wave at Depp as he walks in and out. Heard has been booed by spectators on … [Read more...] about Amber Heard ends testimony asking Depp to ‘leave me alone’

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Don Cusick and Beth Paretta left Indianapolis last May, they started planning a return. It took Cusick almost a full year to find an 11th-hour solution to run in the Indianapolis 500, teaming up with a partner. Paretta chose a different path, opting for three road races and against Indy as a one-off — the only race of the season. But the two burgeoning IndyCar teams with visions of full-time programs faced one big obstacle: A lack of crew members and engineers. The American labor shortage ravaging restaurants, factories and other industries has hit Gasoline Alley. “Going from 22 to 26 full-time teams, that’s a lot of people you'd normally get for these one-offs," Paretta said of the IndyCar Series, which is in something of a renaissance. “I talked to Ed Carpenter and he said, ‘It looks like we’ll have three cars for the 500 and we couldn’t do … [Read more...] about IndyCar, teams look at solutions for labor shortage in pits