Hundreds of Republican midterm candidates have questioned or spread misinformation about the 2020 election. Hundreds of Republican midterm candidates have questioned or spread misinformation about the 2020 election. Together they represent a growing consensus in the Republican Party, and a potential threat to American democracy. Together they represent a growing consensus in the Republican Party, […] More

Samuel R. Bateman, 48, of Colorado City, Ariz., who claimed to have more than 20 “wives” including 10 “brides” under 18, pleaded guilty in April to two felony conspiracy charges.The self-proclaimed leader of a polygamist sect in Arizona who amassed more than 20 “wives,” including 10 “brides” under 18, was sentenced on Monday to 50 years in prison in connection with what prosecutors described as an interstate child sexual abuse ring, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.Federal prosecutors said that the man, Samuel R. Bateman, 48, of Colorado City, Ariz., led a group that victimized girls as young as 9.Using his status as a self-declared prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mr. Bateman forced his child “brides” to participate in sexual activities with him and with other adult men and women, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.Mr. Bateman was arrested in August 2022 when he was driving on a highway in Flagstaff, Ariz., pulling a box trailer with three young girls inside, along with a makeshift toilet, no air-conditioning, and a door that was not latched, prosecutors said.In April, he agreed to plead guilty to two federal charges: conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.Under the plea agreement, he had faced a sentence of 20 to 50 years in federal prison. But prosecutors had argued that the “only appropriate sentence” would be 50 years.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

This month’s sci-fi picks include alienoids, bionic athletes and a little creature named Godzilla.‘Godzilla Minus One’Stream it on Netflix.Despite a surprisingly successful box-office run at the end of 2023, this evocative, often poignant take on one of the most famous screen creatures of all time was abruptly pulled from theaters. Then the film remained AWOL from streaming for months, until it popped up last week with no advance fanfare — a bit like Godzilla himself emerging from out of nowhere, actually. Takashi Yamazaki’s movie is set a couple of years after World War II, as a traumatized Japan slowly rebuilds and tries to overcome the physical and mental devastation caused by the atomic bombings. The lead character, Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), is a former kamikaze pilot who managed to survive and is guilt-ridden — though, of course, it’s easy to argue that the actual lead is the title monster. Koichi joins the ad hoc forces gathered to prevent Godzilla from finishing off the reeling Japan, and the final battle, which takes place at sea, is masterfully directed by Yamazaki (who also supervised the Academy Award-winning visual effects).Note that the movie’s incredible black-and-white version, “Godzilla Minus One Minus Color,” is available on Amazon and other platforms, and is expected on Netflix sometime this summer.‘The Mill’Stream it on Hulu.“Average person must survive a hostile environment by any means necessary” is a pretty familiar trope, and it is heightened when said environment is a single location — a boat, an elevator, a car trunk, a phone booth or, in the case of Sean King O’Grady’s “The Mill,” a grim courtyard enclosed by grim walls. That is where Joe (Lil Rel Howery) wakes up one day. His only company is an unseen neighbor (voiced by Patrick Fischler), whom Joe hears through a duct. Food and water get pushed through a slot in the door. Soon enough, Joe is told that his performance at work has declined so he’s been sent to “advanced career training.” His task is to complete a minimum of 50 revolutions a day on a large mill: He has become a beast of burden tethered to his yoke and reduced to mindless effort. Worse, he competes against other prisoners kept in similar yards. Howery is effective as a regular, ahem, Joe who must both make it to the end of each day and figure out what’s going on. While it ends on a note that feels rushed (but suggests a potential sequel that could be intriguing), “The Mill” is a fairly tight sci-fi thriller that argues for collective action over individualism in the face of faceless corporate power. It’s not Ken Loach, but it might reach more people.‘Alienoid: Return to the Future’Rent or buy it on most major platforms.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Un espectador también murió después de que una persona disparara contra el expresidente durante un mitin en Pensilvania, según personas informadas sobre el asunto. El candidato parecía tener sangre en la cara cuando lo sacaron del escenario.[Estamos en WhatsApp. Empieza a seguirnos ahora]Una persona armada disparó un arma contra el expresidente Donald Trump el sábado en su mitin en Butler, Pensilvania, según un funcionario de EE. UU. y dos personas informadas sobre el asunto, el cual está siendo investigado como un intento de asesinato.Un asistente al mitin falleció y el presunto tirador fue neutralizado por el Servicio Secreto, mientras Trump fue escoltado fuera del escenario con la cara y la oreja ensangrentadas, según tres personas informadas sobre el asunto.El presidente Joe Biden se dirigió a la nación poco después del incidente y condenó la violencia como “enfermiza”. Trump se encontraba “bien”, según Steven Cheung, portavoz de su campaña, y un portavoz del Servicio Secreto dijo que Trump estaba “a salvo”. Cheung no proporcionó más información sobre si Trump había resultado herido ni cómo, y los funcionarios no proporcionaron más información sobre si otros asistentes al mitin resultaron heridos.Esto es lo que hay que saber:We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

The ad, which aired on MSNBC on Thursday morning, asks, “Can Biden even survive until 2029?” The super PAC supporting Donald J. Trump for president is airing a blistering television ad before the State of the Union address, mocking President Biden’s halting response to questions about his memory and even questioning his life span, in a preview of the tenor of the general election ahead. The ad, titled “Jugular,” aired on MSNBC on Thursday morning during one of Mr. Biden’s favorite shows, “Morning Joe” in the 6 a.m. hour. It will air nationally through the day and Friday morning on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and Newsmax, according to the super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. The size of the two-day ad buy was not immediately clear. The spot appeared designed to try to get under Mr. Biden’s skin at a pivotal moment, as he prepares to give the State of the Union and faces low job approval ratings against his predecessor, Mr. Trump. The ad focuses on a topic that Mr. Biden and his allies have shown frustration about — questions over his age. At the age of 81, Mr. Biden is America’s oldest president. Mr. Trump is 77.A Biden campaign spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A report by the special counsel, Robert Hur, who was investigating Mr. Biden’s possession of classified documents at his home after he served as vice president, infuriated the president’s allies with what they called gratuitous descriptions of his difficulty recalling certain events and details. Among them, according to Mr. Hur, was when Mr. Biden’s eldest son, Beau, passed away, a statement Mr. Biden’s allies pushed back on. The ad uses footage of Mr. Biden responding to that report at a White House news conference, during which he at times seemed visibly angry and flustered. The ad says that people understand Mr. Biden’s “weakness” and adds, “Can Biden even survive until 2029?” It then asks, over footage of Vice President Kamala Harris laughing and Mr. Biden falling on the stairs while boarding Air Force One, “Can we?” The tactic of airing ads in order to be seen by a president was used to reach Mr. Trump, particularly when opponents were hoping to force him to react. Among those who used the tactic was the Lincoln Project, the group of anti-Trump Republicans. And Trump has had his own verbal stumbles, including confusing the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Nikki Haley, his erstwhile primary rival, and calling Mr. Biden “Obama” in recent speeches. But this particular spot focuses on what has been raised by Democrats, some of Mr. Biden’s allies and a number of voters as a concern, as Mr. Trump seeks to set the terms of the general election for voters as one of “strength” versus “weakness.” “Biden is weak, and America is suffering because of it,” said Taylor Budowich, the chief executive of MAGA Inc. “Tonight’s State of the Union will not silence those waiting in the wings from laughing every time Joe Biden stumbles or bumbles.” More