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UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey defiantly pushed back against federal corruption charges on Monday, saying nearly half a million dollars in cash authorities found in his home was from his personal savings, not from bribes, and was on hand for emergencies.

Rejecting rising calls for him to resign, the influential chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he believed he’d be cleared of charges that he took cash and gold in illegal exchange for helping Egypt and New Jersey business associates.

“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator,” Menendez said at Hudson County Community College’s campus in Union City, where he grew up.

He did not respond to questions and did not say whether he would seek reelection next year.

Addressing allegations in the indictment unsealed Friday that authorities found cash stuffed in envelopes and clothing at his home, Menendez said that stemmed from his parents’ fear of confiscation of funds from their time in Cuba.

“This may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years,” he said.

Authorities recovered about 10 envelopes with tens of thousands of dollars in cash that had the fingerprints of one of the other defendants in the case on them, according to the indictment.

Menendez also addressed his relationship with Egypt, which plays a central role in the indictment against him, suggesting he’s been tough on the country over its detention of Americans and other “human rights abuses.”

“If you look at my actions related to Egypt during the period described in this indictment and throughout my whole career, my record is clear and consistent in holding Egypt accountable,” he said.

Prosecutors say he met with Egyptian military and intelligence officials, passed along non-public information about employees at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and ghostwrote a letter on behalf of Egypt asking his Senate colleagues to release a hold on $300 million worth of aid. He did not directly address those allegations Monday.

The state’s Democratic leadership, including Gov. Phil Murphy, the state party chairmen and leaders of the Legislature, along with some of Menendez’s congressional colleagues, are calling on him to resign

In Washington, however, where his party holds a bare Senate majority, some of Menendez’s Democratic colleagues have stopped short of urging him to give up his seat, notably Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, and Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Even though Schumer has not called for Menendez to step down, other members of his caucus have. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown became the second Democratic senator to call for his resignation on Monday, following Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman on Saturday.

Menendez did, however, step down as required as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Schumer said on Friday, when the indictment was unsealed.

If he seeks reelection, Menendez will face at least one challenger in a primary next year after Democratic Rep. Andy Kim announced over the weekend that he will run for the Senate because of the charges against the state’s senior senator.

Menendez’s reelection campaign could face significant hurdles besides the criminal indictment, the second one he has faced in eight years, in light of opposition from state party leaders.

If the Democratic Party abandons Menendez, he could lose a potent benefit of party support: the so-called party line, or preferred ballot placement in the primary, widely regarded as a significant boost to incumbents and those with establishment backing.

Menendez has denied any wrongdoing in the federal case against him, his wife and three of their business associates. In an emailed statement last week, he accused prosecutors of misrepresenting “the normal work of a congressional office” and said he will not allow his work in the Senate to be distracted by “baseless allegations.” A lawyer for his wife said she “denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court.”

He and Nadine Menendez are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold and a luxury car from a trio of New Jersey businessmen for a variety of corrupt acts.

The indictment said Menendez used his clout to interfere in three criminal cases, pressured U.S. agriculture regulators to protect an associate’s business interests, and used his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee to influence U.S. policy on Egypt.

Federal agents who searched his home in 2022 found more than $480,000 in cash stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe, and gold bars worth more than $100,000, prosecutors said. Another $70,000 was discovered inside his wife’s safety deposit box, they said.

Some Menendez supporters attended the news conference .Among them was Manny Contreras, a resident of nearby Passaic County, who said he came to show his support for Menendez and had been voting for him for years.

“It’s a big problem for the Latino community, we don’t want to see him go, we have to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Contreras said.

He said if Menendez were found guilty, he would have to reconsider his support, but because of the good things in the Menendez’s long career, he was willing to let the process play out.

___

Catalini reported from Trenton. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

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The Biden-Harris administration kicks off the 2023 National HBCU Week Conference in Arlington, Virginia on Sunday running through Thursday.

The annual National HBCU Week Conference is the nation’s premier convening of key influencers in the HBCU space.

“Historically Black Colleges and Universities have embodied leadership, excellence, and innovation for centuries, continually punching above their weight and producing barrier-breaking graduates in every field imaginable,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “President Biden’s support for HBCUs has resulted in record investments in these institutions, and our National HBCU Week Conference gives higher education leaders, public officials, advocates and outside partners an opportunity to build on this momentum. At a time when the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in higher education are under attack across our country, working together to support HBCUs and the students they serve is more important than ever before.”

The theme for this year’s HBCU Week Conference is Raising the Bar: Forging Excellence through Innovation & Leadership. HBCU Week provides administrators, faculty, and students an opportunity to meet and interact with key leaders, including federal agency officials and financial executives, private sector representatives and business professionals, and financial aid executives. The conference will include remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and senior administration officials, and it provides direct information to HBCU administrators and leaders on the subjects related to promoting educational excellence, innovation, and equity.

“HBCUs have been critically important to providing educational opportunity for generations of Black Americans and broader communities of color,” said Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs Dr. Dietra Trent. “HBCU Week will feature workshops, engagements, keynote addresses and interactive exhibits that will connect vital federal and private resources to the HBCU community.”

The National HBCU Week Conference is coordinated by the White House Initiative on HBCUs in close consultation with the Executive Office of the President and the U.S. Department of Education. The event provides an opportunity for federal agencies, private sector companies and philanthropic organizations to convene and provide useful information and successful models to improve instruction, degree completion and federal engagement, all of which strengthen the role of HBCUs.

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Once a year, the United Nations General Assembly brings the world’s leaders to New York City to take part in a special program that allows them to address the world’s most pressing issues. But when Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro, and his government’s delegation came to take part in the U.N. General Assembly in September 1960, they faced slights and humiliations from local establishments. 

Castro’s government had overthrown the dictator Fulgencio Batista in January 1959 and was in a tense relationship with the U.S. administration. In line with the U.S., some New York City businesses treated the Cubans with contempt: Midtown Manhattan’s Hotel Shelburne wanted the 50-member delegation to put down a $20,000 cash deposit to cover any potential damages they might cause during their stay. When Castro refused to do so, the activist Malcolm X helped arrange for the Cubans to stay at Harlem’s African American-owned Theresa Hotel.

This year marks the 63rd anniversary of the Cuban delegations’ Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, 1960 stay at the Hotel Theresa and local activists held a special event to honor the occasion. 

The Harlem-Cuba Welcome Committee invited this year’s Cuban delegation and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez to take part in an “Homage to Malcolm X”-themed event to remember when Castro came to Harlem.

“Your presence here today powerfully affirms the ties between our nations and peoples,” said Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz during the Sept. 18 event at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, which is named in honor of her parents. “Let this moment inspire us to carry forward their courageous unfinished work with renewed purpose and moral clarity. On behalf of the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, I would like to express our profound appreciation for your visit.”

Díaz-Canel said he appreciated the event and spoke about how Malcolm X had been a powerful inspiration for him when he was a high school student in Cuba. Many young kids took it as an honor to read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” Díaz-Canel said.

Yuri Gala López, Cuba’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, also told the AmNews that Cuban youth read “The Autobiographyof Malcolm X” and tend to view Malcolm X as an important symbol of Third World activism. 

“Harlem is a community with which Cubans have developed sentimental ties,” López asserted, because it is known as the place where Malcolm X was active. “Several generations of Cubans learn from an early age to admire Malcom X from his biography. We come to know the firm, strong commitment Malcolm X had [to] social justice and his solidarity with peoples of Africa. That is something that we value very much.”

“It is all about the solidarity and friendship and the brotherhood that first started developing between Fidel and Malcolm 63 years ago,” Díaz-Canel said as he spoke a the gathering. “We are all for receiving solidarity from the American people. And once we defeat the blockade––and we are certain we will defeat it––that will be our best tribute to their friendship and solidarity.”

Among the many politicians and activists in attendance for the “Homage to Malcolm X” were Roger Wareham, Esperanza Martell, Councilmember Charles Barron, Professor James Small, Gail Walker, Omowale Clay, Sam Anderson, Zayid Muhammad, former Rep. Charles Rangel, and the current leader of the New York County Democrats, Keith L.T. Wright.

In 1960, when Castro left Midtown Manhattan and came to Harlem, he continued to conduct governmental business. Amsterdam News articles from that period report that the Cuban delegation rented out over 40 of the hotel’s rooms, with Castro residing on the ninth floor. Although security was tight, the delegates were friendly. Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru traveled to Harlem to have talks with the Cubans. And at one point, the then-Soviet Union’s Nikita Khrushchev came up to the Theresa: “The big little premier sought to extend his hand to those who tried to greet him in the police-jammed hallway,” a September 24, 1960 AmNews article said, “but was hurried along by security men to the Castro quarters where the two huddled in secret for about 20 minutes.”  

Castro had told the Amsterdam News that he was excited he could stay in Harlem. “I had always wanted to come to Harlem, but I was not sure what kind of welcome I would get,” he was quoted as saying. “When I got news that I would be welcomed in Harlem, I was happy.” 

A 35-year-old Malcolm X met with Castro and assured him that the slurs the Cubans faced downtown would not occur in Harlem. The newspaper reported that Malcolm X told the Cuban leader: “We in Harlem are not addicted to all the propaganda the U.S. government puts out.” 

Dr. Rosemari Mealy, one of the organizers of this year’s “Homage to Malcolm X” event, explained to those in attendance that the bonds Fidel and Malcolm forged have to be honored. “It is a legacy that we have all inherited: [It’s] when both leaders taught that humanity’s destiny is not locked into a perpetual state of submission and oppression,” said Mealy, the author of the book “Fidel & Malcolm X: Memories of a Meeting” (Black Classic Press, 2013).

“We know that despite the hegemony of global capitalism, racism, poverty, wars, the proxy wars, and the acceleration of environmental degradation, we must never accept defeat. It’s not an option for us.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Union leaders and Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement Sunday to end a historic screenwriters strike after nearly five months, though no deal is yet in the works for striking actors.

The Writers Guild of America announced the deal in a joint statement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations.

“WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” the guild said in an email to members. “This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who joined us on the picket lines for over 146 days.”

The three-year contract agreement — settled on after five marathon days of renewed talks by WGA and AMPTP negotiators that was joined at times by studio executives — must be approved by the guild’s board and members before the strike officially ends.

In a longer message from the guild shared by members on social media, the writers were told the strike is not over and no one was to return to work until hearing otherwise, but picketing is to be suspended immediately.

The terms of the deal were not immediately announced. The tentative deal to end the last writers strike, in 2008, was approved by more than 90% of members.

The agreement comes just five days before the strike would’ve become the longest in the guild’s history, and the longest Hollywood strike more than 70 years.

As a result of the agreement, nightly network shows including NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” could return to the air within days.

But as writers prepare to potentially crack open their laptops again, it’s far from back to business as usual in Hollywood, as talks have not yet resumed between studios and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Crew members left with no work by the stoppage will remain unemployed for now.

“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors union said in a statement. “While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.”

The statement said the guild continues “to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”

The proposed solution to the writers strike came after talks resumed on Wednesday for the first time in a month. Chief executives including Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery and Donna Langley of NBCUniversal reportedly took part in the negotiations directly.

It was reached without the intervention of federal mediators or other government officials, which had been necessary in previous strikes.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement congratulating the two sides on the deal and said she is hopeful the same can happen soon with actors.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom did the same, saying writers “went on strike over existential threats to their careers and livelihoods — expressing real concerns over the stress and anxiety workers are feeling. I am grateful that the two sides have come together.”

About 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job May 2 over issues of pay, the size of writing staffs on shows and the use of artificial intelligence in the creation of scripts. Actors, who joined the writers on strike in July, have their own issues but there have been no discussions about resuming negotiations with their union yet.

The writers strike immediately sent late-night talk shows and “Saturday Night Live” into hiatus, and has since sent dozens of scripted shows and other productions into limbo, including forthcoming seasons of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” HBO’s “The Last of Us,” and ABC’s “Abbot Elementary,” and films including “Deadpool 3” and “Superman: Legacy.” The Emmy Awards were also pushed from September to January.

More recently, writers had been targeting talk shows that were working around strike rules to return to air, including “ The Drew Barrymore Show,” “ Real Time With Bill Maher ” and “The Talk.” All reversed course in the face of picketing and pressure, and are likely to quickly return now.

The combined strikes made for a pivotal moment in Hollywood as creative labor faced off against executives in a business transformed and torn by technology, from the seismic shift to streaming in recent years to the potentially paradigm-shifting emergence of AI in the years to come.

Screenwriters had traditionally gone on strike more than any other segment of the industry, but had enjoyed a relatively long stretch of labor peace until spring negotiations for a new contract fell apart. The walkout was their first since 2007 and their longest since 1988.

On July 14, more than two months into the strike, the writers got a dose of solidarity and star power — along with a whole lot of new picketing partners — when they were joined by 65,000 striking film and television actors.

It was the first time the two groups had been on strike together since 1960. In that walkout, the writers strike started first and ended second. This time, studios opted to deal with the writers first.

The AMPTP first reached out to suggest renewing negotiations in August. The meetings were short, infrequent, and not productive, and talks went silent for another month.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Usher has a new confession: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in Las Vegas.

The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Usher would lead the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. The music megastar, who has won eight Grammys, said he’s looking forward to performing on the NFL’s biggest stage.

“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a statement. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.”

Usher spring boarded into superstardom with “Confessions,” which sold more than 10 million units in the U.S. and earned him eight nominations at the 2005 Grammys, winning him three. He lost album of the year to Ray Charles’ final album “Genius Loves Company,” released two months after the legend died.

“Confessions” ranks among one of the best-selling music projects of all time and launched No. 1 hits such as “Yeah!” with Ludacris and Lil Jon, “Burn” and “Confessions Part II.” His special edition version included the smooth hit “My Boo,” a duet with Alicia Keys. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the epic album.

Usher, 44, is currently headlining his “Usher: My Way” residency in Las Vegas, which has drawn sold-out shows and rave reviews. He’s also beginning an eight-night block of performances in Paris on Sunday. Usher is expected to wrap up his Las Vegas residency in early December before he makes his Super Bowl halftime appearance a couple months later.

The singer has served as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” and appeared in several films including “Hustlers” and “Light It Up.”

Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Usher the ultimate “artist and showman.”

“Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course,” he said of Usher, who released his debut self-titled album in 1994. In total, he’s released eight studio projects that were filled with hits including “U Got It Bad,” “U Remind Me,” “You Make Me Wanna,” “Nice & Slow” and “Love In This Club” with Jeezy.

“Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” Jay-Z continued. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.”

Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. Hamish Hamilton returns as director. It’s the second collaboration between the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation.

Last year, a pregnant Rihanna emerged suspended on a platform above the field for a s pectacular halftime show – her first solo event in seven years.

“We are so proud of what we were able to accomplish together with the NFL and Roc Nation last year and now with the insanely talented Usher set to take the stage we’re looking forward to another incredible Halftime Show from one of the world’s all-time greatest performers,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports, and Beats.

Usher will join a list of celebrated musicians who have played during Super Bowl halftime shows including Beyoncé, Madonna, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Katy Perry.

“Usher is an icon whose music has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape throughout his career,” said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Randal Quran Reid was driving to his mother’s home the day after Thanksgiving last year when police pulled him over and arrested him on the side of a busy Georgia interstate.

He was wanted for crimes in Louisiana, they told him, before taking him to jail. Reid, who prefers to be identified as Quran, would spend the next several days locked up, trying to figure out how he could be a suspect in a state he says he had never visited.

A lawsuit filed this month blames the misuse of facial recognition technology by a sheriff’s detective in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, for his ordeal.

“I was confused and I was angry because I didn’t know what was going on,” Quran told The Associated Press. “They couldn’t give me any information outside of, ‘You’ve got to wait for Louisiana to come take you,’ and there was no timeline on that.”

Quran, 29, is among at least five Black plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits against law enforcement in recent years, saying they were misidentified by facial recognition technology and then wrongly arrested. Three of those lawsuits, including one by a woman who was eight months pregnant and accused of a carjacking, are against Detroit police.

The technology allows law enforcement agencies to feed images from video surveillance into software that can search government databases or social media for a possible match.

Critics say it results in a higher rate of misidentification of people of color than of white people. Supporters say it has been vital in catching drug dealers, solving killings and missing persons cases and identifying and rescuing human trafficking victims. They also contend the vast majority of images that are scoured are criminal mugshots, not driver’s license photos or random pictures of individuals.

Still, some states and cities have limited its use.

“The use of this technology by law enforcement, even if standards and protocols are in place, has grave civil liberty and privacy concerns,” said Sam Starks, a senior attorney with The Cochran Firm in Atlanta, which is representing Quran. “And that’s to say nothing about the reliability of the technology itself.”

Quran’s lawsuit was filed Sept. 8 in federal court in Atlanta. It names Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto and detective Andrew Bartholomew as defendants.

Bartholomew, using surveillance video, relied solely on a match generated by facial recognition technology to seek an arrest warrant for Reid after a stolen credit card was used to buy two purses for more than $8,000 from a consignment store outside New Orleans in June 2022, the lawsuit said.

“Bartholomew did not conduct even a basic search into Mr. Reid, which would have revealed that Mr. Reid was in Georgia when the theft occurred,” the lawsuit said.

Reached by phone, Bartholomew said he had no comment. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office, Capt. Jason Rivarde, said the office does not comment on pending litigation.

In an affidavit seeking the warrant, Bartholomew cited still photographs from the surveillance footage, but did not mention the use of facial recognition technology, according to Quran’s lawsuit.

The detective said he was advised by a “credible source” that one of the suspects in the video was Quran. A Department of Motor Vehicles photograph of Quran appeared to match the description of the suspect from the surveillance video, Bartholomew said.

Starks believes the source Bartholomew cited was facial recognition technology, making the affidavit “at best misleading,” he said. A January email from Jefferson Parish Deputy Chief Dax Russo to the sheriff is further evidence of that, according to Starks.

The email explaining the events that led to Quran’s arrest said members of the force were told again that they need additional evidence or leads when using facial recognition technology for an arrest warrant, according to the lawsuit.

The suit accuses Bartholomew of false arrest, malicious prosecution and negligence. Lopinto failed to implement adequate policies around the use of facial recognition technology, so he, too, should be liable, the lawsuit contends. It seeks unspecified damages.

As Quran sat in jail, his family hired an attorney in Louisiana who presented photos and videos of Quran to the sheriff’s office. The person in the surveillance footage was considerably heavier and did not have a mole like Quran’s, according to his lawsuit.

The sheriff’s office asked a judge to withdraw the warrant. Six days after his arrest, sheriff’s officials in Georgia’s DeKalb County released Quran.

His car had been towed, and the food at the jail had made him sick, he said. Quran, who works in transportation logistics, also missed work.

Nearly a year later, the experience still haunts him. He wonders what would have happened had he not had money to hire an attorney. And he still thinks about that police stop on a Georgia interstate.

“Every time I see police in my rearview mirror, he said, “it just flashes back my mind to what could have happened even though I hadn’t done anything.”

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