Saturday 5 July 2014

Van der Sloot marries in prison





  • Joran van der Sloot marries a woman who he met as she visited his Lima prison

  • The couple are expecting a child together in September, according to his lawyer

  • Van der Sloot pleaded guilty in 2012 to the murder of a 21-year-old Peruvian woman

  • He was arrested twice, but never charged, in Natalee Holloway's disappearance




(CNN) -- Joran van der Sloot has been tied to the disappearance of one woman and been convicted of murdering another.


Now, he's a taken man.


The Dutch national, who is serving a 28-year sentence for the killing of Stephany Flores -- married a Peruvian woman named Leidy Figueroa on Friday morning, his attorney told CNN en Espanol.


The nuptials took place at the Lima, Peru, prison where the 26-year-old van der Sloot is being held, according to the lawyer, Maximo Altez. John Barrera, Mayor of Ancón District, presided over the ceremony.





Van der Sloot to marry prison visitor




Joran van der Sloot's jailhouse letters

Van der Sloot is expected to become a father in September, when Figureoa is due to give birth to their child together, Altez said.


But just like he won't have a honeymoon anytime soon, van der Sloot won't be around to change diapers after the baby heads home.


That's because he has been sentenced to 28 years for the murder of Flores.


Once he's eligible to get out of prison for that crime, van der Sloot is set to be extradited to the United States to face charges related to the case of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama 18-year-old last seen leaving an Aruba nightclub in 2005 with van der Sloot and two other men.


Peru agrees to extradite Joran van der Sloot to U.S. ... in 24 years


Accountant met inmate while visiting a relative


There's no reason to believe that Figueroa didn't know about van der Sloot's past when the two first encountered one another.


They met when Figueroa, an accountant with a young boy from another relationship, was visiting a relative in the Peruvian prison where van der Sloot was being held.


"They became friends and spent a lot of time together in his cell," Altez said earlier this year. "Unlike the United States, here in Peru, loved ones or relatives can see inmates inside their jails."


In January 2012, van der Sloot made a far different pronouncement when he pleaded guilty to all charges against him in Flores' killing.


"I am really sorry for what happened," he told the three magistrates overseeing his trial in Lima.


2012: Joran van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years for Peru murder


Police say van der Sloot killed the then 21-year-old Flores in his Lima hotel room in May 2010, then took money and bank cards from her wallet and fled to Chile. He was arrested a few days later in that South American country.


Investigators believe van der Sloot killed Flores after she found something related to the Holloway case on van der Sloot's computer as she visited with him in his hotel room.


Lawyer: 'No hidden agendas' with marriage


Holloway's body has never been found, and her case -- which drew intense international attention in the weeks after it unfolded -- has never been solved.




Van der Sloot was the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

Van der Sloot was the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba.



Van der Sloot himself was arrested twice in Aruba in connection with the Alabama teenager's disappearance. However, he was never charged in that Caribbean nation.


He has been charged in the United States in relation to her case, though.


In June 2010, a federal grand jury based in Alabama indicted van der Sloot on charges of allegedly attempting to extort $250,000 from Holloway's mother, Beth.


Van der Sloot offered to provide what turned out to be bogus information about the whereabouts of Holloway's remains in exchange for the money, according to the indictment against him.


He was allegedly given $25,000, which authorities say he used to travel to Peru for a poker tournament.


2012: Natalee Holloway declared legally dead


In March, Peru agreed to extradite van der Sloot to the United States on these charges sometime after he's eligible for release, in 2038, for Flores murder.


Peruvian media have raised the possibility that van der Sloot got married to avoid extradition to the United States.


But Altez, his defense lawyer, this spring dismissed that suggestion, saying then that the wedding shouldn't be "a big deal."


"He's getting married because he's in love and is having a child," Altez said in May. "There are no hidden agendas."


CNN's Rafeal Romo contributed to this report.



Female justices lash out over ruling





  • Three women justices dissent against high court's latest Obamacare order

  • Justice Sotomayor: Those bound by decisions can't take take us at our word

  • The cases involve exceptions to a mandate to provide health coverage for contraceptives

  • Supporters say the decisions uphold religious rights; foes say they hurt women's rights




Washington (CNN) -- It was a disappointing week for the women of the Supreme Court.


All three -- Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor -- were on the losing side of rulings involving women's reproductive health.


First came the Hobby Lobby decision, in which the high court decided 5-4 that the government cannot force certain for-profit companies to offer contraception coverage under Obamacare.


Supreme Court rules against Obama in contraception case


Then another decision emerged late on Thursday in which a Chicago-area evangelical college won a temporary victory over the requirement in the 2010 health care law that religious non-profits provide contraception insurance to their workers.


Wheaton College objected to potential fines if it refused to provide coverage or sign a release form, arguing that doing so would be morally wrong. The Supreme Court said the college didn't have to do either for now.





Supreme Court in favor of Hobby Lobby




Birth control ruling sparks debate

Strident dissent


Coming after the Hobby Lobby decision, narrowly defined to the specifics of cases involving two businesses run by families with strong Christian beliefs, the Wheaton ruling rankled the three liberal women justices.


Their unusually strident dissent written by Sotomayor said the Wheaton injunction threatened the credibility of the Hobby Lobby decision.


"Those who are bound by our decisions usually believe they can take us at our word," Sotomayor wrote. "Not so today."


The point of the dissent? "It is not the business of this court to ensnare itself in the government's ministerial handling of its affairs in the manner it does here," Sotomayor wrote.


Hobby Lobby ruling much more than abortion





Those who are bound by our decisions usually believe they can take us at our word. Not so today.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor




While the Wheaton College ruling only gives the school a pass until the matter is decided by lower courts, it represents an important victory for those objecting to the contraception coverage requirement.


The mandate was a negotiated compromise between the Obama administration and religious-based non-profits such as hospitals and faith-based universities that oppose birth control.


It made contraceptives available under the Affordable Care Act with no co-pay, but gave those entities a work-around through health plans written by third parties.


Legal challenges


Since the law championed by President Barack Obama took effect, the contraceptive coverage requirement has faced several challenges, including a case last year by the religious charity Little Sisters of the Poor.


As in Wheaton, the Supreme Court said the government couldn't enforce the contraceptive mandate.


Religious-based groups sought delays in the requirement that took effect July 1, saying that signing the form would force them to choose between what the Little Sisters of the Poor-- a Denver-based home for the elderly run by Catholic nuns -- called "onerous penalties or becoming complicit in a grave moral wrong."


The high court ruling in the Wheaton appeal said those who object only have to inform the government "in writing that it is a nonprofit organization that holds itself out as religious and has religious objections to providing coverage for contraceptive services," rather than sign government form.


What the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision means


The ruling also made clear the high court had yet to decide the larger legal and constitutional issues, but merely acted on the enforcement question. The issue could be presented to the justices in coming months for final review.


"We are grateful to God that the Supreme Court has made a wise decision in protecting our religious liberty-at least until we have an opportunity to make our full case in court," said Wheaton College President Philip Ryken. "We continue to believe that a college community that affirms the sanctity of human life from conception to the grave should not be coerced by the government into facilitating the provision of abortion-inducing drugs."


Wheaton is a private Christian liberal arts school located in a Chicago suburb, and is represented in court by the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, which also represented Hobby Lobby -- an Oklahoma chain of 572 retail outlets -- and the Little Sisters of the Poor.


The Hobby Lobby ruling Monday authored by Justice Samuel Alito suggested the two for-profit companies could sign the same government form as the religious non-profits.


"Unnecessary costs"


In the dissent of Thursday's ruling, Sotomayor expressed concern the court no longer required use of the form by any institution.


"The court's actions in this case create unnecessary costs and layers of bureaucracy, and they ignore a simple truth: The government must be allowed to handle the basic tasks of public administration in a manner that comports with common sense," the dissent said.


"The court's grant of an injunction in this case allows Wheaton's beliefs about the effects of its actions to trump the democratic interest in allowing the government to enforce the law," it continued.


Hobby Lobby: the Bible verses behind the battle


A Mennonite family's fight over Obamacare reaches Supreme Court


The White House previously said the contraceptive coverage requirement in Obamacare was lawful and "essential to a woman's health," and that its rules struck the right balance. There was no immediate reaction about the Thursday court order from the administration.


Abortion rights groups expressed disappointment, with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund calling the court order "alarming" because it confirmed "that many more women may lose access to birth control coverage in the coming months and years if Congress does not act soon."


While Democratic members of Congress are proposing fixes to the health care law to address the issue, the chances of such legislation passing in an election year are considered low due to opposition by conservative House Republicans.


Court rulings: It's GOP v. Democrats


How Obamacare can reduce abortions



Police: Dad 'sexted' as son was dying





  • NEW: Prosecutors paint Ross Harris as an unfaithful husband who wanted a child-free life

  • NEW: "It's easy to get distracted when you get behind the wheel," defense attorney says

  • A judge denies bail; he finds probable cause for murder, child cruelty charge

  • Harris is accused in the death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper




(CNN) -- Surprising claims came to light during a hearing Thursday for a Georgia man whose toddler son died after being left in a hot car, a man prosecutors sought to portray as an unfaithful husband who wanted a child-free life.


Among the most shocking allegations: Justin Ross Harris messaged six women, sending and receiving explicit texts -- some including nude images -- from work while his 22-month-old was dying in a hot car, a detective testified at the hearing.


Harris' attorney repeatedly objected to Cobb County, Georgia, police Detective Phil Stoddard's testimony regarding Harris sexting the women -- one of whom was underage at the time -- but the judge allowed it.


In addition to the charges he faces in connection with his son's death, Harris may be charged with felony sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor illegal contact with a minor, Stoddard said.


The detective also testified that Harris had visited a Reddit page called "child-free" and read four articles. He did an Internet search on how to survive in prison, Stoddard said.


Police say Harris, 33, left his toddler, Cooper, strapped into a car seat under a baking sun for seven hours while he went to work June 18. Records show that the mercury topped 92 that day, and police say the temperature was 88 degrees when the boy was pronounced dead in a parking lot not far from his father's workplace.


At the hearing, Cobb County Chief Magistrate Frank Cox found probable cause for the case against Harris to go forward with respect to the murder and child cruelty charges.


"For him to enter the car ... when the child had been dead and rigor mortis had set in, and the testimony is the stench in the car was overwhelming at that point in time, that he -- in spite of that -- got in the car and drove it for some distance before he took any action to check on the welfare of his child, I find there is probable cause for the two charges contained in the warrant," Cox said.


The judge denied bail.


'I felt his pain; I even wept'





Detective: Dad was 'sexting' with minors




Witness: Dead toddler looked like a doll




Did toddler's dad go to car during lunch?




Detective: Dad made three calls

Stoddard recounted witnesses telling police that Harris was acting erratically when he pulled into a shopping center asking for assistance with his son.


Witnesses told police they heard "squealing tires, and the vehicle came to a stop," Stoddard testified. Harris exited the vehicle yelling, "Oh, my God, what have I done?" Stoddard said.


The 33-year-old father then stood there with a blank look on his face, the detective said. When a witness told Harris his son needed CPR, Harris went to the other side of his vehicle and made a phone call, apparently to tell someone his son was dead, a witness told police, according to Stoddard.


Harris never called 911, and when an officer told him to get off his phone, he refused and even said, "F*** you" before an officer took his phone and handcuffed him, the detective said.


Who is Justin Ross Harris?


Witness Leonard Madden said he heard Harris curse at an officer and tell her to "shut up" before two officers approached him "aggressively" and handcuffed him.


Madden didn't detect anything suspicious in Harris' behavior, he testified. He and an acquaintance were leaving a restaurant when they noticed a commotion and approached within 3 or 4 feet of a clearly distraught Harris.


"He was crying. He was hollering," Madden testified, recounting the father saying, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, my son is dead!"


"I felt his pain; I even wept," he said.


According to Stoddard, Harris later made statements that police felt were strange, including "I can't believe this is happening to me" and "I'll be charged with a felony." Harris also talked about losing his job, he said.


The detective alleged that Harris told police he couldn't reach anyone on his telephone, but phone records show that Harris made three calls, and one between him and his employer lasted six minutes, Stoddard said.


'Nothing was weird'


Meanwhile, when the boy's mother, Leanna Harris, arrived at a day care center to pick the boy up, employees there told her Cooper had never been dropped off, the detective said.


"Ross must have left him in the car," she replied, according to Stoddard. Witnesses said they tried to tell her many other things could have happened, but Leanna Harris insisted that Ross Harris must have left the boy in the car, Stoddard said.


The detective also said that when Ross and Leanna Harris were in an interview room, Ross Harris told his wife that Cooper looked "peaceful" and that his eyes were closed when he was removed from the vehicle. He told his wife, "I dreaded how he would look," Stoddard said.


The detective added that the boy's eyes and mouth were not closed when he was taken out of the SUV.


At one point in the interview room, Stoddard said, Leanna Harris asked her husband about what he had said to police.


"She asked him -- she had him sit down, and he starts going through this. And she looks at him, and she's like, 'Well, did you say too much?' " the detective testified.


Ross Harris was scheduled to meet friends for a 5 p.m. showing of the movie "22 Jump Street," Stoddard said, but he told them he'd be late. He left work at 4:16 p.m., and it would have taken him about 10 minutes to get to the theater, the detective said.


James Alex Hall, who worked with Ross Harris and had run a Web development company with him for the past two or three months, said Harris didn't act out of the ordinary on the day his son died.


"I would say normal as you could be. Nothing stuck out. Nothing was weird," Hall said.





The case against Justin Harris




Mom, dad both researched hot car deaths




Police: Mom researched hot car deaths




Numbers show reality of hot car deaths

When Harris didn't show up 30 minutes into the movie, Hall stepped outside to contact him. Harris didn't respond to texts, and phone calls went straight to his voicemail, Hall said.


Asked whether Harris was a guy who talked about how life might be without a child, Hall said he was the opposite: the kind of dad who talked about his kid to the point that people were tired of hearing about it.


"He said he loved his son all the time," Hall said.


'That pain ... never goes away'


'It's easy to get distracted'


On cross-examination, a prosecutor asked Hall whether he was aware of allegations that Ross Harris had been sexting various women. Hall replied no and conceded that, if that were true, he didn't know everything about his friend.


Stoddard testified that messages between the Harrises indicate that the two were having financial problems. Ross Harris had recently been passed over for a promotion, and the couple had two insurance policies on Cooper, one for $2,000 and one for $25,000, Stoddard said.


The detective also expressed concern that Harris had a "second life he's living, with alternate personalities and alternate personas."


Dozens of reporters and spectators showed up before the hearing began. They filled the courtroom, with about 20 people left to stand. Leanna Harris held another woman's hand and appeared emotional when her husband was brought into the courtroom in an orange prison jumpsuit.


Defense attorney H. Maddox Kilgore said after several witnesses testified that he didn't feel anything presented at Thursday's hearing indicated that Ross Harris intentionally left Cooper in the car, which would be key to finding him guilty on the charges.


"It's not even criminal negligence enough to support a misdemeanor," he told the judge, asking him to dismiss the warrant. "Ross pulled out of a Chick-fil-A, and his mind went elsewhere. It's easy to get distracted when you get behind the wheel. Everyone does it."


Kilgore said he himself had forgotten boxed-up leftovers, a comparison on which the prosecution seized. Someone might remember that they left spaghetti in the car after 30 minutes, said Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring.


But Harris not only forgot his child, he got an e-mail from his son's day care during the day and walked out to the vehicle to place light bulbs inside, never once remembering Cooper, the prosecutor said.


"I think it's remarkable he didn't stick his head in that car," Boring said. "He knew what he was going to find."


Harris has pleaded not guilty.


Accident or murder in hot-car death?


'Shocks my conscience'


When news of the boy's death broke, it was cast as a tragic mistake by an absentminded father. Police later indicated that evidence pointed to something more sinister and that some of the father's statements to first responders "were not making sense," said Sgt. Dana Pierce of the Cobb County Police Department.


According to a criminal warrant, Harris placed Cooper into a rear-facing child restraint in the backseat of his Hyundai Tucson after eating breakfast at a fast-food restaurant.


The Web developer then drove to his workplace, a Home Depot corporate office about a half-mile away, according to the warrant. Normally, Harris would drop Cooper off at an on-site day care there.


The father returned to the SUV during his lunch break, opening the driver's side door "to place an object into the vehicle," the warrant states.


Read the warrant (PDF)


In what might be a harbinger, the defense repeatedly asked witnesses about being deaf in one ear, perhaps indicating that Harris might not have heard his child in the back seat when he got out of the car and when he returned to it.


Initially, police said Harris had apparently forgotten that the boy was in the back seat and didn't remember until after he left work, at which point he pulled into a parking lot asking for assistance and wailing, "What have I done?"


Police had to restrain Harris after it became clear Cooper had died, police said at first.


Though he didn't say exactly what led police to view the case as a crime, Pierce told CNN, "I've been in law enforcement for 34 years. What I know about this case shocks my conscience as a police officer, a father and a grandfather."


'Fearful that this could happen'


Among the details police have released is that Harris and his wife told them they conducted Internet searches on how hot a car needed to be to kill a child.


Also, five days before Cooper died, Ross Harris twice viewed a sort of homemade public service announcement in which a veterinarian demonstrates on video the dangers of leaving someone or something inside a hot car.


Leanna Harris told police that she had recently seen a story on a state initiative aimed at reminding people not to leave children in cars and that it was a fear of hers, Stoddard said.


Death highlights key role of digital evidence


Ross Harris "stated that he recently researched, through the Internet, child deaths inside vehicles and what temperature it needs to be for that to occur," police said, adding that Harris told investigators "he was fearful that this could happen."


During questioning, Leanna Harris "made similar statements regarding researching in car deaths and how it occurs," police said.


The time frame for the alleged research remains unclear.


Cooper was buried Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.


The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the child's cause of death was "consistent with hyperthermia and the investigative information suggests the manner of death is homicide," according to a Cobb County Department of Public Safety statement.


The Medical Examiner's Office is waiting for toxicology test results before making an official ruling on the toddler's death.


At the boy's funeral, Leanna Harris said she loves her husband and stands by him.


"Am I angry with Ross?" Leanna Harris told mourners. "Absolutely not. It has never crossed my mind. Ross is and was and will be, if we have more children, a wonderful father. Ross is a wonderful daddy and leader for our household. Cooper meant the world to him."


Mom of toddler who died in car 'absolutely not' angry with husband


Toddler's dad researched hot-car deaths of children online, officers said in warrant


Police: Georgia mom also searched Internet on child deaths in cars


5 key questions


CNN's Dana Ford, Natisha Lance, Devon Sayers, Faith Karimi, Steve Almasy, Vivian Kuo, Marlena Baldacci and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.



Radio host fired over tweets


Anthony Cumia, the


Anthony Cumia, the "Anthony" portion of the shock-jock radio team, was fired by employer Sirius XM.






  • "Opie & Anthony's" Anthony Cumia made racially charged tweets

  • Cumia took photo of African-American woman, claimed he was assaulted

  • "Behavior is wholly inconsistent with what SiriusXM represents," says rep











Joan Rivers' sense of humor likely doesn't go over well at the White House. The comedian and TV personality joked in July that America has its first gay POTUS in President Barack Obama, and went on to say that the first lady, Michelle Obama, is transgender. When reached for comment on her words, Rivers said, "I think it's a compliment."Joan Rivers' sense of humor likely doesn't go over well at the White House. The comedian and TV personality joked in July that America has its first gay POTUS in President Barack Obama, and went on to say that the first lady, Michelle Obama, is transgender. When reached for comment on her words, Rivers said, "I think it's a compliment."



"Opie and Anthony" radio host Anthony Cumia found himself fired by his program's carrier, SiriusXM, because of a series of inflammatory tweets he posted in early July. Cumia says that his profane and racially insensitive Twitter rant was caused by an attack on him by an African-American woman, who, according to Cumia, was upset because he was taking photos of her. After the alleged assault, Cumia turned to Twitter to air his grievances, calling her a "lucky savage" and a "lying c***," among other defamatory phrases. "Opie and Anthony" radio host Anthony Cumia found himself fired by his program's carrier, SiriusXM, because of a series of inflammatory tweets he posted in early July. Cumia says that his profane and racially insensitive Twitter rant was caused by an attack on him by an African-American woman, who, according to Cumia, was upset because he was taking photos of her. After the alleged assault, Cumia turned to Twitter to air his grievances, calling her a "lucky savage" and a "lying c***," among other defamatory phrases.



Tom Cruise -- aka the man still trying to live down the infamy of calling Matt Lauer "glib" during a tense 2005 interview -- has claimed that he invented the global movie press tour. On Jimmy Kimmel's talk show, Cruise said that around the time of 1986's "Top Gun," "I came up with the idea of, let's have premieres in different countries and do it that way." When Kimmel responded with a surprised, "You started that?" Cruise affirmed, "Yeah, I came up with that. It took me a few years to get it going." Tom Cruise -- aka the man still trying to live down the infamy of calling Matt Lauer "glib" during a tense 2005 interview -- has claimed that he invented the global movie press tour. On Jimmy Kimmel's talk show, Cruise said that around the time of 1986's "Top Gun," "I came up with the idea of, let's have premieres in different countries and do it that way." When Kimmel responded with a surprised, "You started that?" Cruise affirmed, "Yeah, I came up with that. It took me a few years to get it going."



Gwyneth Paltrow is known for having alternative views, but her latest observation has raised more eyebrows than usual. In a post on her website GOOP, Paltrow said she's "fascinated" by a study on how "negativity changes the structure of water, and how the molecules behave differently depending on the words or music being expressed around it." So does that mean Paltrow believes water has feelings? Some think so.Gwyneth Paltrow is known for having alternative views, but her latest observation has raised more eyebrows than usual. In a post on her website GOOP, Paltrow said she's "fascinated" by a study on how "negativity changes the structure of water, and how the molecules behave differently depending on the words or music being expressed around it." So does that mean Paltrow believes water has feelings? Some think so.



Justin Bieber, now 20, is taking responsibility for using racial slurs as a teen. In two videos that surfaced in June, a younger Bieber can be seen using the "N" word on two separate occasions -- instances that he says were the result of his own ignorance. "As a young man, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny," the star said in a statement. Justin Bieber, now 20, is taking responsibility for using racial slurs as a teen. In two videos that surfaced in June, a younger Bieber can be seen using the "N" word on two separate occasions -- instances that he says were the result of his own ignorance. "As a young man, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny," the star said in a statement.



Jonah Hill has also owned up to yelling a homophobic slur at a paparazzo, which was seen on a video released by TMZ on Tuesday, June 3. The actor said to the photographer, "Suck my d***, you f*****." He later told radio host Howard Stern that he was frustrated by his own words: "From the day I was born and publicly I've been a gay rights activist. ... I played into exactly what (the paparazzo) wanted and lost my cool. And in that moment, I said a disgusting word that does not at all reflect how I feel about any group of people."Jonah Hill has also owned up to yelling a homophobic slur at a paparazzo, which was seen on a video released by TMZ on Tuesday, June 3. The actor said to the photographer, "Suck my d***, you f*****." He later told radio host Howard Stern that he was frustrated by his own words: "From the day I was born and publicly I've been a gay rights activist. ... I played into exactly what (the paparazzo) wanted and lost my cool. And in that moment, I said a disgusting word that does not at all reflect how I feel about any group of people."



Actor James Franco criticized The New York Times' theater critic, Ben Brantley, over a lukewarm review of the Broadway revival "Of Mice and Men." "Brantley is such a little b****," the actor said in an April Instagram takedown that he later removed -- but not before it was screengrabbed for posterity. Actor James Franco criticized The New York Times' theater critic, Ben Brantley, over a lukewarm review of the Broadway revival "Of Mice and Men." "Brantley is such a little b****," the actor said in an April Instagram takedown that he later removed -- but not before it was screengrabbed for posterity.



Reese Witherspoon might seem prim on the red carpet, but the actress has been caught making more than one slip of the tongue. When the actress was arrested in April 2013 after having "one drink too many," she chastised the arresting officer for not recognizing he was arresting a celebrity. "Do you know my name?" she asked. When the officer replied that he didn't, Witherspoon shot back, "You're about to find out who I am."Reese Witherspoon might seem prim on the red carpet, but the actress has been caught making more than one slip of the tongue. When the actress was arrested in April 2013 after having "one drink too many," she chastised the arresting officer for not recognizing he was arresting a celebrity. "Do you know my name?" she asked. When the officer replied that he didn't, Witherspoon shot back, "You're about to find out who I am."



And then there was the time Witherspoon was caught giving advice to Cara Delevingne, Kate Upton and Zooey Deschanel, reportedly after the 2014 Met Gala. The Southern actress was taped saying, "The most important thing in a name for a girl is that a man can whisper it in his pillow."And then there was the time Witherspoon was caught giving advice to Cara Delevingne, Kate Upton and Zooey Deschanel, reportedly after the 2014 Met Gala. The Southern actress was taped saying, "The most important thing in a name for a girl is that a man can whisper it in his pillow."



Charles Barkley, while covering a basketball game for TNT, got caught on a hot mic while saying that his Weight Watchers endorsement deal was a "scam." The company saw the humor in it and released a statement saying: "We love Charles for the same reason everyone loves Charles. He's unfiltered."Charles Barkley, while covering a basketball game for TNT, got caught on a hot mic while saying that his Weight Watchers endorsement deal was a "scam." The company saw the humor in it and released a statement saying: "We love Charles for the same reason everyone loves Charles. He's unfiltered."



Adam Levine learned the hard way that you have to watch it before you speak. "The Voice" judge found himself facing some serious backlash in May 2013 after his disappointment over voting results led to him uttering, "I hate this country." He released a statement trying to clarify what he meant, saying that he was frustrated.Adam Levine learned the hard way that you have to watch it before you speak. "The Voice" judge found himself facing some serious backlash in May 2013 after his disappointment over voting results led to him uttering, "I hate this country." He released a statement trying to clarify what he meant, saying that he was frustrated.



Madonna was on her best behavior at the "W.E." news conference, seen here during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. But at the Venice Film Festival that same year, she was caught saying "I absolutely loathe hydrangeas" after a fan gave her the flowers.Madonna was on her best behavior at the "W.E." news conference, seen here during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. But at the Venice Film Festival that same year, she was caught saying "I absolutely loathe hydrangeas" after a fan gave her the flowers.



Almost everything that Kanye West says can be met with a debate, and that includes his comment in November about his use of the Confederate flag on some of his new merchandise. The rapper told Los Angeles radio station 97.1 AMP that observers can "react how you want. Any energy is good energy. You know the Confederate flag represented slavery in a way -- that's my abstract take on what I know about it. So I made the song 'New Slaves.' So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It's my flag. Now what are you going to do?"Almost everything that Kanye West says can be met with a debate, and that includes his comment in November about his use of the Confederate flag on some of his new merchandise. The rapper told Los Angeles radio station 97.1 AMP that observers can "react how you want. Any energy is good energy. You know the Confederate flag represented slavery in a way -- that's my abstract take on what I know about it. So I made the song 'New Slaves.' So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It's my flag. Now what are you going to do?"



Like Kanye West, Alec Baldwin's commentary is a magnet for controversy. From once calling his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" to using anti-gay slurs, it's no wonder that the actor is trying to keep quiet these days. There are times when he can't help himself, though, and his May arrest for riding his bike the wrong way was one of them. "New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity," Baldwin tweeted upon his release. Like Kanye West, Alec Baldwin's commentary is a magnet for controversy. From once calling his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" to using anti-gay slurs, it's no wonder that the actor is trying to keep quiet these days. There are times when he can't help himself, though, and his May arrest for riding his bike the wrong way was one of them. "New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity," Baldwin tweeted upon his release.



Politicians have to deal with this type of thing all of the time, and U.S. President Barack Obama is no exception. After Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Awards in 2009, the commander-in-chief called the rapper a "jackass" while waiting for an interview to start. West was reportedly not amused.Politicians have to deal with this type of thing all of the time, and U.S. President Barack Obama is no exception. After Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Awards in 2009, the commander-in-chief called the rapper a "jackass" while waiting for an interview to start. West was reportedly not amused.



In January 2013, director Quentin Tarantino was doing press for his film "Django Unchained" when Britain's Channel 4 reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked him whether he thinks movie violence can lead to actual violence. Tarantino shot back, saying: "You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey," and "I'm shutting your butt down!"In January 2013, director Quentin Tarantino was doing press for his film "Django Unchained" when Britain's Channel 4 reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked him whether he thinks movie violence can lead to actual violence. Tarantino shot back, saying: "You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey," and "I'm shutting your butt down!"



When you're as famous as Britney Spears, it pays to first ask for someone to repeat the question. When she was asked for her thoughts on the passing of fellow former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, the star accidentally responded, "I think that's great." When you're as famous as Britney Spears, it pays to first ask for someone to repeat the question. When she was asked for her thoughts on the passing of fellow former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, the star accidentally responded, "I think that's great."



Mel Gibson's mouth has been a famous source of trouble for the movie star, and in 2010 it happened again. The actor was being interviewed about his film "Edge of Darkness" by WGN reporter Dean Richards when Gibson was asked about various scandals, including an anti-Semitic rant. "That's almost four years ago, dude," Gibson said. "I've moved on. I guess you haven't." The actor could be heard calling Richards an a**hole at the end. Mel Gibson's mouth has been a famous source of trouble for the movie star, and in 2010 it happened again. The actor was being interviewed about his film "Edge of Darkness" by WGN reporter Dean Richards when Gibson was asked about various scandals, including an anti-Semitic rant. "That's almost four years ago, dude," Gibson said. "I've moved on. I guess you haven't." The actor could be heard calling Richards an a**hole at the end.



Actor Samuel L. Jackson is not Laurence Fishburne, and he's been very clear about that. In February, Jackson scolded KTLA's Sam Rubin for misidentifying him. "You're as crazy as the people on Twitter," Jackson said during a live TV interview. "We may be all black and famous, but we all don't look alike. You're busted."Actor Samuel L. Jackson is not Laurence Fishburne, and he's been very clear about that. In February, Jackson scolded KTLA's Sam Rubin for misidentifying him. "You're as crazy as the people on Twitter," Jackson said during a live TV interview. "We may be all black and famous, but we all don't look alike. You're busted."



In March, late-night host Chelsea Handler challenged CNN's Piers Morgan, calling him unfocused. "You can't even pay attention for 60 seconds," she said. "You're a terrible interviewer." In March, late-night host Chelsea Handler challenged CNN's Piers Morgan, calling him unfocused. "You can't even pay attention for 60 seconds," she said. "You're a terrible interviewer."




Mouthing off: Celebs said what?!

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Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

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Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

Mouthing off: Did they really say that?!

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(CNN) -- "Opie & Anthony" has been cut in half.


Anthony Cumia, the "Anthony" portion of the shock-jock radio team, was fired by employer Sirius XM after Cumia made a series of racially charged tweets Wednesday night.


"SiriusXM has terminated its relationship with Anthony Cumia of the 'Opie & Anthony' channel," Patrick Reilly, the satellite radio broadcaster's media relations manager, said in a statement.


"The decision was made, and Cumia informed, late Thursday, July 3, after careful consideration of his racially-charged and hate-filled remarks on social media. Those remarks and postings are abhorrent to SiriusXM, and his behavior is wholly inconsistent with what SiriusXM represents."


According to Cumia, on Wednesday night he was taking pictures in Times Square when an African-American woman objected to being photographed. Cumia claims he was assaulted by the woman.


He let loose with a series of tweets, many with profane and inflammatory language. One called the woman an "animal pig face worthless meat sack" and worse.


He did not report the alleged assault to the police. When asked why by one person on Twitter, he responded, "Because I can take some punches w/out wasting the cops time."







Cumia appeared to be caught by surprise by the firing.


"Sirius decided to cave and fire me. Welcome to bizarro world. Fired for s**t that wasn't even on the air & wasn't illegal. So, who's next?" he tweeted Friday morning.







It's not the first time the duo has been in trouble. In 2003, a stunt called "Sex for Sam," which involved people having sex in public places in exchange for prizes, got the pair canceled from New York's WNEW.


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CNN's Elizabeth Landers contributed to this story.