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Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for Oscar’s slap as the Academy reviews incident and potential consequences. Biden budgets $26 billion for NASA to send humans to Mars, kidnapper of 26 kids recommended for parole, and more news.
A day after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, the Academy award-winning actor issued a public apology to the comedian, as well as for his behavior.
“I would like to pubelicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith wrote on Instagram, NBC reported.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith wrote. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned the incident and announced it was launching a “formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences,” CNN reported.
President Joe Biden has requested a $26 billion budget for NASA in 2023, the largest request in the agency’s history. NASA officials believe that Biden’s request is to continue its Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon in 2025. It would also provide more research into the climate crisis and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and send humans to walk on Mars by 2040, CNN reported.
Are you ready to become an expert and a master of happiness? Centenary University in New Jersey has launched the world’s first-ever “Master of Arts in Happiness Studies.” Fox reported that the virtual course launches in the fall and comes with a price tag of $17,700. The University claims it’s grounded in science and research and will “prepare graduates to make an impact in a wide range of fields.” The University suggested graduates could work as human resource employees, incorporating lessons into organizations for staff and CEOs.
A man involved in the biggest kidnapping in US history has now been recommended for parole. In 1976, Frederick Newhall Woods, who was 24 at the time, was one of three gunmen who hijacked a school bus with 26 kids and their bus driver in Chowchilla, California. The men transferred the driver and children into vans and drove them for 12 hours. CBS News reported that they buried all of them alive in an underground truck trailer. The man demanded $5 million in ransom during the kidnapping. The driver and some of the older children eventually dug their way out. While none of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries, many declared psychological harm. Approval for parole would still require the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom.
