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A Chinese mother of a Stanford University student says she was duped into making a $6.5 million payment to the ringleader of the college admissions scandal because she believed the money was going towards scholarships for needy students.  Yusi 'Molly' Zhao, whose family lives in Beijing, was admitted to Stanford in 2017 and moved to California to attend the elite university. The $6.5 million figure was paid to William Rick Singer's foundation the month after she was admitted. Mrs Zhao now believes her daughter - who was expelled from the school last month - is a victim in the college bribery scam. A lawyer for Molly's mother issued a statement on Thursday saying Singer had told her the payment would go towards scholarships, salaries and programs for students who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it. She believed the payment was similar to routine donations made by other wealthy parents, the lawyer said. Her father, Tao Zhao, is the co-founder of multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical company Shandong Buchang and was named in the Panama Papers.

Legendary actress Anjelica Huston has jumped to the defense of maligned Hollywood figures Woody Allen (middle), Roman Polanski (top) and Jeffrey Tambor – but she still thinks Bill Murray is a ‘sh*t’. In an outspoken and unabashed interview published in New York Magazine, the 67-year-old admitted she’d work with Allen again ‘in a second’ despite allegations reemerging that the shamed filmmaker abused his daughter, Dylan O’Sullivan Farrow, when she was just seven. ‘Two states investigated him,’ Huston, who has worked on two films with Allen, noted. ‘And neither of them prosecuted him,’ she added - reaffirming that she’d jump at an opportunity to collaborate with him in the future.

The former co-host of the Talk was seen walking through a public parking garage in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon. She was dressed casually in a light purple zipper-up hoodie, baggie ripped jeans, and Adidas sneakers as she made her way to her car. It appeared as though she had a procedure done to her face or head, as thick white bandages were wrapped around her forehead, cheeks, and chin. Chen previously admitted to having double eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty early on in her career to make her 'Asian eyes' look bigger.

The latest chapter in the battle between congressional Democrats and Bob Barr played out in big-top circus fashion during an abbreviated hearing Thursday, with President Trump's attorney general represented by an empty chair and his enemies gloating that Barr was too 'chicken' to show up. Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen brought a bucket of KFC to drive the point home, eating a piece at 9:00 in the morning while reporters gawked and camera shutters clicked. The food ended its brief cameo on the witness table, along with a plastic chicken toy, next to what would have been Barr's name placard.   Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler opted to convene the hearing rather than waste a made-for-TV tableau after Barr refused to show up, with the Justice Department citing Nadler's demand that staff attorneys should be able to question him in addition to elected lawmakers. 

'He lied to Congress. He lied to Congress. If anybody else did that, it would be considered a crime,' Pelosi told reporters. 'Nobody is above the law. Not the President of the United States and not the attorney general.' Barr testified April 9 in a House hearing that 'no, I don't' know why some members of special Counsel Robert Mueller's team were frustrated by the nature of what he released to Congress on March 24. With this week's revelation of a March 27 letter in which Mueller told Barr he was displeased with how little material had been made public, that statement appears to have given Democrats a new weapon. Barr, however, plans to stick to his guns, according to a Justice Department official.

Heather Armstrong (pictured) dealt with depression for the better part of her 43 years, regardless of motherhood and blogging success - until she enrolled in a clinical trial that would make her 'die' 10 times. Despite career and personal ups and downs, Armstrong, who lives in Utah with her two daughters, Leta, 15 (pictured, right), and Marlo, nine (not pictured), was always haunted by depression, including postpartum depression that kept her up for days. She tried over 10 medications and inpatient treatment. But a clinical trial using propofol to make her all but brain dead for 15 minutes, 10 times in a week has brought her back to the land of the living, she reveals in her new book, The Valedictorian of Being Dead (inset).

Katie McHugh, now 28 (left and right at earlier ages), who was fired from Breitbart in 2017 for tweeting racist comments about Muslim people, now claims she's changed and has turned her back on the 'alt-right' movement which made her Internet famous. She said she takes responsibility for tweeting things like, 'There would be no deadly terror attacks in the U.K. if Muslims didn't live there,' (inset) as she did on June 3, 2017, which got her fired from Breitbart, but that the outlet encouraged her to be vindictive and cruel. Now, she hopes for redemption and forgiveness, and her message for others who have made their way to the fringe is, 'Get out while you can.'

It's been almost 50 years since the very first chapter of The Godfather saga began. But on Thursday, cast and crew of the legendary gangster series reunited at the iconic Dakota apartment building in New York City.  Director Francis Ford Coppola along with stars Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall were pictured in front of the building alongside a slew of A-list stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Darren Aronofsky. 

Travelling to London to see him Paul's long-distance girlfriend waits outside his dressing room after he has performed in a play. As others, presumably cast members or friends, call out for Paul to come out of his dressing room and in to the corridor. Taking his time a woman can be seen running from the room and his girlfriend excitedly waits for him to emerge. Walking out of the door Paul looks around to see why he is being called for. Suddenly he does a double-take as he spots his girlfriend and a look of shock appears on his face. But the shock almost appears to turn to horror as she runs forward for a hug.

Melania, 49, wore a long green belted dress and a pair of colorful floral heels to attend the service at the White House on Thursday morning. The event was attended by victims of last weekend's California synagogue shooting, including Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of the Chabad of Poway synagogue. Mother-of-one Melania introduced her husband at the event, and he then went on to welcome the Rabbi to address guests. On Wednesday evening, the president and first lady also hosted a National Day of Prayer dinner at the White House, which 100 interfaith religious leaders and Trump administration officials attended, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, his wife Karen, and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

CBS This Morning will be getting a new but all-too-familiar look in the coming weeks, with reports emerging that Norah O'Donnell and John Dickerson are leaving the show and will be replaced by Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil. Page Six was the first to break the story about the changes at CBS, claiming that it was King who was behind the decision. O'Donnell will reportedly be heading to CBS Evening News, where she will take over for embattled host Jeff Glor, while Dickerson is said to be moving into a position with 60 Minutes. The promotions of Mason and  Dokoupil, who are both white men, means that female anchors will not outnumber their male counterparts for the first time ever on the morning show.

Given Jude Law’s (pictured main by new wife Dr Phillipa Coan) track record with women in the 16 years since he split from his first wife, you’d be forgiven for thinking re-marriage was the last thing on his mind, writes ALISON BOSHOFF. For the handsome film star has dated a veritable red carpet line-up of beauties. After his marriage to Sadie Frost (top second from right) ended in divorce 16 years ago, there was the scandal-drenched period in which he dated Sienna Miller (bottom second from right) on and off and was caught cheating with his children’s nanny Daisy Wright (top right). He then had fleeting romances with model Samantha Burke (bottom right) and actress Catherine Harding (inset), who gave birth to his fourth and fifth children.

Palace sources have 'categorically denied' that baby Sussex has been born, after speculation reached fever pitch following announcement of Prince Harry's (right) trip abroad next week. Meghan (left with Harry) previously told well-wishers that her due date was the end of April or early May, but with no sign of baby Sussex, rumours are flying that she has already given birth in secret. Speculation went into overdrive yesterday after Prince Harry trip to the Netherlands was revealed, meaning he could potentially miss the birth of his first child. 

The deaths come as Nicolas Maduro sought to reestablish his grip on Venezuela's Presidency as he appeared alongside hundreds of troops, two days after Juan Guaido tried to start a military uprising against him. 'Yes, we are in combat, keep morale high in this fight to disarm any coup plotter,' Maduro said in a televised event, while accusing Guaido of provoking bloodshed. At least two people have died - including 27-year-old Jurubith Rausseo Garcia (inset) who was shot in the head in Caracas on Wednesday - since the start of the 'uprising', with more than 100 injured. While thousands of people joined Guaido on the streets, he has admitted it is 'not enough' to seize control of the country.

Only one of the original seven survives today, the Great Pyramid of Giza (bottom left), with the others lost over time as a consequence of war, crumbling civilisations and natural disasters. The Colossus of Rhodes (top left) was a staggering feat of engineering and building and the statue towered 100 feet (32 metres) above the harbour in Rhodes. Statue of Zeus at Olympia (top right) was built on top of a wooden frame and throne - ensuring its long-term demise. It would have been destroyed in 426AD in a fire at Constantinople.The Lighthouse of Alexandria (bottom right) set the bar high for all others built and was built a burning fire atop a cylindrical tower, atop an octagonal middle, atop a square base.

Stunning color photographs offer an inside look at the famed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as they toured and sold out shows in America in the 1940s. For decades Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as the Greatest Show on Earth, has spread laughter and excitement across the globe with their daring tricks, acrobats, and stunts with wild animals. Photographer Charles Weever Cushman, of Posey County, Indiana, followed the troupe in the late 1940s, capturing the daring actors, their training, and colorful costumes. He captured the photographs using Kodachrome, an early adopter of the revolutionary color process. His massive library of some 14,500 Kodachrome color slides are archived at the Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection at Indiana University.

This spring, the Oakland Museum of California will showcase the work of Andrew J. Russell, a photographer commissioned by the Union Pacific Railroad to document its development. The shots captured a complex picture of western expansion, with majestic landscapes, the displacement of Native peoples, and technological history. Pictured: right, a temporary and permanent bridge built over the Green River with Citadel rock in the distance; top left, workers celebrating the laying of the last rail in 1869; bottom left, a Mormon family in the Great Salt Lake Valley; inset, Shoshone Indians posing for a photograph.

These rare photographs offer a glimpse into the lives of German soldiers as they faced defeat during the end of World War Two. Overstretched and under-supplied, the Nazi forces in western Europe in 1944 - many of whom were inexperienced teenage conscripts - faced the onerous task of defending against the overwhelming strength of the allied forces. Some show Nazi prisoners of war being marched through bomb-ravaged streets by their American captors and ravaged towns guarded by exhausted troops.

The account Eva.Stories is bringing the diary of Eva Heyman to life on Instagram. Heyman was one of 430,000 Hungarian Jews deported to concentration camps. The Instagram account follows Heyman's life in Hungary as it was overtaken by the Nazis. We see her go from worrying about crushes to being forced into the ghettos. Creator Mati Kovachi wanted to find a new and creative way to share Holocaust stories with younger generations. He created a series of 70 Instagram stories that chronicle the downward spiral of Heyman's life in the fateful spring of 1944 when the Nazis conquered Hungary.

Suthida Tidjai's marriage to King Vajiralongkorn (top inset) marks a stratospheric rise for a woman who studied communications before becoming an air stewardess, where she met the future monarch who sometimes worked as a pilot (bottom inset). For years she was kept as his rumored mistress then 'consort' at his home in Germany, where the royal spend the majority of his time, and in 2016 was pictured alongside him near Munich while he wore a remarkable-looking crop top (right). She entered the military in 2010 before being quickly promoted through the ranks, and was promoted to General when she joined Vajiralongkorn's personal guards three years ago. Thai media had never acknowledged a relationship between the two until this week when they married, before attending their first engagement as man and wife (left) ahead of the King's coronation which will begin this weekend.

When the unnamed 41-year-old man tried to get in his car at a BP gas station in Detroit on April 22, he was followed by another man who put a gun to the back of his head. But the alleged victim fought back, grabbing the gun away as a second suspect came up and tried to help the first attacker. Eventually both attackers were forced to flee the area.

Sgt. Rianna Conner, who served in the Marine Corps for seven years before becoming a veteran, shot to fame when photos of her dressed in military fatigues juxtaposed with her in U.S. flag emblazoned bikinis blew up on Instagram. The model, who is now attending school in North Dakota, boasts more than 413,000 followers. For her latest shoot, she posed for photographer Robert Alvarado to create a series of racy shots mimicking the style of classic pin-ups.

Heida Asgeirsdottir (pictured) from Iceland recounts the years she's spent in deep romanticism about the landscape that surrounds her beloved 1,000-year-old farm in a new memoir (inset). She begins with sitting in her tractor, where she's doing a 12-hour-shift and chatting on the phone, while her German Shepherd sleeps at her feet. Heida explains why she prefers her solitude and has chosen not to given to suggestions from friends and family that she should get married.

A family day out was ruined after a man jumped out a Disneyland ride to retrieve his phone. The rider got out of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride forcing it to stop and everyone to be evacuated. Video shows the man jogging back up the attraction's steps after retrieving his phone, which was 'shattered'. Everyone is then escorted off the ride and given an accidental backstage tour.

Eva Vermeiren, 20, developed anorexia when she was 16 but is now 'on the road to recovery.' The Dutch woman revealed (tweet inset) that on Monday teenagers made snorting noises at her while on the street. Although her 'heart started racing,' Eva (middle and right now) later thanked the teenagers for making her realise 'there are still a lot of fatphobic a******s' and for strengthening her 'willpower to mean something to the world.' Eva said that although she is 'fat' now she is also 'much happier.'

Tudor expert Robert Hutchinson, recounts the life of King Henry VIII (pictured main) who reigned for almost 38 years in a compelling new book (inset). The Royal who ballooned to an estimated 28st in the last years of his life, survived malaria, suffered blows to the head while jousting, and was plagued by weeping leg ulcers. As his grip on England, Wales and Ireland grew stronger, Henry VIII expanded treason laws. Robert considers if the king who had six wives had Cushing’s syndrome, which can cause weight gain, insomnia and irritability.

Colombian beauty queen Paulina Vega, 26, who won the coveted Miss Universe crown in 2014, shared her experience in a blog post. She explained that in the summer of 2016 she was signed on by an New York-based agency she had previously worked with in Miami while travelling around the world. But when she returned just three months later, the agency weighed her and said she would not be considered as a catwalk editorial fashion model. Vega described the incident as a 'wow moment', adding that she not not offended for being called 'curvy' or for moving to a different category. She added: 'But the use of the term plus-size was strange for me (for me or for any woman who is in perfectly healthy state).'

Chris, from Pennsylvania, connected with Kennedy Walters on popular dating app Tinder in April. With Chris' bio on the app stating that he was 'just trying to find a tinder match to get matching tats with' the impulsive college students decided to embark on their first date together and get matching four-leaf clover tattoos. Chris, a student at Slippery Rock University, then shared a photo of his conversation with Kennedy, a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a photo of the finished tattoos. Since he posted the tweet on Saturday, April 27, it has gone viral, accumulating over 33,000 likes and dozens of comments. Several users have dubbed the incident 'a modern day love story', while others have pleaded with the pair to 'get married'.

This is the heartbreaking moment a young duckling is snatched in front of its mother by a savage crow. The video, captured in Belgium, shows the helpless mother on the other side of a fence unable to save the young duckling. The crow snatches the young bird in its beak and flies off to perch on top of the fence. The duckling appears conscious and its legs are flailing while in the beak of the crow.

Three tiger brothers made quite a splash when they dived into a pool to cool off at Bandhavgarh National Park, India. Adorable video, captured by wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein as he guided tourists, shows the three musketeers splashing around before one of the 11-month-olds leaps out of the water chased by another. They are the first litter to mother Dotty. Bengal tigers are listed as endangered by the IUCN, with less than 1,800 individuals remaining in the wild.

Jeff Franklin, 64, bought the home in San Francisco (left) back in 2016 for around $4million, and used the property for five seasons of Netflix's Fuller House (inset) which will wrap up later on this year. With no more Tanner family shenanigans to film near the property, Franklin, who actually lives in Los Angeles, decided to sell up. He said: 'But now "Fuller House" is coming to an end, and I love San Francisco but I don't live there, and I really don't want to be an absentee landlord, so it's going back on the market.' Although the interior shots were filmed in a studio, the lucky buyer can ask for memorabilia from the show to be included, and the backyard has cast members' hand prints in concrete slabs. Pictured: top right, the library, bottom right, the dining room.

Killer whales were spotted on the hunt in a Californian bay, stalking seabirds and even flinging a salmon out the water with their tails. Incredible footage was filmed at Monterey bay earlier this week. In one clip the whale smashes a salmon with its tail, sending the helpless fish spinning before it lands several yards away. In a second, a killer whale stalks a bird underwater before suddenly snatching it from the surface.