Names and faces
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, is donating $33 million to a scholarship fund for young “dreamers,” immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. The donation comes as talks on Capitol Hill to resolve the legal status of young illegal immigrants are foundering. The White House and some GOP lawmakers rejected a tentative deal from a bipartisan Senate group on Thursday — the same day President Donald Trump made incendiary remarks about people from developing countries. On Friday, Bezos, who is the wealthiest person in the world, and his wife, MacKenzie, announced the donation to TheDream.US, a scholarship program that has awarded more than 1,700 immigrants more than $19 million in financial assistance since its founding in 2014. The money will help fund 1,000 college scholarships and is the largest donation yet.
John Fogerty says he’s annoyed that Taraji P. Henson’s new film, Proud Mary, borrows from his popular song’s name without his involvement. While Fogerty does not own the rights to his classic song, he said in a statement released Thursday that “it irks me when people seek to capitalize on the popularity of my music” for their own financial gain. Henson plays a hit woman in Proud Mary, which was released Friday. Its trailer uses Tina Turner’s version of Fogerty’s 1969 song. Fogerty said the movie “has nothing to do with me, or my song.” The 72-year-old adds that no one ever asked him about using his song that way. Sony Pictures declined to comment. A representative for Henson didn’t return an email seeking comment.