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Matthew Perry's death: How 'Friends' actor was exploited in $55,000 Ketamine drug scheme – Times of India
According to federal court documents filed in California, Perry’s assistant and an acquaintance collaborated with two doctors and a drug dealer to obtain tens of thousands of dollars worth of ketamine for Perry, who had a long history of substance abuse.
Key points of the indictment
Role of the defendants: The indictment details how Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” and Dr Salvador Plasencia were involved in obtaining and distributing ketamine. Sangha maintained a “stash house” in North Hollywood, reported NYT. Plasencia, a physician at an urgent care center, facilitated the drug distribution despite Perry’s known history of drug abuse.
Charges and evidence: Plasencia and Sangha are charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution resulting in death, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Court documents reveal Plasencia’s derogatory texts about Perry, including “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Let’s find out,” reported NYT.
Use and abuse of ketamine: Ketamine, used increasingly for mental health treatments, was also abused recreationally. Perry had sought treatment for depression and anxiety, leading to addiction to intravenous ketamine. The autopsy report showed that Perry’s ketamine levels were equivalent to those used in general anesthesia.
Guilty pleas and sentences: Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution resulting in death. Dr Mark Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Plasencia, while Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s assistant, injected him with ketamine. Iwamasa faces up to 15 years in prison, while Fleming faces up to 25 years. Chavez will be arraigned on August 30 and faces up to 10 years in prison.
Investigation details: The DEA and US Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case. Sangha’s home was raided in March, resulting in the seizure of 79 bottles of ketamine, nearly 2,000 grams of methamphetamine, and other drugs.
Financial exploitation: Plasencia and Sangha were accused of charging exorbitant prices for ketamine. At one point, they charged Perry $2,000 per vial, which cost about $12.
Legal proceedings: Sangha and Plasencia have pleaded not guilty. Sangha is being held without bond, and Plasencia’s bond is set at $100,000. Their trials are scheduled for October.
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Russia says talks on US peace plan for Ukraine ‘are proceeding constructively’
FILE – Russian Presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, left, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, center, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, foreground right, and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries Kirill Dmitriev, behind Witkoff, arrive to attend talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 2, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
The Associated Press
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Video: First Batch of Epstein Files Provides Few Revelations
new video loaded: First Batch of Epstein Files Provides Few Revelations
transcript
transcript
First Batch of Epstein Files Provides Few Revelations
The Justice Department, under pressure from Congress to comply with a law signed by President Trump, released more than 13,000 files on Friday arising from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.
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Put out the files and stop redacting names that don’t need to be redacted. It’s just — who are we trying to protect? Are we protecting the survivors? Or are we protecting these elite men that need to be put out there?
By McKinnon de Kuyper
December 20, 2025
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Apple, Google tell workers on visas to avoid leaving the U.S. amid Trump immigration crackdown
With reported months-long consulate and embassy delays, Google and Apple say employees on H-1B visas should stay put in the U.S. right now to avoid the risk of getting stranded abroad. The latter tech company’s headquarters campus is seen in Mountain View, Calif.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Apple and Google are warning some U.S-based employees on visas against traveling outside of the country to avoid the risk of getting stuck coming back, as the Trump administration toughens vetting of visa applicants, according to recent internal memos from the tech companies that were reviewed by NPR.
U.S. consulates and embassies have been reporting lengthy, sometimes months-long delays, for visa appointments following new rules from the Department of Homeland Security requiring travelers to undergo a screening of up to five years’ of their social media history — a move criticized by free speech advocates as a privacy invasion.
For Apple and Google, which together employ more than 300,000 employees and rely heavily on highly-skilled foreign workers, the increased vetting and reports of extended delays were enough for the companies to tell some of their staff to stay in the U.S. if they are able to avoid foreign travel.
“We recommend avoiding international travel at this time as you risk an extended stay outside of the U.S.,” Berry Appleman & Leiden, a law firm that works with Google, wrote to employees.

The law firm Fragomen, which works with Apple, wrote a similar message: “Given the recent updates and the possibility of unpredictable, extended delays when returning to the U.S., we strongly recommend that employees without a valid H-1B visa stamp avoid international travel for now,” the memo read. “If travel cannot be postponed, employees should connect with Apple Immigration and Fragomen in advance to discuss the risks.”
Apple and Google declined to comment on the advisories, which were first reported by Business Insider.

It’s the latest sign of how the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies are affecting the foreign-born workforce in the U.S.
Earlier this year, the White House announced that companies will be subjected to a $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visas, a type of visa popular among tech companies eager to hire highly skilled workers from abroad.
H-1Bs typically last three years, and applicants have to return to an embassy or consulate in their home country for a renewal, but reports suggest such a routine trip could lead to people being stranded for months as a result of the Trump administration’s new policies.
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that hundreds of visa holders who traveled to India to renew their H-1Bs had their appointments postponed with the State Department explaining that officials needed more time to ensure that no applicants “pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety.”
At Google, the Alphabet Workers’ Union has been campaigning for additional protections for workers on H-1B visas. Those workers would be particularly vulnerable in the event Google carried out layoffs, since losing employer sponsorship could jeopardize their legal status, said Google software engineer Parul Koul, who leads the union.
The need to support H-1B holders at Google, she said, has “only become more urgent with all the scrutiny and heightened vetting by the Trump administration around the H1B program, and how the administration is coming for all other types of immigrant workers.”
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