• Britain's Telegraph newspaper has apologized and paid damages to U.S. first lady Melania Trump after publishing an article it says contains many false statements. The newspaper said Saturday that it apologizes "unreservedly" to Mrs. Trump and her family for any embarrassment caused by the content of a cover story published Jan. 19 in the newspaper's weekly magazine supplement. "As a mark of our regret we have agreed to pay Mrs. Trump substantial damages as well as her legal costs," The Telegraph said. The newspaper did not disclose the size of the settlement. The Telegraph said it falsely characterized Mrs. Trump's father's personality, falsely reported the reasons she left an architecture program, and falsely reported her career as a model was unsuccessful before she met Donald Trump. "We accept that Mrs. Trump was a successful professional model in her own right before she met her husband and obtained her own modelling work without his assistance," the newspaper said, also acknowledging it had incorrectly reported the year when the couple first met. The Telegraph is one of Britain's leading broadsheet newspapers and is traditionally aligned with the Conservative Party.
• Shia LaBeouf's latest film was born in an unusual place -- court-ordered rehab. The actor spent time writing the script for his semi-autobiographical Honey Boy while he was being treated for substance abuse after a 2017 arrest. "He wrote this script in rehab and actually sent me an email from there with the script," said Israeli director Alma Har'el. LaBeouf premiered the film Friday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The former Transformers star plays an alcoholic and abusive father of a child actor. "He stepped into his own trauma and played his father in it -- the most complicated relationship he's ever had, that defined his life more than anything else," Har'el said. In 2017, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction stemming from his attempt to elude police following a vulgar public outburst in Georgia. He was also ordered to pay $2,680 in fines and fees, perform 100 hours of community service, enroll in anger management counseling and complete a drug and alcohol evaluation. Har'el said the film shines a light on LaBeouf's private struggles. "It's a story about the things you inherit," she said.
A Section on 01/27/2019