Exclusive:George Clooney Called White House to Defend Amal Over Israel-ICC Fracas: Report

George Clooney’s on the line, Mr. President. The two-time Oscar winner (and four-time Emmy winner, among other accolades) reached out to give a top White House aide a piece of his mind after Joe Biden criticized the International Criminal Court for seeking warrants against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Washington Post. The reason? His wife, Amal Clooney, worked on the ICC’s case. Three people familiar with the conversation told the Post that George called Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, to express concern about Biden’s use of the word “outrageous” to describe the ICC taking action against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. Clooney was also reportedly upset that the administration might potentially impose sanctions on the ICC because Amal could be subject to those penalties. The actor, 63, is a longtime backer of Democratic candidates, and is set to appear at a Biden campaign fundraiser on Saturday in Los Angeles.

AJ McDougall
Breaking News Reporter
Published Jun. 06, 2024 8:18PM EDT
Former U.S. President Donald Trump
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Soaring temperatures took a toll on some Arizonans who turned out to watch Donald Trump speak at a town hall in Phoenix on Thursday, his first appearance in the key swing state since his criminal conviction in New York last week. The Phoenix Fire Department told AZFamily that 11 people were taken to the hospital to be treated for heat-related symptoms after lining up outside the event, where it was 110 degrees in the sun. A spokesperson for the department characterized the response as precautionary, according to The Arizona Republic. The former president was invited to speak at Dream City Church by the conservative youth group Turning Point. During his speech, Trump did not mention any of his stricken supporters, but joked that many of the large crowd who had come to see him hadn’t been able to get inside the venue. He also skirted around the subject of his guilty verdict, but dropped the by-now familiar talking points that the trial had been “rigged.