Happening Today: Julian Assange, Felicity Huffman, ‘Pikachu,' ‘This Is Us'

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Sweden to Reopen Rape Case Against WikiLeaks Founder

Swedish prosecutors said they are reopening a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They said they will seek his extradition after he has served his 50-week prison term in Britain for jumping bail. Eva-Marie Persson, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference in Stockholm that "there is still a probable cause to suspect that Assange committed a rape." She added: "It is my assessment that a new questioning of Assange is required." Swedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges — a step short of formal charges — against Assange after he visited the country in 2010, following complaints from two Swedish women who said they were the victims of sex crimes committed by Assange. A case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped in 2017 when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, but officials couldn't pursue it because Assange was living at the embassy and there was no prospect of bringing him to Sweden.

Felicity Huffman to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scheme

Hollywood actress Felicity Huffman is expected to plead guilty in Boston federal court for her alleged participation in the nationwide college cheating scandal, in which she allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars to have someone else take her daughter’s SATs. The former "Desperate Housewives" star agreed to plead guilty to paying $15,000 to have someone cheat for her daughter on the SAT exam. Court documents state the actress disguised the payment as a charitable donation. Huffman was originally scheduled to enter her plea on May 21, but a judge agreed to move the date since the lead prosecutor will be out of town that day. She was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Prosecutors are reportedly aiming to send Huffman to 10 months in prison.

States Seek Explicit Patient Consent for Pelvic Exams

Savanah Harshbarger estimates she performed as many as 10 pelvic exams last year on patients before gynecologic surgeries, feeling for fibroid tumors or other abnormalities. The Duke University medical student said the experience was a revelation. "It's pretty empowering to know this is something you can detect with a gloved hand instead of needing an MRI or some more expensive procedure," Harshbarger said. What was not always clear to her was whether the patients had agreed ahead of time to have a student do the exam while they were under anesthesia. The consent form, Harshbarger said, "definitely does not mention any specific things a student might be doing. It's fairly vague language." Lawmakers in a number of states now want to eliminate any question about patient consent.

'Pikachu' Tries to Dethrone the 'Avengers,' But Just Misses

"Pokémon Detective Pikachu" gave "Avengers: Endgame" a run for its money this weekend at the box office, but the superheroes managed to hold onto the throne once again. The Walt Disney Co. said the Marvel blockbuster earned an estimated $63.1 million from its third weekend in North American theaters, bringing its domestic grosses to $723.5 million, surpassing the totals for "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War." Internationally, it added $102.3 million, bringing its global total to just shy of $2.5 billion where it remains the second biggest worldwide release of all time behind "Avatar" ($2.8 billion.) But three weeks into "Avengers" dominance, the market finally had some room for another film to make a substantial impact. Warner Bros. managed to draw a significant audience to its live-action "Pokémon Detective Pikachu," which opened on 4,202 screens and earned an estimated $58 million from ticket sales.

'This Is Us' Renewed Through Season 6

The story of the Pearson family will continue for at least three more seasons. NBC officially announced "This Is Us" has been picked up through season six. "In a television landscape with nearly 500 original scripted series, there are very few, if any, that have the critical and cultural impact of "This Is Us" and we couldn't be more proud to bring fans three more seasons of a show that so well represents the NBC brand," Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, presidents of scripted programming at NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. "A huge thank you and congratulations to our executive producers, cast and crew who reach new heights every week with the show's inventive and compelling storytelling." Each season will be 18 episodes. The sixth season could be the show's last, but NBC did not indicate as such in their announcement. In an interview with Deadline, executive producer Isaac Aptaker hinted the writers were planning on wrapping the story up within three seasons.