LAS VEGAS (AP) — The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defense team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison. The last time Simpson was in a Las Vegas courtroom, he was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery. Simpson's lawyers presented evidence that showed Miami-based attorney Yale Galanter shared responsibility for the ill-conceived plan for the NFL Hall of Famer and former Hollywood star to take back personal items and mementos from two sports collectible dealers in a Vegas hotel room. The final witness she heard from was Galanter, who defended his actions in a tense courtroom standoff with Simpson and his new representatives Friday. [...] when Simpson testified Wednesday, he recounted his hotel room confrontation with memorabilia dealers, and his interactions with the lawyer he blamed for his conviction. At trial Galanter had said Simpson never ordered guns to be carried and didn't see firearms in the room. An actual conflict is a violation of the right to counsel, said Jennifer Carr, a criminal law professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Other points raised by Simpson's team included Galanter's failure to hire investigators or experts and never interviewing witnesses against Simpson because, "We already knew a lot about them." A key criticism was Galanter's refusal to hire experts to analyze audio recordings from the hotel incident, telling a colleague they were "operating on a shoestring" while demanding more money from Simpson's business manager.

During a lunchtime gathering Saturday at the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan, Chernow spoke about some of his most famous subjects, from John D. Rockefeller to George Washington, and how their public reputations often concealed a far more interesting private person. A former business journalist who has written for The Wall Street Journal and other publications, Chernow said he learned a humbling lesson while researching "Titan," his 1998 biography of Rockefeller. Going through the oil baron's papers, Chernow had expected to unearth "sordid tales of collusion with the railroads, the bribing of entire state legislatures, the coercion of small retailers." [...] he found only thousands and thousands of "cryptic little business letters" that avoided proper names and specifics of any kind, as if Rockefeller feared what he wrote would end up in the hands of "a prosecuting attorney or a Senate investigative committee." A partner at J.P. Morgan & Co., and an adviser to presidential administrations of both parties, Lamont was regarded as a Wall Street liberal and an enlightened patron of the arts. [...] the truth always will out.

An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, was published in 1993, and before Susan Sarandon won an Oscar portraying her in the movie. [...] Sister Helen has given hundreds of talks and filled countless auditoriums. The first time I heard Sister Helen speak was at Sacred Heart Academy in 1995, and she held the crowd of high school girls spellbound with her tales of death and pain and forgiveness. Sister Helen was in New Orleans recently to receive the Robert M. Holstein Faith That Does Justice Award from the Ignatian Solidarity Network, a social justice advocacy organization. The award is given each year to a person "who has demonstrated a significant commitment to leadership for social justice grounded in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus." Tim Robbins, who wrote, produced and directed the film adaptation, also wrote a stage play with the idea of bringing it to high school and college theater arts and academic classes. In 1981, she began corresponding with Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers who was sentenced to die in the electric chair at Angola. Before the reception at her recent honor ceremonies, the courtyard of Cafe Reconcile was full of people, and so was the beautiful new Emeril Lagasse Foundation banquet area on the second floor. Guests ate delicious hors d'oeuvres prepared and served by students in the program. At the end of her remarks, she received a standing ovation, and Kerr told her that whenever he asked students which speaker was most inspirational at the Teach-Ins, they always have the same answer: "Sister Helen."

The Broncos gather Monday for their first full practice since that fateful, frigid night in Denver when Moore allowed Jacoby Jones' 70-yard touchdown catch from Joe Flacco in the final minute of regulation in the divisional game the Baltimore Ravens won in double overtime on their way to winning the Super Bowl. Many fans wondered if Moore could ever play in Denver again after his gaffe, akin to Bill Buckner's ball-through-the-legs moment in the 1986 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets. The Broncos' stars all stumbled in that 38-35 double-overtime loss to the Ravens: Manning had three turnovers, including an interception that led to the winning field goal; Champ Bailey got burned repeatedly; Ryan Clady was playing with a torn rotator cuff that would require surgery and wasn't anything close to his usual dominant self as Manning's blindside protector; and Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil combined for just one sack. All those poor performances were overshadowed, however, by the many mystifying mistakes that Moore, their second-year free safety, made on Jones' 70-yard touchdown catch from Flacco with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Moore lined up too shallow and allowed Jones to blow past him after leaving cornerback Tony Carter, who failed to jam at the line of scrimmage, in his wake. [...] instead of going for the tackle, Moore tried for the interception on Flacco's 50-yard high-arcing heave but mistimed his jump and fell down, which prevented Carter from catching Moore as he pranced his way into the end zone. Moore has the support of everybody at team headquarters, from Bailey to executive vice president John Elway, who was asked during a recent conference call with season-ticket holders why he didn't address safety in the offseason. "[...] what's stuck in peoples' minds about Rahim" was the playoff foul-up, "but he made tremendous strides from Year 1 to Year 2," Elway said. Miller said nobody in the locker room holds Moore any more accountable for the playoff loss than they do themselves. Dumervil signed with the Ravens in an ironic offseason twist, and he'll make a return with his new teammates when the Super Bowl champs open the season at Denver on Sept. 5.

MONACO (AP) — The glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior's colorful, sexy cruise fashion show. Many of the pieces had an effervescent feel, like the metallic blended with sheer lace and a strip of a coral floral print in one dress; a wool jacket and pants were made vibrant with bright red color. [...] there were other outfits that had a more traditional look, like a flowing spaghetti-strap red dress that hit mid-calf at the front but draped near the floor in the back, and the one-piece bathing suits that harkened back to old-style Hollywood glamour — particularly a brilliant blue piece with ruching in the back.

(AP) — At the end of a movie, it's rare to see an entire audience sticking around in the darkened theater to watch the credits. The folks inside the Capri Theatre, which on premier night had a red carpet leading to its doors, were the filmmakers, their friends and their family. The film is a collaborative effort between Montgomery public high school students, some of whom have been at risk of becoming dropouts themselves, and a group of Alabama State University students and graduates who served as mentors. The ASU dropout intervention program ASPIRE (Amazing Students Putting in Resilient Effort) and WVAS 90.7 FM, ASU's public radio station, put the program together, funded by grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's national initiative American Graduate: [...] that it has premiered, organizers hope to show the film to high school students statewide, with an aim to encourage them to strive to graduate. The film shows Tar and his fellow ASPIRE students in a Skype interaction with a group in Grand Rapids, Mich., discussing reasons students quit school, ways to combat the problem and the consequences of dropouts on society and individuals. Viewers also get a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes action, with students operating high-tech video and audio equipment they have now mastered.

More than 100 comic book writers, artists, publishers and cartoonists will be on hand at the fifth annual Maine Comics Arts Festival. The festival was started in 2009 to promote comic books and give the public an opportunity to meet the creative talent behind them.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles sheriff's spokesman says 'Terminator 2' star Edward Furlong has been arrested on suspicion of violating a restraining order filed by his ex-girlfriend. Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said that deputies responding to the scene Thursday in West Hollywood found Furlong hiding in a nearby property.

(AP) — Former news anchor Tom Brokaw became the first recipient of an honorary degree from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine on Saturday. Brokaw acknowledged that those goals might prove difficult due to the overall uncertainty regarding the Affordable Care Act but encouraged them to tackle what's become a "radioactive issue" within the political world.

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Police say gunmen on a motorcycle have shot and killed a senior member of a leading Pakistani political party. Police officer Sarfaraz Nawaz says Zohra Shahid was gunned down outside her home in the city of Karachi in southern Sindh province.