A jury found a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant dodge federal authorities guilty of obstruction Thursday, marking a victory for President Donald Trump as he continues his sweeping immigration crackdown across the country.
Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan with obstruction, a felony, and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, in April. The jury acquitted her on the concealment count, but she still faces up to five years in prison on the obstruction count.
The jury returned the verdicts after deliberating for six hours.
Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom, ducked into a side conference room and closed the door without speaking to reporters.
According to a court filings that include an FBI affidavit and a federal grand jury indictment, immigration authorities traveled to the Milwaukee County courthouse on April 18 after learning 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.
Dugan learned that agents were in the corridor outside her courtroom waiting for Flores-Ruiz. She left the courtroom to confront them, falsely telling them their administrative warrant for Flores-Ruiz wasnt sufficient grounds to arrest him and directing them to go to the chief judges office.
While the agents were gone, she addressed Flores-Ruizs case off the record, told his attorney that he could attend his next hearing via Zoom and led Flores-Ruiz and the attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in November he had been deported.
The case inflamed tensions over Trumps immigration crackdown, with his administration branding Dugan an activist judge and Democrats countering that the administration was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation.
Prosecutors worked during Dugans trial to show that she directed agents to the chief judges office to create an opening for Flores-Ruiz to escape.
An FBI agent who led the investigation testified that after agents left the corridor, she immediately moved Flores-Ruizs case to the top of her docket, told him that he could appear for his next hearing via Zoom and led him out the private door.
Prosecutors also played audio recordings from her courtroom in which she can be heard telling her court reporter that shed take the heat for leading Flores-Ruiz out the back.
Her attorneys countered that she was trying to follow courthouse protocols that called for court employees to report any immigration agents to their supervisors and she didnt intentionally try to obstruct the arrest team.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new athletic competition for high school students called the "Patriot Games."
The competition will bring together a male and female competitor from each U.S. state and territory for an athletic contest.
"In the fall we will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory," the president said in a video announcement on social media.
"But I promise there will be no men paying in women's sports. You're not going to see that. You'll see everything but that," the president said, alluding to recent administration efforts to prevent transgender athletes from competing in school sports.
Specific details about the planned competition, such as the disciplines involved, were not immediately available.
The event comes as part of the White House's plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Also planned for the year is a "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall, incorporating pavilions and displays from each state. That event is expected to run from June 25 to July 10, according to President Trump.
TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. business to three American investors Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.
The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.
Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a consortium of investors among them Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will each hold a 15% share. Another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors and 19.9% will be retained by the China-based ByteDance, according to the memo.
The U.S. venture will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors, the memo said. It will also be subject to terms that protect Americans data and U.S. national security.
U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle.
TikToks algorithm the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed will be retrained on U.S. user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation, the memo said. The U.S. venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the country.
The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of Chinas ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the laws January 2025 deadline. For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company.
Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trumps tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns.
WATCH | TikTok Has Been Hiring Former CIA, FBI And NSA Officers
Colorado just completed the largest wildlife overpass in North America.
Officials say the overpass connects 39,000 acres of habitat on both sides of I-25 between Larkspur and Monument, which is about an hour south of Denver.
The I-25 Greenland wildlife overpass is a momentous feat, in our continued work to expand safe transportation options for both humans and wildlife, protecting critical habitat, and our amazing outdoor spaces for generations to come, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
Prior to the overpass being completed, officials said there was, on average, one crash involving a vehicle and wildlife a day in the fall and spring movement seasons.
The overpass is an essential component of the wildlife crossing system in this area, which is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle crashes by 90%," said Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Wildlife experts expect the overpass to be used by various animals, including elk, pronghorn, mule deer, black bears and mountain lions.
Wildlife crossings are not new. In California, officials are building a major crossing in the Los Angeles area.
Construction of the project gained momentum after P-22, a well-known mountain lion that lived in the Hollywood Hills, was struck by a vehicle and later died in 2022. The crossing is expected to be complete in 2026.
The man authorities say carried out a mass shooting at Brown University and who was later linked to the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has been found dead in New Hampshire.
The shooter was identified as Claudio Neves-Valente, 48, a former Brown University physics student, who was living in Miami.
Authorities said they were able to track Neves-Valente after speaking with a person who encountered him in Providence. They gave authorities a description of a vehicle, which was tracked to a Massachusetts rental car facility.
He blew this case right open," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a Thursday night press conference.
Information from the rental car company led police to a storage unit in Salem, where Neves-Valente was found dead from what's believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It's unclear how long he had been dead. However, authorities revealed he was found with a satchel and two firearms in an otherwise empty storage unit.
Police say a 9 mm firearm was used to shoot and kill two people at Brown and injure nine others.
Two days later, it's believed Neves-Valente shot MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his apartment in Brookline, Massachusetts. Authorities said surveillance video showed Neves-Valente entering and exiting the building. Loureiro was pronounced dead at a hospital on Tuesday.
While investigators are still investigating their connection, they have confirmed that the two went to the same university in Portugal.
A recent Vanity Fair article is drawing attention for candid remarks from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about members of the Trump administration.
Wiles told the magazine she believes President Donald Trump has an alcoholics personality despite the fact that he does not drink.
She also described Vice President JD Vance as a conspiracy theorist for a decade and said Attorney General Pam Bondi ultimately dropped the ball in the Justice Departments handling of files tied to the investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors.
The articles author, Chris Whipple, told Scripps News that the White House has not disputed anything in his reporting.
Not a single fact, Whipple said. ... And when you hear words like context coming from the White House, you know youve done your job because if they had a challenge of any fact or any quotation, theyd be doing just that. But no, not a single thing has been challenged.
Whipple said almost everything from his nearly year-long interview process was recorded, and that he was surprised by Wiles frank discussion of prominent Trump administration officials.
WATCH | Trump, Clinton appear in newly released Epstein photos: What do they tell us?
Everything was on the record except when explicitly agreed otherwise, Whipple said. And she was just remarkably candid and freewheeling and her conversations with me describing Donald Trump, again, as having an alcoholics personality.
By the way, Donald Trump has confirmed that, as you know, just the other day saying that yeah, in fact he does, Whipple continued. And JD Vance, moreover, conceded that he is a conspiracy theorist. As he put it, he just believes in conspiracies that are true.
Watch Scripps News' full interview with journalist Chris Whipple in the video player above, or click the following links to read
President Donald Trumps handpicked board voted on Thursday to rename Washingtons leading performing arts center as the Trump-Kennedy Center, the White House said.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, saying it was because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.
Trump, a Republican who's chairman of the board, often refers to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is named for a Democratic predecessor, as the Trump Kennedy Center.
Asked on Dec. 7 as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors program whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.
Earlier this month, Trump talked about a big event on Friday at the Trump Kennedy Center before saying, excuse me, at the Kennedy Center, as his audience laughed. He was referring to the FIFA World Cup soccer draw for 2026, in which he participated.
A name change wont sit well with some Kennedy family members.
Maria Shriver, a niece of John F. Kennedy, referred to the legislation introduced in Congress to rebrand the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts as insane in a social media post in July.
It makes my blood boil. Its so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded, she wrote. Truly, what is this about? Its always about something. Lets get rid of the Rose Garden. Lets rename the Kennedy Center. Whats next?
Trump earlier this year turned the Kennedy-era Rose Garden at the White House into a patio by removing the lawn and laying down paving stones.
Another Kennedy family member, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in Trumps Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump showed scant interest in the Kennedy Center during his first term as president, but since returning to office in January he has replaced board members appointed by Democratic presidents with some of his most ardent supporters, who then elected him as board chairman.
He also has criticized the centers programming and its physical appearance and has vowed to overhaul both.
Trump secured more than $250 million from the Republican-controlled Congress for renovations of the building.
He attended opening night of the musical Les Misrables, and last week he served as host of the Kennedy Center Honors program after not attending the show during his first term as president. The awards program is scheduled to be broadcast by CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is demanding answers from toy companies about artificial intelligence-powered products that could expose children to harmful and inappropriate content.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter this week to six toy makers, including Mattel the maker of Barbie asking what safeguards are in place to protect kids.
"These AI toys specifically those powered by chatbots imbedded in everyday childrens toys like plushies, dolls, and other beloved toys pose risks to childrens healthy development," the letter states. "While AI has incredible potential to benefit children with learning and accessibility, experts have raised concerns about AI toys and the lack of research that has been conducted to understand the full effect of these products on our kids."
The senators allege some AI toys have engaged in sexually explicit, violent or otherwise inappropriate conversations with children. In one case, a teddy bear reportedly described sexual scenarios and gave instructions on where to find knives.
"These chatbots have encouraged kids to commit self harm and suicide, and now your company is pushing them on the youngest children who have the least ability to recognize this danger," the letter added. "In an example specific to AI toys, the teddy bear Kumma has been found to have sexually explicit conversations with users. When a researcher asked the bear, what is kink? The bear responded with a list of sexual fetishes. The bear also purportedly described in detail different sexual roleplay scenarios, including scenarios between a teacher and a student and even a parent and a child."
The senators also warned the toys may collect sensitive data on families and are designed to encourage addictive behaviors. They are calling for stronger safeguards to protect children from potentially dangerous content.
"It is unacceptable to use these tactics on our youngest children with untested AI toys," Blackburn and Blumenthal added. "Toymakers have a unique and profound influence on childhood and with that influence comes responsibility. Your company must not choose profit over safety for children, a choice made by Big Tech that has devastated our nations kids.
A recent report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund also flagged risks associated with AI-enabled toys. It noted that some companies including OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT have said their products are not intended for children under 13, yet are allowing their technology to be embedded in toys marketed to younger kids.
"Our testing found its obvious toy companies are putting some guardrails in place to make their toys more kid-appropriate than normal ChatGPT," researchers wrote. "But we also found that those guardrails vary in effectiveness and can even break down entirely."
Sens. Blackburn and Blumenthal have given the toy companies until Jan. 6, 2026, to respond to a list of safety-related questions regarding toys with AI technology. Read the full letter here.
WATCH | The AI industry is 'structurally unprepared' for rising risks, a new report warns
The photos released on Thursday offer a glimpse into the world of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The latest batch includes 68 photos. Some of the images show a female with handwritten phrases on her skin, though the committee did not provide her identity or age.
"Any image that's redacted of women, either are survivors or we may not know who they are, are to protect the women that are in those photos," said
Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member on the committee. "And so what we'll continue to do that. We will never release information about women or survivors in any of the files."
One photo includes the words, She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock, written on her foot, with a copy of the novel Lolita visible in the frame.
The controversial book, written by Vladimir Nabokov, centers on a middle-aged mans sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl. Epstein reportedly owned the first edition of the 1955 novel.
Other images in the release include photos of Epstein and pictures of multiple passports. Other prominent figures, including Bill Gates, Steve Bannon and filmmaker Woody Allen, are also included in the newly-released photos. The three men were also included in photos released by Democrats last week.
The committee provided the photos without context. Being pictured with Epstein or at his properties does not mean any of the individuals knew about or were involved in his crimes.
Friday is the deadline for the Department of Justice to release all files relating to the Epstein investigation under a law passed by Congress in November.
The law contains exceptions that allow the DOJ to redact certain information. Officials are expected to remove details that could identify victims, material related to child sexual abuse, any graphic content and descriptions, and information that could threaten national security, foreign policy or ongoing investigations.
The DOJ has not said when they plan to drop the files or if they will do so at all.
Senate Democrats have threatened legal action if all files are not released.
A business jet carrying seven people, including retired NASCAR race driver Greg Biffle and his family, crashed Thursday at an airport in North Carolina, killing everyone aboard, authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. All seven occupants were killed, according to an official with the North Carolina Highway Safety Patrol.
The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground while trying to land at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte. Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle.
Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr. Gregory Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane, state police said.
He was on the plane with his wife, Cristina, and their children, Ryder and Emma. Others on the plane were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.
Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCARs three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.
NASCAR said it was devastated by the news.
Greg was more than a champion driver; he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many, NASCAR said. His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport.
Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina posted on X, "I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them. They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others. Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track."
The plane took off from the airport, bound for Florida, shortly after 10 a.m. but then returned and was attempting to land there, according to tracking data posted by FlightAware.com.
Golfers playing next to the airport were shocked as they witnessed the disaster, even dropping to the ground at the Lakewood Golf Club while the plane was overhead. The ninth hole was covered with debris.
We were like, Oh my gosh! Thats way too low, said Joshua Green of Mooresville. It was scary.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA were investigating. AccuWeather says there was some drizzle and clouds at the time of the crash.
The airports website states that it offers corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
With 2025 almost over, there have been 1,331 U.S. crashes this year investigated by the NTSB, from two-seat planes to commercial aircraft, compared to a total of 1,482 in 2024.
Major air disasters around the world in 2025 include the plane-helicopter collision that killed 67 in Washington, the Air India crash that killed 260 in India, and a crash in Russias Far East that claimed 48 lives. Fourteen people, including 11 on the ground, died in a UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky.
A former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue in Boston was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing and selling body parts "as if they were baubles."
Authorities said Cedric Lodge was at the center of a ghoulish scheme in which he shipped brains, skin, hands and faces to buyers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere after cadavers donated to Harvard were no longer needed for research.
His wife, Denise Lodge, was sentenced to just over a year in prison for assisting him. They appeared Tuesday in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In one example, Cedric Lodge provided skin to a buyer so it could be tanned into leather and bound into a book, a "deeply horrifying reality," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin said in a court filing.
"In another, Cedric and Denise Lodge sold a man's face perhaps to be kept on a shelf, perhaps to be used for something even more disturbing," Martin said.
She said Lodge 58, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, treated the parts of "beloved human beings as if they were baubles to be sold for profit" and collected thousands of dollars from 2018 through March 2020.
After Harvard finishes using a donated body for research or teaching, the body is typically returned to family or cremated. Lodge acknowledged removing body parts before cremation.
Lodge, who was a morgue manager for 28 years, expressed regret in court. Defense attorney Patrick Casey said his acts were "egregious."
"Mr. Lodge acknowledges the seriousness of his conduct and the harm his actions have inflicted on both the deceased persons whose bodies he callously degraded and their grieving families," Casey said in a court filing.
Harvard suspended the donation of bodies for five months in 2023 when charges were filed.
Prosecutors said at least six other people, including an employee at an Arkansas crematorium, have pleaded guilty in the investigation of body parts trafficking.
The Senate gave final passage to an annual military policy bill Wednesday that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela.
The annual National Defense Authorization Act, which raises troop pay by 3.8%, gained bipartisan backing as it moved through Congress, and the White House has indicated that it is in line with President Donald Trump's national security priorities. However, the legislation, which ran over 3,000 pages, revealed some points of friction between Congress and the Pentagon as the Trump administration reorients its focus away from security in Europe and towards Central and South America.
The bill pushes back on recent moves by the Pentagon. It demands more information on boat strikes in the Caribbean, requires that the U.S. keep its troop levels in Europe at current levels and sends some military aid to Ukraine.
But overall, the bill represents a compromise between the parties. It implements many of Trump's executive orders and proposals on eliminating diversity and inclusion efforts in the military and grants emergency military powers at the U.S. border with Mexico. It also enhances congressional oversight of the Department of Defense, repeals several years-old war authorizations and seeks to overhaul how the Pentagon purchases weapons as the U.S. tries to outpace China in developing the next generation of military technology.
We're about to pass, and the president will enthusiastically sign, the most sweeping upgrades to DOD's business practices in 60 years, said Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Still, the sprawling bill faced objections from both Democratic and Republican leadership on the Senate Commerce Committee. That's because the legislation allows military aircraft to obtain a waiver to operate without broadcasting their precise location, as an Army helicopter had done before a midair collision with an airliner in Washington, D.C. in January that killed 67 people.
"The special carve-out was exactly what caused the January 29th crash that claimed 67 lives, Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said at a news conference this week.
Cruz said he was seeking a vote on bipartisan legislation in the next month that would require military aircraft to use a precise location sharing tool and improve coordination between commercial and military aircraft in busy areas.
Boat strike videos
Republicans and Democrats agreed to language in the defense bill that threatens to withhold a quarter of Hegseths travel budget until he provides unedited video of the strikes with the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services, as well as the orders authorizing them.
Hegseth was on Capitol Hill Tuesday ahead of the bill's passage to brief lawmakers on the U.S. military campaign in international water near Venezuela. The briefing elicited contrasting responses from many lawmakers, with Republicans largely backing the campaign and Democrats expressing concern about it and saying they had not received enough information.
The committees are investigating a Sept. 2 strike the first of the campaign that killed two people who had survived an initial attack on their boat. The Navy admiral who ordered the double-tap strike, Adm. Frank Mitch Bradley, also appeared before the committees shortly before the vote Wednesday in a classified briefing that also included video of the strike in question.
Congressional oversight
Lawmakers have been caught by surprise by the Trump administration several times in the last year, including by a move to pause intelligence sharing with Ukraine and a decision to reduce U.S. troop presence in NATO countries in eastern Europe. The defense legislation requires that Congress be kept in the loop on decisions like that going forward, as well as when top military brass are removed.
The Pentagon is also required, under the legislation, to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment stationed in Europe unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests. Around 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. A similar requirement also keeps the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea at 28,500.
Lawmakers are also pushing back on some Pentagon decisions by authorizing $400 million for each of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
Cuts to diversity and climate initiatives
Trump and Hegseth have made it a priority to purge the military of material and programs that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues, and the defense bill would codify many of those changes. It will repeal diversity, equity and inclusion offices and trainings, including the position of chief diversity officer. Those cuts would save the Pentagon about $40 million, according to the Republican-controlled House Armed Services Committee.
The U.S. military has long found that climate change is a threat to how it provides national security because weather-related disasters can destroy military bases and equipment. But the bill makes $1.6 billion in cuts by eliminating climate-change related programs at the Pentagon.
Repeal of war authorizations and Syria sanctions
Congress is writing a closing chapter to the war in Iraq by repealing the authorization for the 2003 invasion. Now that Iraq is a strategic partner of the U.S., lawmakers in support of the provision say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses. The bill also repeals the 1991 authorization that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War.
The rare, bipartisan moves to repeal the legal justifications for the conflicts signaled a potential appetite among lawmakers to reclaim some of Congress's war powers.
Congress will also permanently lift U.S. sanctions on Syria as part of the legislation, following up on the Trump administration's decision to temporarily lift many penalties. The nation is rebuilding after its former leader Bashar Assad was deposed, and supporters of the new government say that permanently lifting the sanctions will spur the country's economic reconstruction and encourage the establishment of democracy.
Police in Providence, Rhode Island, released new images on Wednesday of a person they want to speak with in connection with the mass shooting at Brown University.
The images show a person in a blue jacket, carrying a bag and holding a water bottle. Police say they want to speak to the individual because they were in the vicinity of the person of interest in the case.
The person of interest was seen in the area of Brown University hours before Saturday's attack. Police believe he was casing the area.
The FBI says the man is about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a stocky build.
Two people were killed in the mass shooting. The victims were identified as 19-year-old Ella Cook, vice president of Browns College Republicans, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Virginia.
Nine others were injured in the shooting. All but two remain hospitalized.
In a seismic shift for one of television's marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.
ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028. That year will mark the 100th Oscars.
But starting in 2029, YouTube will retain global rights to stream the Oscars through 2033. YouTube will effectively be the home to all things Oscars, including red-carpet coverage, the Governors Awards and the Oscar nominations announcement.
"We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming," said Academy Chief Executive Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. "The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community."
While major award shows have added streaming partnerships, the YouTube deal marks the first of the big four the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Tonys to completely jettison broadcast. It puts one of the most-watched non-NFL broadcasts in the hands of Google. YouTube boasts some 2 billion viewers.
The Academy Awards will stream for free on YouTube, in addition to YouTube TV subscribers. It will be available with audio tracks in many languages, in addition to closed captioning.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
"The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry," said Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube. "Partnering with the academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars' storied legacy."
Representatives of The Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The network has been the broadcast home to the Oscars for almost its entire history. NBC first televised the Oscars in 1953, but ABC picked up the rights in 1961. Aside from a period between 1971 and 1975, when NBC again aired the show, the Oscars have been on ABC.
The 2025 Academy Awards were watched by 19.7 million viewers on ABC, a slight increase from the year before.
Rob Reiners son Nick Reiner made his first court appearance Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents.
The 32-year-old did not enter a plea as he appeared from behind the glass wall of a custody area. He was in shackles and wearing a jail suicide prevention smock.
Reiner's arraignment was postponed until Jan. 7 at his lawyers request. He spoke only to say yes, your honor to agree to the date.
Their loss is beyond tragic and we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice," Hochman said.
WATCH | Rob Reiner remembered as son is arrested in double homicide case
Along with the two counts of first-degree murder, prosecutors added special circumstances of multiple murders and a special allegation that the defendant used a dangerous weapon, a knife. The additions could mean a greater sentence.
Hochman said his office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty in the case.
This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones but for our entire city, McDonnell said.
The announcement came two days after the couple was found dead from apparent stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles. Nick Reiner did not resist when he was arrested hours later in the Exposition Park area near the University of Southern California, about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) from the crime scene, police said.
Rob Reiner was the Emmy-winning star of the sitcom All in the Family who went on to direct films including When Harry Met Sally... and The Princess Bride. He was an outspoken liberal activist for decades. Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer, movie producer and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. They had been married for 36 years.
Several of those closest to them, including actors Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Martin Short and Larry David, released a statement mourning and celebrating the couple on Tuesday night.
They were a special force together dynamic, unselfish and inspiring, the statement said. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.
Nick Reiner had been scheduled to make an initial court appearance earlier Tuesday, but his attorney Alan Jackson said he was not brought from the jail to the courthouse for medical reasons and the appearance was postponed.
At Wednesday's hearing, Reiner may enter a plea, a judge may schedule an arraignment for later or the same issue that prevented him from coming to court Tuesday could cause further postponement. He is being held without bail.
Jackson is a high-profile defense attorney and former LA County prosecutor who represented Harvey Weinstein at his Los Angeles trial and Karen Read at her intensely followed trials in Massachusetts. He was a central figure in the HBO documentary on the Read case.
On the other side will be Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian, whose recent cases included the Menendez brothers' attempt at resentencing and the trial of Robert Durst.
Authorities havent said anything about a motive for the killings and would give few details when asked at the news conference.
Gil Gerard, who played television's hunky sci-fi hero William Buck Rogers soon after the Star Wars franchise took hold in the late 1970s, has died. He was 82.
Gerard died Tuesday in hospice as a result of a rare, aggressive form of cancer, said his manager, Tina Presley Borek. His wife, Janet Gerard, posted a posthumous Facebook message he left behind for fans that read in part:
Dont waste your time on anything that doesnt thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.
Gerard starred in NBC's campy Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which ran for two seasons from 1979 to 1981. A theatrical film based on the series also delighted youngsters and their parents alike. It was Rogers' second turn on TV after a show in the 1950s, a radio series and a 1939 film serial.
The story was based on Philip Francis Nowlan's serialized 1928 pulp novella Armageddon 2419 A.D. Nowlan's character was named Anthony Rogers. The name was changed when the story began running in newspapers as a comic strip.
My life has been an amazing journey, Gerard wrote in his social media post. The opportunities Ive had, the people Ive met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying.
As the TV story goes, Rogers was a 20th century NASA pilot who was placed in frozen animation when his ship was hit by a meteor storm. He pops awake 500 years later in the year 2491. He gazes upon a futuristic, domed Earth with all its threats, including aliens, space pilots and the evil Draconians.
He had helpers: The robot sidekick Twiki and a beautiful space pilot Wilma Deering, played by Erin Gray.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gerard worked steadily in TV commercials. He was featured in a number of other TV shows and movies, including starring roles in the 1982 TV movie Hear No Evil as Dragon and the short-lived Sidekicks in 1986.
In 1992, he hosted the reality series Code 3, following firefighters responding to emergency calls around the U.S. There were many guest appearances in the 1990s, including on Days of Our Lives.
Gerard and Gray were together again in 2007 for the TV film Nuclear Hurricane. They also returned to the Buck Rogers universe as Rogers' parents in the pilot episode of James Cawley's Buck Rogers Begins internet video series in 2009.
Gerard spoke openly about addictions to drugs, alcohol and compulsive overeating. He was the subject of a one-hour documentary, Action Hero Makeover, in 2007 after his weight ballooned to 350 pounds.
Done by Adrienne Crow, then a longtime companion, for the Discovery Health Channel, the film documented his progress after gastric bypass surgery.
Gerard was married and divorced four times before Janet. He had a son, actor Gilbert Vincent Gerard, with model and actor Connie Sellecca. Their divorce included a bitter custody battle for Gib, who was born in 1981. Sellecca was granted main custody.
My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years, Gerard wrote in the post put on Facebook after his death.
Its been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close as mine has.
Maryland will create a commission to study potential reparations for slavery after lawmakers voted Tuesday to override a veto by Gov. Wes Moore currently the nation's only Black governor that disappointed many fellow Democrats.
Moore said in his veto letter in May that it was a difficult decision to veto the bill, which was a priority of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. But he wrote there has been enough study of the legacy of slavery, and it was now time to "focus on the work itself" to address it.
But Democrats who control both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly decided the commission was needed to better examine how to do that.
"This topic isn't easy, but, again, without formal study, reparations risk being dismissed as symbolic or unconstitutional, regardless of moral merit," said Sen. Charles Sydnor, a Democrat.
After his veto was overridden, Moore said that while he disagrees with the legislature's decision, "I am eager to move forward in partnership on the work of repair that we all agree is an urgent and pressing need."
"I believe the time for action is now - and we must continue moving forward with the work of repair immediately," Moore said in a statement. "That mission is especially vital given the immediate and ongoing effects of this federal administration on our constituents, including communities that have been historically left behind."
Potential reparations outlined in the bill include official statements of apology, monetary compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, as well as licensing and permit fee waivers and reimbursement. Reparations also could include assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, childcare, debt forgiveness and tuition payment waivers for higher education.
Maryland's Black population is about 30%, the highest percentage of any state outside of the Deep South.
Support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. However, the issue has been a difficult one, particularly for high-profile Democrats, and comes amid a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.
"At a time of growing attacks on diversity and equity, today's action reaffirms our shared commitment to truth-telling, accountability, and meaningful progress for Black Marylanders," the state's Legislative Black Caucus said in a statement.
In October, California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a mixed bag for proponents of bills aimed at addressing racist and discriminatory policies against African Americans. He signed a law authorizing $6 million for California State University to study how to confirm an individual's status as a descendant of an enslaved person. But he vetoed other bills the California Legislative Black Caucus championed as tools to atone for the state's history.
Newsom, who is considering running for president in 2028, signed a law last year to formally apologize for slavery and its lingering effects on Black Californians.
Moore has said he is not planning to run for president in 2028, but he has continued to cultivate a national profile that has drawn pundits' attention as a potential White House contender.
New York City lawmakers approved legislation last year to study the city's significant role in slavery and consider reparations to descendants of enslaved people.
In 2021, Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, became the first U.S. city to create a reparations plan for its Black residents, using tax revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana.
As recently as a few years ago, Americans viewed the prospect of reparations mostly negatively. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2021 found that only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults said descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way, such as given land or money. About 7 in 10 said these descendants should not be repaid.
Maryland lawmakers did not take up congressional redistricting in their one-day special session. Moore has expressed interest in pursuing a new map, which could come up when lawmakers convene in January for their annual 90-day session. However, the state Senate president has said he doesn't support moving forward with a new map. Democrats hold a 7-1 advantage over Republicans in the state's eight congressional districts.
Four House Republicans crossed party lines on Wednesday and joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition to force a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies for three more years.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is now required to bring the measure to the floor within the next seven legislative days. With the House expected to adjourn soon, the vote is unlikely to occur until January.
Even if the bill passes in the House, it's fate in the Senate is unknown. Last week, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance the measure.
Wednesdays development underscores bipartisan concern about the looming expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies, which were first expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The subsidies expire at the end of 2025, and experts warn that without an extension, premiums for people who buy insurance on the ACA marketplaces will dramatically increase.
Warner Bros. is telling shareholders to reject a takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, saying that a rival bid from Netflix will be better for customers.
We strongly believe that Netflix and Warner Bros. joining forces will offer consumers more choice and value, allow the creative community to reach even more audiences with our combined distribution, and fuel our long-term growth, Warner Bros. said Wednesday. We made this deal because their deep portfolio of iconic franchises, expansive library, and strong studio capabilities will complementnot duplicateour existing business.
Paramount went hostile with its bid last week, asking shareholders to reject the deal with Netflix favored by the board of Warner Bros.
Paramount is offering $30 per Warner share to Netflixs $27.75.
Paramounts bid isnt off the table altogether. While Wednesdays letter to shareholders means Paramounts is not the offer favored by the board at Warner Bros., shareholders can still decide to tender their shares in favor of Paramounts offer for the entire company including cable stalwarts CNN and Discovery.
Unlike Paramounts bid, the offer from Netflix does not include buying the cable operations of Warner Bros. An acquisition by Netflix, if approved by regulators and shareholders, will close only after Warner completes its previously announced separation of its cable operations.
Paramount has claimed it made six different bids that Warner leadership rejected before announcing its deal with Netflix on Dec. 5. Only after that did it take its offer directly to Warners shareholders.
Beyond a greenlight from shareholders, both takeover bids face tremendous regulatory scrutiny. A change in ownership at Warner would drastically reshape the entertainment and media industry impacting movie making, consumer streaming platforms and, in Paramounts case, the news landscape.
Critics of Netflixs deal say that combining the massive streaming company with Warners HBO Max would give it overwhelming market dominance, whereas the Paramount+ streaming service is far smaller.
This is something that weve heard for a long timeincluding when we started the streaming business, Warner Bros. said in a securities filing Wednesday. Our stance then and now is the samewe see this as a win for the entertainment industry, not the end of it.
Bids from both Netflix and Paramount have raised alarm for what they could mean for film and TV production. While Netflix has agreed to uphold Paramounts contractual obligations for theatrical releases, critics have pointed to its past business model and reliance on online releases. Yet Paramount and Warner Bros. are two of the big five legacy studios left in Hollywood today.
Paramounts attempt to buy Warners cable networks and news business would also bring CBS and CNN under the same roof. In addition to further accelerating media consolidation, that could raise questions about shifts in editorial control as seen at CBS News both leading up to and following Skydances $8 billion purchase of Paramount, which it completed in August.
U.S. President Donald Trump has already been vocal about his future involvement in the deal, indicating that politics will play a role in regulatory approval.
Trump previously said that Netflixs deal could be a problem because of the potential for an outsized control of the market. The Republican president also has a close relationship with Oracles billionaire founder Larry Ellison the father of Paramounts CEO, whose family trust is also heavily backing the companys bid to buy Warner.
Affinity Partners, an investment firm run by Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, previously said it would investing in the Paramount deal, too. But on Tuesday, the firm announced that it would be dropping out of the bid.
Still, Trump also has a tendency to make decisions based on gut and his personal mood. He has continued to publicly lash out at Paramount over editorial decisions at CBS 60 Minutes.
For those people that think I am close with the new owners of CBS, please understand that 60 Minutes has treated me far worse since the so-called takeover, than they have ever treated me before, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social on Tuesday. If they are friends, Id hate to see my enemies!
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