ReportWire

Tag: All Markets – Rank Everywhere

  • Nick Reiner’s arraignment in parents’ killing is delayed until February

    [ad_1]

    LOS ANGELES — The high-profile private attorney for Nick Reiner resigned from his case Wednesday for reasons he said he could not reveal, and he later told reporters that under California law his client is definitely not guilty of murder in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

    What You Need To Know

    • Jackson would not specify what he meant and took no questions at the brief news conference, but it was the first direct statement from a Nick Reiner representative about his guilt or innocence in the 3 1/2 weeks since the killings
    • After meeting with the Judge Theresa McGonigle in chambers, Jackson, at his own request, was replaced by a public defender and the plea hearing was postponed to Feb. 23

    • A Reiner family spokesperson said in a statement after Wednesday’s hearing that “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings”

    • Reiner, 32, the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, has been held without bail since his arrest hours after his parents were found dead on Dec. 14

    “Circumstances beyond our control and more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control have dictated that, sadly, it’s made it impossible to continue our representation,” lawyer Alan Jackson said as he stood with his team outside a Los Angeles courthouse.

    But, Jackson added, after weeks of investigation, “what we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that.”

    Jackson would not specify what he meant and took no questions at the brief news conference, but it was the first direct statement from a Nick Reiner representative about his guilt or innocence in the 3 1/2 weeks since the killings.

    He spoke after a hearing where Reiner was supposed to be arraigned and enter a plea to two charges of first-degree murder. Instead, after meeting with the Judge Theresa McGonigle in chambers, Jackson, at his own request, was replaced by a public defender and the plea hearing was postponed to Feb. 23.

    Jackson does not say why he has to quit case

    Jackson said that for legal and ethical reasons, he could not reveal why he had to resign. He first appeared in court representing Nick Reiner at a hearing a few days after the beloved actor-director and his wife of 36 years were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Jackson did not say how he was hired — or who hired him. Generally, defendants use public defenders when they can’t pay for a private attorney.

    Jackson has become one of the most prominent defense attorneys in the nation in recent years after his defense of clients including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read at her intensely followed trials in Massachusetts.

    Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene took over as Reiner’s attorney during the hearing.

    “The Public Defender’s Office recognizes what an unimaginable tragedy this is for the Reiner family and the Los Angeles community,” LA County Public Defender Ricardo D. Garcia said in a rare public statement on a case from the office. “Our hearts go out to the Reiner family as they navigate this difficult time. We ask for your patience and compassion as the case moves through the legal process.”

    A Reiner family spokesperson said in a statement after Wednesday’s hearing that “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”

    Nick Reiner appears in jail clothes, without suicide prevention smock

    During Wednesday’s hearing, Reiner stood behind glass in a custody area of the courtroom wearing brown jail garb and with his hair shaved. Two deputies stood behind him. Jackson and his team stood in front of him on the other side of the glass. At one point, Reiner stood on his tiptoes to peer over the lawyers’ heads to look at the audience. He spoke only to agree to the delayed arraignment.

    McGonigle approved the use of cameras inside the courtroom but said photos and video could not be taken of the defendant. Reiner did not wear the suicide prevention smock he had on at his initial court appearance on Dec. 17.

    Reiner, 32, the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, has been held without bail since his arrest hours after his parents were found dead on Dec. 14.

    Jackson says he ‘dropped everything’ to represent Reiner

    Jackson, a former LA County prosecutor, had given no indication of the plans for his defense.

    He said that just hours after Nick Reiner’s arrest, he and his team were in New York when they got a call about representing him. He did not say who called him.

    “We dropped everything,” Jackson said. “For the last three weeks, we have devoted literally every waking hour to protecting Nick and his interests. We’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front.”

    He said they remain “deeply, deeply committed” to him and said, “We’re not just convinced; we know that the legal process will reveal the true facts.”

    Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of Dec. 14, and they were found in the late afternoon, authorities said. The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” A court order has prevented the release of more details. Police have said nothing about possible motives.

    Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Nick Reiner.

    Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally …,” during whose production he met Michele Singer, a photographer, and married her soon after.

    A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, “Being Charlie,” that was very loosely based on their lives.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • ICE agent shoots and kills woman during Minneapolis immigration crackdown

    [ad_1]

    MINNEAPOLIS — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials said was an act of self-defense but that the mayor described as reckless and unnecessary.

    What You Need To Know

    • Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and killed a motorist acted recklessly, and he rejected federal officials’ claims that the officer had acted in self-defense

    • During a Wednesday news conference hours after the ICE officer shot the woman, an angry Frey blasted the federal immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul

    • Frey accused the federal officers of “sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people” 

    • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a Texas visit, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over”

    The 37-year-old woman was shot in the head in front of a family member in a snowy residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

    Her killing after 9:30 a.m. was recorded on video by witnesses, and the shooting quickly drew a crowd of hundreds of angry protesters. By evening, hundreds were there for a vigil to mourn the death and urge the public to resist immigration enforcers.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, while visiting Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

    In a social media post, President Donald Trump made similar accusations against the woman and defended ICE’s work.

    Hours later, at an evening news conference in Minnesota, Noem didn’t back down, claiming the woman was part of a “mob of agitators.” She said the veteran officer who fired his gun had been rammed and dragged by an anti-ICE motorist in June.

    “Any loss of life is a tragedy, and I think all of us can agree that in this situation, it was preventable,” Noem said, adding that the FBI would investigate.

    But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted Noem’s version of what happened as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown.

    “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said, calling on the immigration agents to leave. “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”

    “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” the mayor said.

    Frey said he had a message for ICE: “Get the f— out of Minneapolis.”

    People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

     

    A shooting caught on video

    Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

     

    It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop. Witnesses screamed obscenities, expressing shock at what they’d seen. After the shooting, emergency medical technicians tried to administer aid to the woman.

    “She was driving away and they killed her,” said resident Lynette Reini-Grandell, who was outdoors recording video on her phone.

    The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. The death of the Minneapolis driver, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was at least the fifth linked to immigration crackdowns.

    The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, which is at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. Noem confirmed Wednesday that DHS had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area and said they had already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.

    A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

    In a scene that hearkened back to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers, chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota,” and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

    Governor calls for calm

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he’s prepared to deploy the National Guard if necessary. He said a family member of the driver was there to witness the killing, which he described as “predictable” and “avoidable.” He also said like many, he was outraged by the shooting, but he called on people to keep protests peaceful.

    “They want a show. We can’t give it to them. We cannot,” the governor said during a news conference. “If you protest and express your First Amendment rights, please do so peacefully, as you always do. We can’t give them what they want.”

    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters but, unlike federal officials, gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone.

    “This woman was in her vehicle and was blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. … At some point a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot and the vehicle began to drive off,” the chief said. “At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway.”

    There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot the driver. Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.

    “Keep in mind that this is an investigation that is also in its infancy. So any speculation about what has happened would be just that,” Jacobson told reporters.

    The shooting happened in the district of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who called it “state violence,” not law enforcement.

    For nearly a year, migrant rights advocates and neighborhood activists across the Twin Cities have been preparing to mobilize in the event of an immigration enforcement surge. From houses of worship to mobile home parks, they have set up very active online networks, scanned license plates for possible federal vehicles and bought whistles and other noisemaking devices to alert neighborhoods of any enforcement presence.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as its top court strikes down laws

    [ad_1]

    FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws that include the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills, ruling Tuesday that they violate the state constitution.

    What You Need To Know

    • Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws including the nation’s first explicit ban on abortion pills

    • The justices sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others Tuesday in ruling that the laws violate the Wyoming Constitution

    • A lower court judge struck down the laws in November, ruling they violate a constitutional amendment that says competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions

    • Earlier, the same judge blocked the laws from taking effect 

    • Wyoming sought to join 13 states that have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022

    The justices sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others who had sued over the bans passed since 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

    Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the abortion access advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund and four women, including two obstetricians, argued that the laws violated a state constitutional amendment ensuring that competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions.

    Attorneys for the state, however, argued that abortion can’t violate the Wyoming constitution because it is not health care.

    Voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2012 in response to the federal Affordable Care Act. The justices recognized that the amendment wasn’t written to apply to abortion but said it’s not their job to “add words” to the state constitution.

    “But lawmakers could ask Wyoming voters to consider a constitutional amendment that would more clearly address this issue,” the justices wrote in summarizing their 4-1 ruling.

    Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement that he was disappointed by the ruling and called on state lawmakers meeting this winter to pass a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion that would go before voters this fall.

    “This ruling may settle, for now, a legal question, but it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself. It is time for this issue to go before the people for a vote,” Gordon said.

    Such an amendment would require a two-thirds vote to be introduced for consideration during the monthlong legislative session devoted primarily to the state budget. But it would have wide support in the Republican-dominated statehouse.

    One of the laws overturned Tuesday sought to ban abortion except to protect a pregnant woman’s life or in cases involving rape or incest. The other law would have made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, though other states have instituted de facto bans on abortion medication by broadly prohibiting abortion.

    Abortion has remained legal in this conservative state since Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens in Jackson blocked the bans while the lawsuit challenging them went ahead. Owens struck down the laws as unconstitutional in 2024.

    Wellspring Health Access and attorneys on both sides of the case didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

    Last year, Wyoming passed additional laws requiring abortion clinics to be licensed surgical centers and women to get ultrasounds before having medication abortions. The Supreme Court ruling means those limitations could take effect, although a judge in a separate lawsuit has blocked them from taking effect while the case proceeds.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California dies, reducing GOP’s narrow control of House

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — Republican Doug LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative from California and a reliable vote on President Donald Trump’s agenda, has died, reducing the GOP’s narrow control of the House. He was 65.

    What You Need To Know

    • A former state lawmaker and rice farmer, LaMalfa had more than a dozen years in Congress, where he regularly helped GOP leaders open the House floor and frequently gave speeches

    • Trump expressed “tremendous sorrow” over LaMalfa’s death on Tuesday as he addressed a meeting of House Republicans

    • Details surrounding LaMalfa’s death were unclear

    • California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, must call a special election to replace LaMalfa, his office said

    LaMalfa died during a surgical procedure, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Department in California.

    A former state lawmaker and rice farmer, LaMalfa had more than a dozen years in Congress, where he regularly helped GOP leaders open the House floor and frequently gave speeches. His death, confirmed by Majority Whip Tom Emmer and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, trims the Republicans’ margin of control of the House to 218 seats to Democrats’ 213.

    Trump expressed “tremendous sorrow” over LaMalfa’s death on Tuesday as he addressed a meeting of House Republicans, lamenting the loss of a lawmaker he championed as an ally for his agenda.

    “I was really saddened by his passing,” Trump said.

    The president said he considered not giving the speech to honor LaMalfa but decided to go ahead with it “because he would have wanted it that way.”

    Trump said the late congressman “wasn’t a 3 o’clock in the morning person” like other lawmakers he would call in the wee hours to lobby for their votes.

    “He voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump said. “With Doug, I never had to call.”

    Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York called for a moment of silence in honor of LaMalfa at the start of a panel at the Capitol commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

    Details surrounding LaMalfa’s death were unclear.

    David Reade, a former chief of staff of LaMalfa’s from the state legislature, became emotional remembering LaMalfa, who he said was committed to his district and proud of his family and Christian faith.

    “One of my great memories of Doug is that, you know, he would show up at the smallest events that were important in people’s lives in this district,” Reade said in a phone interview. “Whether it was a birthday, it was, you, know, a family gathering, it was the smallest organization in his district, and he would drive literally hundreds and hundreds of miles to be there.”

    LaMalfa represented Northern California’s 1st District, along the Oregon border, including Redding and reaching just north of Sacramento. He had planned to run for reelection despite his district being dramatically redrawn under a ballot measure passed by California voters in November. The measure, backed by Democrats, was designed to make it harder for LaMalfa and four other Republicans to win reelection.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, must call a special election to replace LaMalfa, his office said. The election could happen as late as June, when California will hold its primary for the 2026 midterm.

    Hudson, the NRCC chairman, called LaMalfa “a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California.”

    “He was never afraid to fight for rural communities, farmers, and working families,” Hudson said. “Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service.”

    First elected to Congress in 2012, he was a regular presence on the House floor, helping GOP leadership open the chamber and offer his view local and national affairs.

    C-SPAN in a recent compilation said he gave at least one set of remarks for the record on 81 days in 2025. Only two other lawmakers spoke on the House floor more frequently.

    [ad_2]

    Spectrum News Staff, Associated Press

    Source link

  • Trump: U.S. to get 30 to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela —  President Donald Trump said Tuesday on his social media site that “Interim Authorities” in Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of “High Quality” oil to the U.S. at its market price, an announcement that came after officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face drug charges.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump said Tuesday on his social media site that “Interim Authorities” in Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of “High Quality” oil to the U.S. at its market price
    • The announcement came after Venezuelan officials said least 24 of the country’s security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face federal drug charges

    • Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday that “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime”

    • The death toll for Venezuelan security officials comes after Cuba’s government on Sunday announced that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela had died in the operation, prompting two days of mourning on the Caribbean island

    Trump posted on Truth Social that the oil “will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.” He said the money would be controlled by him as president but it would be used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.

    Separately, the White House is organizing an Oval Office meeting Friday with oil company executives regarding Venezuela, with representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.

    Earlier Tuesday, Venezuelan officials announced the death count in the Maduro raid as the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, pushed back on Trump, who earlier this week warned she’d face an outcome worse than Maduro’s if she does not “do what’s right” and overhaul Venezuela into a country that aligns with U.S. interests. Trump has said his administration will now “run” Venezuela policy and is pressing the country’s leaders to open its vast oil reserves to American energy companies.

    Rodriguez, delivering an address Tuesday before government agricultural and industrial sector officials, said, “Personally, to those who threaten me: My destiny is not determined by them, but by God.”

    Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said overall “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed in the weekend strike in Caracas and said prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He didn’t specify if the estimate was specifically referring to Venezuelans.

    In addition to the Venezuelan security officials, Cuba’s government had previously confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela were killed in the raid. The Cuban government says the personnel killed belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the country’s two main security agencies.

    Seven U.S. service members were also injured in the raid, according to the Pentagon. Five have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering from their injuries. The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment on the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

    A video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials posted to the military’s Instagram account features faces of the fallen over black-and-white videos of soldiers, American aircraft flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the blasts. Meanwhile, the streets of Caracas, deserted for days following Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with masses of people waving Venezuelan flags and bouncing to patriotic music at a state-organized display of support for the government.

    “Their spilled blood does not cry out for vengeance, but for justice and strength,” the military wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our unwavering oath not to rest until we rescue our legitimate President, completely dismantle the terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensure that events such as these never again sully our sovereign soil.”

    Trump grumbles about how Democrats reacted to the raid

    Trump on Tuesday pushed back against Democratic criticism of this weekend’s military operation, noting that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had also called for the arrest of the Venezuelan leader on drug trafficking charges.

    Trump in remarks before a House Republican retreat in Washington grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela.

    In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused in a decades-long narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking conspiracy. White House officials have noted that Biden’s administration in his final days in office last year raised the award for information leading to Maduro’s arrest after he assumed a third term in office despite evidence suggesting that he lost Venezuela’s most recent election. The Trump administration doubled the award to $50 million in August.

    “You know, at some point, they should say, ‘You know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations.’ Wouldn’t it be good?” Trump said. “I would say that if they did a good job, their philosophies are so different. But if they did a good job, I’d be happy for the country. They’ve been after this guy for years and years and years.”

    With oil trading at roughly $56 a barrel, the transaction Trump announced late Tuesday could be worth as much as $2.8 billion. The U.S. goes through an average of roughly 20 million barrels a day of oil and related products, so Venezuela’s transfer would be the equivalent of as much as two and a half days of supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

    Despite Venezuela having the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, it only produces on average about one million barrels day, significantly below the U.S. average daily production of 13.9 million barrels a day during October.

    What US opinion polls show

    Americans are split about the capture of Maduro — with many still forming opinions — according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and SSRS using text messages over the weekend. About 4 in 10 approved of the U.S. military being sent to capture Maduro, while roughly the same share were opposed. About 2 in 10 were unsure.

    Nearly half of Americans, 45%, were opposed to the U.S. taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government for the country. About 9 in 10 Americans said the Venezuelan people should be the ones to decide the future leadership of their country.

    Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. courtroom on Monday. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a raid on a compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards.

    In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump and top administration officials have raised anxiety around the globe that the operation could mark the beginning of a more expansionist U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The president in recent days has renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.”

    Colombia responds to Trump

    Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Tuesday she’ll meet with the U.S. Embassy’s charge d’affaires in Bogota to present him with a formal complaint over the recent threats issued by the United States.

    On Sunday, Trump said he wasn’t ruling out an attack on Colombia and described its president, who’s been an outspoken critic of the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela, as a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

    Villavicencio said she’s hoping to strengthen relations with the United States and improve cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.

    “It is necessary for the Trump administration to know in more detail about all that we are doing in the fight against drug trafficking,” she said.

    Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom on Tuesday joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in defending Greenland’s sovereignty. The island is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark and thus part of the NATO military alliance.

    “Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • U.S. cuts the number of vaccines recommended for every child

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON  — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases.

    What You Need To Know

    • The U.S. has taken the unprecedented step of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups say would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases

    • The overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule, announced Monday, is effective immediately and stops broadly recommending protection against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV

    • Protections against those diseases are now only recommended for certain groups deemed high-risk, or if their doctors recommend them

    • Officials say the overhaul won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts say it creates confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases



    The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will now recommend that all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases. What’s no longer broadly recommended is protection against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis or RSV. Instead, protections against those diseases are only recommended for certain groups deemed high risk, or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.”

    Trump administration officials said the overhaul, a move long sought by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won’t result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue to pay. But medical experts said the decision creates confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases.

    States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. While CDC requirements often influence those state regulations, some states have begun creating their own alliances to counter the Trump administration’s guidance on vaccines.

    The change comes as U.S. vaccination rates have been slipping and the share of children with exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data. At the same time, rates of diseases that can be protected against with vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough, are rising across the country.

    Review came at the request of President Trump

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the overhaul was in response to a request from President Donald Trump in December. Trump asked the agency to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising U.S. guidance accordingly.

    HHS said its comparison to 20 peer nations found that the U.S. was an “outlier” in both the number of vaccinations and the number of doses it recommended to all children. Officials with the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations for children to receive.

    “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy said in a statement Monday.

    Trump, reacting to the news on his Truth Social platform, said the new schedule is “far more reasonable” and “finally aligns the United States with other Developed Nations around the World.”

    Among those left on the recommended-for-everyone list are vaccines against measles, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, chickenpox and human papillomavirus, or HPV. The guidance reduces the number of recommended vaccine doses against HPV from two or three shots depending on age to one for most children.

    Medical experts said Monday’s changes without what they said was public discussion or a transparent review of the data would put children at risk.

    “Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota.

    Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics said countries carefully consider vaccine recommendations based on levels of disease in their populations and their health systems.

    “You can’t just copy and paste public health and that’s what they seem to be doing here,” said O’Leary. “Literally children’s health and children’s lives are at stake.”

    Most high-income countries recommend vaccinations against a dozen to 15 serious pathogens, according to a recent review by the Vaccine Integrity Project, a group that works to safeguard vaccine use.

    France today recommends all children get vaccinated against 14 diseases, compared to the 11 that the U.S. now will recommend for every child under the new schedule.

    Doctors’ groups criticize decision

    The changes were made by political appointees, without any evidence that the current recommendations were harming children, O’Leary said.

    The pediatricians’ group has issued its own childhood vaccine schedule that its members are following, and it continues to broadly recommend vaccines that the Trump administration demoted.

    O’Leary singled out the flu vaccine, which the government and leading medical experts have long urged for nearly everyone starting at age 6 months. He said the government is “pretty tone deaf” for ending its recommendation while the country is at the beginning of a severe flu season, and after 280 children died from flu last winter, the most since 2009.

    Even a disease that parents may not have heard of, rotavirus, could come roaring back if vaccination erodes, he added. That diarrheal disease once hospitalized thousands of children each winter, something that no longer happens.

    The decision was made without input from an advisory committee that typically consults on the vaccine schedule, said senior officials at HHS. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the changes publicly.

    The officials added that the new recommendations were a collaborative effort between federal health agencies but wouldn’t specify who was consulted.

    Scientists at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases were asked to present to the agency’s political leadership about vaccine schedules in other countries in December, but they were not allowed to give any recommendations and were not aware of any decisions about vaccine schedule changes, said Abby Tighe, executive director of the National Public Health Coalition, an advocacy organization of current and former CDC employees and their supporters.

    “Changes of this magnitude require careful review, expert and public input, and clear scientific justification. That level of rigor and transparency was not part of this decision,” said Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, of the American Medical Association. “The scientific evidence remains unchanged, and the AMA supports continued access to childhood immunizations recommended by national medical specialty societies.”

    Kennedy is a longtime vaccine skeptic

    The move comes as Kennedy, a longtime activist against vaccines, has repeatedly used his authority in government to translate his skepticism about the shots into national guidance.

    In May, Kennedy announced the CDC would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by public health experts who saw no new data to justify the change.

    In June, Kennedy fired an entire 17-member CDC vaccine advisory committee — later installing several of his own replacements, including multiple vaccine skeptics.

    Kennedy in November also personally directed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism, without supplying any new evidence to support the change.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Maduro says ‘I was captured’ as he pleads not guilty on drug trafficking charges

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. courtroom on Monday.

    Maduro was making his first appearance in an American courtroom Monday on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance in a U.S. courtroom Monday following his capture over the weekend

    • Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges

    • A motorcade carrying Maduro left jail around 7:15 a.m. and made its way to a nearby athletic field, where Maduro slowly made his way to a waiting helicopter. The chopper flew across New York harbor and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armored vehicle

    Maduro, wearing a blue jail uniform, and his wife were led into court around noon for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the U.S. Both put on headsets to hear the English-language proceeding as it is translated into Spanish.

    The couple were transported under armed guard early Monday from the Brooklyn jail where they’ve been detained to a Manhattan courthouse.

    The trip was swift. A motorcade carrying Maduro left jail around 7:15 a.m. and made its way to a nearby athletic field, where Maduro slowly made his way to a waiting helicopter. The chopper flew across New York harbor and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armored vehicle.

    A few minutes later, the law enforcement caravan was inside a garage at the courthouse complex, just around the corner from the one where Donald Trump was convicted in 2024 of falsifying business records. Across the street from the courthouse, the police separated a small but growing group of protesters from about a dozen pro-intervention demonstrators, including one man who pulled a Venezuelan flag away from those protesting the U.S. action.

    As a criminal defendant in the U.S. legal system, Maduro will have the same rights as any other person accused of a crime — including the right to a trial by a jury of regular New Yorkers. But he’ll also be nearly — but not quite — unique.

    Maduro’s lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

    Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega unsuccessfully tried the same defense after the U.S. captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990. But the U.S. doesn’t recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state — particularly after a much-disputed 2024 reelection.

    Venezuela’s new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has demanded that the U.S. return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking — although late Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with President Trump and “respectful relations” with the U.S.

    Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed U.S. hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela’s rich oil and mineral resources.

    The U.S. seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine.”

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Oil stocks sharply higher after U.S. action in Venezuela

    [ad_1]

    Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it would be American companies helping to revitalize it following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

    While the U.S. action is unlikely to have an immediate impact on crude prices given the current glut in the market, it could upend energy markets and have an impact on the geopolitical landscape.

    The shale oil revolution made the U.S. the world’s largest crude producer. Recent, massive oil finds off the coast of Guyana are largely controlled by ExxonMobil and Chevron. U.S. control of the Venezuelan energy industry, which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, could “reshape the balance of power in international energy markets,” analysts with JP Morgan wrote Monday.

    “The combined total could position the US as a leading holder of global oil reserves, potentially accounting for about 30% of the world’s total if these figures are consolidated under US influence,” JP Morgan wrote. “This would mark a notable shift in global energy dynamics.”

    Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions. Yet some oil industry analysts believe that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day and return the nation to historic production levels relatively quickly.

    “With greater access to and influence over a substantial portion of global reserves, the US could potentially exert more control over oil market trends, helping to stabilize prices and keep them within historically lower ranges,” according to JP Morgan. “This increased leverage would not only enhance US energy security but could also reshape the balance of power in international energy markets.”

    If or when that would happen, however, is more complex. Many energy analysts see a longer and more difficult road ahead.

    “While the Trump administration has suggested large U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela and spend billions to fix infrastructure, we believe political and other risks along with current relatively low oil prices could prevent this from happening anytime soon,” wrote Neal Dingmann of William Blair. Material change to Venezuelan production will take a lot of time and millions of dollars of infrastructure improvement, he said.

    And any investment in Venezuelan infrastructure right now would take place in a weakened global energy market. Crude prices in the U.S. are down 20% compared with last year. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude hasn’t been above $70 since June, and hasn’t touched $80 per barrel since the summer of 2024.

    A barrel of oil cost more than $130 in the leadup to the U.S. housing crisis in 2008.

    There’s several factors that could impact Venezuelan production, including how quickly a government transition can take hold and how fast and willing multinational oil companies are to reenter the country, wrote John Freeman of Raymond James.

    At the opening bell, shares in the energy sector moved broadly higher, particularly companies with large refinery operations.

    Venezuela produces the kind of heavy crude oil that’s needed for diesel fuel, asphalt and other fuels for heavy equipment. Diesel is in short supply around the world because of the sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Russia and because America’s lighter crude oil can’t easily replace it.

    Big refiners like Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 rose between 5% and 6% at the opening bell.

    Oilfield service companies, those that actually go into the field and do the drilling and upkeep, rose even more sharply. SLB and Halliburton rose between 7% and 8%.

    Major oil exploratory companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips rose between 2% and 4%.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Oil stocks sharply higher after U.S. action in Venezuela

    [ad_1]

    Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it would be American companies helping to revitalize it following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

    While the U.S. action is unlikely to have an immediate impact on crude prices given the current glut in the market, it could upend energy markets and have an impact on the geopolitical landscape.

    The shale oil revolution made the U.S. the world’s largest crude producer. Recent, massive oil finds off the coast of Guyana are largely controlled by ExxonMobil and Chevron. U.S. control of the Venezuelan energy industry, which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, could “reshape the balance of power in international energy markets,” analysts with JP Morgan wrote Monday.

    “The combined total could position the US as a leading holder of global oil reserves, potentially accounting for about 30% of the world’s total if these figures are consolidated under US influence,” JP Morgan wrote. “This would mark a notable shift in global energy dynamics.”

    Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions. Yet some oil industry analysts believe that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day and return the nation to historic production levels relatively quickly.

    “With greater access to and influence over a substantial portion of global reserves, the US could potentially exert more control over oil market trends, helping to stabilize prices and keep them within historically lower ranges,” according to JP Morgan. “This increased leverage would not only enhance US energy security but could also reshape the balance of power in international energy markets.”

    If or when that would happen, however, is more complex. Many energy analysts see a longer and more difficult road ahead.

    “While the Trump administration has suggested large U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela and spend billions to fix infrastructure, we believe political and other risks along with current relatively low oil prices could prevent this from happening anytime soon,” wrote Neal Dingmann of William Blair. Material change to Venezuelan production will take a lot of time and millions of dollars of infrastructure improvement, he said.

    And any investment in Venezuelan infrastructure right now would take place in a weakened global energy market. Crude prices in the U.S. are down 20% compared with last year. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude hasn’t been above $70 since June, and hasn’t touched $80 per barrel since the summer of 2024.

    A barrel of oil cost more than $130 in the leadup to the U.S. housing crisis in 2008.

    There’s several factors that could impact Venezuelan production, including how quickly a government transition can take hold and how fast and willing multinational oil companies are to reenter the country, wrote John Freeman of Raymond James.

    At the opening bell, shares in the energy sector moved broadly higher, particularly companies with large refinery operations.

    Venezuela produces the kind of heavy crude oil that’s needed for diesel fuel, asphalt and other fuels for heavy equipment. Diesel is in short supply around the world because of the sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Russia and because America’s lighter crude oil can’t easily replace it.

    Big refiners like Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 rose between 5% and 6% at the opening bell.

    Oilfield service companies, those that actually go into the field and do the drilling and upkeep, rose even more sharply. SLB and Halliburton rose between 7% and 8%.

    Major oil exploratory companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips rose between 2% and 4%.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Maduro arrives in U.S. after capture; Trump will let U.S. ‘run’ Venezuela

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela — Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    What You Need To Know

    • Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the U.S. to face criminal charges after being captured in a nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations

    • Maduro landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas

    • Venezuela’s capital remained unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed

    • Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region

    Maduro landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.

    Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none was killed.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    After arriving at a small airport in New York City’s northern suburbs, Maduro was flown by helicopter to Manhattan, where a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including an armored car, was waiting to whisk him to a nearby U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office.

    A video posted on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through that office by two DEA agents grasping his arms.

    Trump says U.S. will ‘run the country’

    The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.

    Early morning attack

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.

    Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    Venezuela’s capital remained unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed. A road typically filled with runners, cyclists and other fitness enthusiasts on Sundays only had a handful of people working out the day after Maduro was deposed.

    The presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and members of the military. At a nearby plaza, only a street sweeper and a soldier stood, and across the street, a church remained close for a second day in a row.

    Caracas resident David Leal arrived to the lot where he parks vehicles for a living only to quickly realize that he would likely not see any clients for a second day.

    “People are still shaken,” Leal, 77, said.

    Questions of legality linger

    Whether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.

    Pope Leo XIV, who last month had expressed concern about growing U.S. threats of military intervention in Venezuela, raised alarms during his Sunday noon blessing and said the good of the Venezuelan people must prevail above everything else. History’s first U.S. pope demanded an end to violence and for Venezuela’s sovereignty to be guaranteed.

    In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning.

    Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Venezuelans remain shell-shocked after U.S. captured Maduro

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans on Sunday remained shell-shocked a day after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a U.S. military operation, with an uncertain future ahead in the South American nation.

    What You Need To Know

    • Venezuelans remain in shock after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a U.S. military operation

    • A tense calm has settled over Caracas, with many stores and churches closed

    • Maduro is in custody in New York, but his officials remain in power, demanding his release

    • U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that his administration will run Venezuela, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio instead said the U.S. will use control of Venezuela’s oil industry to force policy changes

    A tense calm settled over the capital, Caracas, which was unusually quiet. Many stores, gas stations and churches remained closed and people patiently lined up outside others, staring at their phones or into the distance.

    “People are still shaken,” said 77-year-old David Leal, who arrived to work as a parking attendant but realized he likely would not have customers. He pointed to the deserted street.

    While Maduro was in custody in New York, the officials who had surrounded him remained in power and demanded his release. Venezuela’s presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and members of the military.

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday asserted that his administration would “run” Venezuela with the help of Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president and now the interim president after a high court’s order.

    But Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday appeared to back off Trump’s assertion. In interviews with CBS and ABC, he insisted instead that Washington will use control of Venezuela’s oil industry to force policy changes. He said the government currently in place was illegitimate but a step toward where the U.S. wanted Venezuela to be.

    “We want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today. But obviously, we don’t have the expectation that’s going to happen in the next 15 hours,” Rubio said. “There has to be a little realism here.”

    While Venezuelans in the U.S. and Latin America broke out in celebration or protest, there were no signs of celebration within the country. A number of government supporters rallied over the weekend, some burning U.S. flags and holding signs reading “gringo go home”.

    In a low-income neighborhood in eastern Caracas, construction worker Daniel Medalla sat on the steps outside a Catholic church and told a few parishioners that there would be no morning Mass.

    Medalla said he believed the streets remained mostly empty because people fear government repression if they dare celebrate.

    “We were longing for it,” Medalla, 66, said of Maduro’s exit.

    There are fresh memories of a government crackdown during 2024’s fraught elections, which Maduro was widely accused of stealing. Street protests left 28 people dead, 220 injured and at least 2,000 detained, according to official figures.

    In the coastal state of La Guaira, families with houses damaged in blasts during the overnight operation that captured Maduro and his wife were cleaning up debris.

    Wilman González, who was left with a black eye from a blast, picked through rubble on his floors, surrounded by broken furniture. One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.

    A number of people were killed by the U.S. strikes, though Venezuelan officials did not confirm how many.

    Among those killed was González’s aunt.

    “This is it, what we are left with: ruins,” he said.

    González spoke with anger at the wreckage but also at the compounding economic and political crises that Venezuela has endured for decades.

    “We are civilians, we are not with the government or anyone else,” he said.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • U.S. plans to ‘run’ Venezuela, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela — Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump says the United States will run Venezuela at least temporarily after an audacious military operation plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country

    • Trump on Saturday also described plans to tap Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to sell to other nations

    • The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader and months of secret planning

    • It resulted in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
    • Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader and months of secret planning resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

    Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful. Venezuela’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez demanded in a speech that the U.S. free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader, before Venezuela’s high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Maduro and his wife, seized overnight from their home on a military base, were first taken aboard a U.S. warship on their way to face prosecution for a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    A plane carrying the deposed leader landed around 4:30 p.m. Saturday at an airport in New York City’s northern suburbs. Maduro was escorted off the jet, gingerly making his way down a stairway before being led across the tarmac surrounded by federal agents. Several agents filmed him on their phones as he walked.

    He was then flown by helicopter to Manhattan, where a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including an armored car, was waiting to whisk him to a nearby U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office.

    A video posted on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through that office by two DEA agents grasping his arms.

    He was expected to be detained while awaiting trial at a federal jail in Brooklyn.

    Move lacks congressional approval

    The legal authority for the incursion, done without congressional approval, was not immediately clear, but the Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help run the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate signs of that. Venezuelan state TV continued to air pro-Maduro propaganda, broadcasting live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference where he boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, that painted the regime as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    Trump posted a photo on social media showing Maduro wearing a sweatsuit and a blindfold on board the USS Iwo Jima.

    Early morning attack

    The operation followed a monthslong Trump administration effort to push the Venezuelan leader, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

    Maduro had decried prior military operations as a thinly veiled effort to topple him from power.

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday as Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in the capital city of Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Early Saturday, multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the U.S. of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets.

    The assault lasted less than 30 minutes, and the explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard. Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, the country’s vice president, without giving a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured but none were killed.

    Video obtained from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed tracers and smoke clouding the landscape as repeated muted explosions illuminated the night sky. Other footage showed cars passing on a highway as blasts illuminated the hills behind them. The videos were verified by The Associated Press.

    Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without electricity.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodriguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she assume the interim role.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” Rodriguez said.

    Government supporters burn a U.S. flag in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing a figure Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture and celebrate it.

    At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    Earlier, armed people and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party.

    In other parts of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack. Some areas remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking down at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared, many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    In this photo released by the White House, President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, center, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Molly Riley/The White House via AP)

    In this photo released by the White House, President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, center, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Molly Riley/The White House via AP)

    Questions of legality

    Some legal experts raised immediate concerns about the operation’s legality.

    The U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning, according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

    Lawmakers from both political parties in Congress have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling near the Venezuelan coast. Congress has not specifically approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Cities around world welcome 2026 with thunderous fireworks, heightened security

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — From Sydney to Paris to New York City, crowds rang in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or light shows, while others took a more subdued approach.

    As the clock struck midnight in Japan, temple bells rang and some climbed mountains to see the year’s first sunrise, while a light show with somersaulting jet skis twinkled in Dubai. The countdown to 2026 was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, while in Moscow people celebrated in the snow.

    In New York City’s Times Square, revelers braved frigid temperatures to celebrate with the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop.

    In Rio de Janeiro, revelers packed more than 4 kilometers (2 1/2 miles) of the city’s Copacabana Beach for concerts and a 12-minute fireworks show, despite high tides that had both organizers and tourists worried and large waves that rocked barges carrying fireworks.

    Other events were more subdued. Hong Kong held limited celebrations following a recent fire at an apartment complex that killed 161 people. Australia saluted the new year with defiance less than a month after its worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.

    Ball drop in New York City

    Crowds bundled up against the chilly temperatures cheered and embraced as the New Year’s Eve ball covered in more than 5,000 crystals descended down a pole and confetti rained down in Times Square.

    Revelers wearing tall celebratory hats and light-up necklaces had waited for hours to see the 12,350-pound (5,602-kilograms) ball drop. The festivities also included Tones and I performing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

    The television hosts interviewed visitors who were attending from such places as Florida, Mexico and South Korea, and read people’s wishes for the new year.

    After the ball dropped it rose again, sparkling in red, white and blue, to mark the country’s upcoming 250th birthday.

    Police in the city had planned additional anti-terrorism measures at the ball drop, with “mobile screening teams.” It was not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

    Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the New Year celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

    More security in Sydney

    A heavy police presence monitored crowds watching fireworks in Sydney. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the event, after two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15.

    An hour before midnight, victims were commemorated with a minute of silence, and the crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.

    New South Wales Premier Chris Minns had urged residents not to stay away from festivities, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds as a victory: “We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime.”

    Shadows of war and disasters

    Indonesia scaled back festivities in solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides in parts of Sumatra a month ago that killed over 1,100. Fireworks on the tourist island of Bali were replaced with traditional dances.

    Hong Kong rang in 2026 without fireworks over Victoria Harbor after the massive fire in November. Facades of landmarks were turned into countdown clocks and a light show at midnight.

    And in Gaza, Palestinians said they hope the new year brings an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

    “The war humiliated us,” said Mirvat Abed Al-Aal, displaced from the southern city of Rafah.

    A light show is projected on the Arc de Triomphe as fireworks explode during New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

    A light show is projected on the Arc de Triomphe as fireworks explode during New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

    Around Europe

    Pope Leo XIV closed out the year with a plea for the city of Rome to welcome foreigners and the fragile. Fireworks erupted over European landmarks, from the Colosseum in Rome to the London Eye.

    In Paris, revelers converged around the glittering Champs-Élysées avenue. Taissiya Girda, a 27-year-old tourist from Kazakhstan, expressed hope for a calmer 2026.

    “I would like to see happy people around me, no war anywhere,” she said. “Russia, Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, I want everybody to be happy and in peace.”

    In Scotland, where New Year’s is known as Hogmanay, First Minister John Swinney urged Scots to follow the message of “Auld Lang Syne” by national poet Robert Burns and show small acts of kindness.

    Greece and Cyprus turned down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics in capitals. Officials said the change was intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin’s father dies after Sunday night house fire

    [ad_1]

    GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A house fire in North Carolina on Sunday has claimed the life of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin’s father and left his mother critically injured, authorities said Monday evening. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Officials say the father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin died and his mother was critically injured after a weekend fire heavily damaged the North Carolina home where they lived

    • Gaston County officials said Monday that firefighters arrived Sunday night at a two-story house near Stanley that was mostly engulfed in fire, with flames showing through the attic

    • Officials say 75-year-old Dennis Hamlin and 69-year-old Mary Lou Hamlin were found outside the house suffering catastrophic injuries

    • Dennis Hamlin died from his injuries at a hospital and Mary Lou Hamlin was being treated at a burn center, officials said

    Dennis Hamlin, 75, who supported his son’s rise to stardom in the stock car racing series, died from injuries he suffered in the fire Sunday, NASCAR said Monday. 

    Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, Denny Hamlin’s mother and wife of Dennis Hamlin, was being treated for her injuries at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, Gaston County Emergency Services said Monday evening. 

    Firefighters arrived at the house on Blacksnake Road in Gaston County, about 20 miles from Charlotte, about 6:27 p.m. Sunday to find it mostly engulfed, with flames emerging from the attic, Gaston County officials said. 

    Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin escaped the flames but suffered what were described as “catastrophic injuries,” officials said.

    Mary Lou Hamlin pulled her husband out of the fire, Lucia Riverbend Fire Department Chief David Toomey said. 

    They were taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center, where Dennis Hamlin succumbed to his injuries.

    “NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family,” the stock car series said in a statement. “Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”

    Firefighters managed to save NASCAR memorabilia that was in the back of the house and at least six cars in the garage. 

    Dennis Hamlin had been in declining health, Denny Hamlin said as this year’s season was nearing its finish, according to NASCAR. Denny Hamlin dedicated his October victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to his father. 

    Property records show the house is registered to Won One Real Estate LLC, which state records show is owned by Denny Hamlin. 

    Denny Hamlin is one of the marquee drivers in NASCAR’s top circuit, having won 60 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 three times.

    The 45-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing has yet to win a Cup points championship. He fell short of the title during this season’s final race in Arizona last month.

    The cause of the fire is under investigation.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

    [ad_2]

    Daniel Gray, Associated Press

    Source link

  • Winter storm packing snow, winds descends on Great Lakes and Northeast

    [ad_1]

    A wild winter storm brought strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreled across the Midwest and left tens of thousands of customers without power.

    What You Need To Know

    • A wild winter storm is bringing strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast

    • The storm forecast for Tuesday follows a bomb cyclone that hit the northern U.S. and left tens of thousands without power

    • Tens of thousands of customers were without power early Tuesday, with Michigan hardest hit

    • The National Weather Service predicts snow squalls and gusty winds for the Eastern U.S. New York’s governor warned of whiteout conditions in parts of the state

    The storm hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday with sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain, leading to treacherous travel. Forecasters said it intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops.

    Nationwide, more than 120,000 customers were without power Tuesday morning, nearly a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us.

    As the storm moved into Canada, the National Weather Service predicted more inclement weather conditions for the Eastern U.S., including quick bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds known as snow squalls. Blustery winds were expected to add to the arctic chill, with low temperatures dipping below freezing as far south as the Florida panhandle, the agency said.

    Some areas in western and upstate New York saw a foot or more of snow Monday and their totals could reach up to 3 feet this week, forecasters said. Strong winds on Monday, including an 81 mph gust in Buffalo, New York, knocked down trees and wires across the region, the National Weather Service said.

    “At this point, the worst does seem to be over, and we are expecting conditions to improve especially by later today,” said Andrew Orrison, a Weather Service meteorologist in College Park, Maryland.

    Videos on social media show people struggling to walk in the windy conditions and a waterway in downtown Buffalo clogged with tree branches and other debris stemming from a windblown surge from Lake Erie.

    Just south of Buffalo in Lackawanna, Diane Miller was caught on video being blown off the front steps of her daughter’s house and landing in some bushes. She wasn’t seriously hurt.

    “I opened her door and the wind caught me, and I went flying,” Miller told WKBW-TV.

    Winds were expected to decrease in speed Tuesday, but there could still be whiteout conditions in some areas, forecasters said.

    “If you’re in an impacted area, please avoid all unnecessary travel,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned said in a post on the social platform X.

    The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lakebed — even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile.

    Kevin Aldrich, 33, a maintenance worker from Monroe, Michigan, said he has never seen the lake recede so much and was surprised Monday to spot remnants of piers dating back to the 1830s. He posted photos on social media of wooden pilings sticking up several feet from the muck.

    “Where those are at would typically be probably 12 feet deep,” or 3.6 meters, he said. “We can usually drive our boat over them.”

    Waves on Lake Superior had been expected to reach 20 feet on Monday, sending all but one cargo ship into harbors for shelter, according to MarineTraffic.com.

    Dangerous wind chills across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota plunged as low as minus 30 F, or minus 34 C, on Monday. And in northeast West Virginia, rare nearly hurricane-force winds were recorded on a mountain near Dolly Sods, according to the National Weather Service.

    On the West Coast, strong Santa Ana winds with isolated gusts topping 70 mph brought down trees in parts of Southern California where recent storms had saturated the soil. Downed powerlines forced the shutdown of a freeway north of Los Angeles for several hours on Monday. Wind advisories had expired by evening, but blustery conditions were expected through Saturday, along with thunderstorms.

    Rain on New Year’s Day could potentially soak the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Father of Denny Hamlin remembered for sacfrices that launched his son to fame

    [ad_1]

    GASTON COUNTY, N.C. – The NASCAR community is mourning the loss of a driver’s father.

    Denny Hamlin’s father, Dennis, was killed in a fire at his Gaston County house Sunday night. Hamlin’s mother was critically injured and is being treated at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center.

        What You Need To Know

    • The NASCAR community is reeling from loss 

    • Driver Denny Hamlin’s father died after Hamlin’s mother pulled him out of their burning Gaston County home Sunday night 

    • Hamlin’s mother was badly burned and is still receiving medical treatment

    • Hamlin is an anticipated Hall of Famer, and his father is credited with helping him establish his career 

    Firefighters arrived at the house on Blacksnake Road just before 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Video from the fire shows flames engulfing the Hamlins’ home. According to Gaston County officials, when firefighters arrived, Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin were already outside.

    Chief David Toomey of the Lucia-Riverbend Fire Department confirmed Mary Lou Hamlin pulled Dennis Hamlin out of the home to save him.

    “I don’t want to get emotional, but you do when you hear that the woman tried to drag her husband out, and he didn’t make it,” Michael Minando, a neighbor, said. “It’s very sad. My heart goes out to them.” 

    Just two months before Dennis Hamlin died, Denny Hamlin dedicated his 60th cup series race win to his dad. Dennis Hamlin was unable to travel to the race in Las Vegas. His son told the Associated Press his dad was battling a serious illness.

    Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Concord, N.C. (AP File Photo/Matt Kelley)

    Denny Hamlin was first introduced to racing by his dad when he was 5. When Hamlin decided to pursue racing professionally, his dad started a family-owned racing team. He took out two mortgages on their house and sold four classic cars to make ends meet. 

    “Denny’s parents, to me, are the quintessential parents that wanted to help their child reach their dreams,” Winston Kelley, the executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said. “They did everything, anything and everything that they could to help them get to that point.”

    Neighbors said the Hamlins’ home was full of memorabilia from Denny’s NASCAR career, and their garage was filled with classic cars. Toomey said firefighters saved the memorabilia and several cars.

    The pain of losing Dennis Hamlin is being felt throughout the NASCAR community.

    “Dennis and Mary Lou were always there supporting Denny from the time, you know, he started in the entry levels of NASCAR to be able to support them,” Kelley said. “So they were a part of that family and are and always will be a part of the family.”

    The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

    NASCAR released the following statement after Dennis Hamlin’s death:

    “NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family. Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”  

    The NASCAR community is also still reeling from the loss of retired driver Greg Biffle and his family, who were killed on Dec. 18 when a Cessna C550 plane they were traveling in crashed. 

    [ad_2]

    Chloe Salsameda

    Source link

  • How tax write-off rules for charitable donations are changing

    [ad_1]

    With 2026 just a few days away, charities are engaged in the usual end-of-year push to get Americans to support their favorite causes.

    From food banks to pet rescues to disaster recovery organizations, charitable groups report giving is up this year and is likely to climb in the final days before new Internal Revenue Service rules kick in and change the incentives for taxpayers.

    What You Need To Know

    • The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July made significant changes to how donors’ charitable contributions affect their taxes

    • The changes take effect Jan. 1, 2026

    • Starting next year, individual taxpayers who take the standard deduction and do not itemize will be able to claim a $1,000 write-off for charitable donations while couples filing jointly will be able to claim $2,000

    • For individuals who itemize their deductions, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act mposes a new floor on charitable contribution deductions — donations that are less than 0.5% of a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income are no longer deductible, but anything over that amount will be


    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July made significant changes to how donors’ charitable contributions affect their taxes. Here’s what you need to know about charitable giving deductions starting in 2026:

    What is changing for taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions

    Starting in 2026, individual taxpayers who take the standard deduction and do not itemize will be able to claim a $1,000 write-off for charitable donations. Couples filing jointly will be able to claim $2,000.

    While the 2020 CARES Act briefly allowed for a $300 deduction on charitable donations during the COVID-19 pandemic, non-itemizing taxpayers who take the standard deduction have not been able to write off charitable donations on their tax returns since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

    That change led to roughly $30 billion less in charitable giving, Charity Navigator CEO Michael Thatcher told Spectrum News.

    The new universal deduction for charitable donations, he said, “is really meant to give everyone a chance to support the causes they care about.”

    About 86% of taxpayers are expected to take the standard deduction in 2026, according to the nonpartisan nonprofit Tax Foundation.

    The Giving USA Foundation expects the change to reenergize donations among small- and mid-level givers who now have a financial incentive to contribute.

    What is changing for taxpayers who itemize deductions

    For individuals who itemize their deductions, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act imposes a new floor on charitable contribution deductions. Donations that are less than 0.5% of a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income are no longer deductible, but anything over that amount will be.

    “It incentivizes being more generous,” Thatcher said. “You can’t just give a little bit. You’ve got to give more.”

    The new law also limits the tax benefit of itemized charitable donation deductions for ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the highest tax bracket to 35 cents per dollar instead of the current rate of 37 cents per dollar.

    Giving USA expects the change to prompt some donors to lump multiple years’ worth of donations into a single year to claim a higher deduction and others to delay their gifts.

    What is changing for corporations’ charitable giving donations

    The law imposes a 1% floor on corporations’ charitable contributions. Like individual taxpayers who itemize, donations that are less than 1% of a corporation’s taxable income are no longer deductible, but anything over that amount will be. Previously, there was no minimum on corporate charitable giving to be able to claim a deduction.

    Like itemizing individual taxpayers, Giving USA said corporations that currently give less than 1% are also likely to scale back or lump their charitable gifts.

    The bottom line

    The Tax Foundation estimates the changes will increase giving from non-itemizing taxpayers but reduce it for high-income individuals and corporations, resulting in “a near wash in terms of the overall revenue effects,” it said in a statement.

    [ad_2]

    Susan Carpenter

    Source link

  • ‘Avatar’ and ‘Marty Supreme’ propel strong ticket sales

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — Hollywood wrapped up a turbulent year with big ticket sales for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and a box-office hit for Timothée Chalamet with “Marty Supreme” over a busy holiday weekend in movie theaters.

    What You Need To Know

    • As expected, James Cameron’s latest trip to Pandora dominated ticket sales, collecting $88 million over the four-day Christmas-to-Sunday period and $64 million on the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday

    • In two weeks, “Fire and Ash” has quickly amassed $217.7 million in North America, but the $400 million-budgeted film has been a massive draw internationally, grossing $542.7 million thus far overseas

    • But much of the heat in theaters over Christmas and on the weekend belonged to “Marty Supreme,” A24’s biggest budget release, Josh Safdie’s 1950s-set table tennis drama collected $27.1 million over the four-day weekend, a smash success for the indie studio

    • Hollywood is ending the year with its best Christmas Day box office since before the COVID-19 pandemic, a celebratory final note in what’s been a rough year for the film industry



    As expected, James Cameron’s latest trip to Pandora dominated ticket sales, collecting $88 million over the four-day Christmas-to-Sunday period and $64 million on the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though “Fire and Ash” initially opened notably softer domestically than its 2022 predecessor, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” it held better in its second weekend. It dipped just 28%, whereas “Way of Water” fell 53%.

    In two weeks, “Fire and Ash” has quickly amassed $217.7 million in North America for The Walt Disney Company. But the $400 million-budgeted film has been a massive draw internationally, grossing $542.7 million thus far overseas. To reach the box-office heights of the previous films, both of which rank among the biggest blockbusters ever, “Fire and Ash” will need to sustain business through New Year’s and early January. If it does, “Avatar” could become the first franchise with three $2 billion movies.

    But much of the heat in theaters over Christmas and on the weekend belonged to “Marty Supreme,” A24’s biggest budget release, Josh Safdie’s 1950s-set table tennis drama collected $27.1 million over the four-day weekend, a smash success for the indie studio.

    Chalamet went to great lengths to promote the acclaimed release, including appearing atop the Sphere in Las Vegas. The strong opening proved that the 30-year-old star has drawing power beyond most of his contemporaries, and it marked a rare box-office win for a wholly original film. Safdie’s film carries a price tag of about $70 million.

    “Marty Supreme” even bested the film most analysts expected to rank number two: Sony Pictures’ “Anaconda.” The big-screen comedy, starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, collected $23.7 million over the four-day holiday weekend. That’s still good for comedy, a genre most studios have abandoned in recent years. But “Anaconda” (50% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) was surely dinged by poor reviews.

    Hollywood is ending the year with its best Christmas Day box office since before the COVID-19 pandemic, a celebratory final note in what’s been a rough year for the film industry. Going into the year, expectations were high for the industry’s first year this decade not marred by pandemic or strike.

    “It was a really solid end to a tumultuous year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “It’s been a roller-coaster ride. I think the best news for the industry — I know we kind of say this every year — but if you look at the lineup for 2026, it’s pretty incredible.”

    But domestic ticket sales on the year are ending roughly on par with the disappointing $8.75 billion in 2024. With three days left in 2025, the box-office total is $8.76 billion, according to Comscore. By comparison, in 2019, that total was $11.4 billion.

    That’s a worrying development for theaters, which are now nervously watching Netflix attempt to buy one of Hollywood’s most storied studios in Warner Bros. The highest grossing film of the year was a Chinese production, the $2 billion-generating “Ne Zha 2.” The most-watched movie of 2025 was “KPop Demon Hunters,” a movie Sony Pictures sold to Netflix. Even the Oscars are headed to YouTube.

    What worked in 2025? PG-rated movies. For the second year in a row, PG-rated movies outperformed PG-13 ones. Domestically, PG films generated $2.87 billion, according to Comscore, while PG-13 movies collected $2.78 billion.

    The three biggest Hollywood blockbusters were all PG-rated: “Zootopia 2” ($1.42 billion globally), “Lilo & Stitch” ($1.04 billion) and “A Minecraft Movie” ($958.2 million).

    “Zootopia 2” even outranked the newcomers over the traditional weekend. In its fifth weekend, it earned another $20 million. Propelled by “Zootopia 2,” “Lilo & Stitch” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Disney became the first studio since 2019 to cross $6 billion worldwide in the year.

    Yet expectations are already growing for a rebound year at the box office in 2026. Among the major titles upcoming are “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the live-action “Moana,” “Toy Story 5” and “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

    The coming week, when schools are out and many people are off work, should be one of the busiest weeks of the year in theaters. Aside from the top films, a number of other releases will hope to capitalize.

    That includes Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid,” the Paul Feig thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried ($46.7 million in two weeks); “David,” the animated David and Goliath film from Angel Studios ($49.8 million in two weeks); Paramount Pictures’ “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” ($38.2 million in two weeks); and Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue.”

    “Song Sung Blue” may be particularly well-positioned for strong legs. The Craig Brewer-directed film, starring Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman as members of a Neil Diamond cover band, debuted over the holiday weekend with a four-day haul of $12 million. Audience scores (an “A” CinemaScore) have been excellent.

    Top 10 movies by domestic box office

    With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

    1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $64 million.

    2. “Zootopia 2,” $20 million.

    3. “Marty Supreme,” $17.5 million.

    4. “The Housemaid,” $15.4 million.

    5. “Anaconda,” $14.6 million.

    6. “David,” $12.7 million.

    7. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” $11.2 million.

    8. “Song Sung Blue,” $7.6 million.

    9. “Wicked: For Good,” $5.3 million.

    10. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” $4.4 million.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Trump welcomes Zelenskyy for talks, asserts Russia and Ukraine both want peace

    [ad_1]

    PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Sunday he believes both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin truly want peace, as he welcomed the “brave” Ukrainian leader for talks at his Florida resort.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump says he believes both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin want an end to their war

    • Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to his Florida club Sunday after speaking with Putin by phone

    • Trump is hosting Zelenskyy to try to close out a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia that would end nearly four years of war

    • Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s capital in the days before the meeting

    “The two leaders want it to end,” Trump said at the outset of the meeting at Mar-a-Lago. Before Zelenskyy arrived, Trump spoke with Putin by phone for more than an hour, and planned to speak with him again soon after.

    Greeting Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said of him: “This gentleman has worked very hard, and is very brave, and his people are very brave.”

    Zelenskyy, by Trump’s side, said he’d discuss issues of territorial concessions with Trump, which have so far been a red line for his country. He said his negotiators and Trump’s “have discussed how to move step by step and bring peace closer” and would continue to do so in the meeting.

    Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s capital in the days before the meeting.

    Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, said the Trump-Putin call was initiated by the U.S. side, lasted over an hour, and was “friendly, benevolent, and businesslike.” Ushakov said Trump and Putin agreed to speak again “promptly” after Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy.

    But Ushakov added that a “bold, responsible, political decision is needed from Kyiv” on the fiercely contested Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and other matters in dispute for there to be a “complete cessation” of hostilities.

    In overnight developments, three guided aerial bombs launched by Russia struck private homes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to the head of the local military administration, Vadym Lakh. Three people were injured and one man died, Lakh said in a post on the Telegram messenger app.

    The strike came the day after Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding 27, a day before planned talks between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States, Ukrainian authorities said. Explosions boomed across Kyiv as the attack began in the early morning and continued for hours. Trump said, however, that he still believes Putin is “very serious” about ending the war.

    “I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also,” Trump told reporters as Zelenskyy stood by his side. “And I don’t say that negatively. I think, you probably have to. I don’t say that negatively. But I think, he hasn’t told me that, but there have been some explosions in various parts of Russia. It looks to me, like, I don’t know. I don’t think it came from the Congo.”

    Trump and Putin will speak again

    Trump said he’d call Putin after the meeting with Zelenskyy and also reach out to European leaders who he said “have been really great.” He tempered his optimism about ending the conflict, however.

    “It’ll either end or it’s going to go on for a long time and millions of additional people will be killed,” Trump said.

    Trump and Zelenskyy sitting down face-to-face underscored the apparent progress made by Trump’s top negotiators in recent weeks as the sides traded draft peace plans and continued to shape a proposal to end the fighting. Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that the 20-point draft proposal negotiators have discussed is “about 90% ready” — echoing a figure, and the optimism, that U.S. officials conveyed when Trump’s chief negotiators met with Zelenskyy in Berlin earlier this month.

    During the recent talks, the U.S. agreed to offer certain security guarantees to Ukraine similar to those offered to other members of NATO. The proposal came as Zelenskyy said he was prepared to drop his country’s bid to join the security alliance if Ukraine received NATO-like protection that would be designed to safeguard it against future Russian attacks.

    ‘Intensive’ weeks ahead

    Zelenskyy also spoke on Christmas Day with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. The Ukrainian leader said they discussed “certain substantive details” and cautioned “there is still work to be done on sensitive issues” and “the weeks ahead may also be intensive.”

    The U.S. president has been working to end the war in Ukraine for much of his first year back in office, showing irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin while publicly acknowledging the difficulty of ending the conflict. Long gone are the days when, as a candidate in 2024, he boasted that he could resolve the fighting in a day.

    After hosting Zelenskyy at the White House in October, Trump demanded that both Russia and Ukraine halt fighting and “stop at the battle line,” implying that Moscow should be able to keep the territory it has seized from Ukraine.

    Zelenskyy said last week that he would be willing to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Russia also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.

    Putin wants Russian gains kept, and more

    Putin has publicly said he wants all the areas in four key regions that have been captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He also has insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces haven’t captured. Kyiv has publicly rejected all those demands.

    The Kremlin also wants Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO. It warned that it wouldn’t accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance and would view them as a “legitimate target.”

    Putin also has said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language, demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.

    Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told the business daily Kommersant this month that Russian police and national guard would stay in parts of Donetsk -– one of the two major areas, along with Luhansk, that make up the Donbas region — even if they become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan.

    Ushakov cautioned that trying to reach a compromise could take a long time. He said U.S. proposals that took into account Russian demands had been “worsened” by alterations proposed by Ukraine and its European allies.

    Trump has been somewhat receptive to Putin’s demands, making the case that the Russian president can be persuaded to end the war if Kyiv agrees to cede Ukrainian land in the Donbas region and if Western powers offer economic incentives to bring Russia back into the global economy.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Leftover, discontinued cars offer best deals at end of year, experts say

    [ad_1]

    With average prices for new vehicles hovering around $52,000 and tariffs expected to nudge them even higher in the new year, it may behoove some shoppers to take advantage of car inventories that are piling up on dealers’ lots. The end of the year typically brings deals as some models are discontinued and others prove unpopular.

    What You Need To Know

    • With average prices for new vehicles hovering around $52,000 and tariffs expected to nudge them even higher in the new year, it may behoove some shoppers to take advantage of car inventories that are piling up on dealers’ lots

    • The end of the year typically brings deals as some models are discontinued and others prove unpopular

    • Interested in a Dodge Hornet plug-in hybrid compact crossover? How about a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV? The three models from parent company Stellantis top the list of vehicles with the highest levels of leftover 2024 inventory at 82.1%, 70.8% and 46.8% respectively, according to a new analysis from iSeeCars.com; while the overall average for 2024 model year inventory is 0.4%

    • Among all 2025 model year vehicles, the BMW i4 electric sedan tops the list with the most inventory (89.2%), followed by the Lexus GX 550 SUV (87.8%) and Subaru BRZ sports car (87.1%)


    Interested in a Dodge Hornet plug-in hybrid compact crossover? How about a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV? The three models from parent company Stellantis top the list of vehicles with the highest levels of leftover 2024 inventory at 82.1%, 70.8% and 46.8% respectively, according to a new analysis from iSeeCars.com, while the overall average for last year’s inventory is 0.4%.

    “If dealers are struggling to move an older, leftover 2024 or 2025 model, it can be an opportunity for buyers who want new car, peace of mind and warranty coverage at a reduced price,” iSeeCars.com executive analyst Karl Brauer said in a statement.

    Buyers in the market for 2024 model year luxury SUVs ordinarily priced over $50,000 will have plenty of options, he added, noting excess inventories of the Land Rover Discovery Sport compact SUV (5.3%) and Maserati Grecale SUV (7.4%).

    Electric vehicles that weren’t purchased during the third-quarter buying frenzy prompted by the end of a $7,500 federal tax credit could also offer room for buyers to negotiate, Brauer said.

    The Genesis GV60 SUV topped the list of 2024 model year EVs with the most leftover inventory at 21.8%, followed by the Dodge Charger EV (20.9%), Chevrolet Silverado EV (11.9%) and GMC Hummer EV SUV (5.5%). Of 2025 model year EVs, the BMW i4 ranked first for most leftovers (89.2%), followed by the Porsche Macan (67.8%) and Volkswagen ID.4 (59.1%).

    “With the federal EV incentive gone, dealers have to be even more flexible on their electric vehicle pricing,” Brauer said. “This is particularly true for EVs that have a high percentage of 2025 model year inventory even as January 1, 2026, looms.”

    Among all 2025 model year vehicles, the BMW i4 electric sedan topped the list with the most inventory, followed by the Lexus GX 550 SUV (87.8%) and Subaru BRZ sports car (87.1%). Several hybrids also made the top 20, including the Toyota 4Runner (80.4%), Hyundai Elantra (73%) and Chevrolet Corvette (72.5%), according to the analysis.

    “For dealers, the pressure is on to move these 2025 models off the lot before their model year brands them as a ‘leftover’ new car,” Brauer said. “Combine this with every dealer’s desire to hit their numbers before the month, quarter and year come to a close on December 31st, and it’s likely buyers can negotiate a lower price on these vehicles.”

    Cox Automotive reported this month that new vehicle sales are expected to end lower in December compared with last year. Cox expects total new vehicle sales to finish the year at 16.3 million.

    “The fourth quarter is showing the expected slowdown, as headwinds from tariffs, inflation and reduced EV incentives weigh on the market after nine surprisingly strong months,” Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough said in a statement. “Still, consumer demand has kept the new-vehicle market healthy throughout 2025.”

    Most types of cars have seen year-over-year sales declines, with mid-size cars seeing the largest drop, followed by compact SUVs, full-size pickup trucks and compact cars. The only vehicle segment to see increases were mid-size SUVs, according to Cox Auto.

    The average suggested retail price for a new vehicle in December is $51,986, according to Kelley Blue Book.

    While languishing 2024 and 2025 model year vehicles offer good opportunities for discounting, discontinued models may offer the best deals of all because they are seen as both “leftover” by dealers and “abandoned” by their manufacturers, Brauer said.

    Twenty-three new cars have been discontinued for 2026, according to iSeeCars:

    Acura TLX

    Alfa Romeo Tonale Hybrid

    Audi A4

    Audi Q8 e-tron

    BMW X4

    Cadillac XT4

    Cadillac XT6

    Chevrolet Malibu

    Dodge Hornet

    Dodge Hornet plug-in hybrid

    Infiniti QX50

    Infiniti QX55

    Jeep Wagoneer

    Jeep Wagoneer L

    Kia Soul

    Lexus RC 350

    Mercedes-Benz EQB

    Polestar 2

    Porsche 718 Boxster

    Porsche 718 Cayman

    Subaru Legacy

    Volvo S60

    Volvo S90

    “The cold weather and holiday distractions generally make the end of the year a good time to buy a car,” Brauer said. “Combine those factors with leftover new 2024 or 2025 models that dealers can’t seem to unload, and a deal-making opportunity is likely for buyers looking to take advantage.”

    [ad_2]

    Susan Carpenter

    Source link