Category: Security

Feb. 1—A medical transport jet with six people on board plummeted to the ground near Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia Friday night, bursting into flames that spread to homes and cars in a heavily trafficked area and killing everyone on board the plane and at least one person on the ground.

The Learjet 55 went down shortly after 6 p.m. near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard just after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, creating a chaotic and horrific scene of death and destruction.

The person on the ground who was killed was in a car, according to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. As of Saturday morning, a minimum of 19 people on the ground had been reported injured, she said.

A shelter has been established for those who could not get to their homes or whose homes were damaged in the crash and resulting fire.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene Saturday and said investigators are still searching for the plane’s cockpit voice recorder, or “black box.”

What happened?

A private medical transport jet took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport just after 6 p.m. and within a minute appeared to have nosedived into a commercial and residential area 3.5 miles away near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard.

Witnesses captured video and pictures of a giant fireball and dark black smoke rising from the crash site.

Who owned the plane and where was it going?

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, a medical flight company, owns the Learjet 55. The aircraft was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, with Tijuana, Mexico, its ultimate destination.

Who was on the plane?

The company said a pilot, copilot, flight physician and paramedic along with a pediatric patient and their escort were on the plane. The patient had been treated at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia and was returning home with her mother on a “contracted air ambulance,” said a hospital spokesperson, describing the Shriners community as “heartbroken.”

Who are the other victims from the plane?

A Mexican emergency service has identified one of its doctors as having been on board the medical jet that crashed.

“Dr. Raúl Meza was part of crew in the air ambulance XA-UCI belonging to another company where [he] also provides his professional services,” XE Médica Ambulancias wrote on X, identifying Meza as their chief of neonatology.

No other victims have been identified.

How many were killed?

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed six of the country’s nationals had died in the jet crash. In a post on X, Sheinbaum said the Mexican consulate was in continued contact with families of the deceased.

“My solidarity with their loved ones and friends,” she wrote.

City officials confirmed that those killed included four crew members and a mother and her daughter.

How many were injured?

Mayor Parker said in a news conference Saturday that at least 19 people were known to have been injured. But the extent of those injuries and how many may have received medical treatment was unclear, she said.

Of the injured, Temple medical facilities treated seven people.

Six people were brought to Temple University Hospital’s Jeanes Campus in the Northeast Friday night for treatment, according to a spokesperson. As of Saturday morning, all six who of those had been treated and released, a Temple Health spokesperson said.

One patient was still being treated Saturday at Temple University Hospital’s Main Campus and is in fair condition, the spokesperson said.

And Jefferson Health reported that it provided care for 15 individuals — 12 have since been discharged; two have been admitted for further care and one patient was transferred to another hospital.

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children treated one child, a spokesperson said.

That brings the possible total injured to 23.

How big is the debris field?

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board said the debris field is four to five blocks and “is very dangerous.”

Has the plane’s so-called black box been found?

“We are still looking for the cockpit voice recorder,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said during a news conference Saturday evening. “It could be intact, but is likely very damaged. It could be fragmented.”

Homendy said the recorder is a key piece of information, but not the only piece and that the investigation will go on with or without it. It is typically orange, “but it might not be orange. It might be in pieces. If you see any types of debris, please email us [at [email protected]], she said.

How long will cleanup of the area take?

Over the next several “days to weeks,” Homendy said, debris will be collected and transported to a secure location. “Right now our focus is on collecting the perishable evidence,” she said.

What did air traffic controllers at Northeast Philadelphia Airport say?

“Medievac Medservice 056 Northeast Tower, are you on frequency?” an air traffic controller asked after the pilots of the jet did not respond, according to an audio recording. After a few seconds of radio silence, a pilot in another aircraft asked about the situation.

“We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out,” the air traffic controller said moments later. “For now, the field is going to be closed. So no inbounds or outbounds.”

What did witnesses see?

Rachel Handis heard the boom, then her Northeast Philadelphia rowhouse shook as if an earthquake was happening.

“I thought it was gunshots,” said the 34-year-old. “I was so scared.”

As other neighbors ran toward the crash site on Friday night, Handis said her instinct was to stay inside and hide.

Huddled with her Dalmatian, Pongo, she called her parents — who live down the street — to make sure they were OK, she said, then downloaded the Citizen app to learn more about what was happening just a mile away.

Handis watched the live-streamed videos in horror and disbelief that such a tragedy could happen in the tight-knit neighborhood she has called home her whole life.

“I’m still shaken,” she said.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Pedro Evangelista couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing through his car’s front windshield.

An object was hurtling through the sky, turning it a horrifying red color. Then, he heard a loud boom.

“I thought there was a war starting,” said Evangelista, a 33-year-old Amazon delivery driver. He had been running a routine errand, driving to the AutoZone a couple of minutes from his home to get a new radiator.

Evangelista saw flames, pulled his gold Toyota Corolla to the side of the road, and started running toward the wreckage.

“I was looking at somebody that was on fire. He was running trying to get help,” Evangelista said. “He didn’t say anything.”

“My living room lit up, it was like a big orange ball and then a boom,” said Robert Fosbennet, 62.

Residents said the sight was paired with an unfamiliar noise.

“I heard what was like a motor and then there was a sonic boom,” said Sue Levy, 69, who lives a block from Fosbennet.

What roads in the crash area are closed?

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management has reported the following road closures:

1.

Cottman Avenue between Bustleton and Brous Avenues

2.

Roosevelt Boulevard outer lanes from Rhawn Street to Tyson Avenue

3.

Saint Vincent Street between Bustleton and Castor Avenues

What is the status of Roosevelt Mall?

Kristen Moore, a spokesperson for the Roosevelt Mall, which is owned by Brixmor Property Group, said the mall remains closed at the request of authorities. There were no injuries on the mall’s property, Moore said.

How many homes caught fire?

Firefighters battled blazes in six homes on the 7200 block of Calvert Street as a result of the plane crash, according to Mike Bresnan, president of the International Brotherhood of Fire Fighters Local 22, the union that represents firefighters and paramedics. He said firefighters also battled between six and eight car fires.

Is there an emergency shelter for anyone who is displaced by the crash and fire?

Shelter is being provided at Samuel Fels High School at 5500 Langdon St.

What was the impact on utilities and SEPTA?

SEPTA has detoured seven routes: the Boulevard Direct Bus, and Routes 1, 14, 20, 50, 70 and 77.

SEPTA is advising riders to check real-time bus alerts online, on the SEPTA app, or through customer service at (215) 580-7800.

PECO said that 250 electric customers were “deenergized” Friday night in the wake of the crash, but that number was down to 71 as of Saturday afternoon. Those without power were a mix of residences and businesses. Those impacted were clustered around Calvert Street, Rupert Street and Cottman Avenue.

PGW said that none of its gas infrastructure was impacted, and no readings had been detected for escaped gas. However, five homes had their gas turned off at the request of the city Fire Department. PGW said that anyone who smells gas should call 215-235-1212.

How can the public help with the investigation?

The Philadelphia Police Department is asking for videos from Friday night’s plane crash.

“As you know, the PPD, along with our local, state, and federal partners are working tirelessly to gather all evidence pertaining to the plane crash,” officials said in a statement Saturday afternoon. “We are kindly asking that any social media posts or videos that you have obtained of this crash be forwarded.”

Contributors can send their videos or videos they see on social media to [email protected].

What did Mayor Cherelle L. Parker say?

Parker Friday night asked for the city’s prayers, and called the situation “all hands on deck.” She urged people to stay away from the scene.

“We will find a cause for this tragedy,” she said at a news briefing late Saturday morning.

What other elected officials said

“Northeast Philadelphia is a community of neighbors who care about each other,” said State Rep. Jared Solomon. “In a time of profound tragedy, I was inspired to witness hundreds of our first responders sprinting towards danger to ensure the safety of our neighborhood. Northeast Philadelphia stands united in prayer for the families of the victims, and in gratitude for the brave firefighters and police officers who keep us safe.”

Staff writers Ximena Conde, Erin McCarthy, Rob Tornoe, Fallon Ruth, Michelle Myers, and Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.

© 2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit www.inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The minimum wage will increase in nearly half the states this year even as the federal wage floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour.

In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises. But voters in several states, including deeply red ones such as Alaska and Missouri, chose in November to significantly increase their minimum wages this year.

Michigan will see its minimum wage jump from $10.33 to $12.48 on Feb. 21 after the state Supreme Court concluded the legislature subverted residents when it adopted but then significantly amended voter-initiated ballot measures in 2018 to raise the minimum wage and mandate paid sick time.

Michigan’s wage floor is set to rise to $14.97 by 2028 — more than double the federal minimum wage, which has not increased since 2009. That’s the longest period without a federal increase since Congress first set a minimum wage in 1938.

A total of 30 states and the District of Columbia have set their own minimum wage higher than the federal rate. And 67 localities — including Denver; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Los Angeles — have raised their minimum wage above the state minimum, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank.

Currently, 10 states have a minimum wage of $15 or higher: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington.

Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri and Nebraska are on track to reach the $15 benchmark in the coming years. Such movement in red states should prompt Republicans who control Congress and the White House to move the national wage floor, argued Richard von Glahn, the political director at the labor advocacy group Missouri Jobs with Justice.

“We should have Republican legislators looking and seeing what their own voters are telling them and say, ‘You know, maybe they’re on to something here and maybe I should follow their lead,” he said.

Von Glahn led a successful campaign to raise Missouri’s minimum wage from 2024’s rate of $12.30 to $15 per hour next January through a November ballot initiative that also guaranteed sick leave for many workers.

While a tight labor market forces many employers to pay above minimum wage to compete, von Glahn noted many workers still earn at or near the lowest legal rate. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that more than half a million Missouri workers will see raises as the state’s minimum wage increases.

“That sort of proves the point as to why this is so necessary, why these guardrails are so important,” he said.

For Kaamilya Hobbs, the Missouri law means she can expect at least an extra 31 cents per hour once she returns to work at Arby’s following maternity leave.

This year’s new minimum wage of $13.75 isn’t enough to live comfortably in Kansas City, she said. But every bit helps her afford the basics, such as diapers and baby formula.

“It won’t be a huge difference. But it’ll still be a little bit of something for us,” said Hobbs, 33, who is also an organizer for a group advocating for low-wage workers.

Inflation has significantly eroded the buying power of the stagnant federal minimum wage. Advocates say raising the wage floor helps low-wage workers cover the rising cost of essentials and boosts the economy by putting more money into the pockets of people who are likely to spend it. But many employers, especially retailers and restaurants, counter that raising the minimum wage forces them to cut workers or raise prices.

In December, President-elect Donald Trump said he would consider a national increase in the minimum wage. Trump won 19 of the 20 states — all but New Hampshire — still subject to a $7.25 minimum wage. In an NBC News interview, he acknowledged the $7.25 rate was “a very low number,” but said raising the minimum wage too much would decrease employment.

“There is a level at which you can do it,” he said, without specifying a number.

Earlier this month, Alaska’s minimum wage went up 18 cents thanks to an automatic inflation-based bump.

But the state’s current $11.91 rate will increase to $13 this July, thanks to the passage of a November ballot measure. Under the measure, the wage will increase to $14 in July 2026 and $15 in July 2027, followed by inflation-adjusted increases starting in 2028.

The ballot measure drew fierce opposition from business groups but won approval by 58%-42%. The new law also mandates employers provide up to seven paid sick days per year — a major concern particularly in seasonal industries, including tourism.

Before November’s election, members of the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailers Association said passage of the ballot measure would result in higher prices and lead to layoffs and reduced hours for workers, said Sarah Oates Harlow, president and chief executive officer of the organization.

The minimum wage hike will particularly hurt smaller businesses, she said, and those with tipped workers such as servers and bartenders. Alaska is among seven states that don’t allow employers to pay tipped employees less than the minimum wage, meaning many of those workers are already making well above the state’s wage floor, she said.

“I guarantee you we will be seeing prices going up across the board,” she said. “Groceries are going to be more expensive. Eating out is going to be more expensive.”

But Mark Robokoff, who owns the pet supply store AK Bark in Anchorage, sees a higher wage floor as good for business. He said the minimum wage increase will put more money into the pockets of his customers.

“It’s not like there’s no benefit to this cost,” Robokoff said.

To attract the best staff, he said, employee wages start at $17 per hour. But he expects to ratchet that figure up as the state’s minimum wage increases.

“That’s why it needed to be a law,” he said. “It only works if we all do it. Then we all get more revenue and pay our employees a little bit more.”

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© 2025 States Newsroom

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.

The Hybrid War

Another undersea cable was severed in the Baltic Sea, this time between Latvia and Sweden, prompting Swedish authorities to board and seize the vessel that was sailing from Russia amid sabotage fears, as I reported here.

This comes as similar incidents damaging undersea cables have recently affected Taiwan, with suspicions there turned toward China.

Finding Perspective: The spate of incidents highlights growing tensions in both the Baltic Sea and across the Taiwan Strait.

The investigation into the January 26 incident in the Baltic has just begun, but the episode is the latest in a series of similar incidents in the Baltic Sea in which critical seabed energy and communications lines have been damaged.

In December, an oil tanker linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet was suspected of damaging undersea links with a loose anchor. A month earlier, a Chinese ship was involved in a separate incident. A Chinese-flagged ship traveling from Russia also damaged a Baltic gas pipeline in October 2023.

Off the coast of Taiwan, an undersea data cable was damaged on January 3 and Taipei suspects China. Beijing has denied this, but Taiwanese officials say this is part of an uptick of similar episodes in recent years.

Taipei is also looking to learn from the experiences in the Baltic. The Financial Times reported that Taiwan’s Coast Guard has now drawn up a blacklist of 52 Chinese-owned ships that Taipei says are part of Beijing’s own “shadow fleet” and officials have also devised plans to board them.

Why It Matters: Analysts say the hybrid tactics are worrisome because they’re often seen as a way to wear down and test the responses of an adversary as a precursor for a wider conflict.

While there is no smoking gun that connects Beijing and Moscow in what they’re doing in Europe and Asia, the two are increasingly linked by a partnership whose main bond is their desire to change the global order.

As I reported here with my colleague Sashko Shevchenko from our reporting trip to Taiwan, China and Russia also appear to be taking lessons from one another.

“There shouldn’t be any doubt that Russia is behind these incidents in the Baltic,” Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s former foreign minister, told me. “For China, there is no clear attribution, but if it wanted to build up pressure on Taiwan through a shadow war by cutting cables, there are lessons to learn about that from Moscow.”

As Sashko and I also reported in Taiwan, the self-governing island is currently preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term and is watching Washington’s handling of the war in Ukraine for signals about what Trump 2.0 will mean for Taiwan.

Looking back at the hybrid tactics being used in the Baltic and around Taiwan, Chiu Chui-cheng, the minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, told us that “we don’t see these as accidents, we see them as strategy.”

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. Could China Play A Role In Ending The War In Ukraine?

As Trump looks to end the war in Ukraine, could Beijing play a role in helping bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table?

The Details: It’s a question that’s been around since the early days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion but has largely gone nowhere amid China’s diplomatic and material support for Russia.

It came up again last week as Trump looks to leverage his personal relationship with Putin and meet face-to-face. As I reported here, Trump has also talked up sanctions and mixed in criticism of Putin while saying they can strike a deal.

The U.S. president then called for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to play a larger role in bringing the war to an end, telling reporters on January 21 that he’s pressed Xi on the topic during a phone call, and that he has “a lot of…power, like we have a lot of power” to end the war but that “he’s not done very much on that.”

2. Chinese Christian Sect Finds A Foothold in Romania

The Church of Almighty God, one of China’s largest Christian sects, is finding followers all over the world and making new headway in Romania, where the group’s online efforts are drawing new converts to its controversial teachings and helping to grow its presence across Central and Eastern Europe.

What You Need To Know: My colleague Simona Carlugea from RFE/RL’s Romanian Service tracked the group and its growing online presence, where it is preaching in Romanian through virtual sermons to tens — and even hundreds — of thousands of group members.

The Church of Almighty God (CAG), also known as Eastern Lightning, claims millions of followers worldwide but has been labeled a “cult” and persecuted inside China.

Founded in 1989 in northeastern China by Zhao Weishan, a former physics teacher, the church is fixated on doomsday scenarios and holds that Christ has returned to Earth as a Chinese woman.

Arrests and alleged torture inside China have pushed much of the group abroad, where it has looked to find new converts.

3. U.S.-China Tech Race Heating Up

Less than two weeks after it looked like the Chinese-owned app TikTok was set to close in the United States, China has upped the artificial intelligence (AI) race by launching DeepSeek, which matches other market leaders for a fraction of the cost.

What It Means: As I wrote after Trump said he’d issue an executive order to extend the period for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer, the tech race between Beijing and Washington is just heating up.

DeepSeek’s emergence represents something of a Sputnik moment for China. Five of the biggest technology stocks geared to AI — chipmaker Nvidia and so-called hyperscalers Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms — collectively shed almost $750 billion of market value before U.S. markets opened on January 27.

That could carry over into other areas of the tech competition as well, particularly for semiconductors and chip giant Nvidia if it proves true that DeepSeek was able to reach its heights without use of the company’s most-advanced chips.

Across The Supercontinent

A Shakeup In Serbia: Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned following weeks of mass protests demanding accountability for a deadly accident in Novi Sad where the collapse of a concrete canopy killed 15 people at the northern city’s rail station.

Critics have blamed rampant government corruption for the tragedy, and some have taken aim at opaque contracts with Chinese construction companies that renovated and rebuilt parts of the station.

Serbian authorities said Chinese firms did not replace the roof that collapsed and that the contracts will not be publicly disclosed due to secrecy provisions in the deals.

Taiwan Chip Tariffs: Trump said on January 27 that he plans to impose tariffs on imported chips, pharmaceuticals, and steel in an effort to get producers to make them in the United States as he took aim at industry leader Taiwan.

The island is home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), and is a key link in the global technology supply chain for companies such as Apple and Nvidia.

New Delhi to Beijing: India and China have agreed to resume direct flights between the two countries after nearly five years, the latest sign of a rapprochement after high tensions over a deadly border dispute.

One Thing To Watch

A top Chinese official on January 27 denied suggestions from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency that the COVID-19 pandemic was triggered by the virus leaking from a lab.

The CIA issued a new public assessment about COVID just two days after former Republican lawmaker John Ratcliffe was sworn in as its new director. That assessment was issued with “low confidence” but it adds to lingering suspicions over the virus’ origins and presents another flashpoint for tensions to rise between the United States and China.

A previously unreleased song by Tina Turner, from her blockbuster 1984 album “Private Dancer,” has been rediscovered and was publicly heard for the first time Thursday.

“Hot For You Baby,” recorded at Hollywood’s Capitol Studios in the early ’80s, received its first play on BBC Radio 2 as it hit streaming platforms worldwide.

Written by Australian singer John Paul Young — who released the song in 1979 — the up-tempo track was initially meant to be included in Turner’s Grammy-winning opus that yielded hits such as “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Better Be Good to Me” and the sultry title song.

The master tape was presumed lost but reportedly found just in time to be featured on the forthcoming 40th anniversary edition of “Private Dancer.” Due out March 21, the collection will be available in multiple formats and also include other never-before-released tracks, live performances and music videos.

“Hot For You Baby” is the first posthumous release from Turner, who died in 2023 at age 83.

The powerhouse singer, known as the “Queen of Rock & Roll,” influenced many artists — including Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Beyoncé — in a career that dates back to the early 1960s when she was half of the duo Ike & Tina Turner.

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© 2025 New York Daily News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Three women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault say the hip-hop mogul has failed to pay them nearly $8 million to settle confidential agreements, according to recent court filings.

Tina Klein-Baker, Toni Sallie and Alexia Norton Jones stated in filings this month with New York County Supreme Court that Simmons had reneged on payments agreed upon as part of confidential settlements that each of the women entered into separately with Simmons in 2023.

Simmons owes Baker $4.95 million, Sallie $3 million and Jones $200,000, according to the filings, known as confessions of judgment.

Under the settlements, Simmons did not admit any wrongdoing, and the confidential agreements do not explicitly state the women’s claims against him. Sallie’s and Jones’ agreements say that the amount to be paid each woman was for their “alleged personal, physical injuries and sickness.”

The claims mark the latest allegations against Simmons. Last year, three other women — Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy and Wendy Carolina Franco — filed similar claims in New York against Simmons, alleging he failed to pay about $3 million as part of confidential settlement agreements he reached with them in 2023.

Patricia Glaser, Simmons’ attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.

In 2017, Simmons stepped down from Def Jam Records, which he co-founded, after multiple women publicly accused him of sexual assault, which he has repeatedly denied.

Five of the six women have publicly accused Simmons of sexual assault in previously published accounts. Some of them also participated in the documentary “On the Record.”

Baker, a singer, accused Simmons of raping her in the early 1990s when he was her manager, according to a 2017 article in the New York Times.

In the article, Sallie, a music journalist, alleged that Simmons raped her at a party in 1988, a year after they had briefly dated.

In 2018, Jones, then an aspiring model, told Variety that Simmons raped her in 1990 in his apartment after a date.

Simmons denied the claims by Baker, Sallie and Jones.

Simmons was the subject of a Los Angeles Times article in 2017 in which five women accused him of sexual misconduct that occurred over three decades.

He denied the claims. “These new stories range from the patently untrue to frivolous and hurtful claims,” he said in a statement to The Times. “I want to restate categorically what I have said previously: I have never been violent or abusive to any women in any way at any time in my entire life.”

In December 2023, Simmons appeared on an episode of “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” in which he said he had a history of being in “compromising situations,” but denied the claims against him, saying that he had taken “nine lie detector tests.”

The interview appeared the same year in which he entered into the confidential agreements with the six women.

“Each of these women entered into settlement agreements with Simmons that are binding contracts. His serial refusal to be bound by these agreements is outrageous,” said Andrew Wilson, an attorney representing Abrams, Abernathy and Franco.

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© 2025 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A nearly-two decades old clip of Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres in blackface has resurfaced days after she was nominated for her first Academy Award.

The “I’m Still Here” star issued an apology acknowledging the poor judgment used when she appeared as a housekeeper in a sketch comedy series for the Brazilian series “Fantastico” in the late aughts.

“I am very sorry for this,” she told Deadline. “I’m making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion.”

She added: “At that time, despite the efforts of Black movements and organizations, the awareness of the racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn’t yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil. Thanks to better cultural understanding and important but incomplete achievements in this century, it’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable.”

The 59-year-old, who is up for best actress at the 2025 Oscars, concluded: “This is an important conversation we must continue to have with one another in order to prevent the normalization of racist practices then and now. As an artist and global citizen, and from my open heart, I remain attentive and committed to the pursuit of vital changes needed to live in a world free from inequality and racism.”

Torres won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards for her role in the political biographical drama, and is a front-runner to take home the coveted prize.

Without this publicity nightmare, this year’s road to the Oscars would’ve otherwise been momentous for Torres, who is only the second Brazilian to ever be nominated in the category. Her predecessor is her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, for 1998’s “Central Station.” Both films were directed by Walter Salles.

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© 2025 New York Daily News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Selena Gomez was moved to tears over the weekend as the Trump administration fast-tracked policies to deliver on the president’s mass-deportations campaign promise. Her show of emotion did not sit well with many.

The “Only Murders in the Building” and “Emilia Pérez” star, who is of Mexican descent on her father’s side, posted a since-deleted video on Instagram in which she sobbed over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids carried out over the weekend that targeted criminals who had entered the country illegally.

“I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry. All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry, I wish I could do something, but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise,” Gomez, 32, said through tears in the raw video. She added an emoji showing the Mexican flag and wrote “I’m sorry” on the clip.

The actor-singer took down the clip after facing mixed criticism, then took to her Instagram story to say: “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.”

The outspoken immigration advocate appeared to be responding to President Donald Trump’s decision last week to remove long-held guidelines that restricted ICE from operating at “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches or hospitals. The decision was a cause for concern among many migrants and advocates who fear that children could be traumatized by seeing their parents arrested in school dropoff lines or avoiding getting needed medical out of fear of arrest, according to the Associated Press.

In 2019, Gomez produced a Netflix docuseries, “Living Undocumented,” about the ongoing immigration crisis in which she shared her family’s experience. She also wrote a stirring op-ed about it for Time in 2019 titled “I’m Afraid for My Country.”

“Undocumented immigration is an issue I think about every day, and I never forget how blessed I am to have been born in this country thanks to my family and the grace of circumstance,” she wrote at the time. Gomez said that in the 1970s her aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the U.S. in the back of a truck, then her “grandparents followed,” and her father was born in Texas “soon after.” The actor-singer, whose mother is of Italian descent, said it took 17 years for her paternal grandparents to get citizenship. In the essay, she credited her family’s “bravery and sacrifice” for allowing her to be born a U.S. citizen.

But after posting her video over the weekend, the Rare Beauty co-founder was harangued on social media by many, including Sam Parker — a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Utah’s U.S. Senate seat in 2018 — who repeatedly called for the “Wolves” singer’s deportation.

“Selena Gomez picked illegals over America b/c she’s the 3rd gen descendant of Mexican illegals who received citizenship in the ’87 Amnesty,” Parker wrote on X. “She has an entitlement attitude toward America, like her illegal g’parents. Maybe Selena should be deported, too?”

Gomez’s fans quickly defended her and attacked Parker, prompting him to write Monday on Instagram that he “didn’t have ‘wage war against a bunch of … Selena Gomez fans’ on my bingo card today.”

“But here we are. I’m drinking their tears, now. #DeportSelenaGomez,” Parker wrote.

A representative for Gomez did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.

Flavor Flav tweeted his support for Gomez, writing Monday on X: “Team Selena Gomez. Again. That woman is always so brave to share her truth,,, and so many are quick to bully her.”

Gomez responded late Monday to the back-and-forth, writing on social media: “Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.”

Parker then tweeted “Selena Gomez has responded to me” with a laughing emoji. Parker has since used his surge in recognition as a way to promote American nationalism and Trump’s America First agenda.

“Woke up this morning to me sharing headlines w/Selena Gomez in every media outlet & on ever SM platform, all over the world. Good. While I have your attention: America is NOT a global welfare, jobs or education program. Stay home & build your own countries,” he tweeted Tuesday.

Meanwhile, when asked about Gomez’s video, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said Monday that the administration has “no apologies” for the ICE raids and is only after illegal immigrants with a criminal history.

“If they don’t like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We’re going to do this operation without apology,” Homan said on Fox News. “We’re gonna make our community safer. It is all for the good of this nation. And we’re gonna keep going. No apologies. We’re moving forward.”

The Trump administration’s new policy, known as “expedited removal,” empowers immigration officials to swiftly deport those who have entered the country illegally without going before a judge — even if they have been in the U.S. for up to two years and are far from the border. The policy, according to Times reports, could pave the way for mass deportations.

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© 2025 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.

The image went viral and was seen around the world, a symbol of the brutality of security forces in Belarus but also the resilience and bravery of protesters taking on an authoritarian regime.

It was August 2020 and the image showed a young woman sitting on the ground, her face and head covered with blood, being given medical attention.

The woman’s name was Maria Zaytsava, and she was then just 19 years old. She was among tens of thousands of people, many of them young, who had taken to the streets to protest the reelection of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, in a vote widely decried internationally as neither free nor fair.

The security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, arresting over 30,000 people, many of whom reported torture and ill-treatment while in custody.

On January 17, a day after her 24th birthday, Zaytsava died fighting for Ukraine.

Minsk Protests

Despite the objections of her family, in 2020, Zaytsava traveled from her hometown of Homel, in southeastern Belarus, to join the protests in Minsk.

On the evening of August 9, 2020, she was among the protesters gathered in downtown Minsk facing off against security forces.

“At some point, grenades flew at us, and they started shooting people with rubber bullets,” one eyewitness told RFE/RL’s Belarus Service. “There was shock, no one could understand what was happening, why they were doing it. There were explosions everywhere, and I saw lots of bloodied people.”

Zaytsava was at the front of the crowd when security forces attacked with water cannons, rubber bullets, and stun grenades.

“We stood peacefully, shouting,” Zaytsava later recalled of that night. “I remember they were [using water cannons] on us, and then there was an explosion and I was lying on the ground. After that I don’t remember anything…. I was blinded.”

The protesters were disoriented and badly injured and still facing the onslaught of the security forces. It was then that an RFE/RL photographer took a picture of Zaytsava, sitting quietly on the asphalt, visibly in shock and covered in blood.

The explosion left Zaytsava permanently deaf in one ear. She also suffered a brain hematoma and severe injuries to her eyes and face. “It’s clear that it changed me a lot,” she later said. “I’m still a little bit consumed by post-traumatic stress disorder.”

After several operations in Belarus, Zaytsava went to the Czech Republic for specialized treatment. There, she attempted to rebuild her life with the help of MEDEVAC, a program run by the Czech government that provides free medical care and assistance to people affected by humanitarian crises, conflicts, or natural disasters.

As she began to recover, she also began courses at the Czech Technical University.

Fighting In Ukraine

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Zaytsava found a new calling.

She initially volunteered to help Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, but by spring 2023, she had decided to join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, a Ukrainian military unit composed of foreign volunteers.

“She was so small, she didn’t have a weapon, so where should she go?” recalled Ales Petrouski, a senior medic in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion and Zaytsava’s commander.

That was how the Belarusian ended up in the medical unit. But that didn’t mean she was getting an easy ride, Petrouski emphasized. Whether you’re a medic or not, you’re still under fire in the trenches, he told RFE/RL’s Belarus Service.

Petrouski said that Zaytsava also took on responsibilities as a translator in the Foreign Legion because she spoke English, which was useful in a unit where not everyone spoke Ukrainian or Russian.

Connected Struggles

For Zaytsava, the struggle for freedom in Belarus and Ukraine’s fight against Russia were connected. She joined the volunteers in Ukraine partly, Petrouski said, because she wanted Belarus to be free.

“She was resentful that she was basically kicked out of the country, and she wanted to go back. It really knocked her off her feet — the fact that she had to leave Belarus,” Petrouski said.

Belarus is perhaps Russia’s staunchest ally, and Minsk has provided military and diplomatic support for Moscow. Lukashenka’s government has allowed Russia to use its military infrastructure and equipment, and permitted its territory to be used as a staging ground for attacks on Ukraine.

After spending time on the Ukrainian front, she returned to the Czech Republic after receiving an injury to her hand. But after looking for work, she decided to return to the Ukrainian front line for a second time in January 2024.

One year later, she was killed in action near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which had been captured by Russian forces in May 2023 and had since seen fierce fighting.

Writing to a close friend after her return to the front line, Zaytsava stated her wishes should she die: “In the military questionnaire, I indicated that I am an atheist. I don’t know if this will affect my possible burial, but I wouldn’t want to be buried under a cross.”

Members of Zaytsava’s unit told RFE/RL’s Belarus Service that, under Russian artillery fire, her fellow soldiers managed to evacuate her body from the battlefield.

“Gravely injured during the 2020 Belarus protests, she gave her life for freedom,” said Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya about Zaytsava’s death. She was, she said, “an icon of our revolution.”

The mysterious drone sightings that cropped up over New Jersey starting late last year were “not the enemy,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday during the inaugural press briefing of President Donald Trump’s second administration.

Instead, Leavitt said, the drones in the Garden State that caused a national uproar were authorized to be in flight by the Federal Aviation Administration. That news, Leavitt added, came “directly from the president of the United States.”

“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “Many of the drones were also hobbyists, recreational, and private individuals that enjoy flying drones.”

The fervor over the highly publicized New Jersey drone sightings, Leavitt added, “got worse due to curiosity.”

“This was not the enemy,” she said.

Sightings of large drones flying over northern New Jersey began in mid-November, causing alarm among residents. In December, state officials said that there had been between four and 180 reported drone sightings per night since the sightings began, though some reports likely concerned the same drones.

By early December, the FBI began investigating reports of what had been called “car-sized” drones buzzing around the Garden State. Concerns over the apparent phenomenon grew over the sightings’ close proximity to then-President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course and the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, as well as local city infrastructure.

Sightings also cropped up in the Philly suburbs, South Jersey, and New York’s Staten Island.

Officials said last month that while the drones annoyed and concerned onlookers, they had not posed a safety threat. U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R., N.J.) in mid-December suggested the drones be shot down, which is illegal, and sent a letter to then-President Joe Biden regarding unconfirmed reports that foreign adversaries were in control of the drones.

But following a briefing from state and federal officials last month, New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia wrote in a recap that it was unclear who was behind the flights.

“We know nothing, PERIOD,” Fantasia wrote. “To state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment.”

Days before the winter holidays, the FBI said it determined that many turned out to be small planes, hobbyist drones, helicopters, stars, and law enforcement aircraft.

“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” multiple government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, said in a joint statement last month. “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast.”

The FAA, meanwhile, later announced nearly two dozen temporary flight restrictions across New Jersey affecting drones. The agency previously implemented temporary restrictions near Bedminster and the Picatinny Arsenal following the November sightings.

At a gathering of Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida ahead of his inauguration, Trump said he would give a report on the drone situation “about one day” into his administration.

“I think it’s ridiculous that they are not telling you about what’s going on with the drones,” he said.

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© 2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Meryl Streep took matters into her own hands — literally — as wildfires rampaged across Los Angeles County earlier this month.

According to nephew Abe Streep, the Oscar-winning actor sprang into action after a fallen tree blocked her driveway as she tried to evacuate her home the day after wind-stoked fires broke out across the region. In his harrowing account of the historic fires in Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Hollywood that was published Tuesday in New York Magazine, Streep wrote that his aunt, 75, borrowed a neighbor’s wire cutters and “cut a car-size hole in the fence” they shared.

The “Devil Wears Prada” star, “determined to make it out,” then drove through her neighbor’s yard to escape, her nephew recalled.

Meryl Streep was one of a handful of area residents whose experiences with the fires — which have claimed 29 lives and destroyed more than 15,000 structures — were told in the New York story. The younger Streep also spoke to a longtime West Altadena resident, a Palisades native and schoolteacher, actor Haley Joel Osment and his aunt’s “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Martin Short, among others.

Short, who knew “right away” in the early years of his career that he would live in Pacific Palisades and bought there in 1984, told Abe Streep he “will definitely stay in my home,” despite one of his sons losing a house. “The Sixth Sense” and “Blink Twice” star Osment said he and his parents lost their homes in the Eaton fire.

In one of the most destructive firestorms to hit Los Angeles County in recent memory, at least 130,000 Angelenos fled for safety — with celebrities among those reeling from the devastation.

As of Tuesday morning, the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires in L.A. County were 95%, 99% and 98% contained, respectively, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Containment of the Border 2 fire in San Diego County was listed at 74%. No homes burned in Hollywood’s Sunset fire, which was fully contained on Jan. 9.

The rainstorm in recent days brought much-needed moisture to Southern California and welcome relief to fire-weary Angelenos. Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard, said Tuesday that while the amount of rainfall wasn’t enough to prevent fire season from extending into February, “This was a largely beneficial rain.

“I think we dodged a bullet,” he said. “It helped with the firefights and definitely gives us a break from fire weather.”

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© 2025 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.