New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has ordered the firing of more than a dozen prison staffers in connection with the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month.
Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has directed the state's corrections department commissioner to begin the process of terminating 14 workers involved in a Dec. 9 incident at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County that led to 43-year-old Robert Brooks' death the following day at a hospital.
Brooks had been in prison since 2017 and was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault.
The governor's office said the decision came after an internal review, but did not offer details on the circumstances leading up to Brooks' death.
"The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service," Hochul said. "But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse."
The corrections department provided a list of 13 employees, including corrections officers, sergeants and a nurse who have been suspended without pay. It also included another corrections officer who resigned.
State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III condemned the staffers' involvement and said the suspensions are "in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve."
"There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act," he said in a statement to The Associated Press. "These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued."
Brooks' family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are "incredibly shocked and saddened" about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany.
"We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place," the family said. "No one should have to lose a family member this way."
State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said her office is also investigating the use of force by corrections officers that led to Brooks' death. She said her staff has obtained video of the incident and it will be made public after Brooks' family has seen it.
"Law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and I am committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve," James said in a statement.
In Russia’s war against Ukraine, electronic warfare, including signal-jamming, anti-drone weapons, and innovative protections for critical military systems, has become a key piece of the conflict.
President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, a move that comes not even two weeks after he went through with the "largest single-day grant of clemency" in American history, the White House announced Monday.
Of the 40 inmates on federal death row, according to DeathPenaltyInfo.org, Biden is commuting 37 men sentenced to death, reclassifying their sentences to life without the possibility of parole.
The three inmates not included are: Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to perpetuate the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.
The men being resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole are convicted of various murderous acts against one person or multiple. Among the victims of the 37 men are law enforcement officers, children and other inmates.
A handful of the men on death row were also set to be executed with their co-defendants.
Biden, who only supports the death penalty at the federal level for "terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder," said this move will prevent President-elect Donald Trump's administration from "carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice," according to the White House statement.
The president declared a moratorium on federal executions after taking office in 2021.
The convicted murderers who will now escape execution include: Marcivicci Barnette, who killed a man in a carjacking and his ex-girlfriend; co-defendants Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, who kidnapped and killed a woman after escaping prison; Anthony Battle, who killed a prison guard; Jason Brown, who stabbed a postal worker to death; Thomas Hager, who committed a drug-related killing; David Runyon, who participated in the murder-for-hire plot of a Naval officer; Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old girl; Rejon Taylor, who carjacked, kidnapped and killed a restaurant owner; and Alejandro Umana, who killed two brothers inside a restaurant.
Two men were on death row for the murders of witnesses: police officer Len Davis, who ordered the murder of a witness who was part of an investigation into a misconduct complaint against him, and Ronald Mikos, who killed a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation.
Ex-Marine Jorge Torrez was set to be executed for killing another servicemember.
The list also includes men who committed deadly bank robberies, such as co-defendants Billie Allen and Norris Holder, who killed a bank guard during their crime; Brandon Council, who killed two bank employees; and Daryl Lawrence, who killed a special-duty police officer during an attempted bank robbery.
Co-defendants James Roane, Jr., and Richard Tipton committed a series of drug-related murders as gang members with Corey Johnson, who was executed in 2021.
Julius Robinson killed two people over drugs, and so did co-defendants Ricardo Sanchez, Jr., and Daniel Troya, who killed a family, including two children.
Drug lord Kaboni Savage murdered or directed someone else to murder 12 people during a 16-year period – including an arson that killed six members of a federal informant's family.
Edward Fields was on death row for murdering two campers on federal land, while Marvin Gabrion and Richard Jackson were both there for killing a woman on federal land in separate cases.
Co-defendants Jurijus Kadamovas and Iouri Mikhel were convicted of kidnapping and killing five Russian and Georgian immigrants for ransom.
Lastly, the following men were sentenced to death in various cases for killing a prisoner in federal prison: Shannon Agofsky, Carlos Caro, co-defendants Wesley Coonce and Charles Hall, co-defendants Christopher Cramer and Ricky Fackrell, Joseph Ebron and co-defendants Edgar Garcia and Mark Snarr.
Monday's commutations join Biden's list of similar moves during his presidency, which have sparked mixed reactions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and have outpaced any president in modern history when compared to length of service.
Biden faced criticism earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 prisoners placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and pardoned 40 others, including his son, Hunter.
As of Dec. 13, Biden has pardoned a total of 65 individuals and commuted sentences for 1,634 inmates during his time as president, according to the Department of Justice.
"The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms," White House officials said in a previous statement.
Various groups and people, including former corrections officials, praised Biden's decision ahead of the public announcement, calling him "courageous" and thanking him for sending a "strong message."
Biden was urged by 28 former corrections officials in a letter to commute sentences on federal death row for the safety of federal correctional professionals who participate in executions.
"President Biden has made a courageous decision that will benefit many within the federal Bureau of Prisons. Resources can be allocated more rationally, and staff will not face the harm of participating in executions any time soon. I hope state leaders follow suit, for the benefit of their own correctional staff," said Justin Jones, the former Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, was also among those who issued a statement, saying, in part, that this decision "marks an important turning point" and sends a "strong message to Americans that the death penalty is not the answer to our country's concerns about public safety."
Biden said he does condemn the murderers and their "despicable acts," and he grieves for the victims and families who have suffered "unimaginable and irreparable loss," but he "cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted," according to the White House statement.
It also said Biden will use the last few weeks of his presidency to "provide meaningful second chances" and "review additional pardons and commutations."
The fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was the crescendo of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime.
The Islamic Republic suffered major blows in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, diminishing the power of its so-called Axis of Resistance. Its currency officially became the lowest valued in the world and when Israel decimated its proxy forces, the U.S. elected a president whom Iran so despises that it spent years trying to assassinate him.
Here’s a look back at blows suffered by Ayatollah Ali Khameini and his regime over the past year:
In April, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Syria, prompting Iran to strike back with more than 300 drones and missiles aimed into Israel. But Israel worked with the U.S., Jordan and Saudi Arabia to shoot down nearly every missile and drone.
The late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash while visiting a remote area. Iran has blamed the crash on dense fog. Raisi was a protégé and potential successor of Iran’s supreme leader, Khameini.
While Iran inaugurated a new president this summer, Israel infiltrated to take out Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting Tehran for the inauguration. While Haniyeh was staying in a VIP government guest house, Israel detonated a remote-controlled bomb.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took out Hamas head Yahya Sinwar after encountering him on a routine patrol in the Gaza city of Rafah. Sinwar was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and was one of the most wanted men of the war.
Hamas has lost thousands of fighters and much of its leadership ranks to Israel’s attacks and is nowhere near the threatening force on Israel’s borders Iran hoped it would be.
Iran’s currency tanked to an all-time low upon news of the Trump election, and the expectation that he might bring back a "maximum pressure" policy.
The Iranian rial is down 46% this year, making it officially the least-valuable currency in the world.
Iran has long vowed revenge for Trump approving the 2019 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani – and U.S. intelligence revealed Tehran plots to kill the president-elect.
After the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, it imposed harsh sanctions on the regime to stop its funding of proxies abroad, banning U.S. citizens from trading with Iran or handling Iranian money.
It also punished entities in other countries that did business with Iran, by cutting them off from the dollar.
President Joe Biden often waived enforcement of such sanctions, keen to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and fearful of driving up global oil prices.
Iran gained access to more than $10 billion through a State Department sanctions waiver that allowed Iraq to continue buying energy from Iran, which the Biden administration argues is necessary to keep lights on in Baghdad.
In the fall, Israel reoriented much of its efforts toward pummeling Hezbollah after a series of cross-border attacks from the Lebanese militant group. Israel targeted Hezbollah’s leadership and detonated hundreds of pagers the group had been using to communicate. At the end of November, Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire where it and Israel must both end their armed presences in southern Lebanon.
Both sides have claimed the other has broken the fragile truce, but it has ostensibly held for weeks.
Syrian rebels sent Iran's Quds forces, an extension of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, running as they captured Damascus and pushed out President Bashar al-Assad. Iran's forces had been in Syria propping up Assad since civil war broke out in 2011, but had been diminished since the outbreak of war elsewhere in the Middle East.
Syria's new government is set to be run by Sunni Muslims, hostile to Iran's Shiite government. And Iran lost a key supply line through Syria it had used to arm Hezbollah in its fight against Israel.
The Biden administration has made tightening efficiency standards for household appliances a target as he's built out his climate agenda over the past four years.
"Making common household appliances more efficient is one of the most effective ways to slash energy costs and cut harmful carbon emissions," Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who has spearheaded efforts to push households to adopt green energy alternatives, said in a statement.
However, energy experts and manufacturers have warned that the Biden administration's regulations would lead to more expensive household appliances that are far less effective than current models.
"What these mandates – what these standards do is enforce a level of efficiency that doesn't make sense," said Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. "And they compromise product quality. We've already seen this to an extent with the cost of clothes washer standards."
The Department of Energy (DOE) introduced a final rule in February imposing stricter energy standards for residential clothes washers (RCWs), such as washing machines and clothes dryers.
Under the regulations, certain less-efficient models of washers and dryers would be barred from being sold, according to DOE.
The department projected that the energy standards would collectively save American households $2.2 billion per year on utility bills while reducing nearly 71 million metric tons of "dangerous carbon dioxide emissions" over the next three decades.
However, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers argued that DOE's washing machine regulations "would have a disproportionate, negative impact on low-income households" by eliminating cheaper appliances from the market.
"Despite misleading claims to the contrary, these proposals are intended for nothing more than promoting innovation and keeping money in the pockets of Americans everywhere without sacrificing the reliability and performance that consumers expect and rely on," a spokesperson for the Department of Energy told Fox News Digital. "As evidenced in the Department’s testing and analysis, the proposed standards would not reduce product performance or negatively impact cleaning ability or cycle time."
In 2023, the EPA finalized a rule to accelerate a transition to more advanced refrigeration and cooling technologies that don't use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and proposed a second rule to manage HFCs in existing products. HFCs are chemicals common in household appliances, such as refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning units.
The rule, set to go into effect in 2025, aims to phase out HFCs to achieve an 85% reduction by 2036.
But manufacturers reportedly privately predicted that the regulation would increase prices up to 20%, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
In February 2023, the DOE issued a proposal to target gas-powered stovetops, which was set to take effect in 2027 and affect 50% of current gas stove models.
Under the 2023 proposal, DOE would have banned the future sale of gas stoves that consume more than 1,204 thousand kBtu per year.
Restaurant owners have fumed over potential gas stove ban regulations.
"The majority of New York City restaurants use gas. It’s the most common stove in a high-volume kitchen," Peter Petti, executive chef at Upper East Side restaurant, Sojourn, told the New York Post. "Gas lets us do our job efficiently."
After facing pushback from Republicans and consumer advocacy groups, the DOE issued its final regulations, which will impact 3% of gas stove models, rather than the initial 50%.
The Biden administration doubled efficiency standards for light bulbs, requiring manufacturers to raise the levels for common light bulbs from 45 lumens per watt to more than 120 lumens per watt, a nearly 170% increase. Only LED bulbs will be able to comply with the standards, not compact fluorescent bulbs.
The DOE suggested that the regulations will slash greenhouse gas pollution by cutting 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next three decades.
When it takes effect in 2028, the rule will knock most currently available LEDs off the market and increase the average price of the remaining ones from $2.98 to an estimated $5.68, an increase of $2.70 per bulb, according to Lieberman.
Results from a Residential Energy Consumption Survey indicate that fewer than half of households reported using LEDs as their primary or exclusive lighting source.
The DOE implemented efficiency regulations to prohibit new non-condensing gas furnaces by 2028, by requiring that non-weatherized gas furnaces achieve an annual fuel utilization efficiency of 95%.
The American Gas Association, American Public Gas Association, National Propane Gas Association and manufacturer Thermo Products filed a lawsuit against DOE, claiming that costs could increase for 30% of senior-only households, 26% of low-income households and 27% of small business consumers if the regulation were to go into effect.
"Yesterday, the Biden administration finalized a rule that would effectively ban natural gas furnaces and other gas furnaces that are found in more than half of U.S. households," AGA Vice President of Energy Markets, Analysis, and Standards Richard Meyer told The National Desk in a statement. "In five years, around Christmas 2028, if you have to replace your gas furnace, you may be saddled with hundreds if not thousands of dollars of additional costs to upgrade that equipment to comply with this rule."
The Biden administration amended its energy conservation standards, putting into effect stricter energy standards for ceiling fans.
According to an analysis from the DOE, the new rules would save households about $39 over the lifespan of the new energy-efficient fan, Fox Business previously reported.
The regulation faced backlash from the House Small Business Committee, which claimed in a letter to the DOE secretary that it could put between 10% and 30% of small business ceiling fan manufacturers out of business.
Biden's appliance regulations could soon be in jeopardy, as President-elect Donald Trump is expected to overturn much of the current administration's climate agenda when he assumes the presidency in 2025.
Singer Michelle Williams is used to sharing her name — even poking fun at it sometimes.
The Broadway star, 45, posted via Instagram Story on Sunday, December 22, showing a case where someone confused her for the actress Michelle Williams.
The former Destiny’s Child member, currently starring in the musical adaptation of the 1992 film Death Becomes Her on Broadway, posted a photo of letters she got, alongside some photos — of the wrong Michelle Williams.
“Fan Mail,” she captioned the picture, which showed a letter addressed to Ms. Williams, with two photos of The Greatest Showman actress, 44.
She then posted again on her Instagram story, “I found out that when she was on Broadway in Cabaret, she had also gotten mail with my pictures too! That makes me happy!”
This isn’t the first time that the “Say Yes” singer commented on fans confusing her with the actress of the same name.
After the actress Williams got an Emmy in 2019 for her role as Gwen Verdon in Fosse/Verdon, singer Williams said she received multiple comments from confused fans.
“How come when y’all are tagging and congratulating a person, do y’all see that I’m black?” said the singer via an Instagram Live. “When you go to my profile, you search for the ‘Michelle Williams,’ I am black. OK? I ain’t mixed with nothing; I ain’t mixed with Persian, Russian, I am black.”
During her Emmy speech, the actress Williams spoke out about equal pay in the industry, which singer Williams said she received online criticism for.
“I am trying to figure out, ‘Why in the world am I getting cursed out in my comments for Michelle Williams’ speech?’ which I thought was her truth. I thought it was awesome,” she said. “I thought she was factual — I could be wrong. But yeah, I just told this woman a few minutes ago on my Instagram, I was like, ‘I’m so sorry that my namesake upset you, but can’t you see that I’m black?’”
Actress Michelle Williams.
The “Lose My Breath” singer made it clear that she did support The Fablemans actress’ speech.
“She was beautiful. She was brilliant. Honey, she played Gwen Verdon to a T. She was awesome,” she said. “Now get it right, and stop cussing me out.”
The Venom actress has also commented on their name mix ups before. In an interview with Huffpost published in 2018, the actress commented on the fact that Google’s search function would show her photo when someone searched “destiny’s child five members.”
“It gets me one step closer to Beyoncé, so I’m pretty good with it,” the actress said at the time. “Now I’ll have an ice breaker if I ever get to meet Beyoncé. I’ll talk to her about the old days of Destiny’s Child. So thank you because I’ll obviously be tongue-tied if and when that ever happens, and now I’ll know exactly what to say.”
“Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him for a reason,” Johnson, 54, alleged in the comments section of The New York Times’ Instagram on Saturday, December 21. “Read this article before spiting [sic] ignorance.”
“His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective,” Johnson continued. “Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out [sic] faults. But the public got played.”
Johnson claimed that “of course mistakes were made” and pointed to Lively’s many responsibilities, including being a mom of four to her and husband Ryan Reynolds’ children.
“But just IMAGINE being a stay at home mom raising 4 kids, married to the busiest man in Hollywood and at the same time being a girl boss running multiple companies while writing, producing, running non profits and working 16+ hour days from home so you can be with your kids,” he wrote. “Launching 2 new businesses you been working on / developing for many years (launch scheduled by distributors, not you, btw) all while getting attacked by a VERY expensive PR smear campaign because you filed a sexual harassment claim for the very film you have to go out and promote with just the right tone or you get cooked!?”
Johnson noted that it looks like Lively, 37, is “doing a hell of a job to me and trying to do good things for the right reasons.”
“But yeah let’s post from our couch how much we hate her for making mistakes,” he continued. “That makes sense. I mean, she’s been rude in these interviews that magically played on repeat. I saw it. None of us have ever been wrong or mean. Never. We should discount decades of good for those few bad moments. Glad the microscope isn’t on me every day of my life.”
In another comment, Johnson clarified what he meant by a “girl boss,” explaining the term “means a woman that is kicking a$$ as an entrepreneur and/or business owner in what has been previously dominated by men, and showing they are every bit as capable and qualified if not more so in that space. She’s my hero as is any woman charging it like this. You’re free to define it as you wish, but that’s on you.”
Johnson’s comments came one day after Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni. In the lawsuit, which was obtained by Us Weekly after it was reported by TMZ and The New York Times, Lively accused Baldoni of launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to “destroy” her reputation. (Baldoni’s lawyer called the accusations “completely false” in a statement to Us.)
Johnson’s wife, Robyn Lively, supported her sister via social media on Saturday. “FINALLY justice for my sister @blakelively,” Robyn, 52, wrote via Instagram Story, sharing screenshots of a New York Times article about Blake’s lawsuit.
Johnson previously came to Blake’s defense after fans began speculating that there was tension between the It Ends With Us costars she was seen promoting the film with some of her costars — while Baldoni didn’t join for interviews or press opportunities.
In the comments section of Johnson’s August Instagram post, a user critiqued Blake for “promoting happiness in a domestic violence setting without any regard for any victims.”
“Ellen I’m really sorry you feel that way. I’m sure you have a huge heart and want the best. I can promise you the truth has not come out yet. Blake worked harder on this film than anything I’ve seen her do my entire life,” he wrote at the time. “Because it meant so much to her. The message is in the book. And in the movie. Not in short clips / interviews. She is the reason the message / this movie/ is getting out.”
Johnson also acknowledged that nobody is perfect. “Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life,” he wrote. “But they aren’t under a microscope. Anyway, I respect your views. I got nothing but love for you. .”
After the response, the user thanked Johnson for his “lovely comment.” Johnson replied, “Thanks for that kind response Ellen to that Ellen. Means a lot. The truth hasn’t come out yet. It’s going to.”
After “Almost Famous” cohost Trista Sutter said she will “always ship” the pair, Rachel, 28, admitted that people “always do.”
“He is like one of my best friends,” Rachel said on the Saturday, December 21, episode of the podcast. “We are so different. We have such different types.”
Rachel explained that Blake, 34, has a “wider range” of a type, while she prefers a “more feminine guy era.”
“Blake says I have to stop doing that. He’s like, ‘That’s why you can’t find a boyfriend,’” Rachel said. “[He’s like], ‘You need, like, a manly guy.’ I’m like, ‘I have not been looking for that so I’m trying to keep an open mind.’”
Rachel noted that she’s been dipping her toe back in the dating pool, but had no updates to share about her love life at the moment. “When I can, I will let you know,” she said. “I have been dating a little. There will be something to report, but not currently.”
In August, Rachel shut down speculation that she and Blake were more than friends after she was spotted supporting him at the 17th annual Oceana Seachange Summer Party with Nautica in Laguna Beach, California.
“We went to an event together. Everyone wants us to be a couple so bad,” she said on an episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast at the time. “I feel like we always address the rumor over and over again. We’re still not a couple. We’re friends.”
Despite cohost Ashley Iaconetti noting that the duo “look really cute together,” Rachel said they hadn’t locked lips once. “He’s my most solid guy friend. I go to him for everything,” she explained. “Who would I go to then if we had that weird kiss, and then things got awkward?”
After not finding The One on previous seasons of the franchise, Rachel and Blake were both contestants on season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2023. The twosome decided to exit the show in week 4 when they didn’t find a romantic connection on the beaches of Mexico.
“We went to Paradise together. We’ve been friends and have done trips for over a year,” Rachel explained of their friendship. “If it was meant to be, I think it would have happened.”
Prior to the romance rumors with Blake, Rachel ended her and Gabby Windey’s season 19 of The Bachelorette engaged to Tino Franco but the twosome split after it was revealed he kissed someone during a rough patch in their relationship. Blake, for his part, was engaged to Katie Thurston in 2021 but they broke up months later.
The Kardashian sisters were always meant to be stars.
Kourtney Kardashianshared a cute throwback video via Instagram on Sunday, December 22, of her and her sisters, Khloe and Kim, dressed up and performing along to the song “I Think We’re Alone Now” by ‘80s singer Tiffany.
“I think we all know who the real star is here and it rhymes with snowy,” Kourtney, 45, wrote in the caption, referring to her younger sister, Khloe, 40.
While the sweet home video shows a young Kim, 44, and Kourtney shyly singing along on each side, the real star of the video is toddler Khloe, who is singing along center stage with sunglasses and attitude.
“IKONIK,” Khloe commented on her sister’s post. The trio wore gold metallic outfits with puffy sleeves in the throwback clip,, seemingly a choice made by their famous mother, Kris Jenner.
“I seriously should’ve been a Stylist,” commented Jenner, 69, on the video. “Look at these outfits some of my best work .”
Jenner and her daughters still seem to see eye-to-eye on fashion, so much so that she and Khloe accidentally wore matching outfits to a recent holiday party.
Each wore the same outfit of boots, with a tailored mini dress from Kylie Jenner’s brand Khy. The big difference is that Jenner wore the outfit in white, while her daughter sported the same look in all black.
Khloe posted a video of their mother-daughter twinning via her Instagram on Friday, December 20. In the post, the two played out a scene from their previous reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
“It’s just not cool that you copy me,” lip synced Khloe over the sound from the original clip, where Kourtney accuses Jenner of wearing something too similar. “I go to lengths to try to get things that not everybody has.”
“OK, well, you can’t return those,” Kris mimed in return.
Khloe made it clear in the caption that the twin-cident was unintentional. “We didn’t plan this…We just showed up at the same holiday party like this in our @khy.”
Kourtney seemed to find the outfit mishap funny as well, commenting “never cool to copy,” on her sister’s post.
This isn’t Jenner’s first time supporting Kylie’s foray into the fashion world. For her daughter’s newest collection, Khy X Entire studios, which officially launched on December 12, Kris lent her modeling skills as the face of the new collection.
“ME BY KYLIE FOR KHY!!!” the momager posted in a caption via Instagram on December 9. “So happy to be a part of @khy new collection in collaboration with @entire_studios, and shot by @kyliejenner!”
Kjersti Flaa and Journalist Clarifies She Wasnt Part of
Kjersti Flaa, the journalist who previously said an interview with Blake Lively made her want to “quit” her job, has denied being part of an alleged smear campaign against the actress.
“OK, so I have to say something because now I see that things are starting to snowball and people start thinking that I had anything to do with the smear campaign against Blake Lively, that was orchestrated allegedly by Justin Baldoni and his team,” Flaa said via Instagram on Saturday, December 21, adding that she had read through the lawsuit and the alleged “dirty work” going on behind-the-scenes. “I just wanted to say I had nothing to do with it.”
Flaa said she was “shocked” and “appalled” by the text messages between Baldoni’s PR team that were included in the lawsuit filed by Lively, 37, on Friday, December 20.
“I would never take part in anything like that,” she said. “That’s such an insult to me.”
Flaa said she doesn’t want “to be a part of this,” noting that she shared a video from a previous interview with Lively and “that’s it.”
“Just wanted to put it out there,” Flaa captioned her Instagram post. “I have nothing to do with Justin Baldoni and his smear campaign against Blake Lively that was reported on by The New York Times today. There are conspiracy theories out there accusing me of being paid by his PR team to help with their smear campaign. None of this is true.”
News broke on Saturday that Lively sued It Ends With Us costar and director Baldoni, 40, for sexual harassment. In the lawsuit, which was obtained by Us Weekly after it was reported by TMZ and The New York Times, Lively accused Baldoni of launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to “destroy” her reputation.
Flaa released a lengthier statement via YouTube on Saturday, explaining that she “would never accept money to jeopardize my integrity as a journalist.”
“I see how people are trying to make a connection here that I have been working with Justin Baldoni’s PR company because it’s just too much of a coincidence that my video was posted at that time,” she said, explaining that she “had a bad experience with Blake Lively” and decided to post the video after watching It Ends With Us.
In August, Flaa released a clip of Lively and Parker Posey from the 2016 Café Society press tour titled: “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.” In the clip, tensions grew between Flaa and Lively after the journalist congratulated the actress on her “little bump” and inquired about period costumes in the film.
“When my video came out, it added fuel to the fire against Blake Lively,” Flaa said, claiming that she had “no idea what was going on” on the set of It Ends With Us.
Flaa noted that she “never defended” Baldoni. “I don’t know him,” she said. “I never met him. Actually, I didn’t know he existed until It Ends With Us. So I have no sympathy towards any of these people that are involved.”
While pointing out specific text messages between Baldoni’s PR team in Lively’s lawsuit, Flaa calls the exchange “kind of disgusting.”
“The thing is, I don’t want anything to do with it,” she said. “I know nothing about Justin Baldoni. I know nothing about his PR team. And I definitely would never work with a PR team under any circumstances to put hate out there on the internet against someone, or to smear someone. I would never ever do that.”
Since their time on Pretty Little Liars, the cast of the hit Freeform series have been candid about their search for love.
Before and after starring on the hit Freeform series, which ran for seven seasons from 2010 to 2017, Lucy Hale dated a number of famous faces, including David Henrie, Chris Zylka and Skeet Ulrich.
“I haven’t really had rules with dating,” Hale, who played Aria on PLL, said of her love life during a January 2023 appearance on Rachel Bilson‘s “Broad Ideas” podcast. “I’ve dated all the way up to 52 — [from] 27 to 52. I’m 33 and I feel like I’ll probably end up with someone around my age or older, just because of the non-negotiables. I feel like a lot of people in that older age bracket will meet those.”
Hale’s onscreen love interest, Ian Harding, meanwhile, tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Sophie Hart in 2019 after eight years of dating.
Scroll down to see who the Pretty Little Liars cast has dated through the years:
The California native, who portrayed Spencer, has been married to Patrick J. Adams since 2016. Bellisario and Adams welcomed their daughter Aurora in 2018 and their second child, daughter Elliot, in June 2021.
Since playing Hanna, Benson has made headlines for her relationship with Cara Delevingne. The twosome met on the set of 2018's Her Smell and dated for two years before calling it quits. Benson moved on with G-Eazy from May 2020 to February 2021.
In February 2023, the Spring Breakers star sparked romance rumors with Brandon Davis, the grandson of oil tycoon Marvin Davis. They announced their engagement five months later and wed that year. Benson announced that she had given birth to her and Davis’ child in February 2024.
The You alum, who brought Emily to life, briefly dated Ryan Silverstein and Jimmy Butler. The Canada native became a mother when she gave welcomed daughter Atlas with partner Matte Babel in October 2019. Mitchell gave birth to their second child, daughter Rome, in June 2022.
In addition to Henrie and Zylka, Hale has been linked to Alex Marshall, Drew Van Acker, Graham Rogers, Joel Crouse, Adam Pitts, Anthony Kalabretta, Riley Smith, Ryan Rottman and Colton Underwood over the years.
In 2021, the CW star briefly dated Ulrich before they parted ways. She surprised her fans when she announced in February 2023 that she was one-year sober.
The South Africa native, who played Allison, married actor Hudson Sheaffer in May 2018 after four years of dating. Their son, Hendrix, was born in November 2020.
While playing Caleb on Pretty Little Liars, the model sparked dating speculation with Benson off screen. The duo, however, have never publicly confirmed their romance and have remained friends throughout the years.
In 2019, Blackburn came out as bisexual. He hasn't shared much about his love life on social media.
The musician became a fan-favorite on PLL after portraying Toby Cavanaugh. Off screen, Allen was linked to Skyler Samuels and Chuck Grant. He has remained tight-lipped about his dating life — instead preferring to use his platform to share his photography.
While playing Mona, Parrish sparked romance rumors with costar Brant Daugherty. She moved on with Payson Lewis and was briefly linked to her Dancing With the Stars partner Val Chmerkovskiy. The To All the Boys I've Loved Before star married Chris Long in 2018.
The One Tree Hill alum, who played Spencer's sister Melissa, was married to Paul Wesley from 2011 to 2013. She has since dated Rick Glassman, Artem Chigvintsev, Jesse Lee Soffer and Will Estes. In 2021, DeVitto confirmed that she was dating Chicago Cubs manager David Ross. By March 2023, she confirmed that they had split.
DeVitto revealed her relationship with Jared LaPine in June 2023, and by that September, Us Weekly confirmed that they were engaged. DeVitto and LaPine announced in May 2024 that they were gearing up to welcome their first baby together. The couple got married in September 2024 and welcomed daughter Lyle-Josephine in November 2024.
Ray left a lasting impression on Pretty Little Liars for her performance as Charlotte Drake and A. The Suits alum was married to Derek James from 2003 to 2009. She moved on with Landon Beard and they exchanged vows in 2015 after six years of dating.
David and Victoria Beckham’s son Brooklyn is gearing up to celebrate Christmas with his family.
“The family will all be together in Miami this year, which will be lovely,” Brooklyn, 25, said in an interview published by The Sunday Times on Sunday, December 22.
When it comes to buying gifts for his family, Brooklyn shared he had a few ideas in mind. (David and Victoria, who wed in 1999, share sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz and daughter Harper.)
“Maybe a bottle of wine for my dad, while my brothers are really into clothes and trainers,” Brooklyn said. “Last year we got Harper a travel make-up kit that she still uses, so something along those lines again for her.”
As for his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Brooklyn noted that the couple has a routine for their gifts to each other. (Brooklyn and Nicola, 29, tied the knot in 2022.)
“It has become a little tradition for Nicola and me to buy each other really comfy matching silk pajamas,” he said. “We’ll normally wear them all day.”
Cruz Beckham, David Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Nicole Beckham
Despite Brooklyn and Nicola opting to purchase pajamas for each other on Christmas, he recently set the record straight on a rumor that the twosome spend $100,000 per week on clothing.
“[A fan] wants to know if it’s true — OK, this is crazy — that you and your wife spend $105,000 on your combined weekly wardrobe,” Andy Cohen asked Brooklyn during a November episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
While shaking his head and laughing, Brooklyn replied, “No.”
“I was gonna say, what am I looking at here? What kind of coins?” Cohen, 56, quipped as he examined Brooklyn’s outfit, which included a black sweater, pants and a pair of Adidas sneakers. After Cohen asked Brookyln whether he had heard the rumor before, the model responded, “No, never.”
“Very good that we debunked it,” Cohen replied.
As Brooklyn navigates married life, he exclusively told Us Weekly that his dad shared some words of wisdom for him.
“My dad was just always [like], “Look, just always treat her like a princess,’” Brooklyn told Us in September 2023. He recalled his dad telling him, “Just talk and have fun. Enjoy each other and just work and do you guys’ thing.”
While reflecting on his relationship, Brooklyn shared his own advice. “I think one of probably the most important things that you can do in your life is find that someone and don’t let ’em go,” he told Us. “I married my best friend, so it’s just easy, fun. She’s always there for me. I’m always there for her. We support each other more than anyone. She’s the best. We’re very happy. First year has been great.”
Tom Hardy is not about to leave his teammates hanging.
According to London’s The Sunday Times, the Peaky Blinders alum offered to help out the crew on his new show Fixer, when they were told there was no money to pay them.
Contractors spent the past summer building sets for Hardy’s new Paramount + show. 50 workers were employed for the project by a company called Helix 3D which, despite being paid by 101 studios and MTV Studios, was ultimately unable to pay their employees.
The lost wages amounted to £250,000, or $315,000 USD. A leaked WhatsApp message from December allegedly showed that Helix 3D did not have the money to pay its contractors.
“He offered to [pay],” a source close to Hardy told The Times. “But the production and Paramount have sorted the payment.”
A source at Paramount told the outlet that the studio was “outraged” when they learned about the situation and were working to pay the employees.
The Times also published excerpts from a letter written by union organizer Chris Hudson to the Helix 3D Chief Executive Brian Dowling before the payment situation was resolved.
“Our members deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and compensated on time for their work. It is wholly unacceptable that they are facing significant financial precarity, particularly ahead of Christmas,” wrote Hudson.
Hudson, who works for the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union, said that the financial situation could affect the mental health of its members around the holidays.
“This close to Christmas, our members are rightly very distressed, with many fearing they will be unable to cover necessities,” he wrote. “I trust you can appreciate the significant impact this is also having on their mental health.”
Hudson has also criticized the lack of communication from Helix 3D.
“What does seem to have been avoidable was the lack of foresight that this situation could occur, given the serious financial trouble Helix was in,” he continued. “What was also avoidable is the lack of information and transparency granted to our members throughout their employment as to Helix’s current state of affairs.”
Fixer, which also stars Dame Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan alongside Hardy, will be helmed by Guy Ritchie. The director, producer and screenwriter has had hits such as The Gentlemen, Sherlock Holmes, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E
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