The voice cast of the animated film Minions & Monsters has been announced. Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Trey Parker, Bobby Moynihan and Phil LaMarr make up the star-studded voice cast of Illumination’s upcoming movie. Pierre Coffin, who helmed the first three Despicable Me films and the first Minions film, directs Minions & Monsters. It arrives in theaters on July 1 …
Free Bert has been renewed for season 2 on Netflix. The show stars stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer who finds himself acting differently when his children are accepted into an elite Beverly Hills private school …
Missed The Housemaid in theaters? You’ll soon be in luck. Paul Feig’s adaptation of Freida McFadden’s bestselling book will be available to stream April 1 on Starz. The Housemaid stars Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried and follows a woman who takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family …
Epstein and Maxwell in one of the images released by the US Department of State . (Photo by The US Justice Department / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Bank of America has reached a proposed, non-binding settlement in a lawsuit that alleged the bank helped facilitate Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking operation, according to court records.
The proposed class-action complaint, filed in October 2025, alleged that Bank of America “knowingly provided the financial support and the veneer of institutional legitimacy” to Epstein and ignored suspicious transactions by the late disgraced financier.
A notice on the case’s docket said that lawyers for the bank and the victims “reached a settlement in principle.” The terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed and would need to be approved by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff had previously scheduled the case to go to trial on May 11.
A court hearing to consider the settlement proposal is scheduled for April 2 in federal court in New York, according to the docket.
Bank of America declined to comment on the proposed settlement to ABC News. An attorney for the victims called the proposed settlement “one more step on the road to much-deserved justice.”
“The women entrapped and abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell started a monumental reckoning with their brave voices and fearlessness. The road to justice for these women has been long and trying,” attorney Sigrid McCawley said in a statement.
Though the terms of the settlement are unknown, a proposed resolution of the case would likely scuttle an upcoming deposition of Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black, who was scheduled to sit for questioning on March 26. Black resigned from his role at Apollo in 2021 after an inquiry into his relationship with Epstein, which found that Black paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning advice.
In a statement from January, Black’s attorney said that his client “had no awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities” and that there is “absolutely no truth to any of the allegations against Mr. Black.”
The lawsuit against Bank of America alleged that those payments from Black and other transactions by Epstein should have raised concern by the bank, which “failed to alert law enforcement as to Epstein’s crimes before it was far too late.”
“Epstein committed these crimes by means of not only his own extraordinary wealth and power, but through access to funding and financial support from both individuals and institutions, including Bank of America. Egregiously, Bank of America had a plethora of information regarding Epstein’s sex trafficking operation but chose profit over protecting the victims,” the lawsuit alleged.
Bank of America had unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the court to dismiss the case by arguing that the suit was “based on nothing more than allegations that it provided routine services to customers who at the time had no known connection to Epstein’s sex trafficking.”
“Bank of America opposes trafficking in all its forms. But this suit attempts to radically expand liability for banks, holding them liable for providing ordinary banking services to individuals one or more steps removed from a trafficker,” a November 2025 filing from the bank’s lawyers said.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The two top Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary committees are referring outgoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to the Department of Justice for perjury due to her testimony to congressional committees earlier this month, according to a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland allege that Noem’s statements on a variety of topics including DHS following judges’ orders and a controversial multimillion-dollar ad campaign “appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.”
In response to the letter, a DHS spokesperson said “Any claim that Secretary Noem committed perjury is categorically FALSE.”
A Justice Department spokesperson said, “The DOJ has received the latest political stunt from the Democrats who should instead vote to reopen the Department of Homeland Security.”
President Donald Trump fired Noem the day after her testimony concluded and announced that he was appointing her to a new role as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a coalition of Latin American countries the White House says is committed to cooperating with the U.S. in taking on drug cartels and securing the U.S. border. He said he had nominated Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to head DHS when Noem’s tenure ended on March 31.
The Democrats allege that Noem misled Congress when she said that DHS had followed court orders while federal judges have ruled a number of times that it had not.
They also cited her testimony over contracts for a $220 million DHS ad campaign and her assertion that Trump had signed off on it. A day later, Trump told Reuters, “I never knew anything about it.”
“New public reporting, however, indicates that those statements may have been false. It has been reported that not only did the Secretary “handpick” four companies for the ad campaign, but procurement records show the “ad work was awarded using ‘other than full and open competition,'” and the four companies were politically connected to Noem and her allies,” according to the letter.
Durbin and Raskin also allege Noem misled Congress when she testified that top adviser Corey Lewandowski had “no authority” to make decisions for the department.
“Secretary Noem’s denial of Corey Lewandowski’s role in DHS contract approval may also have been false. It has been widely reported that Mr. Lewandowski asserts approval authority over contracts and grants that exceed $100,000.27 A similar approval process reportedly exists for policy decisions, and as a recently published document shows, Mr. Lewandowski’s signature is visible above Secretary Noem’s on a February 2025 document reversing temporary protected status for Haitians.”
Lewandowski is reportedly leaving his position as a special government employee. He did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on his future at DHS.
The Democrats also allege Noem made false statements about conditions in ICE detention centers adhering to federal detention standards while ICE internal audits documented “significant failures to meet medical care standards.”
And they say her assertion that ICE did not detain U.S. citizens is false and cited 170 cases of citizens being detained in some cases for days without an opportunity to prove their citizenship.
“Making false statements to Congress, and making false statements under oath, are federal crimes,” the letter says. “While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given your partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for perjury and for knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress is five years.”
Photo of Richins Family posted on Eric’s Facebook account. (Eric Richins/Facebook)
(NEW YORK) — Kouri Richins, a Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, who self-published a children’s book on grieving following his death, has been found guilty of murder following a weekslong trial.
The Summit County jury began deliberating late Monday afternoon before reaching a verdict after about three hours. She was found guilty on all five counts, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder.
Kouri Richins looked down and remained still while the judge read out each guilty verdict. Her sentencing has been scheduled for May 13.
During closing arguments earlier Monday, prosecutors alleged that the mom of three was obsessed with appearing “privileged, affluent and successful” and killed her husband to help pay the debts of her floundering home flipping business and to get a “fresh start.”
The defense, meanwhile, said the case was “sloppy” and “driven by bias” and argued that the state failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kouri Richins, 35, was charged with aggravated murder in connection with the 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richins, following a lengthy investigation. Prosecutors allege she spiked his drink with a lethal dose of fentanyl that she purchased illicitly after asking two people for the “Michael Jackson drug.”
“Kouri Richins was a suburban mother, real estate agent. She does not know a lot about the illicit street drug world, but she knows Michael Jackson died from taking drugs,” prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said during closing arguments on Monday. “She doesn’t know how to order a street drug, but she knows she wants the Michael Jackson stuff. She knows she wants it because it is lethal. It is fatal. It kills. And she wanted lethal, fatal death.”
Her charges also include attempted aggravated murder, with prosecutors alleging she gave her husband a sandwich laced with fentanyl on Valentine’s Day two weeks before his death in an initial, failed attempt to kill him.
Kouri Richins was also accused of committing insurance fraud by taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on his life with his forged signature and then submitting a claim following his alleged murder.
She pleaded not guilty and has maintained her innocence.
Her husband, 39-year-old Eric Richins, was found dead in bed on March 4, 2022. An autopsy determined that he died from fentanyl intoxication, and the level of fentanyl in his blood was approximately five times the lethal dosage, according to the charging document. The medical examiner determined the fentanyl was “illicit fentanyl,” not medical grade, according to the charging document.
Prosecutors allege that Kouri Richins purchased illicit fentanyl pills shortly before the Valentine’s Day incident and again before his death, at which point she allegedly asked for stronger drugs.
‘Downward financial death spiral’: Prosecutor During his closing argument, Bloodworth said Kouri Richins was in “financial desperation” due to her realty company’s debts and needed a significant influx of cash immediately. He alleged she believed she would have financially benefited from her husband’s death — without realizing that his assets were in a trust for their children.
Bloodworth said October 2021 was the “beginning of the downward financial death spiral” of Kouri Richins’ realty business, and that she had a growing debt picture nearing $8 million.
He alleged Kouri Richins intended to cause her husband’s death as early as December 2021, when she was booked a vacation with her boyfriend for April 2022.
“Kouri Richins did not book that trip thinking Eric Richins would be alive in April, she booked it knowing he would not,” Bloodworth said.
Bloodworth referred to evidence that he alleged showed she intended to cause her husband’s death. A witness testified during the trial that in December 2021 Kouri Richins said to her that “in many ways it would be better” if Eric Richins “were dead.” In February 19, 2022, days after the alleged attempted murder attempt, prosecutors said Kouri Richins texted her boyfriend, “If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!”
Bloodworth said Kouri Richins tried to cover up her alleged role in her husband’s death, starting with the 911 call.
“Listen to how she tells the 911 dispatcher where she was when Eric died. She is distancing herself,” Bloodworth said before the call was played again for jurors. “Rather than, ‘He’s not breathing. He has no pulse. I have to figure out what to do. I need help,’ she’s saying, ‘Hey, look, I was not there. I was in my son’s room.’ That’s her alibi. She’s distancing herself from the time and the place that she murdered Eric.”
Bloodworth also said the call shows that the 911 operator asked Kouri Richins to perform CPR on her husband for 6 minutes before she purportedly did. “She is not immediately trying to revive him,” he said.
Bloodworth said Kouri Richins deleted her texts and phone logs with multiple people, including her former housecleaner, Carmen Lauber, who testified about obtaining illicit drugs at Kouri Richins’ request in the weeks prior to Eric Richins’ death. He argued that Kouri Richins was worried about being investigated and her deleted messages in the wake of her husband’s death, as evidenced by searches on her phone such as, “can cops force you to do a lie detector test” and “can deleted text messages be retrieved from an iPhone.”
When the toxicology report showed that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, Bloodworth argued that Kouri Richins then needed to “explain” the presence of the drug — and that she allegedly planned to do so by claiming she got them for her husband at his request.
Bloodworth argued that Eric Richins did not die of an accidental overdose, citing testimony from his friends and family who said he did not use illicit drugs. He also argued that he did not die by suicide and had “every reason to live” — foremost being his three young sons.
“The evidence proves that Kouri Richins murdered, attempted to murder Eric Richins and that she committed two counts of insurance fraud and forgery,” he said. “The evidence does not support any other explanation.”
Defense argues case had ‘confirmation bias’ Defense attorney Wendy Lewis argued during her closing that the case was impacted by confirmation bias from the start.
“Instead of looking at the evidence to determine what happened, the state has, they determined what happened, and then they found the evidence to support it,” Lewis said.
Lewis argued that there was “no evidence” that there was fentanyl in Eric Richins’ drink the night he died and that investigators failed to look into his recent trip to Mexico, which the defense had insinuated could have been the source of the fentanyl, or to test an old prescription bottle that was on his nightstand.
Lewis raised questions about the testimony of Lauber, who testified pursuant to several grants of immunity.
“Carmen Lauber was not able to tell you that she bought fentanyl. She agreed on the stand that it was the detectives that first put the word fentanyl in her mouth, in her head. She was told by detectives in this case that she bought fentanyl. ‘Eric died of fentanyl. You bought drugs. You bought fentanyl,'” Lewis said. “She took that story and she ran with it because she had everything to lose.”
On the affair, Lewis said Kouri Richins broke things off with her boyfriend and they never went on the trip. On the phone searches, Lewis argued that Kouri Richins was worried because she was innocent.
“Of course she’s worried. An innocent person would be worried. Anyone would be worried if they just found out that they are a suspect in a homicide investigation,” Lewis said. “She would have been scared to death.”
Lewis touched on Kouri Richin’s money troubles, acknowledging that the house flipping business was “struggling,” but argued that Eric Richins was “worth so much more to Kouri alive.”
She claimed that Kouri Richins was being judged for how she grieved.
“They want you to look at a woman in the worst moment of her life and to judge her grief,” Lewis said. “There is no wrong way to grieve.”
Lewis told the jury that if they believe Kouri Richins “accidentally obtained fentanyl,” and that Eric Richins then took those pills voluntarily and died, she argued that it is “not aggravated murder” and that they “must find Kouri Richins not guilty.”
On the alleged insurance scheme, Lewis argued that the state has not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that there was any fraud or forgery.
“The state has not proven their case,” Lewis said. “They don’t have the evidence that Kouri Richins killed her husband, so instead, they have tried to show you as much evidence as they possibly can to convince you she’s the sort of person who would.”
Prior to delivering its closing argument, the defense submitted a motion for mistrial, alleging that the state’s closing was full of “wild speculation,” dehumanized Kouri Richins and inappropriately commented on her demeanor. The motion was denied.
In his rebuttal, Bloodworth acknowledged that much of the evidence in the case is circumstantial.
“People do not video themselves poisoning their spouse,” he said. “But circumstantial evidence is just as good as direct evidence.”
Bloodworth argued that there was “plenty of proof to convict” Kouri Richins based on Lauber’s corroborated testimony. He also argued that much of the defense’s argument is based around trying to explain a letter found in Kouri Richins’ jail cell that prosecutors said appears to outline testimony for her brother instructing him to say that her husband got fentanyl from Mexico.
“All the evidence in this case proves that Kouri Richins murdered her husband, the father of her three children, Eric Richins,” he said. “There is no other rational explanation.”
“And despite all the evidence, Kouri Richins doubles down and blames Eric,” he continued.
Kouri Richins did not testify during the three-week trial and the defense called no witnesses.
During his testimony, the lead detective in the case said that Kouri Richins paid a ghostwriter for her children’s book.
A month prior to her arrest in May 2023, the mom of three young sons appeared on a “Good Things Utah” segment on Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX to promote the book. In the segment, Kouri Richins said her husband of nine years died “unexpectedly” and that his death “completely took us all by shock.
When Chris Young opens his Famous Friends sports bar sometime this summer in Music City, it won’t be downtown on Lower Broadway, where most of the other stars’ watering holes are.
Instead, it’ll be at a spot that’s close to his heart: midtown Nashville.
“Demonbreun [Street] is definitely a place that I spent a lot of time,” Chris explains. “I lived over there for a while, and so, I’ve seen it change so much. I’ve walked up and down that street going to and from writes a billion times. I’ve seen people on their way up as artists playing in a lot of those spots over there and they’ve changed a lot over the years.”
It’s a spot that’s also inspired plenty of stories.
“This is a place that I’ve got a lot of great memories [of],” Chris says. “Me and Shay Mooney from Dan + Shay singing at the top of our lungs in some of those places for no reason whatsoever — little memories like that that I think are important.”
“And I think that that street’s always been very important to Nashville,” he adds. “You know, being able to create another spot there, and hopefully a spot that people love and love to go to. Hopefully people will remember it for a long time.”
Famous Friends will be located at 1516A Demonbreun Street, near Tin Roof.
Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas attend the premiere of ‘Power Ballad’ during SXSW, March 14, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Lionsgate)
Nick Jonas knows a thing or two about weddings: When he married Priyanka Chopra Jonas in 2018, the festivities lasted three days. That’s why you should trust him when it comes to picking the perfect wedding song, right?
In his new movie Power Ballad, Nick plays a fading boy band star who steals a song from a wedding singer, played by Paul Rudd, and uses it to revive his career. Asked by Entertainment Weekly to name the ultimate wedding song at the movie’s premiere at the South by Southwest Festival on Saturday, Nick said, “There are so many. One that I go to all the time is probably Bryan Adams’ ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,'” before singing a bit of the #1 hit.
Notably, Nick’s actual wedding song — at one of the two ceremonies he and Priyanka had — was Roberta Flack’s version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
Meanwhile, Paul Rudd told EW that he likes to “go against the wedding grain,” adding, “I think, like, a great wedding song would be, you know, some kind of punk song or something that is incongruous to what you would think a wedding song would be.”
Paul wed wife Julie Yaeger in 2003, but their actual wedding song is unknown.
Power Ballad, due out June 5, got an amazing reception at the festival, according to Vulture. “It’s the biggest crowd-pleaser of the fest so far — I’m talking loud laughter, tears, cheers erupting throughout, and nary a soul leaving before the Q&A,” the publication wrote on Monday.
During that Q&A, Nick got laughs by joking that of course he said “yes” to a movie about “a former boy band member turned solo artist trying to find himself.”
JID at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Cristian Lopez)
JID has a lot to celebrate, so he’s doing it on the road. The rapper kicked of the European/U.K. leg of his God Does Like World Tours on March 2, which he confirmed will be a little different from the shows on his U.S. run.
“We always tailor or make sure each show is kind of like a fingerprint, like all different,” he told ABC Audio ahead of its start. “We have some things that we’re planning for this tour and it’s definitely going to be different. And it’s going to be great.”
“[We’re] just celebrating the album, celebrating the nominations, celebrating seeing my fans on this side of the water,” he continued. “It’s all a blessing to be able to do that … So I just take it in stride and make sure I put on the best show that I can for my fans and just celebrate it all. ‘Cause it’s going to be a celebratory event.”
The album JID is celebrating is his latest, God Does Like Ugly. It earned a best rap album nomination while its single “Wholeheartedly” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack was nominated for best melodic rap performance at the 2026 Grammys — an experience he generally enjoyed.
“It was amazing. It’s just cool being around like your peers and other amazing artists and creatives just in the field and being celebrated,” he said. “Whether it’s like a nomination or whether you just there just to be around the moment. That was cool for sure. I had a great time.”
He said it gave him momentum to continue working hard in his career.
“The Grammys…leaves you inspired and it kinda makes you wanna go again,” he said. “So [I’ll] just keep on making the music that I love and be truthful, making sure everything I do is true.”
‘The Grateful Dead Movie’ soundtrack 10-LP set (Mondo/Rhino Records)
The soundtrack to Grateful Dead’s 1977 concert documentary, The Grateful Dead Movie, is getting its first-ever vinyl release.
The fully restored soundtrack is being released as a 10-LP set featuring performances of such Dead songs as “Playing in the Band,” “The Other One,” “Scarlet Begonias,” “Casey Jones,” “Dark Star” and more.
The film, one of only two directed by late Dead founder Jerry Garcia, is a recording of the band’s five-night stand at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in October 1974, which at the time was believed to be their final set of shows. The run also saw the return of drummer Mickey Hart, who had left the band in 1971.
The new set, being released by Mondo in partnership with Rhino Records, is not only the first time the soundtrack is being released on vinyl, but the first time it’s been available in any format since 2005. It is pressed on colored, audiophile quality vinyl and will feature all 44 songs that appeared on the original CD release. It comes with 42-page book with rare and previously unseen photos and an essay by Dead historian Nicholas G. Meriwether.
“Widely considered one of the greatest runs of shows in the Grateful Dead’s history, October 1974 at the Winterland featured inspired, exciting and out-of-this-world playing,” says Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux. “We’re proud to partner with Mondo for a vinyl release that celebrates and preserves this essential document of the band’s legacy.”
The Grateful Dead Movie box set is limited to just 3,000 individually numbered units and is available for preorder now; shipping is expected in May.
Cancer Support Community’s new helpline is ‘867-5309’ (Klick Health)
You’ve probably seen those TikToks where people go around their offices, ask co-workers what year they were born, and then ask them what Jenny’s number is. The answer, of course, is “867-5309,” the title of the 1982 top-5 hit by the band Tommy Tutone. But now, pop music’s most famous phone number is being put to good use.
The nonprofit Cancer Support Community, along with Gilda’s Club locations, has taken over the number, with full endorsement from the band. Now, anyone impacted by cancer who calls CSC-867-5309 will receive support, information and personalized guidance from trained specialists.
“I gave a ‘yes’ as soon as they asked me, because we’ve all got to give back sometimes,” says Tommy Tutone lead singer Tommy Heath, whose own family has been impacted by cancer. Heath, who’s still touring and recording new music, tells ABC Audio that he’s continually amazed at the ongoing popularity of the tune.
“Everybody knows that song,” says Heath, 78. “It’s the number three password in the world. It’s the number girls give the guys that don’t want to give them their real number … I think every young person knows what it is.”
He laughs, “I don’t know why [the ’80s] resonates so well. … Several people told me that it was the high point of Western civilization!”
There are varying accounts of what inspired the song, but Heath swears there’s a real Jenny, and 867-5309 was her parents’ number. “I speak to her once in a while. We joke about having a reality show about what really happened,” he says.
“But I remember introducing her to my wife and saying, ‘This is Jenny,'” he recalls. “And [she goes], ‘Hi, Jenny.’ And I go, “No, this is JENNY!”
