Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg in ‘Sentimental Value.’ (Kasper Tuxen Andersen)
The 98th annual Oscars are less than a week away. Many of the stars of Sentimental Value are nominated at Sunday’s ceremony, including Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who plays Agnes Borg in Joachim Trier’s Norwegian film.
Lilleaas, who is nominated for best supporting actress, told ABC Audio “just being in a movie that so many people get to see and enjoy” is what is most special about recognition like this. So is connecting with people about the film during its press tour.
“I think that’s what I’m gonna be taking with me through life,” Lilleaas said. “Getting to meet people after they’ve seen it and hear their thoughts and hear how they’re reacting based on their own lives.”
She continued, “People share a lot of personal stuff, and I appreciate it, because when do you ever get to hear those stories and how similar we are across culture? It’s like, we all have family in one way or another and they seem to work in more or less the same way, despite where we live.”
ABC Audio spoke to Lilleaas before she was Oscar-nominated. She said she was centering the film’s impact and focusing less on what it means to get awarded for her work.
“These awards, it’s something that I’ve seen from afar and it’s never been part of how I work or how I live or what I think is ever attainable or is ever a focus even,” Lilleaas said. “So it’s kind of absurd and a little bit outside of the body. It’s something that’s just somebody’s talking about and that I’m trying not to think about so much.”
The Oscars will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.
: Funeral ceremony is held for people, who lost their lives following the attacks launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28, at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran on March 9, 2026. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as “an operational trigger” for “sleeper assets” outside the country, according to a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies.
The alert, reviewed by ABC News, cites “preliminary signals analysis” of a transmission “likely of Iranian origin” that was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28.
The intercepted transmission was encoded and appeared to be destined for “clandestine recipients” who possess the encryption key, the kind of message intended to impart instructions to “covert operatives or sleeper assets” without the use of the internet or cellular networks.
It’s possible the transmissions could “be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country,” the alert said.
“While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness,” the alert said.
While the alert is careful to say there is “no operational threat tied to a specific location,” it does instruct law enforcement agencies to increase their monitoring of suspicious radio-frequency activity.
If the contents of the alert prove true, it would confirm the fears expressed by law enforcement officials after the U.S. and Israel struck Iran that sleeper cells deployed around the West could be used for retaliation.
Senator Andy Kim, during a news conference ahead of the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Photographer: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Senator Andy Kim, D-N.J., is aiming to tackle the nation’s literacy crisis with a new bill focused on increasing children’s access to books.
Kim will introduce his “Open Books, Open Doors Act” on Monday, urging the Department of Education to authorize $100 million in annual grants to states and local communities to combat illiteracy and what he calls the country’s “book deserts,” which is an area that doesn’t have reliable access to books.
“Reading is a powerful tool that every child in America should have,” Kim said in a statement to ABC News. “We know literacy and reading unlocks life-long success in school and out, but right now millions of kids across our country are living in book deserts.”
He told ABC News in an exclusive interview that he feels it’s his responsibility to pass legislation that helps more kids develop their reading skills.
“This is not meant to be a messaging bill,” Kim said, adding, “This is not just meant to put the idea on the table, like, I want to get this done.”
“I want us to be able to immediately be able to benefit the kids in this country as they grow up,” he said.
His legislation aims to ensure every child is positioned for long-term success in school and in life. Kim noted that illiteracy is dire, not only for children, but also for adults. When adults have difficulty reading, it hurts the economy and American families, he said.
If passed, Kim’s bill would use the federal education department grant program to support states’ efforts to combat reading rates while prioritizing the locations that struggle most with access to books and “high quality” reading materials.
Actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton, who for two decades helped young students get excited about literature as the host of PBS’ “Reading Rainbow,” endorsed Kim’s push to provide children with equitable access to books.
“We must ensure that books are easy to find and free to borrow in every neighborhood — because when a child can read, they possess the power to write their own future,” Burton told ABC News in a statement.
The reading crisis is widespread. Recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” found about a third of fourth graders are unable to read above the basic level. Access to books and a decrease in students who read for enjoyment are major factors contributing to the country’s sliding reading scores, according to the legislation and education experts.
Education Department skeptics and government officials, however, believe the agency has too much spending power already — without achievement results.
After a vocal minority of House Democrats and education advocates decried public school funding for lagging national test scores, Education Secretary Linda McMahon noted that continuing to spend federal dollars on the literacy issue was the wrong solution.
“Instead of solutions to confront our nation’s literacy crisis, they [Congressional Democrats] defended the status quo,” McMahon wrote in a recent post on X.
“The solution: return education to the states and empower local leaders to focus on the basics,” she added.
The future of Kim’s legislation could ultimately rest with McMahon, who has been tasked with putting herself out of a job by shuttering the department. Kim, who sits on the Senate’s education committee, has been critical of McMahon since she was tapped to lead the agency.
Kim said he has “deep disagreements” with moves made under her leadership that he alleged harm kids and their opportunities in life.
The Department of Education has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
On the heels of Read Across America week, the bill supports science of reading programs — the phonics-based reading approach — and early screening and intervention for reading disabilities. The legislation also establishes a federal clearinghouse that would identify evidence-based “book access” strategies to help advance literacy in local communities.
More than 20 education organizations support Kim’s bill, from the American Library Association to Reach Out and Read, a nonprofit organization that encourages families to read aloud together and provides books to millions of households nationwide.
Reach Out and Read CEO Lynette Fraga told ABC News having early access to books at home not only fuels literacy outcomes but also helps students thrive in life.
“If we think about early childhood we think about return on investment,” Fraga said. “We know that if we invest in the earliest years through things like access, through things like meaningful programs and child centered practices and systems, the return on investment is huge.”
Kim suggested that books “open doors” for millions of children. His bill currently has no co-sponsors — and its fate is unclear at this time — but he’s optimistic about support for this issue across party lines.
“I hope that all of us can get on the same page about increasing literacy in America and can see the value of that,” Kim said. “We are stronger as a society if we have a more literate society. I think everyone can recognize that.”
Iranian national flag waved by a protester in front of a hospital damaged in a U.S.-Israeli strike, in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A newly surfaced video appears to show a U.S.-made missile hitting a building in Iran adjacent to a girls’ school where local officials say 168 people were killed, experts told ABC News.
The eyewitness video was first posted Sunday morning by the Iranian outlet Mehr News, and then shared online by Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, who now works as a researcher with the investigative group Bellingcat.
Ball said in a post on X that the video showed a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile.
ABC News geolocated the video adjacent to the site of the deadly Feb. 28 strike, in which several buildings connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were destroyed along with a nearby building housing a school for girls.
The missile seen impacting in the video is not hitting the girls’ school but another building in the IRGC complex. Experts told ABC News the missile has the characteristics of a Tomahawk, which is used by the United States and is not known to be fielded by Iran or Israel.
Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told ABC News that the size and shape of the missile resemble the Tomahawk.
“I do believe this points towards U.S. responsibility for the strike in the area,” he said.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, also said the munition seen in the video appeared to be a Tomahawk.
“That indicates it is a U.S. strike,” he said.
Jenzen-Jones earlier cautioned that attributing responsibility for the strike on the nearby school would be difficult without access to munition fragments. He said the new video was still not proof as to who was responsible for striking the school.
“We can only be definitive about the one in the video. Of course, it makes it more likely the surrounding targets were hit by the U.S., but it doesn’t give certainty,” he said.
ABC News has reached out to the Pentagon for a comment.
Bruno Mars “just might” be pretty happy about his latest chart success.
His new album, The Romantic,has entered the Billboard 200 album chart at #1, marking his first #1 debut, and his first #1 album since 2013’s Unorthodox Jukebox. Overall, The Romantic is Bruno’s fifth top-10 album, including his Silk Sonic collaboration with Anderson .Paak.
Bruno’s 13-year gap between chart-topping albums is the longest for any living male solo artist since Paul McCartney hit #1 in 2018 with Egypt Station. It was the ex-Beatles first #1 in over 36 years.
The Romantic‘s first single, “I Just Might,” debuted at #1, becoming Bruno’s first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 on top. It was his 10th #1 hit overall.
Bruno’s The Romantic Tour starts April 10 in Las Vegas.
(PARIS) — A “criminal explosion” struck a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège at around 4 a.m. local time on Monday in a “violent act of antisemitism,” a local government spokeswoman confirmed to ABC News.
The explosion caused “material damage” but there were no casualties and the site, the official said, “has been secured.”
An investigation by Belgium’s Federal Police force is “ongoing.”
Liège’s mayor, Willy Demeyer, strongly condemned the antisemitic attack and said “external conflicts” cannot be imported into the city.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Night Agent has been renewed for season 4. Netflix has renewed the action drama series for a fourth season, which will film in Los Angeles. The show’s creator, executive producer and showrunner Shawn Ryan said, “It’s been a wild ride filming The Night Agent in five countries across three continents to this point and we’re so thrilled that the adventures of Peter Sutherland will continue into season 4. Our writers, our cast and our crew stand ready to answer the call to bring our incredible fans even more twists, turns and thrills.” …
Julia Fox has joined the cast of the upcoming film Clashing Through the Snow. Deadline reports Fox will be part of the ensemble cast of the Amazon MGM Studios holiday comedy film, which also includes Christopher Briney, Michelle Randolph, Lukas Gage and Paris Hilton …
Chris Pine is set to star in an upcoming survival thriller film for Netflix. The movie, called Yeti, will also star Iona Bell, Ray Winstone and Sofia Boutella. Michael Chaves directs the movie, which follows a father and daughter who get stranded in the Alps after an avalanche uncovers a predator from under the glacial ice …
Rihanna attends the ‘Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets’ European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on July 24, 2017 in London, England. (Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
Rihanna’s mansion was struck by gunfire on Sunday afternoon while the singer and businesswoman was home, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and sources with knowledge of the investigation.
The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, has been arrested, the LAPD said. The motive was not immediately clear and the investigation is ongoing.
Sources told ABC News Rihanna was at home, but nobody was hurt.
Multiple shots were fired at the residence, but none penetrated the inside of her home, only the exterior, sources said. Multiple rounds did hit the outside of the home, though, as well as a vehicle parked out front.
Sources said that the weapon allegedly used by the woman was an AR-style gun.
In dispatch audio, officials are heard saying the suspect’s Tesla was followed by an LAPD helicopter into a mall parking garage, where she was pulled over and detained by patrol units.
Cover art for Jill Scott’s ‘To Whom It May Concern’ (Blues Babe Records LLC)
It’s been almost a month since Jill Scott released her first album in a decade, To Whom This May Concern, and she’s happy with the reception thus far.
“When you are working on something so diligently and with so much love, it’s scary to lend your baby to the world,” she says in an interview with People. “But people are responding well and treating my baby kindly and actually listening, which gives me the greatest joy.”
To Whom It May Concern peaked at #4 on the Top R&B Albums chart, with lead single “Pressha” atop the radio charts and in the top 20 of Billboard‘s Adult R&B Airplay. It’s a far cry from the amount of support she was told she’d get if she didn’t meet the industry’s beauty standards.
“I had somebody tell me in the beginning of my career that if I didn’t lose weight, or if I didn’t straighten my hair or whatever, that I’d never sell any records,” Scott says. “That sucked, but luckily I didn’t listen to them and decided to just continue to be myself.”
She credits her mother for giving her advice that helped her stay positive during her rough upbringing in Philadelphia.
“We were in a community where you would hear gunshots on a regular basis,” Scott says. “There was a summer when I lost a lot of friends, young men that I knew. My mother taught me to keep looking for beauty no matter what. I just kept finding a reason to believe in myself, to have some joy and create joy around me.”
To Whom This May Concern is available on streaming services.
