Quinta Brunson stars in season 5 of ‘Abbott Elementary.’ (Disney/Gilles Mingasson)
School is back in session.
Abbott Elementary has been renewed for a sixth season at ABC.
The announcement was made in a post to ABC and Abbott Elementary‘s official Instagram accounts.
“Just got off the phone with Barbara, you might want to give her a call,” the post’s caption reads.
The post features a photo of teacher Barbara Howard, who is portrayed by Sheryl Lee Ralph on the sitcom, and a phone number fans can call. When called, the number takes you to a voicemail Ralph has made in character as Mrs. Howard.
“I am too busy celebrating the good news to come to the phone right now. In case you haven’t heard, Abbott Elementary will be back again for season 6 on ABC,” the voicemail says. “I cannot wait to get back to shaping the young minds and hearts of the future. Oh, and if this is Melissa calling: Girlfriend, I’m running late for our nail appointment because I was recording this message. Listen, try to save me a working massage chair.”
The Quinta Brunson-created series is currently airing its fifth season Wednesdays on ABC, streaming on Hulu the next day. Brunson, Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter and William Stanford Davis star in the sitcom.
Brunson took to Instagram to share the renewal announcement news.
“More @abbottelemabc coming your way :),” she captioned her post.
The sign of Department of Homeland Security is seen outside its headquarters on February 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Telesforo Cerero-Palacios isa home renovator in Minnesota who says he has no reported criminal history, so he was shocked to learn the Department of Homeland Security listed him as one of the “worst of the worst” detained immigrants in the U.S. who have serious offenses.
“What happened here? Why does their system say this about you?” Cerero-Palacios, 53, recalled after a relative saw him on the list.
The DHS website features thousands who the agency claims are the “worst” individuals, including a photo of Cerero-Palacios with his alleged crime, “dangerous drugs.”
However, a DHS government document showed that Cerero-Palacio has no criminal history. The document, reviewed by ABC News, is known as a “Record of Deportable/Inadmissible Alien,” which is created by the agency when individuals are detained.
Cerero-Palacios said he has never been accused of any drug-related offense and an ABC News review of criminal records in Minnesota found several traffic and parking tickets and one small claim case, but did not turn up any drug-related charges.
In an interview conducted in Spanish, Cerero-Palacios told ABC News that agents entered his home on April 7, 2025, looking to detain a relative, but that’s when he was asked about his immigration status. He said he told officials he was undocumented and was subsequently detained.
The DHS document appears to corroborate his account, stating that deportation officers working with the Drug Enforcement Agency were conducting fugitive operations at his address when they interviewed him about his immigration status.
“During the interview, CERERO freely admitted that he did not have any documents that would allow him to reside in the United States legally,” the document said.
It also states that in 1998, Cerero-Palacios was arrested for giving a police officer a false name, but the case was dismissed in 2000.
The document makes no mention that he’s ever been accused of any drug-related charges.
“CERERO claims and appears to be in good health and takes no medication. CERERO does not use narcotics,” the document says.
Despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson citing his 1998 arrest in a statement shared with ABC News, DHS appears to have issued him a non-immigrant visa three times, until 2015, the document showed.
“This illegal alien was previously arrested for giving a false name to a peace officer. The FBI number connected to this drug charge is linked to multiple aliases, including Telesforo Cerero-Palacios. We will give you more information on this case shortly,” the ICE spokesperson told ABC News.
It’s unclear what drug charge the spokesperson was referring to. Days after ABC News began asking questions about its inclusion of Cerero-Palacios on its “worst of the worst” database, DHS appears to have removed Cerero-Palacios from the list.
DHS did not respond when asked if he was erroneously placed on the list and has not followed up with any additional information, despite repeated attempts by ABC News to obtain one.
Cerero-Palacios spent 16 days in immigration detention last year and was released after posting a bond, Cerero-Palacios’ attorney, Gloria Contreras Edin said.
“What is interesting is we come to find that he’s on ‘worst of the worst’ so it’s like, why is he on there,” Contreras Edintold ABC News. “They would have never released him if he had been a drug dealer. They would have never let him out on a bond and then I wonder how many other people are they doing that to.”
Cerero-Palacios told ABC News that his inclusion on the website prompted him to stay at home except to go to work.
“I was afraid to leave the home thinking that they might detain me again,” Cerero-Palacios said.
Contreras Edin shared a letter with ABC News from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that said a background search using her client’s fingerprints, name, and date of birth “indicates that no record was found.”
The letter says the search does not preclude any information being available at the county or city level.
“I have to believe in my heart that it was an error or a mistake, but it’s such a significant error and such a significant mistake that it worries me that they may be doing this to other people,” Contreras Edin said.
DHS launched the “worst of the worst” website in December, promising to allow users to “search through some of the hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens who have been arrested across all 50 states,” the agency said in a press release.
Since then, the database has grown to include more than 30,000 people. DHS has used the information on the website to justify its expansion of immigration enforcement operations such as “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota, where two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during immigration operations.
Meanwhile, Cerero-Palacios is still in immigration proceedings and has a hearing about his case in April. He says the government’s claims about him have affected him profoundly.
“Imagine how many others have seen my photo? My reputation is ruined, they’ll say ‘Oh, I thought he was a hard worker, but he’s involved with drugs,'” he said.
Pink performs on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ (Heidi Gutman/NBC Universal)
Now that Pink has put her spin on a Kelly Clarkson song, fans are clamoring for the two pop powerhouses to join forces for an album.
Ahead of her hosting gig on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Pink and Kelly discussed the fact that Pink would be singing one of Kelly’s songs during the week. Kelly said she was “stoked” but also concerned because, as she put it, “She’s gonna sing it better.”
That’s debatable, but fans were blown away by Pink’s performance on Tuesday’s episode: She sang “lighthouse,” from Kelly’s most recent album, 2023’s Chemistry.
On Instagram, where the performance is posted, one fan wrote, “Can we PLEASE get a Kelly and Pink album?!” Another agreed, “this 110% Their voices compliment each other beautifully!” Another hopeful fan chimed in, “and a tour.”
“If her and Pink created their own music, especially relating to current events in the world, I feel it would be a very powerful, healing album and experience,” another fan wrote.
“The world deserves a joint album because I mean… you guys harmonizing is just the F’ing definition of Eargasm!” wrote another, adding #manifesting.
After the performance of “lighthouse,” Pink told the audience, “It is such a powerful song. It is also an insane song to cover. I don’t think people should cover Kelly Clarkson but the brave few try.”
Perhaps if Pink, who’s nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, gets in, she can ask Kelly to induct her.
Trisha Yearwood & Reba McEntire (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Grand Ole Opry)
You can add Reba McEntire to the star-studded list of artists who will play Trisha Yearwood’s breast cancer benefit March 22 at the Grand Ole Opry House.
“I am honored to collaborate with Trisha and the other artists for this incredible show to raise awareness for such a meaningful cause,” Reba says. “I have seen how breast cancer impacts families, friends, and communities. The Opry Stage has always represented heart and tradition, and I’m proud to stand on that stage and support those affected by this disease.”
Reba joins Charles Kelley, The Band Loula, Ashley McBryde, Lukas Nelson, Rissi Palmer, War & Treaty and Hailey Whitters, who’ve previously been confirmed as part of the lineup.
This is the second year for Band As One Nashville Concert for the Cure: Trisha Yearwood & Friends. Tickets are on sale now for the benefit, which is moving from the Ryman Auditorium to accommodate a bigger crowd.
Proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.
Houses are perched on a cliff at Buena Vista above the beach trail in San Clemente, CA on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Measurements of coastal sea-level height around the world may be higher than scientists previously thought, according to new research.
Past research may even have underestimated coastal sea level heights around the world by an average of .3 meters, or about 1 feet, a study published Wednesday in Nature found.
Sea levels in some areas in the Global South — regions such as Asia and the South Pacific — could be up to 3 feet higher than previously assumed, according to the paper.
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that ocean levels may increase by between 0.28 meters and 1 meter by 2100. Human-amplified climate change is the primary cause for present-day rising sea levels, climate research shows.
However, assessments of coastal sea-level often assume overall sea levels rather than the direct measurements of sea-level height in specific regions, according to the paper.
Researchers from Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands analyzed 385 pieces of peer-reviewed scientific literature on coastal exposure and hazard impact assessments published between 2009 and 2025 and calculated the difference between commonly assumed and actual measured coastal sea level.
They found that 90% of all studies relied on assumed sea levels based on gravitational models — or geoids — rather than using the measured sea level, according to the paper.
Earth’s gravitational models only account for gravity and Earth rotation and do not account for other factors that determine local sea levels, such as tides, current and winds.
Less than 9% of the existing studies combined land elevation measurements and sea level measurements, but those studies appeared to suffer from conversion errors and data alignment issues, Katharina Seeger a geographer studying flood hazards and risks at Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands and co-author of the study, said during a press conference Tuesday.
Sea level was found to be underrepresented by .24 to .27 meters, depending on the model used. Some discrepancies were found to be as high as 5.5 meters to 7.6 meters, the researchers said.
The underrepresentations were particularly noteworthy in regions like Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific.
Coastal sea heights were also underrepresented in Latin America, the west coast of North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.
The new estimates could put up to 37% more land below sea level, impacting 77 million to 132 million people globally, the researchers said.
Coastal subsidence is often underrepresented in flooding models, a 2024 study published in Nature found. The inundation coastal regions will experience due to rising sea levels may actually be worse than previously thought when factoring in how rapidly the land is sinking, according to the study.
Large cities surrounded by water — like Boston, New Orleans and San Francisco — will be among the regions that could experience flooding in the near future due to land elevation changes combined with sea level rise — about 4 millimeters per year, the 2024 study found.
The sinking is expected to cause structural damage to most existing properties, the authors said.
Parts of low-lying Florida, such as Miami, are already dealing with more frequent and impactful high tide flooding events. High tide flooding, the overflow or excess accumulation of water that covers typically dry coastal land during times of high tide, is happening more often in many coastal communities, even on generally quiet weather days, according to NOAA.
Miami showed the greatest share of exposure to flooding, with up to 122,000 people and up to 81,000 properties that could be at risk of flooding by 2050.
The latest research indicates that re-evaluation of the methodology of existing assessments for characterizing sea-level rise impact is needed, the paper noted. This could have implications for policymakers, climate finance and coastal adaption plans, the scientists said.
Sting is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his fifth studio album, Mercury Falling, with a just-released expanded edition of the album.
The digital-only Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) includes the original album along with 19 tracks, several of which were previously unavailable on digital services. The bonus material includes various B-sides and remixes, the song “Moonlight” from the 1995 film Sabrina and three live recordings: “You Still Touch Me,” “Lithium Sunset” and The Police classic “Message in a Bottle.”
Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) is now available via digital outlets.
Released March 4, 1996, Mercury Falling peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 and included such singles as “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot” and “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying.”
The album went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and was nominated for a Grammy for best pop vocal album. “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot” also earned Sting a Grammy nod for best male pop vocal performance.
Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey star in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ season 1. (Steffan Hill/HBO)
Westeros is getting a few new faces.
Lucy Boynton, Babou Ceesay and Peter Mullan have joined the season 2 cast of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
HBO made the announcement to its official Game of Thrones social media accounts on Wednesday.
“Every journey needs new companions,” the post’s caption reads.
Boynton will play Lady Rohanne, Ceesay takes on the role of Ser Bennis and Mullan will play Ser Eustace Osgrey.
The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiered on Jan. 18 and finished its run on Feb. 22. It consisted of six half-hour episodes about the adventures of an unexpected duo and is based on the novellas by George R.R. Martin.
“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” according to the show’s official logline. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
The show takes place 72 years after House of the Dragon and 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg.
Signage outside the US Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department is proposing a new policy that would seek to limit the ability of state bar associations to launch ethics probes into DOJ attorneys, according to a new document posted Wednesday in the Federal Register.
The proposal, which comes amid growing scrutiny of the department’s attorneys and whether they’re complying with ethical obligations in enforcing the Trump administration’s agenda, would seek to empower Attorney General Pam Bondi to request that state bar investigations be suspended pending a DOJ review of any originating complaint.
In the event the state bar authorities “refuse” to suspend their investigations, the proposal says, the Justice Department “shall take appropriate action to prevent the bar disciplinary authorities from interfering.”
It’s not immediately clear what “appropriate action” the department could take to influence state-level proceedings, and the proposed rule does not elaborate further.
The proposal argues that the bar complaint and investigation process has been “weaponized” by political activists in recent years to ensnare officials across DOJ’s ranks into costly and time-consuming proceedings.
“This unprecedented weaponization of the State bar complaint process risks chilling the zealous advocacy by Department attorneys on behalf of the United States, its agencies, and its officers,” the proposed rule said. “That chilling effect, in turn, would interfere with the broad statutory authority of the Attorney General to manage and supervise Department attorneys.”
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco at the 2025 Oscars (Disney/Gavin Bond)
Selena Gomez has shared a treasure trove of throwback photos and videos in a photo dump on her Instagram Story, including unseen pics from her wedding and a snap with her BFF Taylor Swift.
One photo shows Selena wearing the high-necked sleeveless Ralph Lauren gown she later debuted in a first-look photo. It’s not clear whether she’s laughing or crying.
“First fitting of one of my dresses,” she captioned the image, adding a crying happy tears emoji.
Another photo captures a laughing Selena in her reception dress alongside her husband, Benny Blanco. The couple are seated on chairs being lifted up by wedding guests, with Benny holding a piece of fabric. The moment highlights a beloved Jewish wedding tradition in which the bride and groom are hoisted in chairs by the guests while each holds one end of a cloth — usually a napkin — as they’re lifted up and down.
The dump also includes a photo of Selena “fangirling” while posing with How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor, as well as a picture of her and Taylor Swift eating a red, white and blue ice pop. According to People, the latter was taken at Taylor’s 2023 Fourth of July party.
Meanwhile, on the new episode of Benny’s podcast Friends Keep Secrets, Selena revealed that she hopes to have four children because of a scene in the movie The Family Stone where Diane Keaton’s character is surrounded by her children at the dinner table. “It has always made me feel so good inside that I said, ‘One day when I’m her age, I want to see that dinner table,'” Selena shared.
She added, “Whatever happens happens. If we’re only able to have one, none, I don’t know … but my dream for sure was that scene where they’re all at the dinner table.”
