Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears before Judge Tony Graf of the 4th District Court via a video confrerence call during a hearing on September 16, 2025 at the Fouth Judicial District Courthouse in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton – Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is set to make his first in-person court appearance on Thursday.
Kirk was shot and killed in the middle of his outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. The 31-year-old was the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, and the Utah Valley event marked the first stop of his “The American Comeback Tour,” which invited students on college campuses to debate hot-button issues.
Robinson, 22, allegedly fled the scene of the shooting, prompting a massive manhunt. Robinson surrendered to authorities on the night of Sept. 11.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
He made two previous court appearances, but the first was virtual and the second was audio-only.
He has not entered a plea. He could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) looks on as senators speak to reporters following a Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on December 09, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate is poised to vote on Thursday on two separate plans aimed at addressing a spike in health care costs that are expected for tens of millions of Americans who receive enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits unless Congress acts.
Both plans, one put forward by Democrats and the other championed by Republicans, are almost certain to fail.
After they do, lawmakers will have only a matter of days remaining to address the expiration of the enhanced tax credits, and there’s little indication that any sort of breakthrough is on the horizon.
Democratic plan: 3-year extension of expiring enhanced tax credits
The Democratic plan that will receive a vote on Thursday proposes a three-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are otherwise set to expire on Jan. 1. The enhanced subsidies were originally put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During remarks on the floor Wednesday, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the Democratic plan the “only realistic path left” to address the looming premium spike.
“We have 21 days until Jan. 1. After that, people’s health care bills will start going through the roof. Double, triple, even more,” Schumer said. “There is only one way to avoid all of this. The only realistic path left is what Democrats are proposing — a clean direct extension of this urgent tax credit.”
Even though Democrats are in the minority, they are getting a vote on their proposal, as part of a deal struck by a small group of Senate moderates to re-open the federal government after a 43-day shutdown, which centered around Democrats’ efforts to address the expiring tax credits.
“What we need to do is prevent premiums from skyrocketing and only our bill does it is the last train out of the station,” Schumer said.
But any health care proposal in the Senate will require 60 votes to pass, which means members of both parties would need to lend votes to approve a plan.
Majority Leader John Thune made clear Wednesday that Republicans will not support the Democratic plan.
Thune called the Democratic proposal a “partisan messaging exercise” and said that Democrats’ claim that their plan would lower health care costs represented a “tour of fantasy land.”
Republicans have for months been saying that the premium subsidies require reform. Without changes, Republicans say, the enhanced subsidies create opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse and have driven up the overall cost of premiums.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate Democrats’ proposal would add nearly $83 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade. CBO also estimates that enacting the Democrats’ legislation would increase the number of people with health insurance by 8.5 million people by 2029.
Pointing to the cost of extending the subsidies, Thune said, Democrats ought to put forward a program that makes modifications to the program.
“That’s not what they did … No changes,” Thune said. “Just continue to run up the cost. Run up the cost in the individual marketplace like that — but have the American taxpayers pay for it and then go tell people that you’re trying to keep their premiums down,” Thune said. “This does nothing, nothing, to lower the cost of health insurance.”
Republican plan: Do away with the enhanced tax credits and create HSAs
Republicans will offer an “alternative” plan on the Senate floor on Thursday.
The Republican proposal, championed by Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, would do away with the enhanced tax credits and instead take the extra money from those tax credits and put it into health savings accounts for those who purchase bronze-level or “catastrophic” plans on the ACA exchanges. Republicans say this will help Americans pay for out-of-pocket costs.
Under the plan, individuals earning less than 700% of the federal poverty level would receive $1,000 in HSA funding for those between age 18 and 49 and $1,500 for those age 50-64. Republicans say these funds could be used to help cover the higher deductibles on lower cost plans.
Republicans say that their plan will reduce premiums through cost-sharing reductions and tout that the plan stops payments to insurance companies. Thune called it a “very different business model” than what Democrats are proposing.
“The question is do you want the government deciding this, ordo you want to put this power and these resources in the hands of the American people?” Thune said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “American taxpayers. Patients. That’ what we’re about.”
This bill is also unlikely to pass the Senate on Thursday. Schumer called it “dead on arrival”.
“I want to be very clear about what this Republican bill represents, junk insurance,” Schumer said. “Let me tell my Republican colleagues: it is dead on arrival. The proposal does nothing to bring down sky-high premiums; it doesn’t extend the ACA premiums by a single day. Instead, Republicans want to send people $80 dollars and pretend that is going to fix everything.” Schumer said.
Cassidy this morning called Schumer’s categorization of his plan as a “junk plan” “so ironic.”
“These are Obamacare plans. These are the plans they put in place, except that when they did the plans, they’ve got $6,000 deductibles, or $7,500 deductibles. We addressed that deductible. We make these plans better,” Cassidy said. “We Republicans are trying to make it better. We want money in your pocket for your out-of-pocket [costs], and they want you to front the whole thing.”
Democrats also take umbrage with provisions in the GOP bill that prevent funds from being used for abortions. Schumer, on the Senate floor, called it a “poison pill.”
Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate appropriations committee, was asked if she saw any way that Democrats could support the bill today.
“Not with the choice issues in it, where they have made it that women cannot get access to an abortion through their plan,” Murray said. “I don’t see any way that this helps the people that are being hurt right now by the tax credits going away.”
Powerball lottery ticket forms at Bluebird Liquor on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 in Hawthorne, CA. (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1 billion, after no one won the grand prize in Wednesday night’s drawing.
It’s the second billion-dollar Powerball jackpot this year — and the seventh largest prize in the game’s history, according to Powerball.
The next drawing is set for Saturday.
The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $461.3 million, according to Powerball.
The numbers selected in Wednesday’s drawing were: 10, 16, 29, 33 and 69 with Powerball 22.
The Powerball jackpot was last hit on Sept. 6 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas that split a $1.787 billion prize. There have been 40 consecutive drawings with no wins.
The largest Powerball prize ever was $2.04 billion, won on Nov. 7, 2022.
Winning players have the choice between annual payments worth an estimated $1 billion or an immediate $461.3 million lump sum payment.
According to Powerball, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Megan Moroney’s ‘Blue Christmas …duh’ (Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records)
Megan Moroney‘s top yuletide moments involve a classic movie, a sweet treat and a saltwater crustacean.
“I think my favorite Christmas tradition is Christmas Eve, my whole family and I, my dad makes us watch It’s a Wonderful Life, the black-and-white version, every single year,” she says. “And he makes chocolate chip cookies.”
“And then on Christmas Day, we have lobster,” she adds.
For lots of Megan Moroney fans, listening to her Christmas EP, which came out in 2024, is a new tradition. The three-track Blue Christmas …duh features her cover of the Elvis Presley classic, plus two originals, “Christmas Morning” and “All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy,” which she performed on this year’s CMA Country Christmas special.
If you missed the ABC special, you can now stream it on Hulu.
Andy Grammer attends ‘The Drop: Andy Grammer’ at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live on October 30, 2024 in Los Angeles ( Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Honey, I’m good … at fashion? Andy Grammer has officially launched his new clothing line, Kindtagious.
Andy explained on Instagram that the name of the clothing line comes from the concept that “kindness is contagious” and shared why he felt inspired to branch out in this direction.
“Let me start by saying I am by no means a fashion designer (we hired way better people than me to design), and if this were a fashion brand solely about style I wouldn’t trust myself to make it, nor would I even be interested in doing it,” he wrote.
Instead, Andy said he’s pursuing the project because he feels “unreasonably passionate about … spreading kindness,” “creating moments of connection” and “inspiring kindness in large groups, one on one, through music, concerts, honestly in any way I can.”
He added that he owns three hats, and he always reaches for the one that says “treat people with kindness.” “This is the team I want to be a part of,” he noted. “It’s what I want to represent to the world.”
Reflecting on buying “status” brands in school to be cool, Andy admitted, “I don’t know that wearing Kindtagious clothing will get you status … [S]tatus and kindness are like oil and water. Maybe this whole idea is doomed from the start, but we’re gonna try anyway.”
He wrapped up his announcement, saying, “My most likely misguided foray into the fashion world officially begins today … if you like any of these clothes or not, go out of your way to be kind to someone today. The world needs more of it.”
You can order Kindtagious cothing now, including hats, tees, sweats and other items.
Brent Smith of Shinedown performs at The Grand Ole Opry on October 10, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Mickey Bernal/Getty Images)
Shinedown has shared a mini documentary chronicling the band’s debut performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry in October.
The video, titled “The Road to Opry,” features footage of Brent Smith and company rehearsing for the gig and touring the famed venue ahead of the show.
Reflecting on the performance following its conclusion, bassist Eric Bass shares, “There are things in life that you never knew you needed to have happen. Tonight, that was exactly what this was.”
Shinedown’s Grand Ole Opry set included performances of the songs “A Symptom of Being Human” and “Three Six Five,” along with the live debut of the single “Searchlight.” The band was introduced to the stage by Carrie Underwood.
“Searchlight” and “Three Six Five” are two of the four new singles Shinedown released in 2025, along with “Dance, Kid, Dance” and “Killing Fields.” Shinedown’s most recent album is 2022’s Planet Zero.
Snoop Dogg attends the 2025 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Snoop Dogg’s Doggyland is expanding beyond the internet. The rapper has announced a new children’s book inspired by the “Affirmation Song” from his YouTube series Doggyland: Kids Songs & Nursery Rhymes.
Titled Snoop Dogg’s Doggyland: Affirmations Song, the book will feature positive affirmations from the original 2022 track.
“Doggyland’s been killing it with our music and our videos, so it only made sense to bring the magic to the world of books,” Snoop tells People.
The book will be released on Feb. 24, 2026, through Little Bee Books — a partnership Snoop says feels like the ideal match for the project. “They understand what Doggyland is all about — how to bring our fun and engaging methods of learning to kids in a whole new way,” he explains. “You know when you got the buzz from the bee and the woof from the dog that these books are going to make noise.”
Affirmations Song will be the first installment in a nine-book series that will span board books, sound books and activity books. Like the show, the series will spotlight the upbeat songs and life lessons taught by beloved characters such as Bow Wizzle, Woofee, Yap Yap, Chow Wow and Barks-A-Locks.
The remaining eight books are scheduled for release between spring 2026 and fall 2027.
AJR performs on ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ (Disney/Randy Holmes)
AJR‘s latest hit, “The Big Goodbye,” sounds very different from the other songs on their What No One’s Thinking EP. For one thing, it starts with a very unusual sample of a group called The Fortunairs Barbershop Quartet singing a song called “The Auctioneer.” AJR’s Jack Met tells ABC Audio that they wrote the song because they really wanted to use that sample.
“We were sitting on this sample for like five years, ‘The Auctioneer’ sample,” he says. “And we didn’t really know how to make a song out of it. We tried to make this kind of happy party song. We made this, like, really weird song with a weird concept.”
When those didn’t work, Jack says, they decided to embrace the EP’s overall vibe.
“And then we said, ‘This is an emotional EP, probably our most emotional body of work,'” Jack notes. “We said, ‘Let’s try to put some emotion into this.'”
What they ended up with is a song that covers the “mixed feelings” that come with “leaving home and leaving your hometown,” Jack says.
“The best day of your life is you going off and living your dream, and then the mixed feelings about leaving your friends and family behind,” he explains. “And they’re gonna kind of go off and do their own thing together, and go get married, while you’re sort of off alone, achieving your dream. There’s sort of that complexity there. So that was the mindset behind ‘The Big Goodbye.'”
You can hear AJR perform “The Big Goodbye” on their upcoming album, Live from the Hollywood Bowl. You might also hear them sing it when they perform on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026, airing Dec. 31 on ABC.
Artwork for The Speaker Wars holiday single ‘Brighten the Corner’ (Frontiers Music SRL)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch and his new band The Speaker Wars are getting into the holiday spirit with the release of a new Christmas song.
The band — made up of Lynch, singer-songwriter Jon Christopher Davis, Jay Michael Smith on guitar, Brian Patterson on bass, Steve Ritter on percussion and Jay Brown on keyboards — has just released the holiday song “Brighten the Corner.”
“The Speaker Wars are wishing y’all a soulful, joyful and peaceful holiday season,” says Lynch.
The Speaker Wars released their self-titled debut album in May. For the holidays, fans who purchase the album through the band’s web store will get the Christas single, along with a Christmas card signed by Lynch, as an extra bonus, while supplies last.
