Representative Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland and ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the former No. 2 Democrat in the chamber who has served for decades, is set to announce his retirement from Congress, his office confirmed to ABC News.
Hoyer will formally announce his decision not to run for reelection on the House floor at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Hoyer, 86, spent two decades as Nancy Pelosi’s deputy and is set to retire as the California Democrat also prepares to leave Congress at the end of the year — amid a debate in the party about turning over leadership to a new generation.
Their relationship dates back to the 1960s when they served as congressional interns together, decades before they competed to lead Democrats.
The genteel dean of the Maryland delegation, who helped send billions of federal dollars to his state as an appropriator, was often a key negotiating partner for Republican leaders who maintained better relations with him than the hard-charging Pelosi.
Many Democrats are now turning to see if 85-year-old Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the longtime No. 3 Democrat on the team, will follow through on plans to run for reelection next year.
Linda McMahon, US education secretary, during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon granted Iowa a first-of-its-kind waiver to use millions of unrestricted federal dollars on education in a move that inches the Trump administration closer to its goal of transferring education power and decision-making to states.
“States should lead — Washington should support their sound approaches and get out of the way,” McMahon announced on Wednesday. “We hope that as we partner with congressional leaders to return education to the states we can work with them [Iowa] to expand these opportunities for states and local leaders to run their education systems.”
The over $9 million waiver will help the Hawkeye State save millions in “compliance costs” over four years as the money flows directly back into the classroom, McMahon said in a post on X.
“Iowa now has the flexibility to cut paperwork and simplify a hundred percent of state activities funding streams. It can invest in proven strategies to build a world-class teacher pipeline, close achievement gaps, and open post secondary opportunities to prepare for a great career,” McMahon said.
Under the waiver, certain federal requirements will be dropped so that less strings are attached giving the state more flexibility in using the aid. Prior to the formal waiver request, the state submitted a Unified Allocation Plan to show how it would use its funds to improve academic outcomes for Iowa’s education programs. The plan includes supporting effective educator development, English language acquisition, among other topics, according to state education leaders.
The approval of the waiver bolsters McMahon’s mission to reduce the federal government’s role in education nationwide. But education is already a local-level issue in the U.S. On average, state and local education agencies provide about 90% of public school funding across the country.
The agency is also working with about six additional states on their waiver requests, an Education Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 allows states and tribes to submit requests to waive any statutory or regulatory requirement seeking to “reduce administrative burden” and align programs with the needs of its students, according to a release from the Department of Education.
In addition to Iowa’s $9 million in flexible federal funding, the Education Department approved the state’s application for “Ed-Flex authority,” which allows the state to grant individual school districts waivers from certain federal requirements without first having to submit individual waiver requests, according to the release from the department.
McMahon made the announcement during her “Returning Education to the States Tour.”
During her first year as the nation’s top education official, McMahon has made about two dozen stops in states across the country aiming to identify the best educational practices on the local level and work with local leaders to scale those practices nationwide, she says.
Wednesday’s announcement allows state leaders to focus federal dollars on work that best improves the achievement of Iowa students, according to the release from the department. For the announcement, McMahon was joined by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, director of Education McKenzie Snow, and surrounded by about a dozen students at Broadway Elementary School in Denison.
Reynolds touted Iowa’s education models, including teaching the science of reading and using evidence-based math and reading practices. She stressed that the move Wednesday means “moving the dial” towards returning education to the states.
“The more red tape that we cut from the federal level, the more Iowa can increase education quality,” she added.
“I look forward to continuing to improve student outcomes, reduce red tape for schools, support teachers, and ensure federal education dollars are focused toward state and local priorities where they make the greatest difference,” Reynolds said in a statement.
However, critics of the Trump administration’s education initiatives say they believe abolishing the agency and giving sole power to the states could harm the millions of students across the country.
The top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee slammed McMahon’s approval of the education waiver for allegedly ignoring the law and abandoning marginalized students.
In a statement, Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, urged the Department to “refrain” from granting similar waivers to other states.
“Congress must not sit idly by as the Trump administration makes every effort to drag students, educators, and parents back into an era where students were denied the opportunities and resources they needed to succeed,” Scott said.
HARDY‘s currently sitting at #2 on both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay charts with “Favorite Country Song,” making it likely his radio single will soon be the #1 country song.
In his latest hit, the respected writer contrasts the songs that come out of Nashville with the actual sounds you’d hear in rural America.
“It’s truly a snapshot of where I come from,” HARDY says, “and it kinda introduces in the verse all these songs that are many people’s favorite country songs. And I even drop some that weren’t actually like big hits like [Eric Church‘s] ‘Sinners Like Me’ and [Craig Campbell‘s] ‘Outskirts of Heaven’ and stuff like that.”
From there, HARDY paints an aural picture of places like his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi.
“Obviously what it’s saying is like my favorite country song is like what you experience with your ears,” he tells ABC Audio. “But it’s just a really good snapshot of, if you really grew up in the country, you’ll know what it sounds like to hear a truck 5 miles away with straight pipes on it. … Things that you kinda take for granted once you live up here in a city for a long time.”
“Favorite Country Song” is from HARDY’S COUNTRY! COUNTRY! album, which came out in September.
Freddie Mercury of Queen performs on stage at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on 13th July 1985 in London. (Photo by Phil Dent/Redferns)
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury would have turned 80 in 2026, and the milestone won’t be overlooked.
As in previous years, the rocker’s birthday will be celebrated at the Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party. The 2026 edition will be held Sept. 5, Mercury’s actual birthday, at the Casino Barrière in Montreux, Switzerland.
According to the announcement on Queen’s Instagram, this year’s theme will be “The Great Pretender’s Gala,” a reference to the song “The Great Pretender,” which was recorded by Mercury in 1987.
The dress code for this year’s event will be “fancy and formal,” with the announcement noting, “[W]e are leaning into Freddie’s smarter, sharper dress sense, so think tuxedos, dresses, waistcoats, cravats, scarves and maybe even a monocle or face mask.”
More information about the party, along with ticket info, will be announced at a later date.
Proceeds from the Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party will go to The Mercury Phoenix Trust, which raises funds for the fight against HIV/AIDs. It was founded by Queen band members Roger Taylor and Brian May and their manager Jim Beach in memory of Freddie, who died from the disease in 1991.
Kelly Rowland and Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith in ‘Relationship Goals’ (Ryan Fivish/Prime)
The trailer has been released for Relationship Goals, the rom-com from Amazon MGM Studios starring Kelly Rowland and Cliff “Method Man” Smith.
The film follows Rowland’s character, Leah Caldwell, a TV producer preparing to make history as the first woman to run New York’s top morning show. Her plans fall through when she learns she’ll be competing for the position against ex Jarrett Roy (Smith), who claims he’s a better man thanks to Relationship Goals, Michael Todd’s New York Times bestselling book.
The book soon becomes a topic of conversation within Leah’s circle of friends, who eventually shift their views on love and relationships. Still, Leah refuses to give in to the idea of love — and the possibility of falling for Jarrett again and reigniting their old flame.
Directed by Linda Mendoza and based on Todd’s book of the same name, Relationship Goals begins streaming on Prime Video on Feb. 4. The trailer is available to watch on YouTube.
Rhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra in “Pluribus,” now streaming on Apple TV (Courtesy Apple TV)
Going into Sunday night’s Golden Globes, Apple TV+’s new series Pluribus — about a woman who is unaffected by an alien virus that causes nearly everyone on earth to be joined to a hive mind — is up for two awards.
The show, from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, is nominated for best television series, drama and best performance by an actress in a television series, drama for star RheaSeehorn. Pluribus star KarolinaWydra, who plays Zosia, says she’s thrilled for Gilligan and Seehorn, telling ABC Audio, “I’m glad that they’re being celebrated for their greatness.”
Pluribus marks the first leading role for Seehorn, who previously appeared in Gilligan’s Better Call Saul. Wydra says she hopes Seehorn receives long-overdue recognition.
“I want her to be celebrated for the incredible artist that she is, and not only incredible artist, but also an incredible woman and an incredible leader,” she says. “I am shocked that she hasn’t been a leading lady. She’s made to be that. She’s just phenomenal.”
Wydra is also happy that Gilligan’s vision is being recognized by the Globes.
“He is a master of his craft and he is a brilliant storyteller, brilliant filmmaker, and more than anything, he’s an incredible human being,” she tells ABC Audio. “And I am in awe of him as a person.”
“It starts from the top down and the way he runs the set and the ways he hires people. He really cares about making sure that people are there because they want to and they’re really good humans.”
The Golden Globes will air live on CBS Sunday night and stream live on Paramount Plus.
Rami Jaffee of Foo Fighters performs on day 1 of Shaky Knees Festival at Atlanta Central Park on October 22, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Scott Legato/Getty Images)
Members of Foo Fighters, Social Distortion and Alkaline Trio contribute to a new song called “We Are LA!,” a charity single marking the one-year anniversary of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
The track features Foos keyboardist Rami Jaffee, Social D guitarist Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham and Alkaline Trio drummer Atom Willard, as well as Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s, Jim Lindberg of Pennywise and Mike Watt of Minutemen, among many others.
The video for “We Are LA!” is streaming now via producer Charlie Overbey‘s YouTube channel. You can also order the single on vinyl.
Proceeds from “We Are LA!” will benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides “services and financial assistance for career musicians and music industry professionals,” per a press release.
The “We Are LA!” participants have also signed a guitar to auction off in support of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. The auction runs through Jan. 18 at 10 p.m. ET.
An auction is underway for a chance to speak with SZA one-on-one via Zoom — or in person if you live in LA. The auction, which ends on Jan. 12, is part of Freedom for Sudan’s fundraiser benefiting Sudanese nonprofits. “ANYTHING TO RAISE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT,” SZA wrote in an Instagram caption announcing the event. She is also offering the chance to receive a signed blind box featuring five surprise pieces of SZA merch.
Big Boss Vette was secretly battling cancer, but now she’s cancer-free. She shared a video on her Instagram of her walking down a hospital hallway and eventually strutting to her song “Pretty Girls Walk.” “IF YOU WOULD’VE TOLD ME I’D BE BEATING CANCER AZZZZZZ IN 2026 I WOULDN’T HAVE BELIEVED YOU!!!! WE DID IT YALLLLLLLLL,” she wrote in the caption.
LaRussell released his album Something’s in the Water with no label, but has gotten support from Kyrie Irving and Snoop Dogg, among others. Kyrie gave him $11,000 and told him, “You earned it. … I want to contribute to what you got going on. And I know you’ll pay it forward.” Snoop Dogg purchased the album for $2,500 and wrote of his donation, “Had 2 do it!!! Nefew @LaRussellGC changin tha game.”
If Latto could make a modern-day version of Lil’ Kim‘s “Not Tonight,” she knows what women she’d bring on board. “Doja Cat, YK Niece, GloRilla and Cardi B,” she tells Okayplayer. “I think that checks a lot of boxes and is unexpected, haha. My favorite producers are Pooh Beatz, Go Grizz and Coupe so definitely one or all of my boys.” Lil’ Kim’s 1996 song features Missy Elliott, Da Brat, Angie Martinez and the late Left Eye.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears on ‘The View,’ on Jan. 7, 2026. ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., in her first interview since resigning from Congress effective Monday, said on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday that she disagrees with the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the focus on Venezuela instead of other countries that contribute to the flow of drugs into the U.S.
Greene said that while she served on the House Homeland Security Committee, “it wasn’t Venezuela that we were ever talking about” regarding drug trafficking, and that “you can’t hold Maduro accountable and not hold Mexican cartels accountable, who are number one”.
The Trump administration has said it is taking action on stopping the flow of drugs from various countries, including Mexico. On Sunday, Trump said Colombia could face a similar fate as Venezuela, and he said Cuba was imminently “ready to fall.” He also said Mexico could be next, as the administration seeks to continue its battle against drug cartels.
The former congresswoman, who has previously pushed back against other U.S. foreign policy endeavors, insisted as well that she remains “America First,” which she said does not align with the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.
“We campaigned, and I went to countless Trump rallies and stood on the stage with the president and stood on the stage with other Republican candidates and said ‘America First. No more regime change, no more foreign wars, no more foreign intervention.’ Enough of this. That’s what America First means,” she said.
“Militarily invading a country, killing people in the process, arresting their leader and taking them out, then claiming this is for the Venezuelan people, and saying all the charges are about drugs, but then turning around and literally, every single statement is about Venezuelan oil and how it belongs to America … it’s not working.”
Greene also said a “deeper issue” for her on the U.S. action on Venezuela is that “if it’s OK to go into Venezuela and arrest Maduro, then why are we telling China you can’t go and take Taiwan? Why are we telling Russia you can’t go take Ukraine?”
Greene, first elected to the House in 2020, had established herself as one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies and a staunch supporter of the MAGA movement he spearheaded. Greene came to define the MAGA movement on Capitol Hill, fighting Trump’s second impeachment following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat at then-President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in 2024.
But she broke with Trump more recently on issues such as the Israel-Hamas war and releasing files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump withdrew his support for Greene in November after she criticized him and his administration for their handling of the Epstein investigation, along with other matters.
Greene announced that month that she would resign from the House, dropping a surprise bombshell soon after she was one of few Republicans to sign on to a discharge petition forcing a vote to order the Department of Justice to release the files. Her resignation before the end of her term leaves House Republicans with an even narrower majority — with 218 Republicans against 213 Democrats as of Wednesday, after Greene’s resignation and the death of GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California on Tuesday.
Greene said Wednesday she made the final decision to leave Congress when Trump called her a “traitor” and soon after, her son began to face death threats. She said she herself had faced threats previously and was used to them.
“One of MAGA’s big campaign pledges was to release the Epstein files. And then having to say ‘Am I going to have to be the next Charlie Kirk? Is my son going to get murdered because I’m trying to continue to do this job?'” she said, referencing the high-profile conservative activist who was assassinated in Utah in September.
Asked how she would respond to people skeptical of her political transformation who think she is trying for a run for another office or to get ahead of potential Republican losses in the 2026 midterms, Greene replied, “I’ve been asked by every single person that’s interviewed me, ‘What are you running for?’ And I’ve said over and over again to exhaustion I’m not running for Senate. I’m not running for governor, I’m not running for president. So first of all, that narrative is just wrong about me.”
She added later that her focus is on “using my voice to pull Americans on the right and the left together to focus on our collective problems, particularly affordability.”
Yet Greene had sharp criticism for Democrats when asked if she’d consider becoming one, saying that Democratic policies and actions contributed to issues at the southern border and both parties had contributed to ballooning national debt.
She declined to say whether she’d leave the GOP.
“I haven’t said if I’m leaving the Republican Party, but my focus is America First, and my focus is — earn my vote,” she said.
As for what’s next for her, Greene told “The View” that she hopes to spend more time with her children, her mother, and friends.
Would she ever return to Congress if Trump asked her to?
“Absolutely not — the way he treated me. No,” Greene said.
ABC News’ Lauren Peller, John Parkinson, Jay O’Brien Will Steakin and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
