(WASHINGTON) — Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse shared on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Max B has dropped the seventh installment of his Public Domain series, Public Domain 7: The Purge. It’s the followup to 2021’s Negro Spirituals and his first album since being released from an over 15-year bid in prison. The 25-track project features A$AP Rocky, Kehlani, French Montana and Lola Brooke, among other artists, and was quickly followed by the release with the deluxe edition. Both projects are currently available on streaming services.
In the spirit of the holidays, Pharrell gifted Pusha T with a Rolls-Royce. Push captured his reaction in a video recently shared to social media. “I couldn’t pull in the cul-de-sac. We had to just drop on the street, it’s fine,” he says of the car, which he notes is in need of wash. “The Rolls got floor mats that looked like they took four cats and made door mats. I rubbed my feet in them.” Over the video, he wrote, “Aye @pharrell i love you man.”
Da Baby dropped the music video for “Out Ya Business” days after releasing the song. A birthday release, it features him rapping in an empty classroom, which ultimately becomes crowded with students listening closely to his words. His voice also serves as a guide to the students as they go about their mundane activities in the school. The video is now on YouTube.
Residents of Atlanta were blessed a few times this holiday season. Lil Baby, Lil Yachty and their respective foundations teamed for a holiday drive Sunday, where they gave toys, gift cards and winter coats to more than 2,000 local youth. Future‘s FreeWishes provided hundreds of meals and shoes to attendees at his drive in Decatur, and Latto gave back to over 500 local families at her her fifth annual Christmas in Clayco event.
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Fine Young Cannibals recently released FYC40, a “definitive anthology” of the British group who topped the charts in the late ’80s. And while the band only released two official albums, their music still endures — especially their first #1 hit, “She Drives Me Crazy,” which has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows over the years.
Fine Young Cannibals frontman Roland Gift says one use of “She Drives Me Crazy” really stands out to him: Dua Lipa‘s Chanel handbag campaign, which came out in January of 2025. “I was very impressed with that ad,” Gift tells ABC Audio.
“There was something about it,” he continues, adding, “I even wrote to the director saying ‘Good job,’ because her sort of lip-syncing [to the song] … was very unexpected, and it was charming. And I think … it’s probably my favorite use of an FYC song.”
Given the success of that song and their album The Raw and The Cooked, many fans were disappointed when Fine Young Cannibals split, and so was Gift.
“I think we had a little bit more in us, and it was a shame that we couldn’t keep the marriage together. You know, that’s kind of a regret that I have,” he tells ABC Audio.
“We hadn’t experienced the kind of success that we’d had. The record company hadn’t experienced that kind of success. The managers hadn’t experienced that. So nobody was really able to contain … the heat that we’d created.”
“It’s great that people still are interested and people still like the songs, but I feel like we had a bit more,” he notes. Despite that, he insists, “We wouldn’t reform.”
But if you miss Gift’s distinctive voice, he has a new holiday song called “Everybody Knows It’s Christmas,” and he still tours, albeit only in the U.K. for the moment.
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The wife of The Wire actor James Ransone is remembering her late husband following his death at age 46.
Jamie McPhee posted a tribute to Instagram on Sunday remembering her husband, who died by suicide on Dec. 19, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
“I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again,” McPhee wrote in the post’s caption, alongside a photo of her and Ransone.
“You told me – I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me – and you were so right. Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts – you, Jack and Violet. We are forever,” she added, referencing the couple’s children.
Ransone, a Baltimore native, was best known for playing Chester “Ziggy” Sobotka, a Baltimore dock worker and criminal, in season 2 of The Wire.
In addition to The Wire, Ransone played a variety of roles in shows including Treme, Low Winter Sun, How to Make It in America, Bosch and Generation Kill. He also took on an array of film roles in titles such as It Chapter Two, Inside Man, In a Valley of Violence, and Sinister and Sinister 2.
Ransone had previously spoken about the difficulties he faced in his personal life over the years.
In 2016, the actor discussed his past substance abuse issues and getting sober in his 20s in an interview with Interview magazine.
“I woke up at 27 after being on heroin for five years. It was like I sobered up and I realized, ‘My job is being an actor. This is crazy!'” he said at the time.
Tributes for Ransone poured in following his death from high-profile directors like Spike Lee and Sean Baker, with whom Ransone had worked in the past.
“Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, MR. JAMES RANSONE. We Rocked Together On RED HOOK SUMMER And INSIDE MAN,” Lee wrote in an Instagram post featuring him and Ransone.
Anora director Baker also shared a photo of himself with Ransone. “I’ll miss you dearly my friend,” Baker wrote.
ABC News has reached out to Ransone’s representative for comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide — free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.
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Sean Ono Lennon is clarifying comments he made during a CBS Sunday Morning interview in which he suggested he was worried that younger generations would forget about The Beatles and his parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
In the interview, Sean talked about being the keeper of his dad’s legacy, noting, “I’m just doing my best to help make sure that the younger generation doesn’t forget about The Beatles and John and Yoko. That’s how I look at it.”
Asked whether he really thought it was “even possible” to forget them, he responded, “I do, actually, and I never did before.”
In a post on X, however, Sean is suggesting outlets that picked up the story “tried to twist my words.”
“I am not immediately worried about anyone forgetting the Beatles,” he says. “I was speaking more broadly about culture in general, and how we do forget about things when we don’t actively work to preserve them.”
“For example everyone used to know Don Giovani but now Opera Houses having been closing all over the world en masse,” he adds. “Everyone used to be able to quote Shakespeare and now not so much.”
Finally, he notes, “The Beatles music is timeless and immortal in my view. But nothing is guaranteed and we have to choose what aspects of our culture to keep thriving for future generations.”
In a separate post, he wrote, “Too many people think they are deducing when they are inferring.”
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(WASHINGTON) — After the Department of Justice released thousands of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a tranche on Friday that included a number of decades-old photographs of former President Bill Clinton, a spokesperson for Clinton on Monday called on all of the files relating to Clinton to be released.
In a statement, Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña accused the DOJ of using the selective release of Epstein documents to imply wrongdoing where there is none, challenging the department to immediately release any remaining materials mentioning or showing Bill Clinton in the files.
Ureña, a spokesperson for Clinton, wrote on Monday that the content and method of how the Department of Justice has released files makes it “clear” that “someone or something is being protected.”
“We do not know whom, what or why,” Ureña wrote. “But we do know this: We need no such protection.”
“Accordingly, we call on President Trump to direct Attorney General Bondi to immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton,” Ureña added.
Ureña alleged that if the Department of Justice does not do so, it would confirm suspicions that the Department is releasing data selectively to “to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties.”
The initial release of the files on Friday contained numerous old photos of Epstein traveling with Clinton, including pictures of Clinton lounging in a jacuzzi and one of him swimming with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking of minors and other offenses.
The images were released without any context or background information.
On Friday, Ureña had written in a statement, “The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be.”
The Department of Justice has defended both its process and timing in releasing the files, saying in a statement on Sunday that more than 200 lawyers were working “around the clock” to review files for release.
“The Department of Justice is committed to transparency and redacting only what is legally required,” the department said in a statement. “The Department is required by law to redact identifying information about the victims, minors, or potential victims, as well as privileged material. NO redactions have been or will be made to protect famous individuals or politically exposed persons.”
A law signed by President Donald Trump in November required all the files related to federal investigations into the disgraced financier to be released by Friday, Dec. 19. The department has been releasing files since that deadline, but did not fully meet that deadline in releasing all Epstein-related materials, and what has been released so far is a fraction of the files.
The DOJ has faced backlash from victims and from lawmakers for the slow rollout of the files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in an appearance on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, defended the department’s slow release of the files, saying they wanted to continue to review documents to “protect victims.”
“It’s very simple and very clear: the statute also requires us to protect victims, and so the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that — to protect victims… we’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted,” Blanche said.
Some of Epstein’s victims and their lawyers have also said redactions in the files released have not been sufficient and that some victims’ identities have been exposed. On Sunday, two attorneys who represent more than 200 survivors of Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell told ABC News that they had been hearing from clients who have seen their names or other identifying information in un-redacted documents in the DOJ’s disclosure.
Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing and denies having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. No Epstein survivor or associate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by Clinton in connection with his prior relationship with Epstein.
The former president traveled with Epstein several times, according to flight logs from Epstein’s private jets that were made public during civil litigation against Epstein. Those logs showed that Clinton and his entourage had taken four international sojourns in 2002 and 2003 on the financier’s Boeing 727 to locations including Bangkok, Brunei, Rwanda, Russia, China and elsewhere.
President Donald Trump, on Monday, was asked whether he was surprised by the number of photos of Clinton in the files.
Trump said he has always gotten along with Bill Clinton and added, “I hate to see photos come out of him, but this is what the Democrats, mostly Democrats and a couple of bad Republicans are asking for. So, they’ve given their photos of me too. Everybody was friendly with this guy [Epstein]. Either friendly or not friendly, but you know, he was around. He was all over Palm Beach and other places.”
(Trump himself has denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged crimes and said at the time of Epstein’s arrest in 2019 that they hadn’t spoken in 15 years; he has also spoken about kicking Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago.)
The Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos earlier this month, prior to the Department of Justice’s releases, that also showed Epstein or Maxwell with Clinton and others, including Trump, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, former Prince Andrew and billionaire Richard Branson, among others.
The context, time frame and location of the photographs are unclear.
ABC News’ James Hill and Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — After the Department of Justice released thousands of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a tranche on Friday that included a number of decades-old photographs of former President Bill Clinton, a spokesperson for Clinton on Monday called on all of the files relating to Clinton to be released.
In a statement, Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña accused the DOJ of using the selective release of Epstein documents to imply wrongdoing where there is none, challenging the department to immediately release any remaining materials mentioning or showing Bill Clinton in the files.
Ureña, a spokesperson for Clinton, wrote on Monday that the content and method of how the Department of Justice has released files makes it “clear” that “someone or something is being protected.”
“We do not know whom, what or why,” Ureña wrote. “But we do know this: We need no such protection.”
“Accordingly, we call on President Trump to direct Attorney General Bondi to immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton,” Ureña added.
Ureña alleged that if the Department of Justice does not do so, it would confirm suspicions that the Department is releasing data selectively to “to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties.”
The initial release of the files on Friday contained numerous old photos of Epstein traveling with Clinton, including pictures of Clinton lounging in a jacuzzi and one of him swimming with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking of minors and other offenses.
The images were released without any context or background information.
On Friday, Ureña had written in a statement, “The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be.”
The Department of Justice has defended both its process and timing in releasing the files, saying in a statement on Sunday that more than 200 lawyers were working “around the clock” to review files for release.
“The Department of Justice is committed to transparency and redacting only what is legally required,” the department said in a statement. “The Department is required by law to redact identifying information about the victims, minors, or potential victims, as well as privileged material. NO redactions have been or will be made to protect famous individuals or politically exposed persons.”
A law signed by President Donald Trump in November required all the files related to federal investigations into the disgraced financier to be released by Friday, Dec. 19. The department has been releasing files since that deadline, but did not fully meet that deadline in releasing all Epstein-related materials, and what has been released so far is a fraction of the files.
The DOJ has faced backlash from victims and from lawmakers for the slow rollout of the files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in an appearance on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, defended the department’s slow release of the files, saying they wanted to continue to review documents to “protect victims.”
“It’s very simple and very clear: the statute also requires us to protect victims, and so the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that — to protect victims… we’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted,” Blanche said.
Some of Epstein’s victims and their lawyers have also said redactions in the files released have not been sufficient and that some victims’ identities have been exposed. On Sunday, two attorneys who represent more than 200 survivors of Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell told ABC News that they had been hearing from clients who have seen their names or other identifying information in un-redacted documents in the DOJ’s disclosure.
Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing and denies having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. No Epstein survivor or associate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by Clinton in connection with his prior relationship with Epstein.
The former president traveled with Epstein several times, according to flight logs from Epstein’s private jets that were made public during civil litigation against Epstein. Those logs showed that Clinton and his entourage had taken four international sojourns in 2002 and 2003 on the financier’s Boeing 727 to locations including Bangkok, Brunei, Rwanda, Russia, China and elsewhere.
President Donald Trump, on Monday, was asked whether he was surprised by the number of photos of Clinton in the files.
Trump said he has always gotten along with Bill Clinton and added, “I hate to see photos come out of him, but this is what the Democrats, mostly Democrats and a couple of bad Republicans are asking for. So, they’ve given their photos of me too. Everybody was friendly with this guy [Epstein]. Either friendly or not friendly, but you know, he was around. He was all over Palm Beach and other places.”
(Trump himself has denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged crimes and said at the time of Epstein’s arrest in 2019 that they hadn’t spoken in 15 years; he has also spoken about kicking Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago.)
The Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos earlier this month, prior to the Department of Justice’s releases, that also showed Epstein or Maxwell with Clinton and others, including Trump, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, former Prince Andrew and billionaire Richard Branson, among others.
The context, time frame and location of the photographs are unclear.
ABC News’ James Hill and Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
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(NEW YORK) — This year is expected to be the busiest on record for holiday travel, but rough weather can make getting to your Christmas destination even harder.
As a life-threatening storm heads to California, here’s a look at the Christmas week weather forecast:
Tuesday
Snow is falling in the Northeast on Tuesday. Up to 1 inch of snow is possible along the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Boston, but that snow may not accumulate much at all.
While New York City won’t have a white Christmas, this snowfall will bring a white Christmas to inland New England. Up to 6 inches of snow is possible in upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, while more than 6 inches is possible in parts of Maine.
In Southern California, those driving to their Christmas destination should try to head out the door during the day on Tuesday, because a dangerous storm will move in with heavy rain on Tuesday night and continue through Wednesday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has mobilized state resources ahead of the storm and some residents are under evacuation warnings.
Wednesday
On Christmas Eve, the weather will be calm across most of the country — but not for California.
Residents of Southern California — including densely-populated Los Angeles County — are bracing for an 18-hour-long downpour on Wednesday that’ll bring life-threatening flooding.
Four to 7 inches of rain is forecast, and some areas could even top 9 inches. This is an incredible amount of rain over an area that usually records 2.4 inches of rain in the month of December.
Wind gusts could reach 70 mph from Tuesday to Thursday.
Residents should be prepared for significant road flooding, rising rivers and mudslides and rockslides as the debris flow could impact recent burn scar areas.
Those traveling for Christmas should expect road closures and flight delays.
Thursday
On Christmas Day, record high temperatures are possible for millions from the Midwest to the South.
Temperatures are forecast to soar to record highs of 66 degrees in Albuquerque, New Mexico; 71 degrees in Rapid City, South Dakota; 79 degrees in Midland, Texas; 78 degrees in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and 75 degrees in Atlanta.
While not record highs, temperatures could also jump to 80 degrees in Austin and Houston, 79 degrees in Miami and Orlando, Florida, and 75 degrees in Memphis, Tennessee.
One of the only parts of the country that has a good chance for a white Christmas is inland New England, where the snow from Tuesday could linger on the ground through Christmas Day.
Some mountainous areas in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California will also see a white Christmas.
Meanwhile, the rough weather will continue for California, with another round of rain on Christmas Day. The ground in Southern California will be so vulnerable at that point from Wednesday’s rain, so the new round of rain could trigger renewed flooding, landslides and debris flows.
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Sombr made a surprise appearance with the Jonas Brothers during the pop trio’s show at the Barclays Center in New York City on Monday.
The JoBros invited the NYC native onstage to perform a rendition of his breakout hit, “back to friends.”
“Last night I became the fourth Jonas Brother,” sombr writes in an Instagram Story alongside footage of the performance.
The Jonas Brothers played Barclays as part of their Greetings from Your Hometown tour, which featured support from The All-American Rejects on select dates. Other guests on the tour included All Time Low, Sum 41‘s Deryck Whibley and Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional.
Performing with the JoBros caps a breakout year for sombr. Also in 2025, he released his debut album, I Barely Know Her, which includes the aforementioned “back to friends” as well as the hit “12 to 12.”
Sombr is nominated for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.
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(NEW YORK) — The U.S. economy expanded more than economists expected over a recent three-month period, recording robust growth despite concerns about sluggish hiring and cash-strappped shoppers, federal government data on Tuesday showed.
The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the third quarter in the government’s initial estimate, marking an acceleration from 3.8% growth recorded in the previous quarter.
A boost in consumer spending helped propel the economic surge in gross domestic product (GDP) over three months ending in September, the U.S. Commerce Department said. Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, is a key bellwether for the outlook of the nation’s economy.
The GDP reading stemmed in part from a rise in exports and a drop-off in imports, which may have resulted from tariffs issued earlier this year by President Donald Trump.
The government’s GDP formula subtracts imports in an effort to exclude foreign production from the calculation of total goods and services.
The strong economic growth in the third quarter appeared to defy fears about the sluggish labor market, which some observers have viewed as a warning sign for the wider economy.
Hiring slowed sharply in recent months. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.6% in November from 4.4% in September. Unemployment remains low by historical standards but has inched up to its highest level since 2021.
Meanwhile, inflation has hovered nearly a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.
Those conditions have put the Fed in a bind, since the central bank must balance a dual mandate to keep inflation under control and maximize employment. To address pressure on both of its goals, the Fed primarily holds a single tool: interest rates.
Earlier this month, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate a quarter of a percentage point in an effort to boost hiring. The move amounted to the third rate cut this year, bringing the Fed’s benchmark rate to a level between 3.5% and 3.75%.
Interest rates have dropped significantly from a recent peak attained in 2023, but borrowing costs remain well above a 0% rate established at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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