Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds To Mars performs at Ippodromo Snai San Siro on July 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images)
Thirty Seconds to Mars has shared a statement reflecting on 2025 and looking forward to 2026.
The band’s year included a show in August celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2005 album A Beautiful Lie, which spawned the single “The Kill.” Frontman Jared Leto also starred in the movie Tron: Ares.
“Dear MARS Army, as the year comes to a close, we’re feeling incredibly grateful and a little nostalgic,” Jared and drummer Shannon Leto write in an Facebook post. “This one felt especially meaningful as we celebrated 20 years of A Beautiful Lie, the album that changed everything. Seeing so many familiar faces, the ones who’ve been there from the beginning and those who joined along the way, meant everything.”
“That shared history and those moments we’ve lived together are what make this community what it is,” the post continues. “We took that energy on the road this year and felt it everywhere we went. Your support continues to push and inspire us. Thank you for being here, growing with us, and being a part of where we’re going.”
The Leto brothers conclude by teasing, “We can’t wait to share what’s next. More to come.”
One thing that’s coming is the 20th anniversary reissue of A Beautiful Lie, due out March 27.
The most recent Thirty Seconds to Mars album is 2023’s It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day.
Sean Ono Lennon, the only son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, is concerned that younger generations may one day not know about his father or The Beatles.
During an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, Sean talked about taking over from his mother as the keeper of his father’s legacy, and explained why he feels it’s important.
Sean noted that it’s not only him but “the world” who are also the keepers of his dad’s legacy, adding, “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 would be “even possible” to forget them, he responded, “I do, actually, and I never did before.”
“My parents gave me so much that I think it’s the least I can do to try and support their legacy in my lifetime,” he explained, noting, “I feel like I just owe it to them. It’s a personal thing.”
“I think The Beatles’ music, and John and Yoko’s legacy, is something important for the world to kind of cherish and be reminded of,” he added. “So, that’s how I see my job.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on October 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is pausing leases for five offshore wind projects due to “national security concerns” identified by the Department of Defense, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on Monday.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” Burgum said in a press release about the move.
The administration did not disclose what national security risks the wind farms posed, saying that the Department of Defense found the threats in “completed classified reports.”
“As for the national security risks inherent to large-scale offshore wind projects, unclassified reports from the U.S. Government have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter.’ The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects,” the Department of the Interior said in its press release.
The action affects projects off the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Virginia and New York.
According to the Department of the Interior, that five leases that will be affected are: Vineyard Wind 1 (OCS-A 0501), Revolution Wind (OCS-A 0486), CVOW – Commercial (OCS-A 0483), Sunrise Wind (OCS-A 0487) and Empire Wind 1 (OCS-A 0512).
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont called the move “yet another erratic, anti-business move by the Trump administration that will drive up the price of electricity in Connecticut and throughout the region.”
“This project is nearing completion and providing good-paying clean energy jobs,” Lamont said in a statement.
Burgum wrote in an X post about the move that the projects were “expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms.”
Trump has made clear his distaste for windmills in many public events and on the campaign trail.
“Wind is the worst,” Trump said in a speech in Pennsylvania earlier this month. He added in his remarks, “We don’t want — we don’t approve windmills. We don’t approve it. I’m sorry.”
During an overseas trip to Scotland in July, Trump told Europe to “stop the windmills.”
“You’re ruining your countries. I really mean it. It’s so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds. And if they’re stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans. Stop the windmills,” Trump said.
Wind is the country’s largest source of renewable energy, accounting for about 10% of electricity generated in the United States, according to the Department of Energy. Proponents say renewable energy is instrumental in reducing the global reliance on fossil fuels, and the industry continues to grow worldwide despite political challenges.
The Sierra Club, an environmental organization, criticized the Trump administration’s action on Monday.
“The Trump administration’s vengeance towards renewable energy knows no end. Instead of progressing us forward as a nation, they are obsessed with attacking a growing industry that provides good clean energy jobs and affordable, clean electricity. Americans need cheaper and more reliable energy that does not come at the expense of our health and futures,” Melinda Pierce, the group’s legislative director, said in a statement.
Aaron Dessner and Gracie Abrams perform at American Express Presents: An Evening with Gracie Abrams at Brooklyn Paramount, March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for American Express)
In the wake of several high-profile shootings this month, Gracie Abrams, her producer and co-writer Aaron Dessner of The National and Bon Iver have just released an anti-gun violence charity single.
It’s called “Sold Out” and it’s now available on Bandcamp for $5, with the money going to Everytown, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the U.S. In a statement, the trio says, “We made this song last year in the wake of a school shooting. We were reminded of it this week as our hearts were broken yet again.” Presumably, they were referring to the shootings at Brown University, M.I.T. and at Australia’s Bondi Beach.
“It’s a sad one to share during the holidays, but the world is hurting and we shouldn’t look away,” the statement continues. “We are proud to support Everytown, an organization dedicated to ending gun violence in America. We are releasing this song to raise awareness of their mission of reducing gun violence.”
“Please visit their website for more information on the unbelievable work they do. Sending so much love to you all.”
According to Rolling Stone, the song’s lyrics are, in part, “Hiding from a gun inside your high school/ Just another Tuesday, normal, old news/ Someone spilled their blood on Molly’s white shoes/ Someone called their mother from the bathroom.”
In another part, Gracie sings, “All the men in suit and ties/ And their empty words/ In their thoughts and prayers tonight/ While the country burns/ They collect a check in pride/ And the system works/ And we all stay terrified.” You can hear a clip on her Instagram Story.
On his Instagram Story, Aaron wrote, “thank you @gracieabrams for finding a way to express our profound collective grief and create action.”
This screen grab taken from a video posted on the X account of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shows a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft flying over a crude oil tanker, last docked in Venezuela, before apprehending it on Dec. 20, 2025. Handout/US Secretary of Homeland Security via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump last week announced a “complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela,” ratcheting up the pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime as 15,000 U.S. troops and 11 warships stand ready in nearby waters — and leaving questions over the scope of the apparent escalation.
A naval blockade is considered an act of war under international law. But Trump’s reference to “sanctioned” tankers indicated U.S. operations would continue as a law enforcement crackdown by the U.S. Coast Guard, which seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast last week and another over the weekend.
A Coast Guard interdiction is not a military operation; it is a court-authorized enforcement of U.S. sanctions.
According to retired Marine Corps Col. Steve Ganyard, a former State Department official and an ABC News contributor, the president’s orders, announced on his social media platform, amount to a legal quarantine — and not a blockade — because the post references only legally sanctioned tankers.
But Trump also referred to the Venezuelan regime as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which could implicate any oil tanker that enters Venezuelan waters.
It wasn’t clear how the administration could designate the government as terrorists — or whether Trump was making reference to Cartel de los Soles, which the administration designated as a terror organization and has said is headed by Maduro.
What impact could a quarantine or blockade have?
Trump’s post last week “leaves more questions than answers,” said Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “What exactly are we going to do? How are we going to do it?”
“None of that is really detailed,” he said.
Whether the escalated pressure will target sanctioned vessels — or all vessels — remains an open question, but both approaches would impact Maduro, Seigle said.
“If you cut off all oil exports, and the associated revenues — and that’s a big if –then I think in a matter of weeks, the regime in Caracas would face extreme pressure,” he said.
If the U.S. continues to target only sanctioned tankers, “then I think that it could be a more prolonged runway for the regime to try to work something out, find a compromise, or even plan a deliberate exit.”
The U.S. says it has killed more than 100 people in the 25 strikes it says it has carried out on alleged drug smuggling boats since September.
Experts have pointed to President John F. Kennedy’s quarantine of Cuba in 1962 as an analogue to Trump’s approach — with unknown possibilities inviting risk.
“What if a ship doesn’t stop? This was the debate in the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Seigle said. “It’s all fun and games if they pull over and let [themselves] get boarded.”
“What if they don’t? Are you opening fire? Are you sinking ships?”
The announced blockade, though, “looks like it’s a relatively low-risk military operation” designed “to prevent” such a “quagmire,” Seigle said.
“Because if it goes smoothly and they’re able to cut off a lot of Maduro’s oil revenue, then they have a reasonable chance of getting the political outcome that they want, which is Maduro fleeing.”
Yet Trump on Wednesday wouldn’t offer a comment when asked if he sought regime change in Venezuela. Instead, he repeated a claim he said was a premise for blocking tankers.
“You remember, they took all of our energy rights,” he said of Venezuela. “They took all of our oil from not that long ago, and we want it back. But they took it. They illegally took it.”
Trump did not specify which period of nationalizations undertaken by the Venezuelan governments aggrieved the U.S. in his view.
An international arbitration court in 2013 ordered Caracas to pay $8.7 billion to U.S. firm ConocoPhillips, penalizing Venezuela for expropriation of crude assets in 2007 which it found to be unlawful.
Operating in the shadows The U.S. has sanctioned hundreds of oil tankers around the world which it says are part of an illicit network often called the “shadow fleet.”
27 of those designated tankers are operating in Venezuelan waters, according to Seigle.
Venezuela, Russia, and Iran “share that sanctioned fleet,” he added, and Venezuela’s slice is the smallest of the three.
A full quarter of China’s oil imports are produced by those sanctioned countries, Seigle said, leaving the country with “an outsized concern.”
“This is going to raise eyebrows and maybe raise concerns in Beijing among strategic planners that are responsible for making sure that they have enough oil,” he said.
Sanctioned tankers represent less than a fifth of the oil exported from Venezuela, according to Seigle.
“But I think it can have outsized effects in a number of important areas, including whether and for how long Maduro can hold out in a leadership position in Caracas, and also with regard to Venezuela’s biggest oil customer, which is China.”
Why call Maduro’s regime terrorists?
|As a part of Trump’s lengthy post on social media, the president also said the “Venezuelan regime” was an FTO, which the State Department designated it as in November.
Trump and State officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have repeatedly said Maduro is a narco-terrorist and the head of a narco-terrorist organization, adding that Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
Trump is likely referring to the designation of the Cartel de los Soles when he points to the “Venezuelan Regime” in his post.
The State Department alleges in its designation that Maduro and other high-ranking officials head the Cartel de los Soles and have “corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.”
Maduro’s government categorically denies the existence of the cartel.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in November that the designation of Maduro as a terrorist gives the U.S. more military options in its anti-trafficking operation and public pressure campaign on the Venezuelan president.
The FTO designation “brings a whole bunch of new options to the United States,” Hegseth said. “It gives more tools to our department to give options to the president.”
Legal experts have told ABC that the designation does not in itself constitute an authorization of force. But administration officials have consistently pointed to these designations publicly when disclosing strikes on alleged drug traffickers.
Notably, while the Maduro regime has been targeted as a foreign terrorist organization, the country of Venezuela has not yet been placed on the official “State Sponsor of Terrorism” list.
Only Iran, North Korea, Syria and Cuba are currently listed as state sponsors of terrorism.
(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.
Here’s a look at the Christmas week weather forecast:
Tuesday
The Northeast will get some pre-Christmas snow on Tuesday. New York City will see snowfall from about 6 a.m. to noon, while Boston will get hit from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
About 1 inch of snow is expected along the Interstate 95 corridor and about 3 to 6 inches of snow is possible in the inland Northeast.
On the West Coast, those driving to their Christmas destination should try to head out the door during the day on Tuesday, because a storm will move in Tuesday night, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
Wednesday
On Christmas Eve, the weather will be calm across most of the country — but not on the West Coast.
Heavy rain is forecast to fall on burn scar areas in Southern California, prompting a level 3 out of 4 risk for excessive rain and flash flooding.
Some parts of Southern California could see 9 inches of rain just on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Debris flows and landslides are also possible.
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, and Rapid City, South Dakota; 79 degrees in Midland, Texas; 77 degrees in St. Louis, Missouri; 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 72 degrees in Memphis, Tennessee. It’ll even warm up to 53 degrees in Washington, D.C.
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 on the West Coast, with another round of rain and mountain snow moving in on Christmas Day.
Rep. Thomas Massie speaks alongside Rep. Ro Khanna during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol, November 18, 2025 in Washington. Heather Diehl/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation on Monday that would direct the Senate to initiate legal action to hold the Justice Department accountable for failing to release the complete files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Friday’s deadline, which was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Schumer’s announcement came after Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie announced on Sunday that they are pursuing “inherent contempt” charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi for not complying with the law to release the complete Epstein files.
If the effort passes, it could lead to Bondi’s arrest — though the pair is expected to introduce the resolution as “privileged” once the House returns in January, which would force a vote within two legislative days on the House floor, and it’s unclear if this effort would even be successful when it comes up for a vote.
“The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth,” Schumer said in a statement. “Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence — that breaks the law. Today, I am introducing a resolution to force the Senate to take legal action and compel this administration to comply.”
The DOJ faced a Friday deadline imposed by Congress and signed into law by the president to release a massive cache of records gathered during government investigations into the sex offender, who died in jail in 2019.
The Justice Department released thousands of files — ranging from investigative documents to grand jury testimony to snapshots taken by Epstein and his friends — but said it would fail to fully release all the files by the deadline. The law contains exceptions to protect victims and other circumstances, but critics say the DOJ is not following the letter and spirit of the law.
Schumer called the DOJ’s partial release on Friday a “blatant cover-up.”
“Pam Bondi and [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche are shielding Donald Trump from accountability, and the Senate has a duty to act,” Schumer said.
Schumer is expected to force consideration of this bill on the Senate floor in January when the Senate returns from its holiday break. The bill would likely require unanimous consent to pass.
It is unclear if it would have that support, but the Senate unanimously passed the Epstein Transparency Act, which compelled the release of the Epstein documents.
On Sunday, Khanna and Massie, the co-authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, announced their intent to pursue inherent contempt proceedings.
The inherent contempt power permits Congress to rely on its own constitutional authority to detain and imprison a “contemnor” — someone held in contempt — until the individual complies with congressional demands like a subpoena or a monetary fine, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The power directs the Sergeant at Arms to arrest the individual who refuses to comply with a subpoena or fine, however, once the witness complies with the subpoena, they are released.
Notably, the resolution would not require passage in the Senate to be enforced.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie said on “CBS News’ Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Khanna, who also appeared on the same program on Sunday, reiterated that inherent contempt is the right path at this point.
“We only need only need the House for inherent contempt, and we’re building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents. I’ll tell you why, I’ve talked to the survivors, why this is such a slap in the face,” Khanna said.
On NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Blanche said he wasn’t taking Massie and Khanna’s threats seriously because he said he believes they are in compliance with the law. Specifically regarding threats of legal action against the department, Blanche said, “Bring it on.”
A statement released Monday morning by attorneys representing a group of Epstein survivors said omissions in the files by either redactions or unreleased pages amounted to a failure.
“We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased,” the statement said.
Paul McCartney performs on ‘SNL50’ on February 16, 2025 (Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
Paul McCartney had a busy 2025, so it wasn’t easy for him to nail down a highlight of the year.
In the final website Q&A for 2025, McCartney was asked to name his “professional highlight” of the year, and he couldn’t pick just one.
“The great thing is there’s so much suddenly happening,” he said. “It’s like a log jam, loads of things have just come in.”
He then mentioned things like his Wings book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, and that High in the Clouds, an animated film based on his 2005 children’s book, “is finally getting made.”
McCartney also called his Got Back tour “spectacular,” noting, “the audiences were so warm and receptive.” He specifically mentioned shows like his Bowery Ballroom club gigs, and dates in Santa Barbara and Nashville, where phones were not allowed.
He said those “were really cool, because it’s a completely different type of show. People aren’t just holding up phones, so you really see the whites of their eyes. It’s lovely!”
“This idea of everything coming home to roost, all these projects I’ve done over the years, it’s very exciting,” he added. “But yeah, if I had to pick one I think the tour was probably the highlight of the year for me – it was so successful and enjoyable for everyone involved.”
McCartney also dropped some exciting news for fans when asked what he’s most looking forward to in 2026.
“My new album!” he said, adding, “We’re just starting to think about how to put that together.”
As for his New Year’s resolution, McCartney first joked, “To be a good boy!,” before adding, “I normally don’t have one, but what comes to mind is things like ‘to eat sensibly.’ That’s always a good one.”
Drake performs live on stage during day one of Wireless Festival 2025 at Finsbury Park on July 11, 2025, in London, England. Drake is headlining an unprecedented all three nights of Wireless Festival. (Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images for ABA)
Drake is giving fans a chance to win a portion of his gambling winnings just in time for the holidays. He’s announced he’s teamed with online betting company Stake for a three-night livestream on Kick, which comes to an end on Tuesday.
Each stream ends with five lucky winners who will split 10% of the balance Drake has in his wallet.
“Can we end my roughest gambling year on a good note?? I want to MAXWIN and share 10% of it with you,” he wrote on Instagram. Details on how to enter the giveaway are on the Stake website.
Drake kicked off his the three-night stream on Kick Sunday, appearing alongside BenDaDonn and previewing some songs, including the previously leaked “National Treasure.”
“I know what you’re waiting on, trust me, we cheffin,'” Drake said of his upcoming album, Iceman. The project doesn’t have a release date.
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot has soared to one of the largest in the lottery game’s history.
The current jackpot is estimated to be $1.6 billion ahead of Monday night’s drawing. That would make it the fourth-largest in Powerball history and the fifth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots.
The estimated cash value of the current jackpot is $735.3 million.
Both figures are before taxes.
A player who wins the Powerball jackpot can choose between the lump sum payment or an annuity option, in which one immediate payment is received followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
The game’s jackpot was last won in September, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split the $1.787 billion prize — Powerball’s second-largest jackpot ever.
The game’s largest prize ever was $2.04 billion, won on Nov. 7, 2022, in California.
Tickets are $2 per play and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Monday night’s drawing is at 10:59 p.m. ET.
