Celebrities often gripe that promoting their new movie means answering the same questions over and over, but Ryan Reynolds can’t say that after a young fan stumped him during a Netflix Q&A panel for The Adam Project.
In referencing a love scene between Reynolds, who plays Adam, and Laura, played by Zoe Saldaña, the young man asked Ryan, “In the scene where you were kissing the girl, was that real?”
“How do I explain this?” squirmed Reynolds, the dad to daughters James, 7, Inez, 5, and 2-year-old Betty with wife Blake Lively. While he tried to compose an answer, his Adam Project co-star Jennifer Garner enthused, “This is the best Q&A ever!”, to which Reynolds agreed.
The panel moderator suggested Lively was somewhere throwing her voice behind the query, making Ryan squint and scan the crowd in mock confusion: “Honey? What the…?” he asked.
To the youngster, Reynolds did his best. “I guess it was kind of real. How do I answer this? I didn’t mean it?” he offered, to applause.
Incidentally, his own kids have asked the same question when seeing their dad onscreen, Reynolds explained: “‘Daddy, what are you doing?'”
“It’s like exactly the tactic I would use on them,” said Reynolds. “Not anger, but just disappointment.”
Reynolds then thanked the fan, adding, jokingly. “The exit’s that way.”
(WASHINGTON) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that Customs and Border Protection will handle asylum claims by Ukrainian and Russian nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border on a case-by-case basis.
Advocates have criticized the Biden administration alleging it has been turning away both Ukrainian and Russian refugees from ports of entry along the southern border.
‘We address an individual’s claim for humanitarian relief as they are presented to us,” Mayorkas told reporters on Thursday. “We have a number of efforts already underway … to provide humanitarian relief for individuals fleeing a war-torn Ukraine. We are looking at other programs that we can implement to expand the avenues of humanitarian relief.”
“For example, if someone makes a claim under the Convention Against Torture, or an individual presents to the Border Patrol agents, a case of acute of vulnerability such as a medical condition or otherwise,” he said, adding the department has sent refugee affairs officers to Eastern Europe.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday President Joe Biden is “willing” to welcome refugees into the United States but the administration so far has been providing funding for humanitarian aid to neighboring countries in Europe.
DHS has been tasked with the federal domestic response to the Russia and Ukraine conflict.
Mayorkas believes most Ukrainian refugees ultimately will want to go back to Ukraine.
“The vast majority of Ukrainians are displaced in the countries in that region with the hope understandably of being able to return to their country,” he said.
The secretary did not offer any details on what else DHS is looking to do concerning the refugee situation in Ukraine, but the department previously stood up Operation Allies Welcome when Afghanistan was under siege by al-Qaida.
He also did not give any estimates on how many Ukrainian refugees he expects to attempt to get into the U.S.
Mayorkas said DHS has issued guidance to all CBP officers on the border reminding them of the exceptions to the Title 42 authority and how it relates to Ukrainian nationals “and everyone else” attempting to make credible fear claims at the southern border.
DHS is using Title 42 authority at the border to send the majority of adults back to their country of origin under the guise of a public health emergency. The policy was enacted at the start of the pandemic by the Trump administration.
Mayorkas said he didn’t have a timeframe for when Title 42 would be rolled back, and instead said it was a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision, but did say his department is prepared.
“We plan for the possibilities, whether or not they ultimately materialize or when they materialize it is our responsibility to plan and that is what we do,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — Citigroup, one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, has begun offering to pay for travel expenses for employees who travel out of state to access reproductive health care.
The new policy, which went into place this year, is “in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the U.S.,” the bank said Tuesday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
According to the filing, Citi now provides “travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources.”
The bank, which is headquartered in New York City, has offices in states across the country, including Idaho, Texas and Florida, states that have recently passed legislation restricting access to reproductive health care, specifically abortion.
Citi did not specifically mention abortion in its filing. The bank did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Citi’s action on reproductive health care comes at a time of heightened activity on the issue across the country.
That total includes both restrictions and proactive measures, according to Guttmacher.
The activity at the state level comes as the Supreme Court is expected to rule in May or June on a consequential abortion case, Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
In the case, the state of Mississippi is arguing to uphold a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while Jackson Women’s Health, Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic, argues the Supreme Court’s protection of a woman’s right to choose is well-established and should be respected.
Since the Roe v. Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the decision, the court has never allowed states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies prior to fetal viability outside the womb, roughly 24 weeks, according to medical experts.
If the Supreme Court rules in Mississippi’s favor and upholds the law — as is expected because of the court’s current makeup — the focus will again turn to states.
“We’ll be watching what the details are because that could matter to in terms of whether the court seems open to arguments that abortion is unconstitutional, and states should be disallowed from having abortion be legal within their borders or not,” Mary Ziegler, a visiting professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School and author of “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present,” told ABC News in January. “That will tell us a lot about what states are actually going to be able to do.”
(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he personally believes war crimes have been committed in Ukraine, a day after President Joe Biden labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time since Putin launched his invasion.
“Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree,” Blinken said. “Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past few weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise.”
Before the U.S. officially labels Putin’s actions as war crimes, Blinken said State Department experts from the Office of Global Criminal Justice are documenting and evaluating evidence for a formal determination and will share those findings with those responsible for accountability. But he acknowledged reports on intentional attacks from the bombing of a Drama Theater housing children to opening fire at people waiting in line for bread.
“These incidents join a long list of attacks on civilian non-military locations across Ukraine, including apartment buildings, public squares, and last week, a maternity hospital in Mariupol,” he said. “I doubt that any of us who saw those images will ever forget.”
“There’s going to have to be, one way or another, accountability for this war of aggression,” he said of Putin.
But he warned of more darkness to come — Russia making renewed claims of genocide, using chemical or biological weapons and blaming Ukraine, sending its “mercenaries” to join the fight, and systematically kidnapping Ukrainian officials and replacing them with puppets — which he called a “terror tactic.”
While Ukrainian officials have been engaged in talks with Russian counterparts, Blinken expressed pessimism about those talks — saying they’ve not seen “any meaningful effort” by Russia to end the war through diplomacy. If anything, he warned, Putin indicated in his remarks Wednesday that he is doubling down.
Just moments before Blinken stepped out to speak, a State Department official confirmed to ABC News that a U.S. citizen was killed Thursday in Ukraine after Chernihiv regional police reported an American was killed by Russian shelling there. Two American journalists, a filmmaker and a Fox News cameraperson, were also killed this week covering the war.
As thousands flee the violence, Biden announced Wednesday the U.S. would provide Ukraine with $800 million in additional security assistance, bringing the total in aid over the past week to $1 billion. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s central request — for a no-fly zone over Ukraine — has not been granted. However, he did offer an alternative before Congress on Wednesday: S-300s, a Soviet-era missile system that are well-suited to to defend against Russian attacks.
Following his request, NATO ally Slovakia said it’s “willing to” provide the replacements — as long as NATO fills the gap that providing its only air defense system will create in Slovakia.
“What would happen immediately when we decided to give it to Ukrainians is that we actually create a gap a security gap in NATO,” said Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad’ Thursday, at a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Bratislava. “Should there be a situation that we have a proper replacement or that we have a capability guaranteed for a certain period of time, then we will be willing to discuss the future of S-300 system.”
But it’s unclear if a guarantee has been made yet to Slovakia in order to get the systems to Ukraine. The three NATO countries that have S-300s are Slovakia, Bulgaria and Greece.
As the U.S. reaffirms it would not support a no-fly zone, despite Zelenskyy’s pleas, Austin also explained the decision and called on Putin to cease attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
“Enforcing a no-fly zone actually means that you’re in combat. You’re in a fight with Russia,” said Austin. “So, from a U.S. perspective, we’re, again, our position remains that we’re not going to do one,” he added.
Asked directly if Russia’s attacks against civilians in Ukraine constitute a war crime, Austin did not go as far as Biden and Blinken and said that the State Department is currently reviewing the reports of civilian attacks.
“If you attack civilians on purpose, target civilians purposely, then that’s not — that is a crime,” Austin said. “So, these actions are under review by our State Department, and, of course, there will be and there’s a process that will go through to review all of this.”
Amid concerns China could assist Russia with military equipment, Biden is scheduled to speak Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He will also travel to Brussels next week in a show of unity to meet with NATO leaders.
Earlier in the day, Biden welcomed Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin for a virtual bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and said the leaders were “meeting in a moment when demands on unity in the world are really accelerating,” as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
“We have to be united and we certainly are,” Biden said. “But Putin’s brutality and what he’s doing, and his troops are doing in Ukraine is just inhumane.”
The Taoiseach echoed Biden’s view of Putin’s “unjustifiable and immoral war,” saying “I share with you our horror at the barbaric attack on the civilians,” and said Biden’s leadership through this has been “firm,” “determined,” and “strong.”
“Particularly your capacity to marshal like-minded democracies, the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom, the other — Canada and other like-minded democracies are coming together to respond in an unprecedented way to this barbaric attack on the women and children of Ukraine.”
ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
Despite the pandemic, The Batman has so far made $258.3 million dollars domestically, exclusively from theatrical screenings. But if you’ve been unable, or unwilling, to venture to your local multiplex to see it, you won’t have very long to wait.
A glitch on the HBO website has revealed that The Batman will debut on HBO Max on Tuesday, April 19. Deadline and other outlets report the information was quickly taken down, but Deadline says it has since confirmed that the date is legit. The Batman will also bow on the regular pay HBO on Saturday, April 23, according to the info.
As the pandemic continues, Warner Bros. has typically streamed its theatrical releases on HBO Max 45 days after their cinematic opening. The Batman opened on March 4, making April 19 46 days after its domestic debut.
An HBO Max spinoff series starring Colin Farrell as the Penguin was recently given the green light.
The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, not only is the highest-grossing domestic release of 2020, but it just crossed the half-a-billion dollars earnings mark globally, grossing $505.8 million as of Wednesday.
Those hoping to stuff their Easter baskets or just simply spoil themselves with everything Mariah Carey, you’re in luck! The singer added brand-new goodies to her official store.
Mariah’s fans can snatch up a limited edition tee shirts as well as other offerings that celebrate her 1995 hit “Fantasy,” which was recently featured in the action comedy movie Free Guy.
Let’s start with that limited edition tee shirt, called the “exclusive Mariah Foodie Tee.” It’s a blown-up picture of Mariah chowing down on McDonald’s, which the press release hails as “a timeless tribute to one of her favorites.”
Mariah spread some holiday cheer to the popular fast food chain by launching the Mariah Menu last December — which highlighted her favorite items on the menu, such as the cheeseburger, Big Mac, Sausage McMuffin, cookies, apple pie and Chicken McNuggets.
“If you’re hungry for more nostalgia, rest easy on Mariah’s Sweet Fantasy Throw Pillow or in her signature Vintage Fantasy Tee,” the release further teases. Both retail for $35.
Supplies are limited and are sold on a first-come-first-served basis. You can snag the new Mariah merch on her official online store now.
Think you’re Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town or Shania Twain‘s biggest fan? Now you can prove it — on television.
A new show called Superfan is coming to CBS, and it’ll pit fans of some of the biggest musical stars against each other in hopes of winning what the show’s casting website describes as “the ultimate fan prize package of a lifetime.”
Deadline first confirmed the series last month, saying that the game show-style episodic will feature multiple rounds of game play, leaving only the biggest fan of each artist standing. At the time, no details were available on which artists specifically would be featured.
Now, it looks like country stars are heavily in the mix. Fans of Kelsea, Little Big Town and Shania are all being invited to apply, but they’ll need to act fast, because the deadline for applications is March 22.
The show’s casting website also are seeking fans of a fourth artist — rapper Pitbull. It’s not yet clear what the prize package will entail for his fans and fans of Kelsea, but those competing as fans of LBT and Shania could win the chance to spend the day with their favorite artist.
Jason Derulo is out with new music and we have TikTok to thank for it. The singer teamed with Robinson and Rema for the all new track “Ayo Girl (Fayahh Beat),” out now.
Rema created the “Fayahh” beat last year and it quickly took over the video-sharing app as more TikTokers used it to soundtrack their videos. The sound also sparked several challenges, ranging from belly dancing to comedic content. Now, it serves as the backbone of Jason’s new single.
“Afrobeats reignited my obsession for music,” he said in a statement. “That’s why I was so excited to create this song alongside Robinson and Rema. I hope y’all love it as much as I do.”
Said Rema of his unexpected collab, “Jason reached out to me to be on the record so of course I had to pull up. We met up in the studio and caught a vibe. I hopped in the booth to bring my energy to it and we created a great song.”
The country superstar has been announced as the final performer of the festival, taking the stage on July 9. His headlining set will come at the end of a multi-week music event that is taking place in Milwaukee from June 23 to June 25, June 30 to July 2 and July 7 to July 9.
The all-genre festival will begin and end with country music this year. Previously announced performer Jason Aldean will take the stage to kick off the fun on June 23, with special guest Gabby Barrett. Thomas’ opening act will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Billed as “The World’s Largest Music Festival,” Summerfest 2022 will feature a lineup that also includes Justin Bieber, Halsey, Cheap Trick and many others. The list of performers for this year is still in the process of rolling out, with concerts taking place over 12 stages. Fans attending the event can also enjoy a variety of foods, beverages and activities during the festival.
The season-one finale of Single Drunk Female airs tonight. The cast caught up with ABC Audio ahead of the episode’s premiere to tell fans what to expect.
Sasha Compére, who plays Brit — main character Sam’s former best friend — predicted that the finale will have fans “tweeting about where Sam and Brit will go from here.”
Brit is set to wed the ex-boyfriend of Sam, played by Sofia Black-D’Elia, but a teaser of the episode shows she has cold feet.
“I think people will be really interested to see how Sam is evolved and they’ll maybe talk about her choices in this finale and how she has an opportunity to step up,” Compére teased.
Lily Mae Harrington, who plays Sam’s friend Felicia, added, “A lot of things come to a head in this finale… There are a couple of things that definitely end up coming full circle.”
Struggling to avoid revealing too much, Harrington said this episode will attack the “underbelly” of the series, which she says is “[f]emale friendship and female relationships, whether that’s mother-daughter or best friends or former friends.”
Garrick Bernard, who plays Sam’s potential love interest James, praised how the show handles those elements, as well as the the themes of addiction and recovery.
“I do love [series creator] Jenni Konner‘s writing,” he said. “The direction that it has is really beautiful in a weird way, where these are funny people doing comedic things at times, but there’s no quirky music behind it. It’s a silent, realistic take on what happens… [with] alcoholism and sobriety.”
Bernard added that the show is a must-watch for those “who are afraid of taking that first step,” noting, “It is just nice to watch someone’s journey through getting better.”
Single Drunk Female airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Freeform.
