Brett Young is bringing 2025 to a close with a cover of a Justin Bieber song.
Brett offers a stripped-back country take on “Yukon,” from Bieber’s seventh studio album, Swag, which came out in July. “Yukon” topped Billboard‘s Rhythmic Airplay chart in September and went on to be nominated for best R&B performance at the upcoming 68th Grammys.
Brett’s set to kick off his 2.0 Tour Jan. 22 at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. He’ll play nearly 20 dates before wrapping the run Feb. 28 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
The tour takes its name from Brett’s fourth studio album, which came out in June. Its lead single, “Drink with You,” continues its climb on the country chart.
Musical guest Cher, host Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang during promos on Thursday, December 18, 2025 (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC)
Ariana Grande gets her Moonstruck moment in a new set of promos for this weekend’s edition of Saturday Night Live, which she’s hosting.
Cher is the musical guest, and in one promo, Ari and SNL star Bowen Yang fawn over her. “Cher! Am I dreaming?” Bowen asks. The entertainment icon then slaps both of them simultaneously and commands, “Snap out of it!” — echoing her most famous line from the Oscar-winning movie Moonstruck.
“Cher just slapped us!” Ari and Bowen gush as Cher rolls her eyes.
In a second promo, Cher announces, “I got you both a gift!” “We got a gift from Cher? What is it?” Bowen asks. “My presence,” Cher jokes, before all three shrug sheepishly.
Saturday will mark Cher’s first time appearance on Saturday Night Live since 1987, though she did perform at the SNL50 Homecoming Concert in February. Since this is the final episode before Christmas, it’s possible that Cher will sing her newly released holiday song, “Christmas Is Here.”
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday, Ari revealed that she met Cher for the first time while filming the promos. Of the icon, she said, “She’s just the one and only. It’s so spectacular and she’s just brilliant. I’m so excited.”
Musical guest Cher, host Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang during promos on Thursday, December 18, 2025 (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC)
Ariana Grande gets her Moonstruck moment in a new set of promos for this weekend’s edition of Saturday Night Live, which she’s hosting.
Cher is the musical guest, and in one promo, Ari and SNL star Bowen Yang fawn over her. “Cher! Am I dreaming?” Bowen asks. The entertainment icon then slaps both of them simultaneously and commands, “Snap out of it!” — echoing her most famous line from the Oscar-winning movie Moonstruck.
“Cher just slapped us!” Ari and Bowen gush as Cher rolls her eyes.
In a second promo, Cher announces, “I got you both a gift!” “We got a gift from Cher? What is it?” Bowen asks. “My presence,” Cher jokes, before all three shrug sheepishly.
Saturday will mark Cher’s first time appearance on Saturday Night Live since 1987, though she did perform at the SNL50 Homecoming Concert in February. Since this is the final episode before Christmas, it’s possible that Cher will sing her newly released holiday song, “Christmas Is Here.”
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday, Ari revealed that she met Cher for the first time while filming the promos. Of the icon, she said, “She’s just the one and only. It’s so spectacular and she’s just brilliant. I’m so excited.”
Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance embrace on stage during a Turning Point USA event at the Pavilion at Ole Miss at the University of Mississippi, on October 29, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images
(PHOENIX) — Erika Kirk endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president during a Turning Point USA conference in Arizona, vowing to throw one of the most influential conservative organizations in the country behind Vance in 2028.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said during her speech on Thursday night at AmericaFest, the first major Turning Point event since her husband’s assassination.
While the endorsement is not a major surprise given Vance’s close relationship with Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk and Turning Point, it is significant given the group’s prominence on the right.
Turning Point, founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012, played a key role in helping elect President Donald Trump and shaping the modern conservative movement, particularly among younger voters.
Vance has not yet officially said whether he will run in 2028. In an interview last month with Fox News, Vance said he was focused on the vice presidency and the 2026 midterms but would have a conversation with President Trump after next year’s elections about 2028 .
“We’re going to win the midterms, we’re going to do everything that we can to win the midterms, and then after that, I’m going to sit down with the president of the United States and talk to him about it,” Vance said. “But let’s focus on the now.”
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, Vance credited the Turning Point founder for his own political rise and for building out President Trump’s second administration.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government,” Vance said in the days after Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 during a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Erika Kirk’s endorsement follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in an interview with Vanity Fair published this week that if the vice president were to run for president in 2028, he would support him.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair’s Chris Whipple.
Trump himself has said Vance and Rubio would be “great” options for presidential candidates.
“I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two,” Trump said in late October. “I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable.”
Chaka Khan performs onstage during The Queens Tour at Little Caesars Arena on September 28, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan have been named recipients of the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. They’ll be honored at the 2026 Special Merit Awards, taking place Jan. 31 in Los Angeles.
Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Cher are also set to receive the award, which goes to “performers who, during their lifetime, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording,” according to a press release.
The Trustees Award will go to Bernie Taupin, Latin musician Eddie Palmieri and record exec Sylvia Rhone for the “significant contributions” they’ve made “to the field of recording,” the press release states.
“It’s a true honor to recognize this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the very foundation of modern music,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “Each of these honorees has made a profound and lasting impact, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements on the eve of Grammy Sunday.”
Elsie Hewitt and Pete Davidson attend the World Premiere of ‘The Pickup’ on July 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Comedian, writer and actor Pete Davidson, and model and actress Elsie Hewitt are officially parents.
Hewitt, 29, announced the arrival of the pair’s first child in an Instagram post Thursday, stating that their baby was born Dec. 12.
“Our perfect angel girl arrived 12/12/2025,” Hewitt wrote alongside several photos and a video clip.
Hewitt also revealed the name she and Davidson, 32, gave to their new bundle of joy.
“Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson,” Hewitt wrote, adding a pink heart emoji. “My best work yet, I am absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief.”
Davidson previously opened up about his dream to start a family on Kevin Hart‘s talk show Hart to Heart in 2022.
“My favorite thing ever, which I’ve yet to achieve, is I wanna have a kid. It’s like my dream,” Davidson said at the time.
“I’m so excited for that chapter, so that’s kind of what I’m just preparing for now, is trying to be, like, as good as a dude and develop and get better, so when that happens, it’s just easier,” he added.
ABC News has reached out to Davidson’s and Hewitt’s representatives for comment.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on May 15, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Scott Olson/Getty Images
(MILWAUKEE) — A Wisconsin judge accused of concealing an undocumented man to prevent his arrest by immigration authorities was found guilty of felony obstruction, according to ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN, which was in the courtroom for the trial.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was charged in a two-count federal indictment that alleges she obstructed official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings and knowingly concealed the man from immigration authorities at a courthouse in April.
Dugan was found guilty of obstructing federal agents and not guilty of concealing an undocumented immigrant from arrest during the courthouse incident.
The jury reached the mixed verdict after deliberating for approximately six hours on Thursday, according to WISN.
Dugan, who pleaded not guilty, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The judge has not yet set a sentencing date.
One of Dugan’s attorneys, Steve Biskupic, said they are “obviously disappointed” in the outcome. The mixed verdict is “the big thing from the defense perspective,” he told reporters Thursday night.
“The same elements of count one are in count two. In count two — how can you find guilty there and not guilty on the first,” Biskupic said. “But that’s why we asked for a post-trial briefing.”
“The case is a long way from over,” he added.
According to federal prosecutors, Dugan encountered federal agents who were at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on April 18 to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was appearing in her courtroom on a battery charge.
Prosecutors say that after speaking to the agents, Dugan directed them to the chief judge’s office down the hall and then sent Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a non-public door in an alleged attempt to help him evade arrest on immigration violations.
Flores-Ruiz was ultimately captured outside the court building after a brief foot chase.
During closing arguments on Thursday, the government portrayed Dugan as a frustrated and angry judge and asked the jurors to hold her accountable for the alleged criminal conduct, according to ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN.
The defense, meanwhile, argued that the case is an “unjust prosecution” that is “riddled with doubts” and based on “assumptions,” according to WISN. The defense also questioned the veracity of the audio evidence, according to WISN.
During the nearly weeklong trial, prosecutors produced transcripts and audio recordings that they said showed Dugan telling her court reporter that she would “get the heat” for showing Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer the side exit, WISN reported.
Dugan did not testify during the trial.
The defense witnesses included former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was not at the courthouse that day but testified as a character witness, according to WISN.
After the defense rested on Thursday, Judge Lynn Adelman denied their request to dismiss the case, according to WISN.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan in the wake of her arrest, stating in an order that it was “in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, was charged with unlawful reentry into the U.S. He was sentenced to time served earlier this month after pleading guilty to the charge, federal court records show. DHS said last month he had been deported.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on May 15, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Scott Olson/Getty Images
(MILWAUKEE) — A Wisconsin judge accused of concealing an undocumented man to prevent his arrest by immigration authorities was found guilty of felony obstruction, according to ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN, which was in the courtroom for the trial.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was charged in a two-count federal indictment that alleges she obstructed official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings and knowingly concealed the man from immigration authorities at a courthouse in April.
Dugan was found guilty of obstructing federal agents and not guilty of concealing an undocumented immigrant from arrest during the courthouse incident.
The jury reached the mixed verdict after deliberating for approximately six hours on Thursday, according to WISN.
Dugan, who pleaded not guilty, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The judge has not yet set a sentencing date.
One of Dugan’s attorneys, Steve Biskupic, said they are “obviously disappointed” in the outcome. The mixed verdict is “the big thing from the defense perspective,” he told reporters Thursday night.
“The same elements of count one are in count two. In count two — how can you find guilty there and not guilty on the first,” Biskupic said. “But that’s why we asked for a post-trial briefing.”
“The case is a long way from over,” he added.
According to federal prosecutors, Dugan encountered federal agents who were at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on April 18 to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was appearing in her courtroom on a battery charge.
Prosecutors say that after speaking to the agents, Dugan directed them to the chief judge’s office down the hall and then sent Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a non-public door in an alleged attempt to help him evade arrest on immigration violations.
Flores-Ruiz was ultimately captured outside the court building after a brief foot chase.
During closing arguments on Thursday, the government portrayed Dugan as a frustrated and angry judge and asked the jurors to hold her accountable for the alleged criminal conduct, according to ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN.
The defense, meanwhile, argued that the case is an “unjust prosecution” that is “riddled with doubts” and based on “assumptions,” according to WISN. The defense also questioned the veracity of the audio evidence, according to WISN.
During the nearly weeklong trial, prosecutors produced transcripts and audio recordings that they said showed Dugan telling her court reporter that she would “get the heat” for showing Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer the side exit, WISN reported.
Dugan did not testify during the trial.
The defense witnesses included former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was not at the courthouse that day but testified as a character witness, according to WISN.
After the defense rested on Thursday, Judge Lynn Adelman denied their request to dismiss the case, according to WISN.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan in the wake of her arrest, stating in an order that it was “in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, was charged with unlawful reentry into the U.S. He was sentenced to time served earlier this month after pleading guilty to the charge, federal court records show. DHS said last month he had been deported.
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason opened his wallet to save Foote’s, the London music store where he bought his first drum kit. Foote’s was about to go out of business, so Mason provided the funding it needed to stay open.
“One of my great memories of being a young, budding drummer was going to the original [Foote’s] … and buying my very first kit for £7.50,” he told Britain’s ITV news.
Unfortunately, the store closed down in 2022 after more than 100 years in business.
Pink Floyd recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here, by reissuing it with 25 bonus tracks, including six tracks that had never been released before. It was released as a three-LP or two-CD set, as well as digitally, with the original album newly mixed in Dolby Atmos.
A memorial set up by Brown University outside of the Barus and Holley building on December 18, 2025. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — New details about how police caught up to Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the 48-year-old former Brown graduate student who allegedly perpetrated a mass shooting at Brown University and killed an MIT professor, have emerged after a dayslong manhunt where he made a series of moves designed to evade authorities.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said local police helped track down Valente, who was found dead in a New Hampshire storage unit, thanks, in part, to surveillance video and a detailed tip about a vehicle being driven by a person who noted odd behavior by the suspect.
“I’m being dead serious. Police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental,” the tipster told police, according to a complaint released by Rhode Island authorities. “That was the car he was driving.”
The tip and surveillance video, along with the use of license-plate reader technology led investigators to a car rental agency in Massachusetts.
There, police obtained a copy of the rental agreement with the suspect’s name, as well as video of the suspect that matched the videos of the person of interest seen on the Brown University campus on the day of the shooting, the complaint said.
That discovery ultimately led investigators to a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where the suspect was found dead, officials said.
Financial records and video evidence confirmed that the storage unit belonged to the alleged suspect and that the rental vehicle was connected to both the Rhode Island and Massachusetts cases.
Authorities identified the suspect as Valente, a Portuguese national and former Brown University student whose last known address was in Miami, Florida. Officials said Valente died by suicide Thursday evening.
Officials confirmed that Valente was found with a satchel containing two firearms, and evidence recovered from the vehicle matched what was found at the Providence crime scene.
Federal authorities confirmed that shortly before 9 p.m. on Thursday, FBI SWAT teams executed court-authorized search warrants at a storage facility in Salem, which is where they found Valente’s body.
Portugal’s Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) confirmed to ABC News that Cláudio Manuel Neves Valente studied between 1995 and 2000 in the school’s physics engineering program, the same one attended at the time by slain MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.
A 1998 announcement in Portugal’s official Diario da República referred to Valente’s appointment as a teaching assistant at IST and a 2000 notice in the same publication mentions his termination from the role.
A spokesperson for IST declined to comment further on Valente’s history at the institution, due to the ongoing investigation and out of respect for the friends and family of Loureiro.
Brown officials confirmed that Valente was enrolled at the university from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2001 as a graduate student in physics, entering Brown’s graduate program in September 2000 before taking a leave of absence in April 2001 and formally withdrawing in 2003.
“He was not a current student, was not an employee and did not receive a degree from the University, attending for only three semesters as a graduate student until taking a leave in 2001 and formally withdrawing effective July 31, 2003,” Brown University President Christina Paxson wrote in a letter to students and faculty Thursday.
During his time at Brown, he was enrolled only in physics courses, which were typically held in the Barus & Holley building. University records indicate he has had no active affiliation with Brown for more than two decades.
Police said the suspect acted alone and that there is no indication, at this time, of additional planned attacks. Investigators have not identified any writings, known criminal history or clear motive.
Officials said forensic teams are still processing evidence recovered in New Hampshire, including firearms, and will compare it with ballistic and DNA evidence from the Providence crime scene.
Paxson said the university is still reviewing how the suspect gained access to the building. She said the building was unlocked that day because exams were being held, and the university will examine security procedures moving forward.
Investigators said Valente obtained lawful permanency in April 2017 and was issued a green card.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in an X post that Valente received his visa through the diversity visa lottery program, and announced that, at President Donald Trump’s direction, she was pausing the program.
Each year, the State Department awards up to 50,000 immigrant visas to “winners” of the diversity visa lottery. The program was created by Congress in 1990 to allow applicants from countries with low rates of immigration into the U.S. to come here.
The winners are selected at random, but they must still go through a lengthy application process, which includes submitting criminal records, being interviewed at an embassy or consulate, and meeting other requirements, such as having a High School Diploma or two years of work experience. Applicants are then allowed to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
Investigators said they identified Valente by name late Wednesday night and weighed whether releasing his identity could cause him to flee or take further action.
Officials said they believed he might return the rental car in Boston or attempt to leave the area, and they wanted the opportunity to arrest him without alerting him that police were closing in.
Officials said it remains unclear exactly when the suspect took his own life, but noted that he signed into the storage facility but was never seen leaving.
The site was secured by federal agents, and investigators said an autopsy will help determine the timing of his death.
ABC News’ Armando Garcia and Christopher Looft contributed to this report.
