Associated Press

James Van Der Beek, a heartthrob who starred in coming-of-age dramas at the dawn of the new millennium, shooting to fame playing the titular character in “Dawson’s Creek” and in later years mocking his own hunky persona, has died. He was 48.

A statement posted on the actor’s official Instagram page Wednesday said Van Der Beek died earlier in the day. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” the statement said.

Van Der Beek revealed in 2024 that he was being treated for colorectal cancer.

A one-time theater kid, Van Der Beek would star in the movie “Varsity Blues” and on TV in “CSI: Cyber” as FBI Special Agent Elijah Mundo, but was forever connected to “Dawson’s Creek,” which ran from 1998 to 2003 on The WB.

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3 days ago | [YT] | 1,347

Associated Press

Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles across the decades — from Kevin’s beleaguered mom in “Home Alone” to the iconic Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek” — died Friday at 71.

The Canadian-born O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” according to a statement from her agency, CAA.


Read more here: bit.ly/3Z949Wp


#APPhotos by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 4,216

Associated Press

Federal officers shot and killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to a hospital record obtained by the Associated Press.

Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said in a social media post that he had been in contact with the White House after the shooting. He called on President Donald Trump to end the crackdown in his state.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The AP in a text messages that the person had a firearm with two magazines and that the situation was “evolving.”

After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home. One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.”

Read more: bit.ly/4jUtSeC

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 4,868

Associated Press

The State Department said it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.

The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S.

The step builds on earlier immigration and travel bans by the administration on nearly 40 countries and is part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 1,483

Associated Press

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis woman on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials claimed was an act of self-defense but that the city’s mayor described as “reckless” and unnecessary.

The shooting happened in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a visit to Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

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1 month ago | [YT] | 2,490

Associated Press

The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

The legal implications of the strike under U.S. law were not immediately clear. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who briefed him on the strike. Rubio told Lee that Maduro “has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States.”

Multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.

It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. The attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes and it was unclear if more actions lay ahead, though Trump said in his post that the strikes were carried out “successfully.”

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1 month ago | [YT] | 1,319

Associated Press

The Justice Department on Friday began releasing its files on Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and wealthy financier known for his connections to some of the world’s most influential people, including Donald Trump, who as president had tried to keep the files sealed.

The total volume was not immediately clear, though Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Fox News Channel interview that he expected the department to release “several hundred thousand” records Friday and then several hundred thousand more in the coming weeks.

The records could contain the most detailed look yet at nearly two decades’ worth of government investigations into Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and underage girls.

Live updates: bit.ly/4b01t4p

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,090

Associated Press

Los Angeles prosecutors said Tuesday that Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, which stunned their communities in Hollywood and Democratic politics, where both were widely beloved.

Nick Reiner, 32, is suspected in the deaths of the 78-year-old actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a news conference with LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell.

“Their loss is beyond tragic and we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice,” Hochman said.

Prosecutors plan to file the charges, two counts of first degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders, later Tuesday. They will also include a special allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 544

Associated Press

Indiana’s Republican-led senate voted against a redrawn congressional map Thursday that would have favored their party in the 2026 elections, despite months of pressure by President Donald Trump for a rare mid-cycle redistricting.

Twenty-one senators from the Republican supermajority and all 10 of the chamber’s Democrats voted down the redistricting proposal. Trump has urged GOP-led states to gerrymander their U.S. house districts ahead of the midterms to create more winnable seats for Republicans. It’s an unusual move, since the district boundaries are usually adjusted based on the census every 10 year.

Read more: bit.ly/4rSdEq7

2 months ago | [YT] | 3,679

Associated Press

Stars of the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” reflect on what they’ll miss most — from the friendships forged over nearly a decade to the pressure of starring in a global phenomenon.

Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Jamie Campbell Bower, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery — along with show creators Matt and Ross Duffer — sit down with Associated Press entertainment journalist Liam McEwan to discuss the emotional weight of saying goodbye and leaving behind the environment that shaped their adolescence.

2 months ago | [YT] | 89