Entertainment

NAACP Image Awards red carpet: See Cynthia Erivo, Gabrielle Union, more stars

Feb. 22, 2025

Stars stepped out Saturday night to celebrate Black excellence at the NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. See who brought their best looks to the red (well, purple) carpet, starting with Cynthia Erivo.

International News

Young voters are powering the rise of Germany’s far-right AfD party

Feb. 22, 2025

On a wet evening in Suhl, in the former East Germany, a smattering of youthful faces were among hundreds lining up to hear from an unlikely idol - Björn Höcke, one of the most controversial figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Höcke, a former history teacher, has been found guilty of using Nazi terminology in a speech and has faced criticism for his views even within the AfD, seen as a pariah by Germany’s mainstream parties. This mattered little though at the non-descript hall tucked away in a deserted shopping center in Suhl. When asked about his popularity among young people and if he is a good role model, he was clear in his answer.

International News

Human remains returned by Hamas to Israel confirmed as those of former hostage Shiri Bibas

Feb. 22, 2025

Human remains returned to Israel by Hamas on Friday have been confirmed as those of former hostage Shiri Bibas, according to a statement from her family provided Saturday by the hostage relatives’ forum. Bibas’ remains had been expected to be among those of four hostages returned by Hamas on Thursday, alongside her sons, Kfir and Ariel, and another captive, Oded Lifshitz. The boys were 9 months old and 4 years old, respectively, when they were taken captive. However, while forensic tests by Israeli authorities confirmed that the remains included those of the two boys and Lifshitz, the fourth body was not that of Shiri Bibas – and nor did it match that of any other Israeli hostage, prompting outrage and condemnation.

International News

The US now considers these cartels and gangs terrorist groups. Here’s what to know about them

Feb. 22, 2025

Tren de Aragua, MS-13 and the Sinaloa cartel are among the two gangs and six drug cartels the US has officially designated as foreign terrorist organizations, fulfilling a long-standing goal from US President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Trump previously ordered the US to declare cartels terrorist groups in a January 20 executive order, but until US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s official announcement on Thursday, none of the cartels had been specifically named. During his first term, Trump had considered a similar maneuver but refrained at the request of then-Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

International News

Her great grandpa dressed The Beatles. Now, she’s making her own name in fashion

Feb. 22, 2025

The story of Talia Byre starts with a family tree. “Can you pass me a pen?” asks Talia Lipkin-Connor, the fashion label’s founder and sole designer. Hers is a lineage peppered with successful clothes-makers, designers and boutique owners. But in the last 80 years the British fashion landscape, wrought with new challenges and opportunities, has changed. Unable to rest on her family’s laurels, she’s starting from scratch. So far, Lipkin-Connor has done well for herself. Her 5-year-old label, stocked by stores including Browns Fashion, Farfetch and SSENSE, has this week been shortlisted for the prestigious BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. She has also just presented her Fall-Winter 2025 collection as part of London Fashion Week.

Entertainment

Rihanna covers Harper's Bazaar magazine, talks music and motherhood after A$AP Rocky trial

Feb. 22, 2025

Rihanna is opening up in a rare new interview for Harper's Bazaar magazine. The "Close To You" singer is seemingly getting closer to releasing new music and she opened up about her journey back to the medium nine years after the release of her last album "Anti" in January 2016. "I think music is my freedom. I just came to that realization. I just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work. I am actually feeling really good about this. I know I kept saying this over the years," Rihanna told the publication. The "We Found Love" hitmaker's March cover story for the magazine's legacy issue, on U.S. newsstands March 4, comes after she made a series of rare public appearances at the assault trial of her partner A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, who was found not guilty Tuesday.

Entertainment

Tyga announces on Instagram death of mom Pasionaye Nguyen: 'I love you forever'

Feb. 22, 2025

Pasionaye Nguyen, rapper Tyga's mom, has died at 53, he announced Friday. The "Taste" rapper took to Instagram in a lengthy post to share the death of Nguyen with his 46 million followers. "I been trying to understand and process why God takes the most meaningful and most beautifulest people away from us. But I know I’ll never get an answer that will fill the emptiness in my heart," Tyga wrote in the caption of the post, which has 1 million likes. Tyga, 33, continued, writing that he can’t imagine life without his mom, saying she was "the best and most supportive person" in his life, who made things better at his lowest and worst.

Entertainment

Lynne Marie Stewart, 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' actress, dies at 78 after 'unexpected' illness

Feb. 22, 2025

Lynne Marie Stewart, the star of "Pee-wee's Playhouse" opposite Paul Reubens, died at 78 on Friday. The actress passed suddenly after a tumor was found near her liver and gallbladder in mid-December, Stewart's representative Bette Smith told USA TODAY Saturday. Stewart had been struggling with exhaustion before the diagnosis, Smith said. "This was totally unexpected, and she passed a month or so after her diagnosis," Smith said. "Lynne was the most wonderful actress. She was the kindest and (most) honorable person," Smith added, saying the actress "loved the craft" and "didn't care" about receiving "pay or press."

Entertainment

'The Apprentice' director Ali Abbasi apologizes for alleged groping of A-list actor

Feb. 22, 2025

Ali Abbasi, who directed a buzzy, but controversial biopic about President Donald Trump released last year, is "truly sorry" after a groping claim surfaced Friday. Entertainment outlet Deadline first detailed the allegations of Abbasi's alleged groping of an A-list actor at a Golden Globes afterparty in a report published Friday. His lengthy apology was first shared by TheWrap on Saturday and later obtained by USA TODAY. "I want to address the recent articles about me directly and openly," Abbasi said in the emailed statement. "I fully understand that my action made someone uncomfortable, regardless of my intent, and for that I am truly sorry."

Entertainment

Dutton family saga returns: '1923' Season 2 premiere date, time, cast, how to watch

Feb. 22, 2025

The Dutton family saga returns Sunday with Season 2 of "Yellowstone" prequel "1923" dropping on Paramount+. In the prequel series, the ancestors of the Duttons from "Yellowstone," Cara and Jacob Dutton (Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford), face a "cruel winter" that will bring "new challenges and unfinished business," according to the season's official synopsis. "1923," which chronicles one generation of the Dutton family, is the second "Yellowstone" prequel, following the events of the limited series "1883" (released in 2021) and before the current day "Yellowstone." "With harsh conditions and adversaries threatening to end the Dutton legacy, Spencer embarks on an arduous journey home, racing against time to save his family in Montana," the series synopsis says. "Meanwhile, Alexandra sets off on her own harrowing trans-Atlantic journey to find Spencer and reclaim their love."