We are getting some new information about America’s long-range Dark Eagle hypersonic boost-glide vehicle weapon system from Secretary Hegseth’s recent tour of Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. During his visit, Hegseth designated the installation as U.S. Space Command’s (SPACECOM) new headquarters.

The Army’s Dark Eagle, also known as the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), is a trailer-launched hypersonic boost-glide vehicle system that can travel long distances at hypersonic speeds (velocities in excess of Mach 5) while maneuvering erratically through Earth’s atmosphere. This makes it an ideal weapon for striking high-priority and time-sensitive targets that are extremely well defended. This includes critical air defenses, command and control nodes, and enemy sensor systems, among other targets. It is the first true hypersonic weapon slated for frontline U.S. service. The same missile architecture is being adopted by the Navy for sea-launch under the Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) weapon system.

During a show-and-tell of Army missile systems, Lt. Gen. Francisco Lozano, Director of Hypersonic, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisition, told Hegseth that Dark Eagle has a 3,500-kilometer range. Members of the media were also present at the event, which was captured on video by C-SPAN and other outlets.

Lt. Gen. Francisco Lozano further noted that he can hit “mainland China from Guam” with Dark Eagle. He also said it could hit Moscow from London and Tehran from Qatar. This isn’t the first official statement of range for Dark Eagle from the Pentagon. The weapon was previously said to have at least a 1,725-mile (2,775-kilometer) range. Based on Lozano’s comments today, its actual range is at least 2,175 miles. It isn’t clear if the Army’s own figures have changed based on the evolution of the weapon and its testing, or if the previous figure was ‘watered down’ intentionally, which is common when it comes to official metrics for missile systems.

Another Army officer at the event, who is not immediately identifiable, told Hegseth that Dark Eagle has a warhead “under 30 pounds,” which is relatively tiny for a long-range weapon — smaller in size than what’s found on an AIM-120 air-to-air missile, for instance. The officer stated the warhead is just to get its “projectiles out” and that it can deliver effects over an area about the same size as the parking lot they were standing on.

As we have repeatedly said, the kinetic punch this weapon provides would contribute more to its destructive power than a conventional warhead mounted in the tight confines of the conical boost-glide vehicle. Still, a blast fragmentation warhead, which was alluded to by the officer, would help with putting softer targets out of commission, like air defense batteries and radar arrays.

The officer also said Dark Eagle can cover its range in less than 20 minutes.

War Sec. Pete Hegseth Visits The New Site For U.S. Space Command Headquarters In Huntsville, Alabama

The mention of the warhead is of special interest as there had been concerns by Pentagon testers of Dark Eagle’s lethality as recently as last year.

We wrote about the Pentagon’s test assessment back in February, stating:

“In the meantime, the Navy has tested the warhead for the AUR, but independent of the missile. An arena test for the warhead was carried out in the first quarter of FY24, followed by a sled test in the second quarter of FY24. The Pentagon says that this sled test “included some threat-representative targets,” but also notes that results are still being processed.

Earlier sled and flight tests “did not include operationally representative targets and consequently provided no direct validation of the weapon’s lethal effects,” the Pentagon adds.

…

Ultimately, the Army “needs to incorporate representative targets and environments into flight tests and other live lethality and survivability tests,” this portion of the report concludes.”

Dark Eagle has had more than its share of development delays, but as of June of this year, the Army intended the weapon system to become operational by the end of Fiscal Year 2025. Where that schedule stands now isn’t clear. There is one battery already stationed at Fort Lewis, and another is supposed to arrive this year.

The importance of getting Dark Eagle up and running goes beyond tactical and strategic considerations, as the U.S. has lagged behind its peers in areas of hypersonic development, most notably when it comes to China.

It’s also worth mentioning that Hegseth asked about how many they are producing and how fast. The Army officer said one per month, but the goal is to increase that number to two per month, or 24 a year. Clearly, the ability to produce weapons in large quantities quickly is top of the mind for Hegseth as the U.S. struggles with its supply of combat mass. Some have argued Dark Eagle is a class of ‘silver bullet’ weapon that will be built in too few numbers and at too high a cost to have a major impact in a sustained conflict.

Regardless, now that we know more about the technical specifications of the weapon system, the Pentagon could be on the cusp of finally declaring it operational.

Author’s note: A big thanks to @lfx160219 on X for bringing this to our attention.

Contact the author: tyler@twz.com

AFTER nearly two decades of filling Saturday lunchtimes with her wit and warm charm, Zoe Ball is stepping away from her BBC Radio 2 show.

The beloved presenter will air her final programme on December 20, bringing an end to a chapter that has made her a fixture of British radio.

Her announcement comes after she was included in the BBC’s “Golden Ten” shortlist of presenters tested for the perfect on-screen partnership to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

The Sun revealed that Zoe Ball was one of the ten stars put through their paces in order to find the perfect on screen partnership in a top-secret chemistry test.

The news has sparked excitement that Ball could be in the running to replace Tess and Claudia as Strictly Come Dancing host.

Earlier this series, the duo dropped a bombshell, revealing they would be stepping away from the beloved BBC dance show for the final time.

HUGE GOAL

Radio 2’s Sara Cox stunned as her ultra-marathon total nears £2m

BETS ARE OFF

Bookies suspend betting on Strictly replacement after Zoe Ball quits Radio Two

Bookies have now suspended betting on who the replacements could be following Ball’s announcement.

Amid all these changes, there have also been personal developments in her life.

Zoe revealed she has a mystery “lodger” who, she joked, has “won more awards” than her.

The Radio 2 presenter dropped the hint on her “Dig It” podcast, confessing that her multimillion-pound pad now has a very special new resident.

While Zoe has hinted at a mystery man, the status of their relationship remains unclear.

Her last public romance was with construction worker Michael Reed, which ended in 2023.

Zoe was married to DJ Norman Cook (better known as Fatboy Slim) for 18 years, before splitting in 2016.

The couple, who co-parent their children Woody and Nelly, have stayed close since their split, with Norman even calling Zoe his “soulmate.”

It comes after Zoe quit the Radio 2 breakfast show at the end of 2024 following the heartbreaking loss of her mum, Julia Peckham, to cancer in April last year.

She left the coveted slot she’d held for six years to “focus on family,” and took a four-and-a-half month break from the radio following her mother’s death.

At the time, Zoe shared a touching tribute to her late mum on social media, saying: “Sleep tight dear Mama. 

“Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.”

Opening up about her grief, Zoe revealed she found the first birthday of her mum, Julia, since her death especially hard.

She said: “It’s a year and a bit since we lost mum, and I found her birthday this year, the toughest, the toughest, you know, a whole year later.

“That was brutal. It was a week of absolute weeping, I still get quite emotional sort of talking about mum, even now.”

Speaking on her podcast, Zoe choked back tears as she admitted suffering an “emotional breakdown” during a this “brutal” period of her life last year.

The presenter bravely told how she was left unable to move on the kitchen floor after being struck down with grief following her mum’s passing.

It’s been a chaotic time for Zoe and her family with her dad, TV legend Johnny Ball, revealing earlier this year he had been secretly fighting prostate cancer.

The 87-year-old broadcaster endured three brutal months of daily radiation treatment back in 2022, but is now “through it” and feeling”fine”.

She has admitted she occasionally questions whether leaving her flagship BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show was the right move, after stepping down to spend more time with her teenage daughter.

This year brought another blow when a yob smashed Zoe’s car window and stole her handbag while she was appearing on The One Show.

“Someone had smashed the front window of my car, that’s never happened to me before,” she revealed.

Initially frozen from the shock of the attack, she said: “I got in and I had a massive cry.”

Despite leaving her regular radio show, she promises fans she isn’t disappearing completely, with special broadcasts lined up over the festive season and into the new year.

The 55-year-old broadcasting favourite is set to be replaced by presenter Emma Willis.

She said: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.

“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.

“But I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a superwoman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.“

The adored host first took to the air as co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show nearly thirty years ago, before becoming the first female DJ to host the primetime slot solo.

Zoe was the BBC’s second-highest paid presenter while she was hosting the coveted morning slot, pocketing £950,000 between April 2023 and 2024, just behind Gary Lineker.

Zoe had been one of the contenders to replace the much-loved pair on Strictly, amongst others including Alan Carr and Rylan Clark.

After quitting her radio show, the mum-of-two is now pipping the rest at the top.

Emma Willis, who is due to replace Ball on her Radio 2 show from next weekend, said:

Willis said: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family, and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.

“I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”

PHOENIX — LeBron James missed the first free throw that would have tied it. Then, bailed out by a foul with 3.9 seconds remaining, he missed the second. A long-awaited swish finally quieted a restless Phoenix crowd.

The Lakers squandered a 20-point, fourth-quarter lead and survived only after the Suns’ Devin Booker fouled James on a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left, pulling out a 116-114 win on Sunday.

Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points, James added 26 and Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 13 rebounds against his old team. Playing without Austin Reaves (calf strain), the Lakers attempted 43 free throws in a testy game that featured five technical fouls and one late ejection.

Dillon Brooks hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 12.2 seconds left to complete the Suns’ comeback, but he was ejected after he bumped chests with James and got his second technical foul. Brooks received a technical in the first quarter and James drew a technical in the third after a perceived slight from Brooks, who slapped a loose ball toward James during a pause in the action.

Brooks had 18 points and missed most of the third quarter after picking up his fifth foul.

The Lakers finished that quarter on a 15-0 run, largely off hustle plays from Jake LaRavia. The forward who has averaged 5.1 points in the last 10 games, including two scoreless outings, played more than eight minutes in the first half and had nothing to show for it besides two missed shots and a foul. He made just one shot in the third quarter and watched an easy layup roll around the rim and pop out. But he made an impact on defense with two steals, a block and four rebounds in the quarter.

His defense led to the offensive highlight of the third as he stole a pass and shoveled the ball to Jaxson Hayes in transition. The 7-foot center cocked the ball behind his head on a violent, two-handed dunk over Oso Ighodaro and finished the three-point play from the free-throw line.

Hayes had 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench. After getting just five bench points from anyone not named Marcus Smart in losing their last game to the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers (18-7) got a balanced 30-point lift from their reserves, including seven from Jarred Vanderbilt, who played his first significant minutes in a month.

Vanderbilt had been relegated to the bench since the return of James, but brought a much-needed lift Sunday as the team hoped to rediscover its defensive mentality. The forward was active on defense, had seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench and even hit a three-pointer.

But the Lakers fell out of their rhythm when that second unit went to the bench in the fourth quarter. With their starting five in for the final three minutes, the Lakers let a 111-97 lead evaporate as they missed shots, gave up threes and committed fouls and turnovers.

The High Court of Hong Kong has convicted pro-democracy activist and newspaper founder Jimmy Lai on three charges related to accusations that he undermined China’s national security, as part of a widely scrutinised trial.

Lai now faces the possibility of a life sentence in prison.

On Monday morning, a panel of three judges found Lai, 78, guilty of two counts of conspiring with foreign forces to threaten national security and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material.

Lai had pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He has been in detention since December 2020, when he was arrested in the midst of a series of antigovernment protests that gripped Hong Kong.

The case has been seen as a test of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” principle, which was established after the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

The principle affirmed that Hong Kong was part of China, but in theory, it allowed the territory to retain its own governance and administrative structure, separate from Beijing.

But activists say that autonomy has been threatened in recent years, as China seeks to assert greater control over Hong Kong. The territory, once seen as a beacon of free speech in Southeast Asia, has seen its protesters, journalists and publishers targeted for arrest and prosecution in recent years.

On Monday, Judge Esther Toh accused Lai of making “constant invitations” to the United States to take action against the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its ruling Communist Party.

She and her fellow judges, Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios, issued an 855-page verdict in the case, which described Lai as the “mastermind” of a criminal conspiracy.

“There is no doubt that the first defendant had harboured his resentment and hatred of the PRC for many of his adult years,” Toh told Monday’s packed courtroom.

Human rights groups and media advocacy organisations quickly slammed the verdict as a miscarriage of justice.

“We are outraged that Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s symbol of press freedom, has been found guilty on trumped-up national security charges,” Thibaut Bruttin, the general director of Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement.

“This unlawful conviction only demonstrates the alarming deterioration of media freedom in the territory,” he added.

“Make no mistake: it is not an individual who has been on trial – it is press freedom itself, and with this verdict, that has been shattered.”

Another free-speech organisation, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), also denounced Lai’s conviction, calling it an act of “persecution”.

“The ruling underscores Hong Kong’s utter contempt for press freedom, which is supposed to be protected under the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law,” Beh Lih Yi, the group’s Asia-Pacific director, said.

“Jimmy Lai’s only crime is running a newspaper and defending democracy.”

Lai is set to reappear in court on January 12 for a pre-sentencing hearing. It is not yet clear whether he will seek to appeal Monday’s verdict.

The trial against him stretched for 156 days. Lai himself testified for 52 days, arguing that he had not called on the US to impose sanctions or other economic penalties on China, as the prosecution alleged.

The charges he faced came under the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law, a far-reaching piece of legislation enacted in the midst of the pro-democracy protests of 2019 and 2020.

The law imposed steep penalties for actions deemed to be “subversion” or “secession”, effectively criminalising Hong Kong’s pro-independence movement, as well as any criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party.

As an outspoken critic of the government in Beijing, Lai was quickly charged under the newly imposed law.

His publication, the Apple Daily, published its first edition in 1995, and it became known as Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy newspaper.

During Lai’s trial, prosecutors presented 161 articles from the newspaper as evidence.

In August 2020, less than two months after the national security law came into effect, Lai was arrested for the first time, then released. He was arrested again in December, only to be released and re-arrested a third time. He has remained in custody ever since.

By May 2021, authorities had frozen Apple Daily’s assets. And in June of that year, five Apple Daily executives, including its editor-in-chief, were taken into custody amid a police raid on the newspaper’s headquarters.

The newspaper printed its final edition that month.

Lai’s defence team and family have repeatedly petitioned Hong Kong’s High Court for leniency, citing Lai’s age and health conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

World leaders like US President Donald Trump have previously called for Lai’s release.

In June 1967, when the sun was rising over the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Israeli fighter squadrons skimming through the coastlines at low altitude struck Egyptian airbases with a devastating blow. Within barely a couple of hours, most of the Egyptian air forces were destroyed. Operation Focus was not a mere initiation of the Six-Day War, but it determined the final outcome of the war. When the ground offensives advanced across the Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights, Israel had already established its critical military superiority, namely, air supremacy. The Six-Day War remains a typical case of how a short, incisive, and highly compressed conflict could overturn the premise of regional deterrence and restructure the long-term strategic reality.

Almost 60 years later, a very different state is studying similar lessons. Based on its nuclear and missile capabilities and deepened defense cooperation with the Russians, nuclear-armed North Korea is refining tools that could enable its own version of a swift and high-impact attack. North Korea’s KN-23 and KN-24 series—quasi-ballistic missiles modeled upon the Russian Iskander-M—have irregular, low-altitude trajectories that are designed to complicate missile defense. Through their recent use by Russia against Ukraine, North Korea has gained invaluable live-fire battlefield data, accelerating improvements in precision, reliability, and mobility during flight. In addition, thanks to Russian assistance—advanced technology, training assistance, and potential space-oriented targeting support—North Korea is securing capabilities that were unattainable in the past.

The strategic risk lies not in whether Pyongyang could literally replicate Operation Focus. Instead, the genuine risk lies in Kim Jong-un drawing wrongful lessons from the Six-Day War and the Russia-Ukraine War: that surprise, speed, and concentrated firepower could overwhelm the opponent before activating an effective response. If Pyongyang is convinced that a blitzkrieg is achievable or judges that nuclear blackmail could suppress the US and Japan’s intervention for a certain timeframe, the incentives for war could increase.

Ways That North Korea Could Attempt a Six-Day War-Style Blitzkrieg

Such perception—that momentum has changed—endangers the nowadays Korean Peninsula. North Korea’s nuclear capabilities are expanding both in terms of magnitude and precision. Meanwhile, North Korea’s SRBM and MLRS systems could strike almost all major airbases and C2 nodes located within South Korea. North Korean SOF, who have long trained themselves with penetration operations via tunnels, submarines, and UAV drops, are carefully analyzing Russian tactics used in the Russia-Ukraine War, ranging from loitering munition to precision targeting of critical infrastructures. Pyongyang may imagine that by combining missile salvos, swarm drones, electronic jamming, SOF penetration, and nuclear escalation, it could paralyze South Korea’s initial response in the first few hours of the war and create a meaningful fissure in alliance coherence.

Here the Six-Day War offers a second powerful lesson. The opening phase of the war has greater importance than other phases. In 1967, Israel’s preemptive strike wiped out Arab air forces on the ground, granting unlimited air dominance to the IDF. Although North Korea could not attain air superiority, it could attempt something functionally similar—denying the US, Japan, and South Korea’s ability to conduct operations normally in the initial hours of the war. This could include simultaneous missile saturation on air defense batteries, fuel depots, hardened aircraft shelters, runways, and long-range sensors. Meanwhile, missiles with irregular trajectories might avoid radar detection and try to penetrate interception layers comprised of PAC-3, L-SAM, THAAD, and Aegis destroyers. Swarm drones could overwhelm short-range air defense or neutralize petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) depots and movable C2 vehicles. Cyber operations and GPS jamming would complement such a kinetic assault, creating friction and delays in the alliance response cycle.

Eventually, Pyongyang could conduct its own version of Operation Focus ‘in reverse,’ not to secure air dominance but to prevent opponents from achieving air supremacy. This is to enable North Korea to conduct SOF penetration, a limited armored push in and around the DMZ, and nuclear blackmailing to prevent reinforcement. Such an operation would be based on the similar logic—the ideal mixture of shock, speed, and confusion—that Israel showcased in Sinai and the Golan Heights.

Deterring Blitzkrieg: Lessons for the US, Japan, and South Korea

By using the Six-Day War as a reference, the US, Japan, and South Korea could figure out ways to deter North Korea’s aforementioned provocations. Israel’s victory in 1967 was not achieved solely by air supremacy but also through resilience in its mobilization system and the adaptability of its reserve forces. Once securing air dominance, the IDF swiftly mobilized its reserve forces, stabilized major frontlines, and executed critical maneuvers before Arab countries coordinated with one another. Meanwhile, North Korea might use an intensive SOF operation in the initial phase of the war to wreak havoc on South Korea—recreating the chaos that Israel’s opponents had to experience in 1967—by attacking leadership, transportation centers, and communication nodes.

The solution is clear. If South Korea could prevent internal paralysis in the first 24 to 48 hours of the war, North Korea’s ambitious surprise attack would be largely unsuccessful. Therefore, Seoul should treat protection against SOF, city defense, and civil-military resilience at a level equivalent to ‘air superiority.’ This means diffusion of C2, reinforcement of police and reserve forces, hardening communication, and ensuring that local governments could fully function even under missile strikes and SOF infiltration. Irrespective of the high intensity of an opening barrage, state function should be able to survive, maintain consistency, and prepare for countermeasures.

The political aftermath of the 1967 war is also an important lesson. Israel’s swift victory engendered long-term strategic burdens: the occupation problem, regional backlash, and disputes on legitimacy. It well demonstrates that a short and decisive war could create unpredictable, long-term spillover effects. Applying it to the Korean Peninsula, the US and its allies should have a clear picture regarding North Korea’s failed surprise attack or a regime change. Issues like securing WMD, China’s intervention, refugee flow, humanitarian stabilization, and restructuring North Korea’s political order cannot be managed in an impromptu manner.

The strategic task for Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul is to deny Pyongyang any illusion of a short war. Deterrence should be based on the confidence that North Korea cannot achieve within 6 hours what Israel achieved in 6 days. To make that happen, integration of missile defense systems, real-time intelligence sharing, enhancing the survivability of air bases, diffusion of key assets, and rapid counter-strike capabilities are necessary. Moreover, the US and its allies should establish a political foundation that could withstand a war of attrition—a type of conflict that North Korea cannot tolerate.

Los Angeles police are investigating an apparent homicide at the Brentwood home of Rob Reiner, where two people were found dead Sunday afternoon.

The bodies of a 78-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman were found at the home in the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue, according to Police Capt. Mike Bland.

Law enforcement sources told The Times that a family member was being questioned in connection with the death. .

The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation, confirmed that there was no sign of forced entry into the home. The names of the victims have not been released.

Margaret Stewart, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman, said the department was called to the residence around 3:30 p.m. for medical aid. Inside the home, fire personnel discovered the bodies of the man and woman.

Rob Reiner and wife Michele Reiner attend the 46th Kennedy Center Honors gala at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington in December 2023.

(Kent Nishimulra / AFP via Getty Images)

Reiner, 78, has had a five-decade-long career in Hollywood.

Early in his career, he played Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the iconic sitcom “All in the Family” from 1971 to 1979, alongside Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker.

As a director, Reiner helmed a string of hits including “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride” and “This Is Spinal Tap.” His work took a dramatic turn when he directed the 1986 adaptation of Steven King’s novella “Stand by Me.”

Reiner was finally nominated for an Academy Award for 1993’s “A Few Good Men,” which starred Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, though the movie lost to Clint Eastwood’s western “Unforgiven.”

Reiner also was a leading political voice in Hollywood.

He was a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that led the fight to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. He’s also been active in children’s issues through the years, having led the campaign to pass Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created an ambitious program of early childhood development services.

Proposition 10 was considered landmark policy. Reiner enlisted help in the effort from Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.

Reiner was married to Penny Marshall, star of “Laverne & Shirley,” from 1971 to 1981. He met photographer Michele Singer on the set of “When Harry Met Sally” and the two married in 1989, the year the movie came out.

Michele Singer Reiner began producing films over the last decade, including “Shock and Awe,” “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” all directed by her husband. She also produced “God & Country,” a look at Christian nationalism in the U.S.

By Sunday evening, law enforcement had swarmed Reiner’s sprawling estate in Brentwood, though an eerie quiet hung over Chadbourne Avenue, which had been sealed from the public with yellow crime scene tape.

Police cars were stationed at either ends of the block where the Reiner residence is located while a chopper circled overhead.

Officers spoke to a young man inside of the sealed off area, who left the scene around 7:30 p.m. in a white Tesla and declined to speak to the media.

Councilmember Traci Park, whose Westside district includes Brentwood, said in a statement that the LAPD had increased patrols in the neighborhood “out of an abundance of caution.”

“As we continue to wait for more updates, I want to express my profound concern and sadness at the news coming out of Brentwood,” Park wrote in the statement. “We are in close contact with LAPD as the homicide unit continues their investigation.”

This breaking news story will be updated.

Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.

Dec. 14 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that his country may give up its dreams of NATO ascension, at least temporarily, for an end to the war and security guarantees from the United States and Europe, reports said.

Zelensky, who has said that NATO ascension is unlikely because of Russian opposition, held that Ukraine would still seek security guarantees similar to the bloc’s Article 5 clause for mutual protection for members under attack.

His comments were made to journalists in a private WhatsApp chat and were reported by The New York Times and Financial Times.

“This is already a compromise on our part,” Zelensky said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host talks Sunday between Zelensky, as well as Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the Federal Chancellery.

Zelensky added that he has not yet received a response from the Trump administration on revised peace proposals sent last week, the reports said.

Under that peace plan, The New York Times reported, Ukraine said any decision to give up Ukrainian territory would need to be put to a vote and it removed a measure put in place by American negotiators preventing it from ever joining NATO, indicating that Zelensky holds on to hope Ukraine could join the defense alliance in the future.

Yuri Ushakov, the foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, said on state television Sunday that Russia would have “sharp objections” if the United States adopted any Ukrainian or European suggestions for the plan.

Both Ukraine and Russia have seemingly rejected a proposal from the Trump administration that would create a sort-of demilitarized zone in parts of eastern Ukraine that it still holds, requiring only Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the buffer area.

Zelensky said Sunday he did not consider it fair that Russian troops were not also asked to withdraw deeper into the occupied territories.

“We stand where we stand,” he said. “That is precisely a ceasefire.”

Civil defence crews in Gaza are racing to rescue people trapped under war-damaged buildings that have collapsed from heavy rain and strong winds during a severe winter storm.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Amber Davies was the subject of brutal comments from social media trolls after defeating Lewis Cope in a dance off but is brushing off the abuse to focus on the positives

Amber Davies has praised her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars after making it through to the final. The 29-year-old former Love Island star is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin, 27, and they have survived 12 weeks and three dance-offs to make it all the way to next Saturday’s grand finale.

On Sunday night, TV fans watched as Strictly judges unanimously voted to save Amber and Nikita after they danced against EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her dance partner Julian Caillon – a week after they had saved the duo in a dance off against Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope and dancer Katya Jones.

The 23rd season of Strictly has been fraught for some of the contestants as they have faced abuse online, with Amber targeted after defeating Lewis, and for her West End stage career, which some have felt has given her an unfair advantage in the contest. And the star has seen comments reach beyond criticism to become nothing short of bullying.

READ MORE: ‘Perfect’ Christmas Day dress that shoppers will ‘wear for years to come’ now £28READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s Balvinder Sopal voted out as she misses grand final

On Sunday night, following the latest results show, Amber took to social media to tell her fans and lavish praise on her fellow contestants – and embrace all the positive experiences she has enjoyed over the past few months. Sharing a photo of herself with defeated semi-finalist Balvinder, the stage star wrote: “To do this experience next to you has been the biggest gift & life lesson, your strength and resilience has inspired me every single day. You are one of a kind, I will always be #TeamBal.”

In a video message to followers, Amber explained that she was supporting her fellow finalists, YouTube star George Clarke and footballer Karen Carney, as they all faced a final together. She said via Instagram: “I just wanna come on here and say in the close to a decade I’ve been in the public eye, I’ve never experienced an outpouring of love the way I have in the last 48 hours.”

She continued: “And to make the Strictly final is…I’m speechless. From how it started, I genuinely can’t believe I’ve made it to the end, but you know, I’ve just realised, I think I’ve needed to do Strictly to realise that there is so much kindness in this world.”

And she explained: “Like Nikita said, we’re stronger when we’re kinder and I’m going to literally enjoy every single second of this week. I’m rooting for George, I’m rooting for Kaz, and I’m just gonna be there to enjoy the ride.”

On Saturday night, Nikita took an opportunity during the live show to defend Amber, who has endured weeks of social media abuse. He told Amber in the Clauditorium: “You have had so much hate every single day from the moment you joined, you’ve had so much hate this week, and yet, you came every single day into the training room with a big smile, ignoring everybody.

“And just giving me love, giving me a ginger shot as well. But you gave so much love, you always were kind, so caring, you care more about me when I’m supposed to care about you. You care about me every single day, you are such a lovely kind person.

“And I think sometimes, and I speak to the audience at home, just please be kind because it costs nothing and you [Amber] don’t deserve none of it. You only deserve love because without you, I wouldn’t be here, and the show wouldn’t be as good as it is.”

Following Sunday’s results show, Amber shared photos of herself with Nikita on the dancefloor alongside an upbeat message about their final week on the show. She began by writing on Instagram: “Strictly 2025 finalists,” alongside an emotion-filled face emoji.

She wrote: “To those who have supported and voted for us from day one, you are the reason we are here and have made it!! 12 live shows, 3 dance-offs, 3 40s!!!! It’s not about winning for me, it never EVER has been, it’s always been about making the most of this incredible opportunity that was gifted to me so last minute. And now I will wholeheartedly cherish every single second of this last week with my partner in crime, one last week of pushing, laughing, learning, growing & of course knowing me lots of crying.”

She added: “I feel an overwhelming emotion of gratitude to you @bbcstrictly the greatest team in the world. Let’s go DANCE OUR HEARTS OUT FOR US @nikita__kuzmin TEAM BLOMMING CHAOS MADE IT TO THE END.”

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It was a struggle all the way, but USC men’s basketball continued its hot start with a 68-61 nonconference victory over Washington State on Sunday at Galen Center.

The Trojans (10-1) led by three with five minutes remaining, but outscored the visitors 13-9 down the stretch to notch their second straight win.

Jacob Cofie led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Chad Baker-Mazara added 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Ezra Ausar had 13 points and was nine of 11 from the free-throw line.

Rihards Vavers led the Cougars (3-8) with 13 points.

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curacao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City’s JFK airport.

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curacao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US Air Force refuelling tanker on Friday, with the JetBlue pilot blaming the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path… They don’t have their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.”

It comes as the US military has stepped up its drug interdiction activities in the Caribbean and is also seeking to increase pressure on the Venezuelan government.

“We just had traffic pass directly in front of us, within 5 miles [8km] of us – maybe 2 or 3 miles [3 or 5km] – but it was an air-to air refueller from the United States Air Force, and he was at our altitude,” the pilot said. “We had to stop our climb.”

The pilot said the US Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan airspace.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue, said on Sunday: “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation.”

He added, “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team.”

The Pentagon referred The Associated Press agency to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US Federal Aviation Administration last month issued a warning to US aircraft, urging them to “exercise caution” when in Venezuelan airspace, “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela”.

According to the air traffic recording, the controller responded to the JetBlue pilot, “It has been outrageous with the unidentified aircraft within our air.”

Amsterdam’s iconic Christmas market serves glühwein, raclette and festive treats just one hour from the UK – it needs to be on your radar this winter.

There’s only so much time to soak up the Christmas spirit before the big day, and despite work and life becoming more hectic than usual, I managed to swap the hustle and bustle of London for Amsterdam. It was my first trip back to the Dutch capital in a decade, with my arrival coinciding with the start of one of the city’s most iconic Christmas markets, reports the Express.

Christmas markets in the UK can be hit or miss, and I must admit, the ones I’ve visited over the years have never quite matched those on the continent. The first time I realised our markets didn’t measure up was just a few years ago when I visited Vienna, which can only be described as Christmas on steroids.

The largest Christmas market in Amsterdam springs up in the shadow of the Rijksmuseum on Museumplein, where you can blend the festive spirit with a visit to some of the city’s most renowned museums and galleries.

We arrived on its opening day, and even though we visited in the evening, we managed to dodge the wall-to-wall crowds. This was something I never experienced in Vienna, and on this occasion, I was extremely grateful for it.

Entry to the market is free, but you’ll have to fork out €16 for the joy of skating on its ice rink. Much like other European markets, Amsterdam’s was adorned with wooden chalets offering everything from knick-knacks to treats, piping hot cups of glühwein and food from all around the world.

There was even a cabin flying the Union Jack selling fudge. Who would have thought that British fudge was such a hit overseas?

No visit to a Christmas market would be complete without trying some of the local specialities. A Dutch wurst is a robust cured pork sausage typically served with stamppot, a blend of mashed potatoes and kale. However, it seemed we had arrived too late. No wursts for us.

So we settled for the next best thing: barbeque jumbo sausages served on toasted slices of bread with pickled onions and gherkins, topped with crispy onions and mayo. This isn’t your average sausage sandwich. Trying to tackle every bite is a mouthful, overflowing with chunks of smoky sausage and crumbly onions.

It was evidently a popular choice, with crowds gathering around the open flame grill right in the heart of the action, with sausages sizzling and emitting a tantalising aroma. A barbeque might not be what you expect in the depths of winter, but blimey, was it needed.

Sadly, the warmth emanating from the grill wasn’t enough to heat our bones while we waited, so two cups of glühwein were called for. Glühwein is traditional German mulled wine, delicately spiced with cinnamon, cloves, star anise.

I’m not entirely certain what the secret is, but somehow the Germans manage to perfectly balance the red wine and spices in a way that all the mulled wine I’ve sampled at UK Christmas markets always seem far too acidic. Glühwein is the ideal beverage to warm you to your core, particularly in a freezing city in December, even if the city is renowned for its beer.

When our sausages finally turned up, they were heaped with pickled onions and gherkins. Much like a Scandi open sandwich, it was bursting with diverse flavours, so unlike any festive fare you’d find back home.

You received an entire jumbo sausage on one slice of bread, quartered to actually fit into your mouth. The smoky pork was wonderfully offset by the sharp tang from the pickles, with a different texture provided by crispy onions. This isn’t your typical Christmas market grub, but it was delightful to sample some local specialities.

However, no Christmas is complete without a generous helping of cheese. A classic choice at European Christmas markets is bubbling, ooey, gooey raclette.

We opted for the traditional pairing of raclette and potatoes. What could be more perfect? The humble new potato smothered in smoky melted cheese.

The cheesy spuds were served with some more crispy onions and a fresh coleslaw. Now this is what Christmas is truly about. I would devour a bucketful of raclette if they’d offered one.

Sausages, glühwein and raclette: the holy trinity of Christmas market food.

Even though it was late at night and the crowds were thinning, there was still a buzz among the youngsters and families huddled around the electric heaters trying to stay warm, sipping from steaming cups, welcoming the festive season. Compared to Vienna, Amsterdam’s markets offer a more tranquil start to the Christmas season.

Is this the best Christmas market I’ve ever visited? Probably not, but I’m always fascinated to see how other countries embrace the festive season.

Amsterdam is one of those cities where you can spend hours just wandering around, and we certainly did plenty of that. You can meander from spot to spot with ease, particularly if navigating foreign public transport baffles you. That being said, Amsterdam’s public transport runs like clockwork.

From the moment you step out of Amsterdam Centraal, you can sense the Christmas spirit in the air. I returned to the city for the first time in ten years, and up until this point, I hadn’t felt all that festive.

Amsterdam served as a stepping stone into Christmas for me before I head back to Vienna again for round two of Christmas on steroids. If there’s anywhere you should flee to in December, it’s Amsterdam. It’s only a train journey away.

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England face a series-defining third Ashes Test in Australia, knowing defeat will see their hosts retain the famous urn, but also have the chance of whitewashing their old enemy.

The match begins in Adelaide on Tuesday, where an unassailable 3-0 lead is in sight for the Aussies.

Australia won the first Test inside two days in Perth as Travis Head’s century made short work of his side’s target, while the Aussies needed only four days in Brisbane to secure the second match of the series.

ZOE Ball celebrated her daughter Nelly’s 16th birthday with a big bash this weekend, reuniting with her ex husband Norman Cook for the milestone.

The party coincided with the shock news that Zoe has quit her Radio 2 show after just seven months at the helm.

Zoe shares Nelly and son Woody, 24, with Norman, who she split from in 2016 after 18 years together.

But the former couple remain on good terms, and reunited for their daughters big birthday this weekend.

Sharing an insight into the bash, Zoe posted a reel on Instagram and wrote: “Baby Girls Early 16th Birthday Party…oldies snuck in before it kicks off

“We love you beautiful noodle, can’t wait for the gossip.”

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The bash featured giant balloons spelling out Nelly’s name, along with a banner which read “Holy s**t you’re 16”.

Nelly’s older brother Woody was there to celebrate his sibling, as Zoe shared a snap of her two kids together.

Their dad, Norman, also appeared in high spirits as he donned a shirt with Nelly’s face printed across it.

It seems that Norman, also known as Fatboy Slim, was fittingly behind the DJ decks for the night, too.

The bash came just hours after it was revealed that Zoe has quit her BBC Radio 2 lunchtime show.

Zoe took on the show just seven months ago, after she stepped down from the station’s breakfast show.

She is set to be replaced by Emma Willis, who says she is a “huge fan” of the show.

Speaking on air on Saturday, Zoe told listeners: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.

“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.”

“I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a super woman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.”

Emma said she is excited to be taking on the role: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family – and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.”

The new host signed off: “I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”

The news comes as Zoe is one of the “Golden Ten” shortlist of presenters that BBC bosses have lined up to step into the shoes of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

The Sun revealed that Zoe was one of the ten stars put through their paces in order to find the perfect on screen partnership in a top-secret chemistry test.

Charlie Smyth kicked a 47-yard field goal with six seconds left on the clock to give the New Orleans Saints a 20-17 win over division rivals the Carolina Panthers.

The former Gaelic footballer from Mayobridge in County Down was making his third career start at the Superdome and also kicked a 42-yarder as well two extra points in the win.

The Saints had trailed 17-7 in the third quarter but Smyth’s first field goal of the game brought them back within a score.

Chris Olave’s touchdown grab then gave Smyth the opportunity to tie the game with the 24-year-old duly adding the extra point to make it 17-17 with two minutes and eight seconds remaining.

The Panthers could only manage one first down on their next drive to give the Saints the ball back and the chance for a second straight win.

Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough led New Orleans into position with the Saints’ cause aided by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty called on the Panthers’ Lathan Ransom.

Smyth’s kick then gave the side their fourth win of the season and second in succession after last week’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dec. 14 (UPI) — The Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $1.1 billion after there was no winner in Saturday’s drawing, among the largest prizes in the game’s history. The next drawing is scheduled for Monday night.

The new prize is the sixth-largest jackpot ever, Powerball said on its website. The largest jackpot ever, $2.04 billion, was claimed on Nov. 7th, 2022.

While there was no Powerball grand prize winner Saturday, ticket holders in 7 states won at least $1 million. Those tickets were sold in California. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Monday’s Powerball winner, should there be one, would have the choice between annual payments totaling $1.1 billion, or a one-time $503.4 million lump sum payout.

Two tickets in Missouri and Texas split the $1.787 billion Powerball prize on Sept. 6, the last time anyone claimed the grand prize. Since then, there have been 42 consecutive drawings with no winners.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball. Tickets are $2 each. Monday’s drawing is scheduled to happen just before 11 p.m. EST in the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee.

Powerball is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast has won a run-off election to become Chile’s 38th president, ousting the centre-left government currently in power.

On Sunday, with nearly all the ballots counted, Kast prevailed with nearly 58 percent of the vote, defeating former Labour Minister Jeannette Jara, a Communist Party politician who represented the governing centre-left coalition.

Jara and her coalition, Unity for Chile, conceded defeat shortly after the polls closed in the South American country.

“Democracy has spoken loud and clear. I have just spoken with President-elect [Kast] to wish him success for the good of Chile,” Jara wrote on social media.

“To those who supported us and were inspired by our candidacy, rest assured that we will continue working to build a better life in our country. Together and standing strong, as we always have.”

The result marks the latest victory for the far right in Latin America, which has seen a streak of right-wing leaders once considered political outsiders rise to power in countries like Argentina and Ecuador.

The tally also marks a significant comeback for Kast himself, the 59-year-old leader of the Republican Party. The 2025 election marks his third attempt to win the presidency — and his first successful bid.

During the last election, in 2021, he was trounced by outgoing President Gabriel Boric, who won by nearly a 10-point margin.

But Boric, a former student leader who became Chile’s youngest president, had seen his popularity slump to about 30 percent by the end of his four-year term. He was also ineligible to run for a second term under Chilean law.

In public opinion polls, voters also expressed frustration with recent spikes in crime and immigration, as well as a softening of Chile’s economy.

Kast, meanwhile, campaigned on the promise of change. He said he would address voter concerns by carrying out crackdowns on crime and immigration, including through a campaign of mass deportation, similar to what United States President Donald Trump has done in North America.

His security platform — dubbed the “Implacable Plan” — also proposes stiffer mandatory minimum sentencing, incarcerating more criminals in maximum security facilities, and putting cartel leaders in “total isolation” to cut them off from any communication with the outside world.

“Today, while criminals and drug traffickers walk freely through the streets, committing crimes and intimidating people, honest Chileans are locked in their homes, paralyzed by fear,” Kast writes in his security plan.

Kast has also taken a hard right stance towards social and health issues, including abortion, which he opposes even in cases of rape.

But those hardline policies earned Kast criticism on the campaign trail. Critics have also seized upon his own sympathetic comments about Chile’s former dictator, military leader Augusto Pinochet.

In 1973, Pinochet oversaw a right-wing military coup that ousted the democratically elected leader, Salvador Allende. He proceeded to rule the country until 1990. His government became known for its widespread human rights abuses and brutal oppression of political dissent, with thousands executed and tens of thousands tortured.

While Kast has rejected the label “far right”, he has repeatedly defended Pinochet’s government. Of Pinochet, Kast famously quipped, “If he were alive, he would vote for me.”

Opponents also sought to draw attention to Kast’s family ties: His father, Michael Martin Kast, was born in Germany and had been a member of the Nazi Party. The elder Kast immigrated to Chile in 1950.

Reporting from a polling site in the capital of Santiago, Al Jazeera correspondent Lucia Newman noted that Sunday’s victory was a historic one for Chile’s far right. But, she noted, Kast has sought to moderate his platform to better appeal to voters in the current election cycle.

“This is the first time since 1990 — since the military dictatorship before 1990, when Chile returned to democracy — that such a conservative government will be in power,” Newman explained.

“It’s really not certain just how conservative it will be. Jose Antonio Kast was a supporter of former dictator General Augusto Pinochet. He has shirked away from that in recent years, and certainly in this campaign.”

In the wake of Kast’s election victory, right-wing leaders from across the Americas offered their congratulations in statements on social media.

“Congratulations to Chilean President-Elect [Jose Antonio Kast] on his victory,” Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote. “The United States looks forward to partnering with his administration to strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship.”

Argentina’s libertarian leader Javier Milei likewise chimed in, hailing it as a major win for his conservative political movement.

“FREEDOM IS ADVANCING,” Milei wrote, echoing his own campaign rallying cry.

“Enormous joy at the overwhelming victory of my friend [Jose Antonio Kast] in the Chilean presidential elections! One more step for our region in defense of life, liberty, and private property. I am sure that we will work together so that America embraces the ideas of freedom and we can free ourselves from the oppressive yoke of 21st-century socialism…!!!”

Ecuador’s right-wing President Daniel Noboa, meanwhile, said that “a new era is beginning for Chile and for the region”.

This year’s presidential race was the first time since 2012 that voting had been compulsory in the country. There are approximately 15.7 million eligible voters in the South American country.

Kast originally came in second place during the first round of voting on November 16. He scored about 23.9 percent of the vote, compared with Jara’s 26.8 percent.

But polls had widely favoured him to win in the run-off. While Chile’s left wing held a primary in June and coalesced around its victor, Jara, right-wing parties did not hold a primary to choose a coalition nominee.

The result was a fractured right in the first round of voting. But in the final contest, Kast was able to sweep up votes that had previously gone to his right-leaning adversaries, earning him a comfortable win.

Still, Kast faces a divided National Congress, which is expected to blunt some of his more hardline proposals. Kast will be sworn in on March 11.

George Clooney plays the title character in Netflix’s “Jay Kelly,” a Clooney-esque movie star who is seemingly on top of the world — but is, in fact, at a crossroads. He’s finished his latest movie and is at a point in his career where he’s begun to worry that every project could be his last. His hope to spend the summer with his youngest daughter, Daisy, is squashed when he realizes she’s set to travel in Europe before heading off to college in the fall. (Jessica, Jay’s eldest daughter, barely speaks to him.) His mentor, a British director who cast him in his first movie, has recently died; on top of the looming sense of mortality is the guilt Jay feels for not attaching his name to the director’s final project in order to get the financing. And after the funeral, Jay runs into the former friend who brought him to that fateful audition as emotional support — and who remains bitter that Jay got the role and “stole his life.”

Instead of sitting down to process these conflicts, Jay decides to run away from them, dropping out of his next movie to follow Daisy to Europe. His professional entourage — a group that includes his longtime manager and friend Ron (Adam Sandler) and his no-nonsense publicist Liz (Laura Dern) — immediately springs into action, accompanying Jay on a chaotic trip abroad, with the final stop being an Italian film festival where Jay is set to receive a career achievement award.

“I did have an idea of an actor having a crisis of some sort, and it would be a journey forward and backward at the same time,” says writer-director Noah Baumbach of the spark that eventually became “Jay Kelly.” As Jay flees Hollywood, the city and its people continue to haunt him. Visions of himself as a young actor float in and out of his mind as he recognizes the mistakes he made by screwing over his friend and neglecting his older daughter. But no matter where he goes — even on board a crowded train from Paris to Tuscany — he’s instantly recognized as the A-list star that he is. Jay Kelly cannot escape himself no matter how hard he tries.

Laura Dern, George Clooney and Adam Sandler in “Jay Kelly.”

(Peter Mountain / Netflix)

Baumbach wrote “Jay Kelly” with British actor and screenwriter Emily Mortimer, who also appears in the film as Jay’s go-to makeup artist: “It really wasn’t until I brought Emily into it that it started to shape itself more into the movie you see,” Baumbach says.

One might assume that the pair’s years in the business (now in their 50s, Baumbach and Mortimer both got their start in the mid-1990s) informed their depiction of fame and stardom, but Baumbach is adamant that he didn’t set out to write a satire of their industry. “As Emily and I were focusing on the characters and the story, meaning started to reveal itself,” he explains. “Part of our job is to be open and aware of that.”

It tracks that a megastar like Jay would be surrounded by a close-knit circle of people managing his life, which led to Baumbach and Mortimer exploring those complicated relationships. One central storyline is the friendship between Jay and Ron, who have worked together for decades. Despite his devotion to his wife and kids, Ron’s top professional priority is Jay, and the inherently transactional nature of their relationship is a conflict that slowly bubbles up to the surface. There’s simply no getting around the fact that the person Jay is the closest to is also someone who takes 15% of his earnings.

Filmmaker Noah Baumbach.

(Sela Shiloni / For The Times)

It’s an awkward situation that many who work in the entertainment industry will recognize — but it’s also a humorous truth, the kind that underscores all of Baumbach’s films. “Jay Kelly” isn’t his first film set, at least in part, in Los Angeles. In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown. In the autobiographical “Marriage Story,” Adam Driver’s Charlie, a New York-based theater director, finds himself trapped in L.A. during his divorce from his actor wife, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson).

Baumbach, a Brooklyn native, calls his relationship with Los Angeles complex. “It’s a place I don’t always love being in,” he says — a bit of an understatement. But he’s more fascinated than repulsed by the city. “I was never drawn to be satirical about it. I think it’s such an interesting, strange place. [My films that] take place here do so for a reason. With ‘Greenberg,’ L.A. is a metaphor for loneliness. In ‘Marriage Story,’ Charlie is forced to fight for a home outside of where he feels his home is.” And at the end of the day, where else could a star like Jay reside? “I mean, Jay Kelly couldn’t have lived in New York, right?”

There is, of course, show business, an industry that values make-believe and vanity and couldn’t possibly exist anywhere else. “Ron has the line, ‘Death is so surprising, particularly in L.A.,’” Baumbach says, reciting Sandler’s dialogue from early in the film. “[These characters are] living in a place that, for the most part, doesn’t change — and that helps support the collective illusion that we’re all going to live forever.”

Jay Kelly might not, but the movies will.

The Rams are going to the playoffs.

The only questions now: Can they hold onto the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have home-field advantage for the entire postseason. And will receiver Davante Adams be fit for the stretch run?

The Rams clinched a playoff spot on Sunday with a 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions before 74,701 at SoFi Stadium in a game that featured Adams’ fourth-quarter departure because of a left hamstring injury.

Matthew Stafford outdueled Jared Goff, Puka Nacua continued his torrid receiving pace and the Rams defense shut down the Lions in the second half as the Rams improved their record to 11-3 and ensured their seventh playoff appearance under ninth-year coach Sean McVay.

It was a huge victory for a Rams team that will be tested again Thursday night when they play the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle.

The Seahawks (11-3) defeated Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Seattle, setting up the Thursday night showdown. The Rams currently hold the tie-breaker over the Seahawks because of their Nov. 16 victory over the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.

Can they capture home field throughout the playoffs for the first time?

They advanced to the Super Bowl in the 2018 and the 2021 seasons without the benefit of playing every playoff game at home.

The Rams finish the regular season with games against the Seahawks, a road trip to Atlanta and a home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

As expected, the victory over the Lions (8-6) did not come easy.

The Rams overcame an early interception and 10-point deficit late in the second quarter.

Adams, who has been nursing a hamstring issue, left the field for the locker room and did not return to the game after appearing to suffer an injury early in the fourth quarter.

McVay said Adams’ injury “didn’t look good” and wasn’t sure if Adams would be able to play against the Seahawks.

Stafford came alive in the second half, leading three consecutive scoring drives in the third quarter to give the Rams a 34-24 lead.

Stafford kept alive his drive for the NFL most valuable player award by completing 24 of 38 for 368 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception.

Nacua, coming off a performance against the Arizona Cardinals that earned him NFC offensive player of the week honors, caught nine passes for 181 yards. Adams caught four passes for 71 yards.

Tight end Colby Parkinson caught two touchdown passes, Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns and Blake Corum also scored on the ground.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner had a key sack for a defense that gave up three touchdown passes and several big plays in the first half, but neutralized Goff for most of the second.

Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown started fast and helped the Lions take a 24-17 lead.

Stafford had a hand in that, throwing a ball into the waiting arms of Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who returned the interception 58 yards. On the next play, Goff found St. Brown for a touchdown.

Williams’ two short touchdown runs gave the Rams the lead midway through the second quarter. But Goff connected with St. Brown for a short touchdown and then hit Jameson Williams with a 31-yard scoring pass to put the Lions ahead, 24-14.

The Rams cut the deficit to seven points when Harrison Mevis closed the first half with a field goal.

The Rams opened the second half with another field goal to cut the Lions’ lead to four points.

The defense then forced the Lions to go three and out, forcing them to punt for the first time.

Stafford put the Rams ahead with a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson to give the Rams a 27-24 lead.

Turner’s sack of Goff helped set up another punt, and it took Stafford only 52 seconds to engineer another touchdown. He connected with Nacua for a 39-yard gain, and Blake Corum extended the lead with an 11-yard touchdown run.

The Lions kicked a field goal midway through the fourth quarter to trim the Rams’ lead to seven points, but Stafford’s second touchdown pass to Parkinson gave the Rams a 14-point lead with just under five minutes left.

David Montgomery’s short touchdown run late in the fourth quarter cut the lead back to seven.

Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. St. Brown caught 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

French superstar Kylian Mbappe scores on his return from injury to help Real Madrid to a crucial 2-1 win at Alaves.

Kylian Mbappe’s and Rodrygo Goes’s goals earned Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at Alaves in La Liga to potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.

Madrid, second, reeled league leaders Barcelona’s advantage back to four points and recorded only their third victory in the last nine games across all competitions.

After a home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a victory would cost Alonso his position.

Following Mbappe’s superb opener on Sunday, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorrotza Stadium.

Alonso was able to bring his key player, Mbappe, back into the side after he could only watch the defeat by City from the bench due to knee discomfort.

The coach also handed a debut to Victor Valdepenas at left-back, with both Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia suspended, and Ferland Mendy being one of several players out injured.

Mbappe appeared to be feeling his knee and hobbling in the first few minutes, but despite that, he was the game’s most influential player.

The forward had a shot deflected wide and then fired narrowly over as Alaves sat deep and tried to keep the 15-time European champions at bay.

By the time Mbappe opened the scoring in the 25th minute, his discomfort seemed to have cleared up.

Released by Jude Bellingham, Mbappe drove towards goal at full tilt and whipped a shot into the top right corner for his 17th league goal of the campaign.

England international Bellingham then blasted home from close range, but his strike was ruled out for a handball, as the ball had struck his arm.

Needing to fight back, Alaves moved onto the front foot and took control of the game before the break, almost pulling level.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save with his head, even if he knew little about it, to deny Pablo Ibanez from close range.

Los Blancos were dangerous again soon after the interval, with Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saving well from Mbappe and then Vinicius Junior.

They came to rue those misses when Vicente pulled Alaves level after 68 minutes.

The forward got in behind Antonio Rudiger, controlled former Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco’s chipped pass, and whipped a shot past Courtois.

Eduardo Coudet’s side almost took the lead when Vicente’s low cross from the right was nudged wide by Toni Martinez, who was shifted off-balance as he shot by Raul Asencio’s pressure.

Instead, Madrid pulled back in front, with Vinicius breaking in down the left and crossing for Rodrygo to finish from 6 yards out.

It was the Brazilian’s second goal in two games after going the previous 32 matches without finding the net, and Alonso celebrated vehemently, knowing his future could depend on it.

Vinicius had appeals for a penalty turned down, and Bellingham came close in stoppage time as Madrid tried in vain to put the game to bed and ease their nerves.

Third-place Villarreal’s visit to face Levante was postponed due to a weather warning in the Valencia region. Real Oviedo, 19th, sacked coach Luis Carrion after a 4-0 hammering at Sevilla.

On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 to win a seventh straight La Liga game and ensure they will lead the table into 2026, regardless of what happens in the final round of fixtures before the winter break.