Coronation Street revealed surprise death news in Monday’s episode of the ITV soap and Debbie Webster has implied that all is not what it seems after the surprise passing
Debbie was there to support her brother Carl when he learned that his mum had died – but something seemed a little bit off (Image: ITV)
Coronation Street aired scenes of a shock death on Monday evening. Earlier this year, Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard) arrived as the long-lost half brother of Kevin Webster, and whilst things were going well to begin with, their reunion quickly soured when it was revealed that Carl had been having an affair with his brother’s wife Abi.
Little is known about Carl’s past, but what has been established is that he grew up in Germany with his parents Bill and Elaine Webster. Bill was the father of Kevin (Michael Le Vell) and Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney), and their mother Alison never appeared on the programme, having died in 1980. Carl was then born to Bill and Elaine off-screen in 1986.
On Monday’s episode of the world’s longest-running TV soap, Abi was at Debbie’s hen-do when she got a panicked phone call and rushed straight home. Once there, Carl revealed to her that his mother had died, and he had been completely unaware that she had been fighting cancer.
For the first time, Carl began to open up about his mother to Abi and hinted at a mystery that was never solved between the pair. He said: “She was… formidable. Not the most loving of mothers, that’s for sure. Our relationship was tricky. I knew she wanted me to settle down, get married and have kids and all then.
“I was immature back then – late developer. She did bail me out a few times, though, let me stay at hers, when I hit the skids. I remember my 30th, I had to come home, tail between my legs, after my latest job and relationship had gone pear-shaped.
“She was back in Southampton then. I must’ve been there a week and I hadn’t really got out of bed. She came in my room one morning, dragged me out of bed and said we were going to the beach. I hadn’t been to the beach with my mum since I was a little boy.
“And I said I was sorry for being a mess. 30 and still kipping in my mum’s spare room. She was quiet for a long time and then said I deserved more from my growing up. But if I knew what had happened, then I would understand why.”
Abi then asked if she ever explained herself to him, and Carl replied: “No. I’m sorry Abi, for being the kind of person that not even a mother can love.” It was then that Abi pulled Carl in close, her eyes wide, clearly worried about what her partner had just said to her. She later reminded him that just because Elaine rarely called, that didn’t make him a bad son, and Debbie then burst in, having heard that something terrible had happened.
Through tears, Carl told his half-sister: “Apparently she’d been in the hospice for months. I didn’t even know that she was ill,” and when he and Abi voiced their dismay that Elaine had never been in touch, Debbie began to justify it. She said: “Well, we don’t know what’s gone on, do we?
“She might not have been well enough.” Carl then asked Debbie when she last spoke to Elaine, and the hotel owner quickly claimed that they hadn’t spoken since Bill died, which would have been in 2023.
But there was a further twist in store when Debbie, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia earlier this year, went home to her fiancé Ronnie. When he said it was odd that Elaine had not got in touch with the family, Debbie revealed: “She tried to. Recently. I just… I just forgot to tell him. With everything going on, it just… it just went out of my head.
“I haven’t told Carl – I can’t. He’d never forgive me. Ronnie, don’t tell him, will you? I feel terrible Really terrible.” When Ronnie reassured Debbie that it wasn’t her fault and she didn’t do it on purpose, she didn’t respond and simply gave a weird look.
Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar for directing. Neither did Stanley Kubrick nor Robert Altman nor Sidney Lumet nor Federico Fellini nor Orson Welles.
It’s a group almost as distinguished as the list of winners.
But we’re likely going to cross one name off that ignominious list this year — Paul Thomas Anderson.
I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. I already gave away who’s on top of our Oscar power rankings for director. How does the rest of the list shake out? Let’s take a look.
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1. Paul Thomas Anderson, ‘One Battle After Another’
Anderson has three Oscar nominations for directing — “There Will Be Blood,” “Phantom Thread” and “Licorice Pizza.” That feels light. He has 11 Oscar nominations in all, including five as a writer and three as a producer. He has never won. That feels wrong. So with “One Battle After Another,” he checks off both of the main boxes that Oscar winners often possess — he directed the year’s best movie and he’s well overdue for an honor. Like Sean Baker for “Anora” last year, Anderson likely will come home with an armful of Oscars, as he also produced and wrote the movie.
2. Jafar Panahi, ‘It Was Just an Accident’
Panahi has never been nominated for an Oscar, though his films have won the top prizes at the Venice Film Festival (“The Circle”), the Berlin Film Festival (“Taxi”) and, this year, the Cannes Film Festival (“It Was Just an Accident”). That movie’s withering takedown of the cruelty and corruption of authoritarianism packs a punch; it’s also unexpectedly funny in its clear-eyed social critique. Panahi has been imprisoned by the Iranian government many times for speaking out and was recently again sentenced, in absentia, to a year in prison on charges of “propaganda activities against the system.” Like we needed another reason to celebrate the man and his work.
3. Ryan Coogler, ‘Sinners’
(Eli Ade / Warner Bros. Pictures)
Coogler has two Oscar nominations, but they aren’t what you might expect. He was nominated for producing “Judas and the Black Messiah,” the thrilling 2021 historical drama looking at the politics of race. And he earned a songwriting nod for the Rihanna ballad “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Coogler should have landed an adapted screenplay nomination for the first “Black Panther” movie, a more inventive, world-building work than the umpteenth remake of “A Star Is Born.” But that’s the past. Coogler, like Anderson, figures to be feted in multiple categories at the upcoming Oscars and may well bring home the prize for original screenplay.
4. Chloé Zhao, ‘Hamnet’
(Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features)
Zhao owns two Oscars for directing and producing “Nomadland,” the empathetic and searching portrait of America that felt like a balm when it premiered during the pandemic. After an ill-fitting detour into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Eternals,” Zhao came all the way back with “Hamnet,” a deeply felt look at love, loss and the cathartic power of art. Even those who find it overwrought laud the movie’s climactic sequence, a performance of “Hamlet” at the Globe Theatre. I’d argue the ending works so well because of the care Zhao took earlier in establishing the wonder and joy of the family’s life. “Hamnet,” to my damp eyes, is her best film.
5. Joachim Trier, ‘Sentimental Value’
(Lewis Joly / Invision / AP)
From here, you could shuffle the five through eight slots and make a good case for any of these directors landing the fifth slot in the field. Trier has much to recommend his subtle interweaving of past and present, hope and hurt in “Sentimental Value.” He received a screenplay nomination for his last movie, “The Worst Person in the World,” also starring Renate Reinsve. The directors branch boasts a strong contingent of voters from all over the world, a group that could easily nominate the filmmakers behind two of the year’s most celebrated international feature contenders. Plus, “Sentimental Value’s” salty view of Hollywood is bound to appeal to this bunch.
6. Guillermo del Toro, ‘Frankenstein’
The affable, movie-loving Del Toro has won many fans inside and outside the industry over the years, along with Oscars for directing and producing the 2017 best picture winner “The Shape of Water” and for “Pinocchio,” the enchanting 2022 movie that snagged animated feature. “Frankenstein” is far from his best work, but it probably has enough admirers to land a best picture nomination and mentions in several other categories. Director, though? If Del Toro didn’t make the cut for “Nightmare Alley,” he’s probably a near-miss for this one too.
7. Josh Safdie, ‘Marty Supreme’
(Atsushi Nishijima / A24)
It’s “Marty Supreme” week! The movie finally arrives on Christmas and, over the holidays, we’ll begin to have the sorts of conversations that will shed some light on the movie and its Oscar chances beyond the certain nominations for best picture and lead actor Timothée Chalamet. Is the title character, a single-minded ping-pong player oblivious to anything but his own advancement, a jerk? Or is he just like any other man in his 20s? Is the film’s last shot a sign of growth or a man contemplating his own death sentence? We’ll have time to discuss and, yes, revel in the unhinged chaos Safdie unleashes here.
8. Clint Bentley, ‘Train Dreams’
(Daniel Schaefer / BBP Train Dreams)
And finally, we arrive at the man behind “Train Dreams,” a contemplative film about an ordinary man puzzling through loss, guilt, the mundane and the magnificent. It’s the anti-”Marty Supreme” — quiet, painterly, a tad slow, sure, but hypnotic in the way it evokes a bygone America. Just the second movie Bentley has directed, following the little-seen 2021 drama “Jockey,” it has built a devoted following since landing on Netflix last month.
Driving Home For Christmas singer Chris Rea was making festive posts on social media hours before he died ‘peacefully in hospital’ at the age of 74 following a short illness
15:46, 22 Dec 2025Updated 15:46, 22 Dec 2025
Chris Rea has died at the age of 74(Image: Future via Getty Images)
Chris Rea made reference to his famous Christmas song in his final social media post which he shared just hours before his sudden death. A spokesperson for the music legend announced on Monday that he had died following a short illness, at the age of 74.
The musician, who was from Middlesbrough, is arguably best known for his 1988 song, Driving Home For Christmas. And amid the 2025 festive season, he had been sharing social media posts about the countdown to Christmas.
On Sunday, the star uploaded a photo of a car driving through snow along a busy motorway. A Variable Message Sign was also in shot which had the message: “Driving home for Christmas with a thousand memories. Adding a caption of his own, Chris wrote: “Top to toe in tailbacks … If it’s a white Christmas, let’s hope the journey’s a smooth one.”
The singer added the hashtages #DrivingHomeForChristmas, #ChristmasSongs, #ChristmasMusic and #ChrisRea to the post – as well as a snowflake and a car emoji. Just hours later, family members of the singer were around the star as he died.
A spokesperson confirmed on Monday: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris. He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”
Chris had suffered from a number of health conditions in recent years, including peritonitis, pancreatic cancer and diabetes – while it has been reported that he would inject insulin up to seven times per day as he battled his conditions. Following the news of his death, fans have flooded social media with tributes and memories of the star.
One wrote on X: “Genuinely gutted to hear this. A proper Teesside legend. Safe drive home Chris… Damn… he lived for his cars, wonderful guitarist, and made so many great albums. RIP Chris Rea… Aah no! Bad news…”
Another typed: “Chris Rea has died. Shocked. Talented, he was also a really nice guy. I’m freaked because I mentioned him in a pre-Yule newsletter from my website. Chris had loads of friends in Ireland. He’ll be missed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam…”
Chris had previously discussed his health issues – revealing: “I’ve had nine major operations in ten years. A lot of it is to do with something called retroperitoneal fibrosis, where the internal tissues attack each other. No one knew it existed 20 years ago, and it’s completely unpredictable.. It’s affected the colon, the pancreas, the gall bladder, the liver – and then I get a stroke.”
The singer went on to explain that his health was something that could not be taken for granted, despite the chart and commercial success he enjoyed over the years. He said: “I made a lot of money, but you can dangerously let it lead you on…
“It depends what company you keep. I once said to Michael Winner, ‘I’m the poorest man on this Barbados beach.’ On days like today, the richest man in the world is the one who hasn’t got a bad shoulder.”
Chris is survived by his wife Joan Lesley, who he was together with since they were teenagers, and their two daughters; Josephine, born 16 September 1983, and Julia Christina, born 18 March 1989. As well as Driving Home For Christmas, he penned tracks including On the Beach, Let’s Dance, and The Road To Hell.
EastEnders has welcomed back Pat Butcher as Nigel Bates’ dementia symptoms worsen, with Pam St Clement reprising her iconic role
Angie Quinn Screen Time Reporter
06:59, 18 Dec 2025Updated 12:42, 22 Dec 2025
EastEnders has unveiled the dramatic comeback of Pat Butcher as Nigel Bates grapples with escalating dementia symptoms.
As regular viewers of the BBC soap will be aware, Nigel (played by Paul Bradley) is dealing with a diagnosis of early-onset dementia, a key aspect of his return to the show for Christmas 2024.
The debilitating condition leads to confusion and memory loss for Nigel, causing him to conceal his diagnosis and struggle with its progression. On Monday (December 22), the residents of Walford began to embrace the festive season as Nigel’s film was screened at the community centre.
However, after overhearing his wife Julie (Karen Henthorn) and close friend Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) arguing about how best to manage his deteriorating dementia, he seeks refuge in The Queen Vic.
Nigel begins to mix up past memories with the present. In his confused state, he is visited by familiar faces from Christmases past – Pat (played by Pam St Clement ).
As Nigel’s mind drifts back to 1990, Pat makes a return to The Queen Vic, where she once served as landlady alongside her husband, Frank (Mike Reid), reports OK!.
On Tuesday (December 23), Pat and her former step-son, Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson), step in to support her old friend Nigel as his dementia symptoms take a sudden turn for the worse, with both she and Barry attempting to help him. This marks the first sighting of Pat in Walford since her ghostly appearance in 2016.
Pat, renowned for her bold statement earrings, made her debut in Walford in 1986 and swiftly won over the hearts of viewers.
In 1989, she married businessman Frank in a traditional East End celebration that drew all the locals, before the pair eventually became landlords of The Queen Vic.
Throughout her time on the Square, Pat captivated audiences with her romantic entanglements, four marriages, local feuds, and countless fiery confrontations with her nemesis-turned-best mate, Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor).
Yet on New Year’s Day 2012, the spirited leopard print-loving Walford resident passed away in the arms of her son David Wicks (Michael French).
Pat’s heartbreaking demise came after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. However, that wasn’t the final chapter for the legendary character.
In 2016, Pam returned to reprise her role for a fleeting appearance in Peggy Mitchell’s final and deeply moving episode.
She materialised as a spirit and shared one last heart-to-heart with her dearest friend, Peggy, before her passing.
Expressing her delight about returning to EastEnders, Pam St Clement revealed: “I was both surprised and excited to be asked back to tread the streets of Walford once again and to be involved in Nigel’s touching dementia storyline.
“It was lovely to be welcomed back by those with whom I had worked for so long. It was just like coming home.”
Why did Pam St Clement leave EastEnders?
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Despite captivating EastEnders viewers with her tragic on-screen demise, soap legend Pam never actually wanted her cherished character, Pat, to meet her end. In a 2015 interview with The Mirror, she confessed, “It was very, very difficult. I was saying goodbye to a character I’d inhabited for almost 26 years and, while I had chosen to leave EastEnders, I didn’t want Pat to die”.
She went on to say, “I was adamant there should be a chance for her to return and had been assured by the executive producer she wouldn’t be axed.”
Looking back on her exit, Pam recalled, “When I felt the time had come to hang up the earrings, I took Bryan Kirkwood, the then executive producer, out for dinner and broached the subject of leaving.”
She was firm in her request, stating, “One crucial thing I asked for was that Pat shouldn’t be killed off. Bryan’s response was unequivocal. He assured me that Pat wouldn’t be axed.”
Life after EastEnders for Pam St Clement
In 2015, Pam publicly disclosed for the first time that she had had an affair with a woman. Identifying as bisexual, Pam was previously married to a man named Andrew Gordon in the 1960s, but they later divorced.
In her autobiography The End of The Earring, Pam admitted that coming to terms with her bisexuality was like a “bombshell”. She also revealed having an affair with a woman during a trip to Australia.
Pam added: “That month in Sydney went all too quickly, and we were soon saying our farewells at the airport with promises of reunions back in the UK. I nearly missed the plane, I was so bereft at leaving.”
Eventually, Pam began a romantic relationship with a woman called Diana. However, in her memoir, she confessed that her inclination to “over-care” could occasionally “smother” her partnerships.
Speaking candidly to The Mirror in 2015, Pam revealed she’d had the occasional fling “but nothing meaningful”. Then she met Diana, who would become a significant figure in her world.
She explained: “I fell for an attractive woman who was intelligent, witty and fun to be with. Diana and I settled into a happy and stable relationship.
“Looking back, I wonder if I should have stayed on my own. I want to love and be loved, but I am fiercely independent.
“But this was a relationship I couldn’t resist. It was a new experience, exciting and different in every way. We had our own professions but made a home together.”
After her devastating EastEnders departure, Pam made appearances in three Casualty episodes during 2016, though aside from that, she has been relishing a quieter existence away from public attention.
Nevertheless, she did make a return to BBC One in February 2025 to mark EastEnders’ 40th anniversary milestone.
Having spent 13 years absent from Walford, Pam featured alongside Grant Mitchell star Ross Kemp in the documentary EastEnders: 40 Years of the Square.
Throughout the poignant hour-long programme, she spoke openly about her character whilst sharing memories with Ross during their journey on the number 38 bus.
They also took a trip down memory lane, revisiting scenes from a poignant 2016 episode where Pat made a ghostly return to comfort Peggy Mitchell, portrayed by Dame Barbara Windsor, in her final moments.
The duo watched clips featuring their dearly departed co-star, clearly touched by the nostalgic memories. A visibly emotional Pam confessed, “Well, I miss her”, before adding with heartfelt sincerity, “I mean, basically I miss her tremendously”, as she fought back tears.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
Death in Paradise star Don Warrington has been happily married to actress Mary Maddocks for many years with the couple sharing two children together
Aaliyah Rugg Under 35s Screen Time reporter and Katie Palmer
23:40, 21 Dec 2025
Death in Paradise star Don Warrington has been happily married to actress Mary Maddocks for many years(Image: BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Lou Denim)
Death in Paradise is set to grace our television screens once more with a Christmas Special in just a few days, promising “even more heart” according to the BBC.
The beloved Death in Paradise Christmas cast makes their way back to Saint Marie for another year of holiday celebrations, though what begins as the ultimate office party quickly descends into darkness.
Broadcasting on December 28 at 8.30pm on BBC One, the BBC reveals: “The office Christmas party of a lifetime takes a dark turn when four co-workers wake up with the hangover from hell to find a stranger shot dead in the pool of their villa.
“DI Mervin Wilson and the team identify the murder weapon, but they’re left baffled after discovering that it was locked in a drawer when the shooting took place… thousands of miles away from the crime scene.”
Running for approximately 90 minutes, the festive episode promises the return of beloved characters, reports the Express.
Earlier this year, the 14th series concluded, leaving fans anxious about Don Warrington’s character Commissioner Selwyn Patterson.
After 14 years on the programme, the actor became a viewer favourite, making his departure in March all the more heartbreaking for audiences.
During the final series of Death in Paradise, Selwyn decided to leave Saint Marie following the loss of his Commissioner role, turning down the opportunity to reclaim his position when it was offered back to him.
Nevertheless, fans must wait patiently to see whether the Commissioner will make his comeback… particularly given his recent appearance in the Christmas special of Beyond Paradise. But who exactly is Don Warrington and what’s his marital status?
Don Warrington is happily married and has been for quite some time. The Death in Paradise actor is currently married to Mary Maddocks, with the couple enjoying many years of marital bliss.
Don prefers to keep his personal life private and away from the public eye, with their exact wedding date remaining a mystery, but it’s clear that his family life continues to thrive away from the limelight.
His wife Mary has herself graced several iconic productions including ITV’s Coronation Street as well as Doctor Who and Midsomer Murders.
She has also directed numerous theatrical productions ranging from musicals to dramas, and even took centre stage in the hit musical The Rocky Horror Show.
Don and Mary are parents to two children, Jacob and Archie, both carving out their own paths in the entertainment industry.
As a playwright and comedian, Archie has contributed to the creation of the 2023 thriller Gassed Up as well as the TV series Intergalactic, receiving full backing from his parents.
It was previously reported that Archie paid tribute to his parents, stating: “Both my parents are actors. My mum, Mary Maddocks, is an actress: she was in The Rocky Horror Show when it was in the West End and my dad is Don Warrington.
“The main thing I get from both of them is they understand the art of performance and the need to perform.”
For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website
Death in Paradise Christmas special will air December 28 on BBC One.
It’s odd the moments you remember after someone’s gone.
Scrolling through a seemingly infinite number of clips featuring Rob Reiner being compassionate and kind, scenes from his movies that feature a bone-deep empathy for the ways human beings struggle and strive to be better, I kept thinking back to a little wink in “This Is Spinal Tap,” the 1984 mockumentary Reiner directed and co-starred in, playing filmmaker Marty DiBergi.
I’ve seen this movie so many times that I could probably act out the whole thing upon request. It provided a soundtrack to a family trip to Stonehenge several years ago. But thinking about Reiner in the wake of the horrible news that he and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home on Sunday night, their son Nick subsequently charged with their murders, I randomly landed on the scene where DiBergi talks with Spinal Tap lead singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) after guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) leaves the band.
St. Hubbins blithely insists he won’t miss Nigel any more than insignificant band members who played briefly in the group. DiBergi is stunned. He loves Spinal Tap and fears for its future. Reiner plays the moment with such sincere heartbreak, partly in character, but mostly I think because that’s who he was. Reiner couldn’t help it. He felt things deeply and spent much of his life working to make things better for those on society’s margins. He will be missed in so many ways.
I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. How to describe this week? None more black will do. But Christmas is coming, and that Vince Guaraldi song never fails to make me smile. Let’s look at some good news for those who made the Oscar shortlists this week.
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The film academy announced shortlists for 12 categories at the 98th Oscars, whittling down the list of contenders and offering a few indications about what films are scoring early points with voters.
Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed, genre-defying blockbuster “Sinners” picked up eight mentions, as did “Wicked: For Good.” Both movies placed two songs on the original song shortlist and both were cited in the newly created casting category.
The bounty for “Sirât,” the Oliver Laxe thriller that is unquestionably one of the most memorable movies of the year, offered an indication that the word of mouth on this movie is strong enough to land it a spot among the nominees for international feature.
Can it do better than that? It should. Here are five suggestions for voters, including “Sirât,” as the lists are narrowed ahead of Oscar nominations on Jan. 22.
Cinematography: ‘Sirât’
“Sirât” contains so many surprising twists and turns that when asked to describe the plot, I simply tell people that it’s about a father who shows up at a rave in southern Morocco with his young son looking for his missing daughter. The long desert journey they end up taking is astonishing, and cinematographer Mauro Herce, shooting on 16mm film, captures every treacherous mile in dramatic detail.
Original score: ‘Marty Supreme’
Voting with the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn., I cast my ballot for Kangding Ray’s hypnotic score for (you guessed it) “Sirât.” But that was just one of many soundtracks that found its way into my life this year. Hans Zimmer’s synth-heavy “F1” score makes for propulsive listening while pedaling on an exercise bike and ranks among the celebrated composer’s best work. And I share Times film editor Josh Rothkopf’s enthusiasm for Daniel Lopatin’s throwback electronic beats in “Marty Supreme,” a delight for anyone who grew up listening to the ethereal soundscapes created by Tangerine Dream.
Casting: ‘Weapons’
I’m highlighting Zach Cregger’s horror-mystery “Weapons” here partially because of its inexplicable absence in the makeup and hairstyling category. I guess voters knew it was Amy Madigan in that bright red wig all along. That omission aside, “Weapons” is a prime example of what a great casting director can do, making use of familiar faces (Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Madigan) in unexpected ways, finding the right child actor (Cary Christopher) to deliver big emotional moments and elevating emerging talent (Austin Abrams) to unexpected heights. Allison Jones, one of the greats, belongs among the casting category’s inaugural set of nominees.
Documentary: ‘My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow’
Julia Loktev’s five-hour chronicle of the chilling Russian crackdown on independent journalists has won documentary honors from both the Los Angeles and New York film critics. The doc begins in 2021, when the journalists, mostly women, are forced to label themselves as “foreign agents” simply for doing their jobs, covering Putin’s regime in a factual manner. Things intensify after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, turning “My Undesirable Friends” into a cautionary tale about the perils of bending to an autocrat. It goes without saying, but this is essential viewing.
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, has warned that babies and children in the Gaza Strip are dying from harsh winter weather, calling on Israel to ease its aid blockade as the military continues to violate the ceasefire and press on with its genocidal war.
Citing the death of a 29-day-old premature baby, Said Asad Abedin, from severe hypothermia in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, MSF said on Friday that winter storms “combined with the already dire living conditions [are] increasing health risks”.
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The death toll from extreme weather stood at 13 as of Thursday, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Another two-week-old baby, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, froze to death without access to proper shelter or clothing earlier this week.
Ahmed al-Farra, head of the maternity paediatric department at Nasser Medical Complex, said in a video update that “hypothermia is very dangerous” for babies. “If nothing is offered for these families in the tents, for warming, for mobile homes, for caravans, unfortunately, we will see more and more” deaths, al-Farra said.
Children are “losing their lives because they lack the most basic items for survival,” Bilal Abu Saada, a nursing team supervisor at Nasser Hospital, told MSF. “Babies are arriving to the hospital cold, with near-death vital signs.”
In addition to the growing number of deaths, MSF said its staff has recorded high rates of respiratory infections that it expects to increase throughout the winter, posing a particular danger to children under five.
“As Gaza is battered by heavy rains and storms, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians continue to struggle in flooded and broken makeshift tents,” the organisation added. “MSF calls on Israeli authorities to urgently allow a massive scale up of aid into the Strip.”
No letup in Israeli attacks
Palestinian news agency Wafa, meanwhile, reported that Israeli forces demolished buildings, carried out artillery shelling and shot guns in areas east of Gaza City on Saturday morning, with more gunfire reported east of Khan Younis.
On Friday, an Israeli strike on a shelter for displaced Palestinians killed at least six people. The Israeli military claimed to be firing on “suspects”.
Graphic videos from the scene showed body parts and terrified civilians trying to carry wounded people out of danger.
Military vehicles also descended upon the town of az-Zawiya, located west of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, where forces severely beat and injured a number of citizens and stormed homes, the agency said.
‘I can still hear his tiny cries’
Heavy rain, high winds and freezing temperatures have battered Gaza in recent weeks, flooding or blowing away more than 53,000 tents that have served as makeshift shelters for displaced Palestinians.
With huge swaths of buildings and infrastructure destroyed, streets are quick to flood and sewage overflows. Displaced families have sought refuge in the shells of partially fallen-down buildings despite the risk of collapse, with 13 buildings caving in across Gaza last week.
The winter weather and Israel’s blocking of vital aid and mobile homes for shelter have proven deadly for children and babies.
Late in the evening of December 13, Eman Abu al-Khair, a 34-year-old displaced Palestinian living in al-Mawasi west of Khan Younis, found her sleeping baby Mohammed “cold as ice”, his hands and feet frozen and “his face stiff and yellowish”, she told Al Jazeera.
She and her husband couldn’t find transportation to get to hospital, and intense rain made it impossible to make the trek by foot.
After rushing Mohammed by animal-drawn cart to Red Crescent Hospital in Khan Younis at dawn, he was admitted to intensive care with a blue face and convulsions. He died two days later.
“I can still hear his tiny cries in my ears,” Eman said. “I sleep and drift off, unable to believe that his crying and waking me at night will never happen again.”
Mohammed “had no medical problems,” she added. “His tiny body simply couldn’t withstand the extreme cold inside the tents.”
Since the October 10 ceasefire took effect, Israel has continued to block the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip despite calls from a host of United Nations agencies, international organisations and other states for it to stop.
The UN has said that Israel has prevented tents and blankets from reaching Palestinians, even as an estimated 55,000 families have seen their belongings and shelters damaged or destroyed in the storm.
Dozens of child-friendly spaces have also been damaged, affecting 30,000 children, according to the UN.
Natasha Hall, a senior advocate for Refugees International, told Al Jazeera that aid is entering Gaza in a “trickle” in part due to its opaque list of “controlled dual-use items” that has included nappies, bandages, tools, tents and other essentials.
“It’s unclear how those could be used as weapons or any kind of dual use,” Hall said.
The family of pitcher Tyler Skaggs and the Angels reached a settlement Friday, ending a contentious trial as jurors had begun a third day of deliberations regarding Skaggs’ drug-related death on the road with the team. Terms of the agreement, which followed 31 days of testimony and four years of legal wrangling, were not immediately available.
Jury foreman Richard Chung said after the settlement was announced that the panel had agreed to award Skaggs’ family roughly $100 million when they were told to cease deliberations — $60 million to $80 million for economic damages, $5 million to $15 million for emotional distress damages and $10 million to $20 million for punitive damages.
Rusty Hardin, the Skaggs family’s lead attorney, told The Times that although he could not reveal the amount of the agreement, “the Skaggs family is extremely happy with the settlement.”
Early efforts to settle the case had been unsuccessful, with the Angels’ legal team and its insurance carriers rebuffing overtures from the lawyers representing Tyler Skaggs’ widow Carli Skaggs and parents Debbie Hetman and Darrell Skaggs. As recently as Tuesday evening, after the jury had begun deliberations, the lead attorneys from each side met but gained little traction toward a settlement.
The equation changed Wednesday when jurors asked the judge to read back testimony from experts on Skaggs’ future earnings had he lived. The request suggested that that the jury had determined the Angels were responsible for at least a percentage of economic damages. The jury also asked whether it was charged with determining the amount of punitive damages, adding to speculation that it might hand the Skaggs family an award beyond economic and emotional distress damage.
Roughly 95% of civil suits nationwide reach a settlement ahead of or during trial. Plaintiffs and defendants alike overwhelmingly prefer to eliminate the risk of an all-or-nothing jury verdict by agreeing on a compromise dollar figure.
Attorney Rusty Hardin, center, addresses the media Friday on behalf of the Skaggs family after a settlement was reached in their wrongful death lawsuit against the Angels.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Sources on the Skaggs family legal team said they were amenable to a settlement to eliminate the chance of the jury determining the Angels weren’t responsible for Skaggs’ death and denying any award. Also, while either side could have appealed a jury verdict, the settlement ended the case.
Carli Skaggs and Hetman hugged their lawyers and each other when Judge H. Shaina Colover announced that a settlement had been reached and jurors were excused.
“The Skaggs family has reached a confidential settlement with Angels Baseball that brings to a close a difficult six-year process, allowing our families to focus on healing,” the family said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to the members of this jury, and to our legal team. Their engagement and focus gave us faith, and now we have finality.
“This trial exposed the truth and we hope Major League Baseball will now do its part in holding the Angels accountable. While nothing can bring Tyler back, we will continue to honor his memory.”
MLB declined to comment on the settlement.
A jury verdict favoring the Angels also would have meant the high-powered Skaggs legal team that has spent thousands of hours on the case wouldn’t have been paid. Their contingency fee — typically at least 40% of an award — would have been zero.
Skaggs died July 1, 2019, during an Angels road trip in Texas after snorting an illicit pain pill that was laced with fentanyl.
The pill was given to Skaggs by Angels communications director Eric Kay, who is serving 22 years in federal prison for his role in the pitcher’s death. Skaggs was discovered in his Southlake, Texas, hotel room the next morning, and an autopsy concluded he accidentally died of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit.
“The death of Tyler Skaggs remains a tragedy, and this trial sheds light on the dangers of opioid use and the devastating effects it can have,” the Angels said Friday in a statement.
Each juror had to fill out a 26-question verdict form during deliberations. The first batch of questions focused on Kay, asking jurors whether the Angels were negligent in their supervision of him, whether the team knew he was distributing illicit pills and whether he was operating within the scope of his employment when he did so.
Carli Skaggs, Tyler Skaggs’ widow, with attorney Rusty Hardin in court Friday in Santa Ana.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
If jurors answered “yes” to any of those questions, they were then asked whether the Angels’ negligence and Kay’s “unfitness or incompetence” were substantial factors in the death of Skaggs, as well as harm to his iPad.
Consideration of the iPad, which Skaggs used as a surface to chop up drugs, was related solely to punitive damages.
The first damages the jury considered were economic. Experts for the Skaggs family lawyers testified that he would have made an estimated $102 million had he lived and continued to pitch. Experts for the Angels said his earnings wouldn’t have been more than $30 million.
During closing statements, Skaggs family attorney Daniel Dutko suggested that the Angels were 70 to 90 percent responsible for his death, and that Kay and Skaggs could each be assigned about 10 percent of the blame. Angels attorney Todd Theodora did not suggest a specific percentage, but conceded the jury might find Kay partially responsible for Skaggs’ death.
Also during closing statements, Dutko and Theodora each walked the jury through the nine-page verdict form, suggesting how questions should be answered based on testimony that supported their arguments. While criminal cases require a burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, civil cases require only a preponderance of the evidence. At least nine of the 12 jurors are required to agree on a verdict.
Dutko said the Angels for years were negligent in dealing with Kay, a team employee since 1996 whose illicit opioid use became apparent as early as 2009, according to testimony. Evidence showed the Angels concealed Kay’s addiction rather than follow team and Major League Baseball policies in reporting it and punishing Kay, Dutko told the jury.
“Is that reasonable, is that how we want companies in our country to run?” Dutko said. “They didn’t monitor anything. They didn’t do anything.”
“There is no doubt that if Eric Kay wasn’t employed by the Angels, if he wasn’t in that clubhouse, Tyler Skaggs would be alive.”
Kay entered outpatient rehab for substance abuse in the spring of 2019 and returned to work just weeks before he was sent with the Angels to Texas. Skaggs quickly texted Kay asking for oxycodone pills. Theodora argued that the messages showed Skaggs was an uncontrollable addict who had little regard for Kay’s well-being.
Theodora showed the jury a pyramid-shaped graphic with Skaggs at the top and players who evidence had shown were given opioids by Skaggs under him, and argued that Skaggs was as complicit in distributing the drugs as Kay.
The Angels attorney told the jury that the plaintiffs’ stance that Kay should have been fired applied to Skaggs as well. “What you see here is a classic double standard,” Theodora said.
Dutko delivered a rebuttal to Theodora’s closing statement, returning to the theme that the Angels never took any responsibility for Skaggs’ death and told jurors that they can make that clear by reaching a verdict in favor of his wife and parents.
“The only reason Tyler Skaggs is dead is the Angels,” Dutko said. “We have fought for Tyler Skaggs and I will continue to fight for Tyler Skaggs as long as I’m alive. I need you to fight for him, please.”
The jury was close to a verdict that would have favored Skaggs’ family. Chung said the panel was discussing apportionment of responsibility and would have been done by the noon lunch break had they not been told to cease deliberations around 9:30 a.m.
He said his own determination was that the Angels bore 50% of the responsibility for Skaggs’ death while Kay was responsible for 35% and Skaggs for 15%.
“Ultimately, we felt the Angels needed to know that they were at fault,” Chung said. “Just to say, ‘Do better.’ They needed to do better.”
In January 2018, conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham was having dinner at Toscana, an Italian restaurant in Brentwood, when she spotted the renowned Hollywood director — and unabashed liberal — Rob Reiner.
She asked him to come on her show, “The Ingraham Angle.” He was on set the next day.
After introducing him as “a brilliant director,” who made her favorite movie, “This is Spinal Tap,” Ingraham said: “Last night, the first thing Reiner says is: ‘Are they gonna shut the government down?’’ I’m like, wow, I’m here in L.A.; I wanna talk about Hollywood stuff. But he wants to talk about politics.”
Al Gore and Rob Reiner attend the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2007.
(Scott Gries / Getty Images)
Ingraham and Reiner vehemently disagreed — about alleged Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election, about whether President Trump is racist, about the treatment of conservatives in Hollywood.
But Reiner also called Ingraham “smart as hell.” And Ingraham said Reiner “should be lauded” for being willing to spar with her, unlike many politicians on both sides of the aisle.
It was the kind of blunt but ultimately respectful exchange that added to Reiner’s widespread appeal off-screen, both because of — and in spite of — his views.
Reiner and his wife, Michele, were killed at their Brentwood home last weekend, allegedly by their son, Nick, who has been charged with murder. The couple’s deaths have sent a thunderclap through Hollywood and beyond, partly because the Reiners had so many friends and connections in creative and political circles.
Rob Reiner — who, in the role of Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the groundbreaking sitcom “All in the Family,” played the liberal foil to his bigoted, conservative father-in-law, Archie Bunker — seemed to relish his real-life role as a progressive celebrity activist. That made him a hero to many in blue California but a villain to others, especially the reality-TV-show-star-turned-president, Donald Trump.
In a highly criticized social media post, Trump attributed the deaths to “the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
But while Reiner, a blistering critic of the president, disagreed with many conservatives on policy, he also worked to build relationships with them — in media and entertainment circles, the California State Capitol, and beyond.
Actors Alec Baldwin and James Woods listen to director Rob Reiner in between scenes for the 1996 film “Ghosts Of Mississippi.”
(Columbia Pictures via Getty Images)
Actor James Woods, a longtime Trump supporter, said in a Fox News interview this week that Reiner saved his career by casting him in the 1996 film “Ghosts of Mississippi” over studio objections. He called Reiner “a great patriot” with whom he shared a mutual respect despite myriad political disagreements.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA, wrote on X that he “shared approximately zero in common with Rob Reiner politically, but I am so saddened by this news” and praying that “justice would be swift and without conspiracies [sic] theories.”
Kolvet said Reiner “responded with grace and compassion” to the September killing of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk — a violent end that Reiner said nobody deserved, regardless of their views.
Hard-right Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, called the deaths “a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.” And GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, wrote on X that “The Princess Bride” was his favorite film and called Reiner “a comedic and story-telling master.”
Off screen, Reiner had a unique ability to connect with people of all persuasions, in various mediums, at the top of their careers or just starting. He was very much influenced by Norman Lear, the creator of “All in the Family,” who blended his Hollywood career with progressive activism.
Similar to Lear, Reiner didn’t just dabble in social causes and campaigns. He launched them, led them and brought people aboard. “He wasn’t building an operation the way Hollywood typically does, making donations, hosting fundraisers,” said Ben Austin, a former aide to Reiner who worked in the White House during the Clinton administration.
And all the time, he did it while making movies, some of them deeply personal, intertwined with his life as a parent.
Reiner was the driving force behind the successful 1998 California ballot measure, Proposition 10, a landmark policy that put a tax on tobacco products and pumped billions of dollars into preschools, teacher training, and support for struggling families. He enlisted help in that effort from such beloved figures as Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.
After the initiative passed, Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, appointed the younger Reiner chairman of the First 5 commission overseeing disbursement of the funds.
Rob Reiner co-founded the group that would help overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California.
(Los Angeles Times)
And in 2009, Reiner co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which led the successful legal fight to overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. The group hired legal luminaries from opposite sides of the political spectrum to overturn the ballot measure: the conservative former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson and litigator David Boies, a liberal who squared off against Olson in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave George W. Bush the presidency in 2000.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Democrat, said in an interview Wednesday that Reiner successfully rallied people to the cause because he was so adept at humanizing the stories of the plaintiffs and other same-sex couples — and emphasizing love.
“I don’t think you can overstate how influential he was at the national, state and local level and how well-liked he was,” Garcetti said. “Politics and movies share this in common: They both need good stories … and he was such a gifted storyteller.”
Garcetti said that while many celebrities lend money and faces to political causes, prettying up political mailers and email blasts, “Rob built those causes. He wasn’t like the frosting on the cake. He actually was the baker.”
Garcetti, then a Los Angeles City Council member, joined Reiner in stumping for 2004 Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean, for whom the director was an early backer. Garcetti crossed paths with him often, including during the push to overturn Proposition 8 — and at the Los Angeles City Hall wedding of Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, two of the plaintiffs in the federal case that struck it down.
Katami wrote in an Instagram post this week that Reiner and his wife “stood with us in court for 4.5 years” and that he and his husband sat at the couple’s table in their home many times.
Rob Reiner chats in 2012 with Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, plaintiffs in the case that struck down Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“Because of them, they were able to sit at our table, at our wedding, on a day and in a moment that would not exist without their belief in who we are and how we love,” Katamami wrote.
He added: “They are brave. They are funny. They are generous. They are deeply human. And they make everyone around them feel seen, protected, and encouraged to be more fully themselves.”
Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat now running for California governor, officiated Katami and Zarrillo’s wedding. He said in an interview that Reiner personally bankrolled much of the legal fight because he genuinely believed it was the right thing to do.
In 2008, Villaraigosa kicked off his successful reelection campaign with a private reception at the Reiners’ home.
“You know, the one thing about Rob Reiner: There was no pretense,” Villaraigosa said. “If you go to his house … he’s a very wealthy man — he has been a director, an actor, co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment — and yet his house was like a home. It wasn’t a mansion. It was like a ranch-style house, very homey.”
Rob Reiner hugs then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in January 2015. The director had just introduced Villaraigosa at a school as the mayor kicked off his Leadership Tour highlighting his support for universal preschool.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Villaraigosa and others said Reiner had a granular knowledge of the policies he supported, garnering the respect — if not always the affection — of those with whom he disagreed.
Gale Kaufman, a veteran Democratic strategist who was a longtime advisor to the influential California Teachers Assn., clashed with Reiner over education policy but admired his commitment to — and knowledge about — the issue.
Kaufman told The Times this week that she was amazed by “his attention to detail and his dogged determination that he was right.”
“This was not just someone giving you a pot of money and saying, ‘Go do this.’ This was a guy who was … in every piece of it.”
Cinematographer Reed Morano was one of several in Hollywood whose career soared because of Reiner.
In the late 2000s, Morano was known for filming low-budget projects — often in a gritty, hand-held style. Many of them premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, including the Oscar-nominated “Frozen River.”
In the early 2010s, Morano got a chance to pitch her talents to Reiner and producer Alan Greisman, who were assembling a team to shoot 2012’s “The Magic of Belle Isle,” starring Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen and directed by Reiner.
Barely 15 minutes after leaving the meeting, Morano got a call telling her she had the job.
“The thing that strikes me is he could have had anybody he wanted,” said Morano on a call Tuesday from New York City, noting that “Belle Isle” was the biggest budget project she had worked on up to that point. “It’s just he was so open-minded and so forward-thinking, and I think he could see potential that other people couldn’t see.”
Morano then handled cinematography for Reiner’s “And So It Goes,” starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton, released to 2014. Reiner, she said, also wanted her to work on “Being Charlie,” the 2015 addiction drama co-written by his son Nick, but she was unable to because of scheduling conflicts. Separately from Reiner, she would go on to win an Emmy in 2017 for directing on the series “The Handmaid’s Tale” and a prize at Sundance for her second film as director, 2018’s “I Think We’re Alone Now.”
A decade before Morano connected with Reiner, Michael Trujillo, now a veteran campaign consultant, went to work for him as a young communications and policy aide for First 5. He was in his early 20s and was stunned to learn he would be working steps from Reiner’s office in the Beverly Hills headquarters of his legendary Castle Rock Entertainment.
Rob Reiner speaks in 1998 to a child development policy group about Proposition 10, which added sales tax to tobacco products to fund early childhood education.
(Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
“I show up to Castle Rock Entertainment as a 22-year-old, in Beverly Hills, off Maple Drive. I’m just a Mexican kid from the northeast San Fernando Valley. My dad was a construction worker. My mom was a secretary … and I’m like, ‘What the f— am I doing here?” Trujillo said with a laugh.
Castle Rock, he said, was simultaneously a Hollywood hot spot and “a classroom in politics.” Trujillo said he once played office golf — blue cardboard for water hazards; brown paper for sand traps — with actors Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy while the movie “A Mighty Wind” was being edited. Politicians were always there, too.
Trujillo regularly joined Reiner on his once-a-month flights from Santa Monica to Sacramento for First Five commission meetings and tagged along to news conferences and school classrooms. He usually carried a Sharpie, knowing fans would show up with DVDs or VHS tapes of their favorite Reiner flicks to be signed.
“Rob was able to have conversations with anyone and everyone,” Trujillo said. “If you’re a Republican or Democratic legislator nationally, or even local or in the state, you were still a fanboy. You still wanted to meet his character from ‘All in the Family.’ You still wanted to shake the hand of the guy that made ‘Princess Bride.’ You still wanted to talk to the guy that made ‘A Few Good Men.’”
PHOENIX — Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization that Charlie Kirk turned into a political juggernaut, will convene its flagship conference on Thursday for the first time since the assassination of its charismatic founder, testing the durability of a fractious movement that helped return President Donald Trump to the White House.
Kirk served as a unifying figure on the American right, marshaling college students, online influencers and Republican politicians. But now the party’s populist wing is skirmishing over the meaning of “America First” and the future of a decade-old movement defined more by the force of Trump’s personality than loyalty to a particular ideological project.
Thousands of people are expected to gather for the four-day meeting in Phoenix. Vice President JD Vance, media personalities and a handful of Trump administration officials are slated to appear, plus Christian rock bands and pastors. Attendees will have the chance to take selfies with popular figures and participate in discussions about political organizing, religion and conservative critiques of American culture.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, will have a prominent role as the organization’s new leader. The conference promises to be an extended tribute to her husband, who many on the right see as a martyr for conservatism and Christianity after he was slain at only 31 years old.
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged with shooting and killing Kirk while he spoke at Utah Valley University in September, appeared in court last week. Robinson has not entered a plea. Authorities say he told his romantic partner that he killed Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”
The last time Turning Point held its AmericaFest conference, weeks after Trump’s comeback victory one year ago, the MAGA movement was ebullient as Republicans prepared for a new era of total control in Washington.
Now the party faces challenging midterm elections, with Trump constitutionally prohibited from running again and his more ideologically motivated acolytes positioning to steer the movement after he leaves office. Meanwhile, conservatives have been roiled by conflicts over antisemitism in its ranks, which Trump has declined to mediate.
A lineup of MAGA influencers
Turning Point is known for highly produced events that feel more like rock concerts or megachurch services than political rallies, complete with pyrotechnics and floor-shaking bass.
The speaker lineup is a who’s who of conservative influencers and pastors, including some who have openly feuded with each other in recent weeks. It includes some of the biggest names in MAGA media, including Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Jesse Watters, Steve Bannon, Ben Shapiro and Jack Posobiec.
The jockeying for influence has accelerated since Kirk’s death, which left a void in the organization he founded and in the broader conservative movement.
“Charlie was the unifying figure for the movement,” conservative commentator Michael Knowles said at a Turning Point event just weeks after Kirk’s death.
“The biggest threat right now is that without that single figure that we were all friends with, who could really hold it together, things could spin off in different directions,” Knowles said. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Among the fissures that has deepened since Kirk’s death is whether Republicans should continue its unflinching support for Israel and the war in Gaza. There are also concerns about whether the movement should accommodate people with anti-Jewish views.
The schism burst into the open when the head of the influential Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, defended Carlson for conducting a friendly interview with podcaster Nick Fuentes, whose followers, known as “groypers,” see themselves as working to preserve a white, Christian identity in America. Roberts’ comments sparked outrage from some Heritage staffers, senators and conservative activists.
Fuentes had long feuded with Kirk, who worked to marginalize Fuentes within the conservative movement. Groypers enjoyed crashing Turning Point events to spar with Kirk.
Carlson and Shapiro, who has sharply criticized Fuentes and Carlson, are both scheduled to speak on Thursday, the first day of the conference.
Turning Point has also faced turmoil over conspiracy theories spread by Candace Owens, a former employee who hosts a top-rated podcast. Owens has alleged without evidence that Israeli spies were involved in Kirk’s death and that he was betrayed by people close to him. Authorities say Robinson acted alone.
Asked about Owens and others spreading conspiracy theories during a CBS News town hall, Erika Kirk responded with one word: “Stop.” She said Owens is making money off her family’s tragedy, adding that conspiracy peddlers risk tainting the jury pool and allowing her husband’s killer to get away with it.
Last weekend, with the Turning Point conference looming, Kirk and Owens agreed to a temporary detente until a private meeting. It didn’t last long.
After the meeting on Monday, Owens said on her show that she and Kirk spoke for 4 ½ hours but she still doubted that Robinson acted alone. Kirk wrote on X that they had “a very productive conversation” and it was “time to get back to work.”
While grieving her husband, Erika Kirk has slowly stepped up her public appearances. She spoke at the funeral, memorably forgiving her husband’s alleged killer, and at a Turning Point event in Mississippi in October.
An entrepreneur and podcaster, she often appeared with her husband at Turning Point events. The former 2012 Miss Arizona USA has also worked as a model, actress and casting director, and she founded a Christian clothing line, Proclaim, and a ministry that teaches about the Bible.
Before her husband’s death, she talked openly about prioritizing her family ahead of her career and described a marriage with traditional gender roles. Now she’s taking on the demanding job leading Turning Point, an organization that resonated in particular with young men.
At a memorial for her husband, Erika said “Charlie and I were united in purpose.”
“His passion was my passion, and now his mission is my mission,” she said. “Everything that Turning Point USA built through Charlie’s vision and hard work, we will make 10 times greater through the power of his memory.”
The Strictly Come Dancing cast have rallied around judge Shirley Ballas after she shared some heartbreaking news online
Joe Crutchley Screen Time Reporter
07:02, 18 Dec 2025
Shirley Ballas’ heartbreak days before Strictly final as she confirms tragic death(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has been flooded with support after she shared a family death.
The dancer will be back on screens on Saturday (December 20) for the show’s epic final. Remaining stars like Amber Davies, George Clarke and Karen Carney will be battling it out to take home the iconic Glitterball trophy.
However, just days before the final, Shirley has been dealt some major heartbreak. Taking to her Instagram on Wednesday evening (December 17) Shirley confirmed her beloved aunt – who was like a “second mum” to Shirley – had passed away.
The TV star shared several photos of her and her aunt and paid a heartbreaking tribute to her in the caption. She wrote: “My dearest Auntie Mavis … where do I begin.
“How I’ll miss you so very much. I’ll miss all your sayings of ‘you’re right love’, ‘do you know what I mean like love’, ‘yeah I know’ and l’d say ‘no you don’t know Mavis’. That one was my favourite.”
Shirley continued: “Mavis was always there for me and my family, she had been like a second mum to me. Mum and I are sad you’re not here with us any more, Mavis. We will treasure the memories. Mum has many that’s for sure. Her best friend of over 65 years.
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“The bond between Mavis and my mother was absolutely unbreakable. We will miss every minute of every second not chatting with you, talking with you and you making us laugh with all your antics. May you rest in peace now with your beautiful daughter Helen and your wonderful husband.
“We will celebrate you often, talk about you often, laugh often with all the things that you and my mum got up to. I truly thought that you would live forever, Mavis.”
Shirley finished off the emotional post and said: “Thank you for always being there for me through the ups, through the downs and through all the parts of my life. Thank you for tuning into @bbcstrictly and then switching off after you’d seen my dress. That always made me smile.
“I’ll treasure every single memory I ever had with you. Rest in peace beautiful Mavis. Hugs and love, Shirley and Audrey. X.”
Shirley’s fellow showbiz pals and fans quickly rushed to the comments section to send their support. Claudia Winkleman penned: “Sending all my love,” while Neil Jones commented an orange heart emoji.
One fan said: “So sorry for your loss. Your mum has lost her beautiful friend.” Another follower chimed in: “Aw bless you all, so sorry for your loss….. Sending so much love to you all and may Mavis rest in peace.” A third penned: “Sorry for your loss, sending love to you both rest in peace Mavis.”
Strictly Come Dancing airs this weekend on BBC One.
WASHINGTON — A Minneapolis jury’s conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd has reignited debate about what policing should look like in the United States.
In the weeks following Floyd’s death and the ensuing outrage that caused millions of Americans to pour into the streets to protest in the midst of a pandemic, Congress promised fundamental change to policing.
There was legislation to standardize training across the country, to keep problem officers from moving between departments without their records following them, to ban the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants.
Negotiations for a bipartisan deal on police reform continue informally on Capitol Hill, and the lead House sponsor, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that she is hopeful because those involved are “very sincere, and it’s a bipartisan group.”
Bass is working with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). She told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that she is optimistic they will reach an agreement and get a bill to President Biden’s desk in the coming months.
“I believe that we want to make something happen,” Bass said.
Last month the House passed Bass’ George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by a 220-212 vote, with no Republican support and two Democrats voting no.
The legislation, which would ban chokeholds, end “qualified immunity” for law enforcement officers and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability, passed the House last summer but was not considered by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Democrats in turn blocked consideration of a Republican policing reform bill proposed by Scott last summer, saying though it was similar to their proposal in some ways, it did not go far enough because it did not modify so-called qualified immunity for police officers, which has made it harder for victims of brutality to file civil lawsuits over excessive force, or make it easier to prosecute police officers for criminal behavior.
Even now that Democrats control the Senate, hurdles remain for passing policing reform out of the Senate, where most legislation faces a 60-vote threshold, Bass said.
“It’s one thing to pass legislation in the House; it’s a super hurdle to get it passed in the Senate,” Bass said in the CNN interview. “But we are working.”
Winter cold ‘becomes lethal’ as Israel restricts entry of tents, blankets and other shelter supplies to ravaged enclave.
A Palestinian infant has frozen to death in the Gaza Strip, local authorities say, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of shelter supplies and other humanitarian aid to the enclave despite the harsh winter conditions there.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Tuesday that the two-week-old baby, Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, died a day earlier after seeking treatment for severe hypothermia, brought on by the extreme cold gripping Gaza.
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Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum noted that the child’s death comes as basic protections in Gaza have been “systematically dismantled” due to Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the territory.
“Families are living in tents on wet ground without heating, electricity or sufficient clothing,” Abu Azzoum said. “When food, fuel, shelter and aid are banned, cold absolutely becomes lethal.”
Israel’s two-year war has decimated more than 80 percent of the structures across Gaza, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to take refuge in flimsy tents or overcrowded makeshift shelters.
A huge storm that recently hit the Strip killed at least 11 people as torrential rains and fierce winds flooded tents and caused damaged buildings to collapse.
“We try to dry the children’s clothes over the fire,” Umm Mohammed Assaliya, a displaced Palestinian mother, told Al Jazeera from Gaza City.
“There are no spare clothes for them. I am exhausted. The tent we were given cannot withstand winter conditions. We need blankets,” she said.
Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to allow unimpeded deliveries of aid to Gaza.
But the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which the UN says is best suited to distribute supplies in the territory, says the Israeli government has blocked it from bringing aid directly into Gaza.
“People have reportedly died due to the collapse of damaged buildings where families were sheltering. Children have reportedly died from exposure to the cold,” UNRWA said in a social media post on Tuesday.
“This must stop. Aid must be allowed in at scale, now.”
Hamas slams Israeli ceasefire violations
Meanwhile, Hamas has condemned Israel for its repeated violations of a ceasefire deal that came into effect in October.
At least 393 Palestinians have been killed and 1,074 others wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the first full day of the ceasefire on October 11, according to the latest figures from the enclave’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli military also killed a senior Hamas leader, Raed Saad, in a targeted attack on a vehicle in western Gaza City on Saturday, further straining the tenuous truce.
On Tuesday, Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad accused Israel of “manipulating” the text of the US-brokered agreement.
“We want to make it absolutely clear: the ceasefire agreement is straightforward, detailed, and unambiguous. However, it’s evident that the Israeli occupation has distorted the text, manipulating and violating every single article,” Hamad said.
“Since day one, Hamas has fully abided by the agreement and honoured its commitments. In contrast, Israel has deliberately committed several systematic and preplanned breaches.”
Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has opened up on returning to the BBC drama for the Christmas special
Death in Paradise star Don Gilet(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Philippe Virapin)
Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has expressed his delight at reprising his role, admitting “It was great to come back”.
The actor, 58, joined the BBC drama as DI Mervin Wilson last year, following in the footsteps of previous stars such as Ben Miller and Ralf Little.
Now, he’s eagerly awaiting the 2025 Christmas special and shared his feelings about returning to the role, confessing it was “slightly daunting”.
“It felt good. Slightly daunting, but in a positive sense because you want to do the same again, if not better,” he revealed in a BBC interview ahead of his return. “I jokingly describe it as the second album, the first album went really well, but you can’t rest on your laurels and be complacent, there’s still more audience out there to win over.”
He continued: “So, I went out to Guadeloupe with a renewed appetite. It was great to come back and reconnect with the characters and the actors,” reports the Express.
Discussing what fans can expect from the festive special, Don promised “plenty of humour, but even more heart”.
He elaborated: “It pushes and pulls emotionally and comedically in equal measure. Mervin faces far more antagonism, and things are a lot more challenging for him, especially now he knows there’s a half-brother out there to find.
“But you can still get cosy, sip your Baileys and enjoy another great Death in Paradise Christmas special,” he added.
The forthcoming special presents one of the team’s most perplexing cases yet, as a victim is found dead in a swimming pool on Saint Marie, whilst the murder weapon was locked away in a drawer back in England at the time of the killing, leaving detectives completely stumped.
This comes as Don recently spoke candidly about the “pressure” of filling the boots of previous stars as the latest detective on the show.
During his stint on BBC The One Show on Monday (December 16) evening, he confessed to Alex and co-host Roman Kemp: “I feel the pressure doing this. I’ve said this before, it feels like the second album, you know the first one went well, I was the replacement like a replacement Doctor Who and people have their favourites prior to that.
“So there’s always this sense of ‘well is he going to be as good as…’ are people going to switch off, but luckily no one has switched off yet but you’ve got to come back and do it again and better so I’m not resting on my laurels.
“I do feel a bit pressure but it’s an enjoyable pressure. I love coming back and doing more of the same but with something a bit extra.”
Death In Paradise Christmas special airs on BBC One on Sunday, December 28 at 8.30pm.
SIMON Cowell could be locked in another copyright row after it emerged a group of British rockers also share the same name as his newly formed group.
Tattooed Scottish band December Tenth told the music mogul to get his lawyers to call them over the name dispute.
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December 10 are Simon Cowell’s shiny new pop bandCredit: instagram/december10Scottish rockers December Tenth aren’t happy about the similarity to their monikerCredit: Instagram
The seven-piece group – which conissits of Nicolas Alves, 16, Cruz Lee-Ojo, 19, Hendrik Christoffersen, 19, John Fadare, 17, Josh Olliver, 17, Danny Bretherton, 16, and Seán Hayden, 19 – released their new music earlier this week.
But they have an unexpected rivalry in the form of the Glasgow-based metallers, who are named after the date their pen pal was executed on death row.
They have challenged Simon after he and Netflix announced the new boy band with a very similar name to their group.
In a post on social media the lead singer of the band said: “It came to light over the last few days that Simon Cowell, Netflix and Universal Music, are involved in a new boy band that share, to some extent, our name December Tenth.
“Now if anyone in Simon’s team, Universal or Netflix, would like to get in touch with ourselves and our legal team they can do so.
“I would like to point out, the hundreds of new followers we have over the last few days are most welcome, but I’m not entirely sure they are all genuine.”
The band, who formed in 2020, have also been swamped with messages with confused boy band fans who mistakenly followed them online.
He added: “Our social media accounts have blew up and we had no idea why. It turns out that Simon Cowell has released a new Netflix show, called “December 10”.
“We are now being inundated with well wishes from fans of the show thinking we are that band.”
It’s not the first time Simon has faced issues over a pop group’s name.
In 2011 X Factor was forced to change their girl band Rhythmix to Little Mix after a disabled children’s charity in Brighton with the same name threatened them with legal action.
Simon hopes his new group can have similar success to One DirectionCredit: Getty
Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday. The police and investigators believe the couple suffered fatal stab wounds.
On Monday, police arrested the legendary director’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, in connection with the deaths.
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Rob Reiner directed several United States movie classics, including When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride. He was also a devoted activist for liberal causes and a frequent critic of US President Donald Trump.
So, what do we know about Nick Reiner, and what was his alleged involvement in his parents’ killing?
Who killed Rob Reiner and his wife?
Nick was revealed to be in Los Angeles police custody on Monday after the bodies of his parents were discovered inside their home in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30pm on Sunday [02:30 GMT Monday], and found a man and woman dead inside.
Rob Reiner’s daughter was the first to find the bodies of her parents and called the authorities, according to multiple reports.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department said it was treating the deaths as homicides. Police have not released a full official timeline of how the killings occurred or the motivation behind them.
Nick Reiner remains in custody without bail. On Monday, Los Angeles Police chief Jim McDonnell said Nick Reiner was “booked for murder”.
Prosecutors will receive the case on Tuesday as they weigh whether to file formal charges against him.
Who is Nick Reiner?
Nick Reiner is the middle child of Rob and Michele Singer Reiner. They have two other children, Jake and Romy.
Nick’s struggles with substance abuse were longstanding, about which he had publicly spoken.
Rob Reiner, in a 2016 interview, said his son’s heroin addiction began about age 15, leading him into a cycle of dependency that persisted for years.
He underwent multiple rehabilitation stays, at least 17, by some accounts, and experienced periods of homelessness as a result of his addiction and the difficulties he faced in recovery.
His addiction issues inspired the 2015 semi-autobiographical movie Being Charlie, co-written by the father and son duo, and directed by Rob Reiner, about the struggles of a famous father and an addicted son.
The film was seen as an attempt to explore and heal aspects of their relationship, reflecting how deeply addiction had affected their family.
“It forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,” Rob Reiner told the AP news agency in 2016. During a YouTube interview series when the film was released, Nick Reiner reflected on his upbringing with his father, stating, “We didn’t bond a lot,” and acknowledged that collaborating on the film helped them “feel closer”.
Who was Rob Reiner?
Rob Reiner was a highly influential figure in US film and television. He was the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, who died in 2020 at the age 98.
The Emmy-winning actor first gained fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the 1970s TV sitcom, All in the Family. Rob Reiner went on to become a celebrated director, responsible for such classics as This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, and A Few Good Men.
Legendary actress and Oscar winner Kathy Bates, who won the coveted award as the star of Rob Reiner’s 1990 film, Misery, said she “loved Rob”.
“He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist,” she said in a statement. “He changed the course of my life. Michele was a gifted photographer.”
Beyond filmmaking, Rob Reiner was an active political and social voice, often engaging in public debates on issues ranging from civil rights to public policy. He was a fierce critic of US President Trump.
During Trump’s first term, Reiner repeatedly described the president as “mentally unfit” and “unqualified” to serve in office.
What was Trump’s reaction?
On Monday, Trump made a social media post in which he described Reiner as “tortured and struggling” and claimed that both he and his wife had died, “reportedly due to the anger he caused” by opposing Trump during his presidency.
“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump, who is known for aggressively targeting critics and commending allies, did not present any proof that Rob Reiner’s political stance was linked to the couple’s deaths.
The post was met with sharp condemnation from politicians across the political spectrum, including both Democrats and Republicans.
Carl Carlton, the funk and R&B singer known for upbeat, era-embodying singles like “Everlasting Love” and “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” has died. He was 72.
Carlton’s son, Carlton Hudgens II, posted to social media confirming the death on Sunday. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton singer of She’s a Bad Mama Jama. Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.” The post did not cite a cause of death.
Born Carlton Hudgens in Detroit in 1953, he debuted as “Little Carl” Carlton, but changed his stage name and moved to Houston after he was signed to the local label Back Beat Records. He had a minor soul-scene hit in 1971 with “I Can Feel It,” and broke through nationally in 1974 when his regal cover of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love” hit No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and spent 15 weeks on that chart.
Carlton is perhaps best known for his 1981 single, “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked),” a grooving and awestruck ode to the female form that hit No. 22 on the Hot 100 and helped his self-titled album that year reach gold status.
The song has enjoyed a long life in popular culture — it’s been sampled by rappers like Foxy Brown, BigXThaPlug and Flo Milli, and frequently appeared on soundtracks for TV shows and films like “Friends.”
He continued releasing records into the ‘80s, and appeared several times on “American Bandstand” and “Soul Train,“ though his output slowed in the ‘90s. In 2003, he performed for Barry Glazer’s TV special, “American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love, and Soul,” which featured Aretha Franklin and other marquee R&B and soul acts. His last album was 2010’s gospel LP “God Is Good.”
Stranger Things fans have pinpointed a specific tragic moment in the season 5 volume 2 trailer.
Stranger Things fans are in a frenzy after Netflix released the official trailer for the second part of season five. The epic video shows Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) feeling deflated after the gang failed to save the children from Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
The teaser also shows Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) as they attempt to escape Vecna’s trap, while the rest of the gang discover something major about the Upside Down.
While many fans still believe Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) could be at risk in the final season, other viewers believe another major death has flown under the radar, until now. They took to YouTube to pinpoint a specific moment, just over half-way into the video, when one of the main characters is seen coming face to face with a Demogorgon.
Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) is seen walking down a hospital corridor, flanked by two armed men, as a Demogorgon comes charging towards them. The camera then turns to face the Demogorgon as it lunges at its target. @Kaiiizerrrp said: “1:18 omg, did you see Robin behind the military? [crying emoji]” While @Obama_Plays added: “Omg Robin please runnn” and @Sham-d3y shared: “I am gonna cry so bad.”
More fans picked up on the hint, with @AviAuthorColorado adding: “I’M GONNA CRY BRO LIKE ACTUALLY,” and @Sham-d3y expressing: “FINALLY SOMEONE SAW IT. I AM 100% SURE THAT’S THE SAD DEATH WHICH THE DUFFERS WERE TALKING ABOUT, IT WAS ROBIN ALL ALONG.”
This could be the case as episode five is titled Shock Jock, which refers to a DJ on a radio show who expresses opinions in a deliberately offensive or provocative way. At the start of season five, viewers saw Robin hosting her own show for The Squawk, which serves as a decoy for them to relay information regarding military operations to the Upside Down and the rest of the gang.
This is not the first time fans have predicted Robin’s death, as they believe Netflix had teased her demise after the unveiling of some photos for the fifth and final outing. The official Netflix Instagram account posted multiple photos showing cast members staring at an unseen threat, but one person was left out.
Robin’s absence did not go unnoticed, with one fan writing: “UM HI I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON WHERE IS MY GIRL ROBIN AT?” Another added: “Hahaha very funny, where the HELL is Robin.”
Robin’s role in season five was pivotal as she helped Will harness his powers by making him believe in himself and not fear his authenticity. She also helped validate Will’s feelings when it came to romance, as she opened up on her relationship with Vickie Dunne (Amybeth McNulty).
Fans took to Reddit to explain how they believed Robin’s emotional speech in volume one of the final season is “SO intensely ‘this character will die’ coded.” MedievZ said: “The Duffers most definitely are not killing off the main core cast. Steve is too obvious of a death.
“Robin is the perfect character to die and get the maximum emotional impact while fitting into the story nicely and being an unexpected gutpunch. We do not see much of Robin in the remaining trailer shots.”
Elsewhere in the season five, volume two trailer, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) was seen asking Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) to help her find and kill Venca, after the character’s epic return was unveiled in episode four. Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve were also seen making a pact as they said: “You die, I die.”
Regardless of whether she meets her demise in the final season, Robin is set to live on through the latest Stranger Things novel – One Way or Another. The book, by TV writer and novelist Caitlin Schneiderhan, focuses on Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Robin as they solve an unexplained phenomenon.
The story is set following the events of Stranger Things season four – two months since Vecna’s earthquake tore through the town. Nancy and Robin are convinced they have discovered Vecna’s next victim – fellow student Joey Taft.
Stranger Things season 5 part 2 airs on Christmas Day in the US and Boxing Day in the UK
Whether you sat across the table from him or across the aisle, Rob Reiner left no doubt about what he cared about and was willing to fight for.
I had lunch with him once at Pete’s Cafe in downtown L.A., where he was far less interested in what was on his plate than what was on his mind. He was advocating for local investments in early childhood development programs, using funds from the tobacco tax created by Proposition 10 in 1998, which he had helped spearhead.
I remember thinking that, although political activism among celebrities was nothing new, Reiner was well beyond the easier tasks of making endorsements and hosting fundraisers. He had an understanding of public policy failures and entrenched inequities, and he wanted to talk about the moral duty to address them and the financial benefits of doing so.
“He was deeply passionate,” said Ben Austin, who was at that lunch and worked as an aide to Reiner at the time. “He was not just a Hollywood star … but a highly sophisticated political actor.”
Reiner, who was found dead in his Brentwood home over the weekend along with his wife, Michele, was also co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which was instrumental in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in California in 2008.
Michele Singer Reiner was her husband’s “intellectual partner” as an activist, Austin said, even though he was usually the one whose face we saw. But Michele made her voice heard, too, as she did when emailing me about the inexcusable crisis of veterans living on the street, including on the West L.A. veterans administration campus at a time when it was loaded with empty buildings.
I’d check on the progress and get back to her, and she’d check back again when little had changed. At one point, I told her I’d been informed that beds in a new shelter would be filled by the end of the year.
“And if you believe that,” she wrote back, “I’ve got a bridge for you.”
In choosing his causes, Austin said of Rob Reiner, the actor-director-producer “was not jumping on a train that was already moving.” Universal preschool education was barely a fringe issue at the time, Austin said, but Reiner was more interested in social change than making political points.
Reiner’s aggressive instincts, though, sometimes drew pushback. And not just from President Trump, who established a new low for himself Monday with his social media claim that Reiner’s death was a result of his disdain for Trump.
Reiner resigned in 2006 as chairman of California’s First 5 commission, an outgrowth of Prop. 10, after Times reporting raised questions about the use of tax dollars to promote Proposition 82. That Reiner-backed ballot measure would have taxed the rich to plow money into preschool for 4-year-olds.
In 2014, Reiner was at the center of a bid to limit commercial development and chain stores in Malibu, and I co-moderated a debate that seemed more like a boxing match between him and developer Steve Soboroff.
“Rob Reiner and Steve Soboroff came out with guns blazing Sunday night during a Measure R debate that’s sure to be one of the most memorable — and entertaining — Malibu showdowns in recent town history.”
Reiner threw an early jab, accusing Soboroff of a backroom deal to add an exemption to the measure. That’s a lie, Soboroff shot back, claiming he was insulted by the low blow. Reiner, who owned houses in both Brentwood and Malibu, didn’t care much for my question about whether his slow-growth viewpoint smacked of NIMBY-ism.
“I would say there’s a lot of NIMBY-ism,” Reiner snapped. “You bet. It’s 100% NIMBY-ism. Everybody who lives here is concerned about their way of life.”
But that’s the way Reiner was. He let you know, without apology, where he stood, kind of like his “Meathead” character in Norman Lear’s hit TV show “All in the Family,” in which he butted heads with the bigoted Archie Bunker.
Getting back to President Trump, he, too, unapologetically lets you know where he stands.
But most people, in my experience, work with filters — they can self-sensor when that’s what the moment calls for. It’s not a skill, it’s an innate sense of decency and human consideration that exists in the hearts and souls of normal people.
I did not know much about the history of Nick Reiner’s addiction issues and his temporary homelessness. But it became clear shortly after the bodies were found that the Reiners’ 32-year-old son might have been involved, and he was indeed booked a short time later on suspicion of murder.
What I do know is that with such an unspeakable horror, and with the family’s survivors left to sort through the madness of it all, a better response from the president would have been silence.
Anything but a grave dance.
The Reiners died, Trump said, “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME … .” The deaths occurred, Trump continued, “as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness …”
It was a reaction, Austin said, “that makes the case, better than Rob ever could have, about why Trump has no business being president of the United States.”
Four years after the family of deceased Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs filed a wrongful death suit against the Angels, and two months into often contentious testimony in an Orange County Superior Court courtroom, jurors are set to begin deliberations on whether Skaggs’ widow and parents deserve hundreds of millions of dollars.
During closing statements Monday, plaintiffs lawyer Daniel Dutko argued that the Angels were negligent in failing to supervise Eric Kay, the drug-addicted team communications director who gave Skaggs the fentanyl that killed him in 2019.
However, Angels lawyer Todd Theodora insisted that Skaggs was a selfish, secretive opioid addict who for years manipulated Kay into obtaining drugs for him. Theodora told the jury that the Angels didn’t owe the Skaggs family any award.
“He died when he was doing things we teach our children and grandchildren not to do — do not chop up and snort pills from the street,” Theodora said.
But it’s not just Skaggs’ family and the Angels who have a lot riding on the jury’s decision. Among those powerful stakeholders who have been watching the proceedings closely are the agencies that insure the Angels.
According to people with knowledge of the Angels’ defense, the team is insured by several companies that each provide coverage with various limits, and it’s possible that those insurers could facilitate a case settlement even before the jury reaches its verdict.
“Insurance companies are in the business of mitigating risk; they don’t like uncertainty,” said Brian Panish, a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer who was not involved in the case but has won several landmark jury verdicts. “They calculate risk and proceed from there. In this case we are talking about multiple insurance companies, a tower of insurance.”
Even though the insurance companies represent the Angels, they ultimately could reduce risk for the Skaggs family and their lawyers through an 11th-hour settlement.
Legal experts say that in cases where enormous sums of money are at stake, the two sides can reach what is called a high-low agreement, with the insurance companies promising to pay plaintiffs an agreed-upon sum even if the jury awards nothing. In exchange the plaintiffs accept an agreed-upon cap to their award — even if the jury thought they deserved more.
A nightmare outcome for the Skaggs family would be the jury awarding them nothing, meaning that in addition to widow Carli Skaggs and parents Debbie Hetman and Darrell Skaggs leaving empty-handed, their high-powered legal team that has spent thousands of hours on the case wouldn’t be paid. Their contingency fee — typically 35% to 40% of an award — would be zero.
A high-low agreement with the Angels would ensure that Skaggs’ lawyers are paid and the family gets some money even if the jury denies them anything.
Both sides are scrambling to assess risk before the jury returns a verdict. Another source of information for the Angels has been a “shadow jury,” a half-dozen or so people hired by the insurance companies to sit in on the trial and provide feedback to the Angels lawyers on their reactions to the testimony.
Next could come negotiations with little time to spare.
“Who is going to blink first?” Panish said. “The posturing and maneuvering is over. The hay is in the barn. The bricks have been laid. I’d be very surprised if they aren’t talking already.”
A person with knowledge of backroom negotiations between the two sides said one insurance company with a relatively low limit on its coverage of the Angels — near the bottom of the tower — has blocked progress toward a settlement. The insurance companies eventually made a “lowball offer” more than a month ago that was rejected by the Skaggs family.
“If a settlement proposal is within the insurance policy limits, there will be pressure on the defense to settle,” Panish said. “But if it is above the limits, say coverage is for $50 million and the demand is $100 million, the insurance companies can’t force the Angels to settle because they would have to pay the excess amount.”
The facts regarding Skaggs’ death are not in dispute. An autopsy concluded the 27-year-old left-hander accidentally died of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit while under the influence of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol the night of July 1, 2019, when the Angels were in Texas for a three-game series against the Rangers.
Kay provided Skaggs with the counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and is serving 22 years in federal prison for his role in the death.
The Skaggs family legal team, led by attorneys Rusty Hardin, Shaun Holley and Dutko, argued that several Angels employees knew about Kay’s own years-long addiction to opioids and ignored team and Major League Baseball policies by failing to report or punish Kay.
Dutko said Kay was operating within his scope of employment when he gave Skaggs and several other players opioid pills — a stance vigorously opposed by Theodora. Dutko referred to testimony that Kay did anything he could to please players — obtaining Viagra prescriptions and marijuana vape pens for them, booking tee times and massages, and humoring them by taking a fastball off his knee and eating pimples off the back of star outfielder Mike Trout.
“From Viagra to vape pens to opioids. Eric Kay’s job responsibility was to get the players anything they wanted,” Dutko said.
Theodora continually portrayed Skaggs as a conniving drug addict who callously pressured Kay to obtain pills for him and doled out pills to teammates, even pressuring Kay to deliver opioids shortly after the longtime employee and admitted drug addict came out of rehab.
On Monday, Theodora reviewed testimony from five of Skaggs’ teammates dating back to 2011 and argued that not only had Skaggs’ drug use escalated over a nine-year period, but that Skaggs had introduced Kay to them and personally obtained pills for the players.
“It’s called the chain of distribution,” Theodora said.
The Skaggs family is seeking not only lost earnings and emotional distress damages but also punitive damages. California law doesn’t allow punitive damages in a wrongful death case, but precedent going back to the O.J. Simpson case makes an exception if the person suffered property damage before death. Skaggs lawyers believe Kay was responsible for fentanyl contaminating the pitcher’s iPad, which was confiscated and never returned to the family.
“The jury first must find the defendant liable for economic and emotional distress damages, and then a second deliberation will determine if punitive damages are appropriate,” said Edson K. McClellan, an Irvine lawyer who specializes in high-stakes civil and employment litigation. “The purpose of punitive damages is to send a message to the defendant: Don’t do this again.”
McClellan said a purpose of closing statements is to “sway hearts,” to persuade jurors who might not have made up their minds. Both sides gave impassioned arguments that the case they presented over two months validated a verdict in their favor.
Michele Singer Reiner, who was killed along with her husband, filmmaker Rob Reiner, on Sunday at their home in Los Angeles, was a photographer who moved from still images into filmmaking and later into producing, with work that blended performance, politics and persuasion. She was 70.
Singer Reiner was gigging as a photographer in the late 1980s, visiting film sets as part of her income. One of those sets was “When Harry Met Sally …,” the romantic comedy Rob Reiner was directing in New York, a film that would go on to become one of the era’s defining hits. Having divorced actor and director Penny Marshall eight years earlier, Reiner said he noticed his future wife across the set and was immediately drawn to her.
Scripted by Nora Ephron, the film was originally written to leave its central couple, played by Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, separate, crossing paths over the years without ending up together. But after meeting Singer Reiner, Reiner reconsidered. He rewrote the final scene so the characters reunite and marry, an ending that helped make the film a beloved classic.
The two married in 1989, months after the film’s release. They went on to have three children: Jake, born in 1991; Nick, born in 1993; and Romy, born in 1997.
Hours after the couple were found dead at their Brentwood home, Nick Reiner — who had struggled for years with substance-abuse issues — was taken into custody and booked into Los Angeles County jail on suspicion of murder, according to jail records. He had spoken publicly about getting sober by 2015, when he worked with his father on “Being Charlie,” a semi-autobiographical film about addiction and recovery that Rob Reiner directed and Nick co-wrote.
After their marriage, Singer Reiner worked on several of Reiner’s films, as a special photographer on “Misery,” his 1990 adaptation of the Stephen King novel, among others. Their marriage also became a working partnership. As Reiner’s career expanded beyond studio films into documentaries and political projects, Singer Reiner — who earlier in her career had photographed the cover of Donald Trump on the photo of his 1987 bestseller “The Art of the Deal” — was closely associated with those efforts, collaborating on films and advocacy campaigns that increasingly overlapped.
Their civic strand emerged early. In the 1990s, she and Reiner started the I Am Your Child project, an effort aimed at raising awareness about early childhood development and expanding access to support services for parents.
The initiative coincided with Reiner’s emergence as one of Hollywood’s most prominent political voices. He was a founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which led the legal fight to overturn Proposition 8, the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage. He was also a central figure behind Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, a landmark policy that created an ambitious statewide early childhood development program.
In the last decade, Singer Reiner moved more fully into producing. Her credits included such Reiner-directed projects as “Shock and Awe” (2017), “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” (2023) and this year’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” as well as “God & Country,” a 2024 documentary examining Christian nationalism in the United States.
As news of their deaths spread, tributes emphasized the Reiners’ shared public life. Laurie David, an environmental activist and documentary filmmaker who was a close friend of the couple, wrote on Threads that “Rob & Michele — always referred to as Rob & Michele — were an extraordinary couple who worked side by side to make the world a safer, fairer and more just society.”
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also issued a joint statement calling the couple’s deaths “heartbreaking” and pointing to what they described as the Reiners’ “active citizenship” in defense of “inclusive” democracy. “They were good, generous people who made everyone who knew them better,” the statement said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the loss “devastating,” writing that while Reiner was creative, funny and beloved, Singer Reiner was his “indispensable partner, intellectual resource and loving wife” in all of their endeavors.
MONTY Python star Eric Idle has revealed the heartbreaking final conversation he had with Rob Reiner only hours before he was stabbed to death.
Idle said he spoke with a healthy and happy Reiner, 78, for over an hour on the phone as the beloved director opened up on his thoughts on the future.
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Monty Python star Eric Idle has revealed the heartbreaking final conversation he had with Rob Reiner only hours before he was stabbed to deathCredit: APHollywood was left in shock after reports emerged that Reiner and his wife Michele, 68, had been stabbed to death at their home on Sunday afternoonCredit: GettyThe couple’s daughter Romy shared holiday pictures of Reiner in the weeks before his deathCredit: Instagram
Hollywood was left in shock after reports emerged that Reiner and his wife Michele, 68, had been stabbed to death at their home on Sunday afternoon.
Their troubled son Nick, 32, is now reportedly a person of interest in the double homicide investigation.
Daughter Romy, who lives across the street from her parent’s $13.5million estate, reportedly discovered the couple with fatal injuries consistent with multiple stab wounds.
Tributes have flooded in for Reiner and Michele since.
British actor and comedian Idle led the way as he revealed his heartbreaking last talk with Reiner took place just one day before the suspected double murder.
Idle, who first met the When Harry Met Sally director over 50 years ago, wrote: “Rob Reiner was a lovely man. I spoke to him last night for over an hour. I always enjoyed his company.
I met him at his Dad’s in 1975. He was telling me about filming at Stonehenge and his thoughts for the future.
“This is so awful. I shall miss him. A clever, talented and very thoughtful man. So awful.”
Investigations into the death of the Hollywood super couple are still ongoing.
Police rushed to the six-bedroom home just after 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon after an emergency call was reportedly made by Romy, 28.
LAPD Captain Mike Bland quickly confirmed the force are investigating an “apparent homicide”.
Detectives from the Robbery Homicide Division have now been assigned to the case.
LAPD Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters at the scene that investigations will continue throughout the night with multiple family members set to be interviewed.
He added that there was no sign of forced entry into the home.
No arrests have been made with no suspects named at the moment, cops confirmed.
Investigators are set to speak to son Nick about the horror stabbing, according to multiple sources who have spoken with the family.
Son Nick Reiner, 32, is believed to be a potential person of interest in the double homicide investigationCredit: GettyA huge police presence surrounds the Brentwood homeCredit: AP
Nick, who reportedly lives in LA, has rarely been seen publicly since he opened up about his struggles with drug addiction in 2016.
He admitted to first going to rehab at the age of 15 and said his addiction issues even left him homeless.
Romy had shared pictures of her dad on holiday just last week alongside the heartbreaking caption: “Thankful for family, health, and followers of any age.”
HOLLYWOOD ICON
Reiner, raised in the Bronx by comic father Carl, was a huge presence in the movie industry after more than five decades as a top director and actor.
He started his career in front of the camera where he played Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the iconic sitcom “All in the Family” for eight years.
He then moved into directing with his most notable projects including the 1984 cult classic This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride in 1987, and When Harry Met Sally in 1989.
In 1993, he was nominated for an Academy Award for “A Few Good Men,” which starred Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore.
Reiner’s production company Castle Rock Entertainment, which he co-founded, also helped to create Seinfeld and The Shawshank Redemption.
Michele and Rob with their three children Jake (far left), Nick (second from the left) and Romy (middle)Credit: GettyReiner starred as Leonardo DiCaprio’s dad in The Wolf of Wall StreetCredit: IMBDReiner on the set of This Is Spinal Tap in 1984Credit: Alamy
He would move between acting and directing right up until his death.
His most notable role in the past 15 years was as Jordan Belfort‘s dad in The Wolf of Wall Street alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
This year he starred in both the critically acclaimed series The Bear and featured in the Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
Michele was also known for her work as a producer and photographer.
Her most well known project saw her take the photo of Donald Trump which appears on the cover of his 1987 book Trump: The Art Of The Deal.
Reiner and Michele had been married since 1989 and shared three children together.
They first met while Reiner was directing When Harry Met Sally.
TRIBUTES POUR IN
Tributes for the beloved Hollywood couple quickly flooded in after reports of their deaths were announced.
John Cusack, who starred in Reiner’s film The Sure Thing, said: “Shocked by the death of Rob Reiner – a great man.”
Actor Josh Gad described Reiner as “one of the greatest directors of our time”.
Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood later posted: “Horrified to hear of the passing of Rob Reiner and his wonderful wife Michelle.
“So much love to their kids and family.”
Dozens of mourning fans took to the streets of Brentwood to pay their respects to the couple.
Among them was Larry David and Billy Crystal, according to neighbours.
Reiner was also a political force through his Democratic Party activism.
He was widely appreciated for his work as an outspoken supporter for LGBTQ equality and early childhood development.
Former US president Barack Obama paid tribute to Reiner saying he and his wife Michelle were “heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele”.
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi described him as “creative, funny, and beloved” as she also paid tribute to Michele.
Reiner alongside Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore after being awarded two People’s Choice Awards for ‘A Few Good Men’ in 1992Credit: ReutersReiner and Michele together in 1990Credit: Alamy
