The week’s bestselling books, Dec. 28
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction.
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Elise Stefanik drops out of N.Y. governor’s race 6 weeks after bid
Dec. 19 (UPI) — enRepublican U.S. House Rep. Elise Stefanik on Friday announced she was ending her run for New York governor after 1 1/2 months and won’t seek another term in Congress.
On Nov. 7, On Nov. 7, Stefanik launched a campaign bid in an effort to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in November 2026.
“While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress,” Stefanik, 41, wrote on X. “I did not come to this decision lightly for our family.
“I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York.”
Stefanik is married to Matthew Manda, who works in marketing and communication, and they have a 4-year-old son.
“And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom,” she wrote. “I believe that being a parent is life’s greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don’t further focus on my young son’s safety, growth, and happiness – particularly at his tender age.”
Her main primary opposition was Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who announced his run 10 days ago.
“However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York,” Stefanik wrote.
The last Republican governor in New York was George Pataki, who served three terms from 1995 to 2006.
The last time a Republican presidential candidate won New York was in 1984, when incumbent Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat Walter Mondale.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the state by 13 points, down from former President Joe Biden‘s 23-point victory in 2000.
“Elise Stefanik has finally acknowledged reality: If you run against Governor Kathy Hochul, you are going to lose,” Hochul spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki told Politico. “As Donald Trump raises costs on New Yorkers and targets this state relentlessly, Governor Hochul has cut middle-class taxes, put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, and fought this administration and won when New York has come under attack.”
Stefanik has represented the rural conservative upstate New York district since 2014, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at that time.
The 21st Congressional District covers the northernmost part of the state, bordering Canada to the north and Vermont to the east. Major cities include Plattsburgh, Watertown, Glens Falls, Ogdensburg and Rome.
In November 2024, she was overwhelmingly re-elected by 24 percentage points as Trump carried the conservative region by more than 20 points.
When President Trump was elected president last November, he nominated her to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. But the nomination was pulled because of the narrow Republican edge in the House, with Trump saying it was “essential that we maintain EVERY Republican seat in Congress.”
Hochul would have called for a special election.
Republicans now have a 220-213 advantage with two vacancies in seats by Democrats who have died.
Stefanik rose in House leadership, serving as the fourth-ranking House Republican, a position she first attained in May 2021 by replacing Liz Cheney. She was succeeded in this specific role by Lisa McClain for the 119th Congress.
After her nomination was pulled, Speaker Mike Johnson named her chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.
She originally was a critic of Trump but became one of his most vocal allies.
Stefanik fell a little out of favor with the president after she called New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani a “jihadist.”
During a meeting with Mamdan in the White House, the president reduced to label the Democratic socialist that description. He is a Muslim and South Asian.
Trump hadn’t endorsed either candidate, including when Stefanik was in the White House’s Oval Office when he signed legislation awarding the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team the Congressional Gold Medal. The teams won the gold medal in Lake Place, which includes Stefdanik’s district.
Ed Cox, chairman of the New York Republican Party, endorsed Blackman after Stefanik’s decision. In a statement, he also said Stefanik would “remain a leader in our party and a powerful voice for our principles. We respect her decision and thank her for her efforts.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt served as Stefanik’s communications director from 2020-23.
“Elise Stefanik has been an incredible advocate for the people of her district in Upstate New York, and she will always be a true friend to President Trump,” she posted on X. “On a personal note, Elise is my former boss. She is a great leader, and an even better person. We love you, posted.
Helen Flanagan threatened to ‘destroy ’ ex Scott Sinclair in savage TikTok post weeks before Nativity fall out
HELEN Flanagan was issued a warning from her fans after threatening to “destroy” her ex Scott Sinclair.
The former Coronation Street actress split up from her footballer fiance in 2022, but the pair has struggled to co-parent their three children with Helen recently lashing out at him on Instagram.
Helen called Scott “a piece of s**t” for missing their youngest son’s nativity play, but it seems trouble must have been brewing weeks ago.
The actress posted to TikTok wearing a sexy, animal print corset top and brushed her blonde her as an audio recording of boxer Tyson Fury played over the top.
The audio from 2017 was Tyson saying: “I will destroy you, I will dismantle you, I will dissect you like an insect, smash you to pieces without no hesitation.”
It was a warning to fellow Brit boxer, Anthony Joshua and Helen joked that she too was using it as a threat to Scott.
“My voice notes to my baby dad ( I’m 5ft 4, and struggle to open a bottle of water),” Helen captioned the TikTok.
Her fans were divided about the video and shared their thoughts in the comment section.
“Please be careful posting content like this Helen, if he ever took you to Court over child access, his representation would happily use this against you. Also, your eldest is at an age where she may see this and whatever has happened between you as adults seeing stuff like this about her Dad may upset her,” wrote one person.
Another added: “Hope your kids don’t see this. Take the high ground hun. Even if he is a piece of s***. Your future self will thank you.”
And a third commented: “All I’ll say is yes queen.”
Things seemed to go nuclear between Helen and Scott this week when she slated him online for missing son Charlie’s nativity play.
Helen this week lashed out this week at the Bristol Rovers footballer who was living it up in Abu Dhabi, rather than at Charlie’s big day.
The actress labelled her ex a “piece of s**t” after he posted photos of himself at the F1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.
She shared his post to her Instagram stories and added: “How dare you not turn up to Charlie’s nativity.”
The couple who split in 2022, share children Matilda, 10, and seven-year-old Delilah as well as son Charlie, four.
And now, a source has revealed that Helen was expecting Scott to watch Charlie’s nativity play due to her busy workload.
She is currently starring as The Wicked Queen in a production of Snow White in Liverpool.
Katherine Ryan reveals she’s had ‘serious cosmetic surgery’ just eight weeks after giving birth
KATHERINE Ryan has revealed that she has had “serious cosmetic surgery” just eight weeks after giving birth to her fourth child.
The comedian and her husband Bobby Kootstra welcomed daughter Holland in October.
And Katherine, 42, says that the little one came along to the surgery, which took place in York – hours away from their London home.
Talking on her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, Katherine said she is in “no pain” following the procedure.
Katherine explained: “I went to York, it was three and a half hours, I elected to take the baby with me because she just turned eight weeks that day and I’m still breastfeeding her, obviously, I will be for a long time.
“You can’t breastfeed immediately after surgery but I could obviously spend the night with her before and breastfeed her then.
“I was thinking to myself, after I got this surgery – which, wait until you see it, is pretty serious surgery – I was like, ‘Katherine Ryan what is your damage? What the f*** are you doing? Why have you brought a baby to surgery.’
“But then i thought, up and down this country, worldwide, everyday, we are giving women C-sections and then saying, ‘Sweet, go keep these twins alive’.”
Katherine clarified that a C section is “much more serious” than the procedure she had.
She joked: “So, what’s an elective cosmetic procedure with a newborn?”
Continuing that she is in “no pain”, Katherine said that while she’d like to share what procedure she has had done, it’s under wraps.
The comedian was joined by a filming crew who captured the whole thing for an upcoming docuseries.
She says there is more information coming soon on the show.
Katherine’s husband, Bobby, revealed in October that the comedian welcomed their newborn in just 45 minutes.
She appeared to have a speedy bounce back, as Bobby even shared a snap of the star enjoying a flute of prosecco in hospital following he birth,
Alongside baby Holland, Katherine and bobby share children Fenna, two, and three-year-old Fred.
The comedian is also a mum to 15-year-old Violet, who she has from a previous relationship.
Selena Quintanilla’s dad Abraham Jr. has died aged 86 just weeks after intimate Netflix doc on ‘Queen of Tejano Music’
THE father of singer Selena Quintanilla has died at the age of 86, his family has confirmed.
Abraham Quintanilla Jr. died on Saturday; his son, A.B. Quintanilla III, confirmed it on Instagram.
“It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today…,” he wrote.
A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
He famously managed the career of his daughter Selena, overseeing her rise to fame in the late 1980s before she was killed in 1995.
The iconic singer known for her hits including Como la Flor and Dreaming of You, was murdered in Texas by her friend and former nurse Yolanda Saldivar.
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Saldivar was president of Selena’s fan club and manager of her boutiques business, jobs that she lost shortly before the murder after it was discovered that she had been embezzling money.
She was denied parole in March this year after being sentenced to 30 years to life behind bars in October 1995.
Her next opportunity for parole will be in March 2030.
After the death of his daughter, Abraham made it his mission to preserve her legacy as the Queen of Tejano Music and one of the greatest Latino artists of all time, as named by Billboard magazine.
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News of her murder shocked the nation, especially those in her home state of Texas, with the then governor George W. Bush declaring April 16 as Selena Day.
Her album, Dreaming of You, released after her death, soared to the top of the Billboard 200 – a first for a Latin artist.
Two years later, the film Selena was released by Warner Bros, starring Jennifer Lopez at the beginning of her career.
Selena: The Series was released by Netflix in 2020, documenting her life and career and featuring Christian Serratos from The Walking Dead.
This has been followed this year by the November release of the new Netflix doc, Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy.
It is told by her immediate family including her father.
In it, he recalled the time he first took his daughter to a record label in San Antonio with the hope of launching her career.
“At first, they were skeptical because it’s a girl — and a young girl. I said, ‘Well, let’s give it a try one time,’” he said.
It was then that she recorded her first song and was catapulted to fame.
Robbie Williams planning to get a WIG as he admits he’s going bald weeks after claiming fat jabs were ‘making him blind’
ROBBIE Williams has revealed he’s planning to get a WIG as he admits he’s going bald – weeks after claiming fat jabs were ‘making him blind’.
The Angels singer, 51, has always been something of an open book, and during his latest appearance on a popular podcast, he opened up about his hair woes.
Robbie, who is sporting a salt and pepper stylish spiked hair do at the moment, said: “I’m losing my hair… This is all powder and scaffolding now.
“I’m thinking about getting one of them hair systems.”
He continued on the Games Gone: The Steve Bracknall Podcast: “So I’m a pop star. That’s what I do for a living, you know…you’re supposed to have some sort of looks and some sort of hair.
“I’ve got powder in. That’s why it looks alright now. But it’s on its way out. And I’m thinking about getting one of them hair systems.
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“Have you seen the hair systems? You go to a guy and he sort of shaves it here, and then you get a wig that’s shaped for that bit.
“And then you get some, um… glue. And then you glue it on and it stays on for a couple of weeks, but you have to get it fixed.”
Robbie’s latest admission comes after he told The Sun he feared fat jabs were making him blind.
He said: “I was quite an early adopter of the jabs but what I’m also noticing is that my eyesight’s not very good.
“It’s been blurry for a while now, and it’s only getting worse. I don’t believe it’s age; I believe it’s the jabs.
“Everybody’s experiencing it, because I’ll say to people, ‘Blurry, right?’. And they go, ‘Oh s**t, that the thing?’.
“Of course it’s worrying and by being honest today, obviously I want to warn people reading this of the potential risks, to make sure they do their research.
“But seriously, I’m that sick I’d probably stay on it until the sight in one eye has completely gone.”
Last year a US study found patients using some fat jabs for Type 2 diabetes were four times more likely to be diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) — a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve which may lead to sight loss.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received 296 reports of eye disorders thought to be linked to Mounjaro.
Of those, 164 specifically claimed the drug had damaged their vision.
But scientists have not agreed that the medicines actually cause the condition — or by how much they increase the risk.