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Where and when to vote early in Smith County

TYLER –Early voting for the Joint Primary Elections for Smith County residents will run from February 20 through March 1. Voters can cast their ballots at any of the six early voting locations, which include:

First Christian Church – Christian Life Center: 4202 S. Broadway Ave, Tyler
Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler
The Hub: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler
Lindale’s Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale
Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler
Whitehouse Methodist Church: 405 W. Main Street, Whitehouse
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North Korea tests new type of cruise missile, state media says

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan. 24, 2024. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- North Korea launched a test flight for a new type of missile, state media outlets said Thursday.

The test on Wednesday was the first for an under-development strategic cruise missile, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Reports named the weapon as a Pulhwasal-3-31 missile.

"The test fire had no negative effect on the security of the neighboring country and is not connected with the situation of the region," the Voice of Korea, a national broadcaster, said in an English-language post.

The launch comes amid growing cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan, with the three countries saying they're sharing real-time updates and analysis on military activity in the region.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday had called for North Korea to "refrain from further provocative, destabilizing actions and return to diplomacy."

"We are eager to engage in substantive discussions on identifying ways to not just manage military risk but create lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," Vedant Patel, a spokesperson, said during a press brefing, "as well as our continued stated goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

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5 questions as Trump’s E. Jane Carroll defamation trial resumes

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Donald Trump's defamation damages trial is scheduled to resume Thursday after a two-day postponement stemming from a courtroom COVID-19 scare. At issue is whether the former president has to pay writer E. Jean Carroll additional damages for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegations of sexual abuse.

Originally scheduled to take three days, the trial is now nearing the end of its second week as Trump prepares to possibly testify and the court grapples with COVID concerns.

Here are five questions as the trial heads toward its conclusion.

What happens if multiple jurors have COVID-19?

If multiple jurors call in sick, Judge Lewis Kaplan will likely face a decision to either continue the trial with fewer jurors or extend the trial's delay until the jurors recover, according to former federal prosecutor Josh Naftalis.

"My expectation with most, if not all, Southern District judges is they would prefer to lose a juror and keep the trial going, than to put it off indefinitely to get back the person who's sick," Naftalis told ABC News.

When Judge Kaplan delayed the trial on Monday, he expressed confidence that the trial would continue through any COVID-related delay.

"This Court functioned all the way through the worst of the COVID pandemic. We conducted over a hundred jury trials right through the lockdowns and everything else," the judge said. "We have gotten through all of that. I'm sure we'll get through all of this too."

How many jurors are needed to render a verdict?

Judge Kaplan initially seated nine jurors to hear the defamation trial; however, a jury of six could still render a verdict, according to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Even though the jury does not include any alternates, having three more jurors than needed gives Kaplan a cushion, according to Nafatlis.

"If you lose a juror, you can keep going as long as you stay with the jury of at least six," Naftalis said.

However, if the jury loses four members, Kaplan would likely be forced to declare a mistrial in the case, according to Naftalis.

Kaplan would then have to empanel a new jury to restart the case. Depending on the availability of Kaplan, the parties, and the jury pool, that process could begin as early as next week.

Does Trump still plan to testify?

Trump arrived at court on Monday with his regular legal team as well as his two criminal defense lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles.

"He was planning to testify," defense lawyer Alina Habba told Kaplan Monday before court was adjourned due to health concerns.

What happens if Trump defies the judge on the stand?

If Trump takes the stand, his testimony will be heavily restrained by the judge's pretrial ruling, which determined that -- because a jury last year already found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and then defaming her -- Trump is barred from arguing that he did not sexually abuse Carroll or that he never met her.

The possibility that Trump violates those rules in the presence of the jury could put Kaplan in a tight spot, according to trial lawyer and ABC News contributor Chris Timmons.

"If you go into court and you disrespect the judge in front of the entire courtroom, you're going to be held in contempt or at least get warned that you're on the verge of being held in contempt," Timmons said.

If Trump defies Kaplan's orders, Kaplan could strike the testimony from the record and instruct the jury to disregard it, according to Naftalis.

"He will likely try to direct him as to what's in bounds and out of bounds," Naftalis said. "If Trump continues to ignore … there would likely be a break outside the presence of the jury where he says, 'If you continue to do this, I will just end your testimony.'"

If Trump continues to defy the rules, Kaplan could boot Trump from the courtroom -- something he threatened to do during last week's proceedings when Trump was being disruptive.

"Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which is what has been reported to me," the judge said last Wednesday after Trump was heard making comments within earshot of the jury. "Mr. Trump, I hope I don't have to consider excluding you from the trial."

"I understand you are probably very eager for me to do that," the judge added, to which Trump threw his up his arms and said, "I would love it, I would love it."

Could the judge hold Trump in contempt?

If Trump repeatedly violates the orders and instructions of the court, Kaplan could hold the former president in contempt and impose monetary sanctions -- but the likelihood that it gets to that point is low, according to Naftalis.

"I think the more likely scenario is the judge says, 'If you're not going to abide by the orders of the court, your testimony is over.' I think that's more likely than getting to, like, full-out sanctions," said Naftalis.

"The judge will interrupt them and strike it, and that will end it there," Naftalis said. "There won't be an opportunity for Trump to sort of go on and give us a soliloquy."

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Eva Mendes claps back at #NotMyKen crowd after Ryan Gosling snags ‘Barbie’ Oscar nom

Warner Bros. Pictures

A "beyond proud" Eva Mendes took to Instagram Wednesday afternoon to clap back at those who once derided her longtime partner Ryan Gosling for taking the role of Ken in Barbie.

The movie has since become a cultural phenomenon and was the highest-grossing movie of 2023 — and the recipient of eight Oscar nominations, including one for Gosling as Best Supporting Actor.

To a screen grab of a 2022 Rolling Stone article titled in part "Ryan Gosling Is Giving Major Cringe as Ken in 'Barbie,'" Mendes said, "So much hate when he took on this role."

She continued, "So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars."

Mendes, 49, said of the 43-year-old Gosling, "So beyond proud to be this Ken's Barbie."

Her post got tons of support online — including from Ryan's Barbie co-star, Supporting Actress Oscar nominee America Ferrera.

She praised his "triple somersault performance," adding, "I'm so grateful for the way he showed up with his super stardom, and continues to show up to support all the women in this process!! He is a class act and insanely deserving and talented."

Mendes excitedly responded to that reply in both English and Spanish, calling America a sister and congratulating the "queen" for her own nomination.

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Ohio Senate overrides governor veto of trans care, sports ban HB 68

Maddie McGarvey/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- The Ohio Senate has voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto against Ohio House Bill 68 in a 23-9 vote. This bill would ban transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming medical care and prevent transgender girls from taking part in girls' and women's sports.

The Ohio House voted to override the veto on Jan. 10.

The bill restricts the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries for transgender youth. The bill does not restrict the use of this care on non-transgender youth, and specifically includes an exception for intersex youth with ambiguous or abnormal sex characteristics.

A grandfather clause allows transgender people already receiving care to continue doing so.

Physicians have told ABC News that doctors, families and patients often have many long conversations together to consider age-appropriate individualized approaches to care. This often begins with mental health care, they say.

For youth approaching puberty, puberty blockers are a reversible form of gender-affirming care that allows children to pause puberty and explore their gender identity without the growth of permanent sex characteristics (e.g., breasts, genitalia) that may cause further stress, according to physicians interviewed by ABC News.

Hormone therapy for older teens helps align a patient's physical appearance with their gender identity. Patients are given estrogen or testosterone, and the changes from these medications occur slowly and are partially reversible.

Surgeries on adolescents are rare and only considered on a case-by-case basis, physicians have told ABC News.

DeWine vetoed the bill in December 2023, saying he believed the bill as written would harm transgender youth and impede on families' ability to make decisions after speaking with those who would be impacted by the legislation.

"The decisions that parents are making are not easy decisions," DeWine said in the Dec. 29 press conference. "These tough, tough decisions should not be made by the government. They should not be made by the state of Ohio. They should be made by the people who love these kids the most. And that's the parents, the parents who raised the child, the parents who have seen that child go through agony."

However, he agreed with several concerns highlighted by the legislature.

He proposed rules to regulate gender-affirming care instead that would be less likely to be challenged in court -- including bans on surgeries for minors.

"None of [the families] that I talked to talked about surgery," said DeWine in a Dec. 29 statement. "That's not where they were going in the discussion. And I think that's, frankly, a fallacy that's out there that, you know, this goes right to surgery. It just doesn't. All the children's hospitals say that we don't do surgeries."

At least 21 states have implemented restrictions on access to gender-affirming care, many of which have faced legal challenges.

A law banning gender-affirming care for minors in Arkansas was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge and similar laws have been blocked in Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Texas and Montana while lawsuits are considered.

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DeWine also proposed reporting and data collection on those who receive care to better monitor quality of care, as well as implementing restrictions on "pop-up clinics" that serve the transgender community.

"I truly believe that we can address a number of goals in House Bill 68 by administrative rules that will have likely a better chance of surviving judicial review and being adopted," DeWine said.

Gender-affirming care has been called safe and effective by more than 20 major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association. The AMA has said this care can be medically necessary to improve the physical and mental health of transgender people.

Transgender youth are more likely to experience anxiety, depressed mood and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts due to discrimination and gender dysphoria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research shows hormone therapy can improve the mental health of transgender adolescents and teenagers, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found.

When asked if he had thoughts on the sports restrictions in the bill, DeWine said he "focused on the part of the bill that I thought affected the most people and the most children by far," referring to the gender-affirming care portion of the bill.

The bill also would ban transgender girls from participating in sports. It would replace the state's current transgender sport participation policies, which require a transgender girl to complete a minimum of one year of hormone treatment or demonstrate that she did not possess physical or physiological advantages over genetic females.

For a transgender male to participate in sports, he currently must demonstrate that his muscle mass developed as a result of testosterone treatment and does not exceed muscle mass typical of adolescent genetic males. Hormone levels are then monitored every three to six months.

However, as Rep. Richard D. Brown pointed out during House debate on the bill, the Ohio Constitution states that "no bill shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title." It is unclear if this will complicate the bill's path forward.

Physicians who provide any gender-affirming medical care for trans youth in Ohio under this law would be "subject to discipline by the applicable professional licensing board" under this legislation.

ABC News' Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.

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Trump picks up endorsements from holdouts after New Hampshire win

Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- Texas Sen. John Cornyn, considered a top contender to succeed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, joined over half of Republicans in the chamber in endorsing Trump following the former president's victory over Nikki Haley in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

In a reversal, Cornyn in a statement on X called on his party to consolidate support around a single candidate, Trump, after the double-digit win.

"I have seen enough. To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it's clear that President Trump is Republican voters' choice," Cornyn said.

The X statement comes eight months after Cornyn expressed skepticism that Trump could be an effective candidate in a call with Texas reporters.

"I think President Trump's time has passed him by and what's the most important thing to me is we have a candidate who can actually win," Cornyn said in the May call.

Cornyn had changed his tune Wednesday, telling reporters he now likes Trump's chances compared to President Joe Biden's polling.

"I think it's important to unify behind the candidate, and I respect the voter's choice in Iowa and New Hampshire," Cornyn said. "I think you'll see that repeated in South Carolina as well."

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer also joined the ranks of lawmakers backing Trump.

"It's time for Republicans to unite around President Donald Trump and make Joe Biden a one-term President," Fischer said on X.

More than 100 Republicans in the House of Representatives are backing Trump. That includes all members of the GOP leadership.

Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday night called out members of his party who have yet to endorse the former president.

"It's now past time for the Republican Party to unite around President Trump so we can focus on ending the disastrous Biden presidency and growing our majority in Congress," he said on X.

At least two major players in the Senate continue to hold out on Trump: House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota.

McConnell dodged questions about his decision to withhold an endorsement at the GOP's weekly press conference Tuesday.

"I don't have any announcement to make on the presidential election … And in fact, as you may recall -- I have stayed centrally out of it," McConnell said. "And I have not changed my mind about that. I'll let you know."

Trump previously called for a primary challenger to close McConnell ally Thune, who won re-election anyway in 2022. Like Cornyn, Thune and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who endorsed Trump in early January, are viewed as likely options of successors to McConnell.

Thune endorsed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott before Scott dropped out of the race.

But Scott threw his support behind Trump shortly before New Hampshire.

Speaking on Trump's behalf at the former president's victory rally post-New Hampshire, Scott delivered remarks reminiscent of Cornyn's statement, calling on his party to come together.

"It's time for the Republican Party to coalesce around our nominee and the next president of the United States, Donald Trump," he said.

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United Auto Workers endorse Biden; union president calls Trump a ‘scab’

Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden received a key 2024 endorsement on Wednesday from the United Auto Workers, with the union's president using the occasion to savage Biden's likely general election opponent, Donald Trump.

Shawn Fain announced UAW's support for Biden's reelection bid at their biannual conference in Washington, D.C.

"I know there's some people that want to ignore this election," Fain said. "They don't want to have anything to do with politics. Other people want to argue endlessly about the latest headline or scandal or stupid quote. Elections aren't about just taking your best friend for the job or the candidate who makes you feel good. Elections are about power."

The backing of the Michigan-based UAW, with more than 400,000 members, could give Biden an edge in a key battleground state that has helped determine the last two political elections. He won Michigan by about 150,000 votes in 2020; Trump won it by about 10,000 votes four years earlier.

Biden also won the group’s endorsement in 2020, and it backed Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016.

But Trump was successful in battlegrounds like Michigan and Ohio in that election cycle in part because of his ability to attract more union support than past GOP candidates: The UAW said at the time it believed one in four of its members likely voted for Trump based on surveys.

"The question is, who do we want in that office to give us the best shot of winning?" Fain said on Wednesday. "Who gives us the best shot of organizing? Who gives us the best shot of negotiating strong contracts? Who gives us the best shot of uniting the working class and winning our fair share once again?"

Biden, who has increasingly been gearing in public to face Trump in the general election, also delivered remarks. He thanked the union for its support and praised members for inspiring the labor movement with its strike last year against the Big Three auto makers.

"Let me just say, I'm honored to have your back and you have mine, that's the deal," Biden said. "It comes down to seeing the world the same way, it's not complicated."

Fain cast the 2024 race as a choice between Biden and Trump and didn't mince words in his criticism of the former president. He specifically took issue with Trump's handling of the union's 2019 strike, arguing that Trump didn't do a "damn thing" while UAW members confronted General Motors at plants across the U.S.

"Donald Trump is a scab," Fain said. "Donald Trump is a billionaire, and that's who he represents. If Donald Trump ever worked in auto plant, he wouldn't be a UAW member -- he'd be a company man trying to squeeze the American worker."

Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fain's remarks, though Trump has previously dismissed Biden's record on unions.

Last year, Biden joined UAW members striking in Michigan against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis on the picket line in a historic show of support for workers amid their contract negotiations with the auto giants for better wages and conditions.

"If our endorsements must be earned, Joe Biden has earned it," Fain said on Wednesday.

Biden, who has touted himself as the most "pro-union" president, told members that union workers are central to his economic vision to build the economy from the middle out and bottom up.

"Together, we're proving what I've always believed," Biden said. "Wall Street didn't build America, the middle class built America and unions built the middle class."

He continued, "As long as I’m president, the working people are gonna get their fair share. ... You deserve it."

Trump, too, visited Michigan last September just a day after Biden to try to woo auto workers and union members. He delivered a speech at a non-unionized plant.

In that speech, Trump repeated his pitch for economic nationalism, calling himself the only candidate who wants to protect American labor -- which was a key pledge in his previous campaigns.

He also attacked Biden for the federal government's environmental regulation push on tailpipe pollution, which would encourage more electric vehicle manufacturing -- while also raising the concerns of auto workers like those in the UAW. Biden has said he wants to invest in the auto industry to spur more electric vehicle use to address climate change.

Trump took a darker view.

"You're all on picket lines and everything, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference what you get because in two years -- you're all going to be out of business," he said in September. "You're not getting anything. What they're doing to the auto industry in Michigan and throughout the country is absolutely horrible and ridiculous."

ABC News' Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.

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Prime Video reveals inspiration for third season of ‘Reacher’

Ritchson and Sten - Prime Video

Prime Video reported Wednesday that the upcoming third season of its hit original series Reacher will be based on Persuader, the seventh book in author Lee Child's bestselling Jack Reacher series.

Child is also an executive producer of the show, starring Alan Ritchson as his hulking hero.

According to Prime Video, in the third installment, "Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past."

Production of the third season is already underway in Toronto. The show was renewed for a third chapter in December, two weeks before the sophomore season debuted on the streamer.

In its announcement, Prime Video also revealed that Maria Sten will return in the third season as Jack Reacher's ally Frances Neagley.

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Jon Stewart to return to ‘The Daily Show’ weekly through the presidential election

Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Comedy Central announced that Jon Stewart will return to host The Daily Show on Mondays during the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.

His once-a-week return begins Monday, February 12. He'll also serve as executive producer of the award-winning show throughout the week.

"Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!" Stewart snarked on X, formerly Twitter, adding his stats as if he were an athlete.

The stand-up and Emmy-winning former host left the news and entertainment show in 2015.

In a statement, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios President and CEO Chris McCarthy said, "Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return ... to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season."

He added, "In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit."

For the rest of the week's episodes, The Daily Show will continue with its rotating roster of guest hosts, as it's done since former host Trevor Noah left the program in 2022.

The Daily Show's producers had been looking for a permanent host to take Noah's place but recently decided against that. Now, it appears this could have been their reasoning behind that.

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Ryan Gosling speaks out on Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’ Oscar snubs

Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Gosling is speaking out about Tuesday's Oscar nominations.

On Tuesday, the Barbie actor landed a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the 96th Academy Awards for his role as Ken in the box office movie. But, while he expressed his gratitude for the nod, the actor also took the opportunity to share his disappointment that director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were snubbed from two Oscar categories -- best director and best actress.

In a statement obtained by ABC News, Gosling said, "I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films."

"And I never thought I’d [be] saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it's for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” he continued. "But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film."

"No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius," his statement continued.

"To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement," Gosling added.

"Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history,” he said. “Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees."

Gosling went on to say he was "so happy for America Ferrera," who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film."

Despite the snubs in the two main categories for Gerwig and Robbie, Barbie earned eight nominations, including Best Picture.

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Scoreboard roundup — 1/23/24

Iran’s top diplomat says risk of war in the Middle East ‘has gone up,’ blames US

The Iranians call Hamas a "Palestinian liberation group" and say Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are a response to the war in Gaza. (ABC News)

(IRAN) -- The chances that flashpoints in the Middle East will ignite a conflict that engulfs the entire region have increased, Iran's top diplomat told ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview Tuesday.

"The scope of the war has become wider. This means that the danger of having a wider war in the region has gone up," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, blaming the U.S and Israel for the escalating tensions.

"If the U.S. today stops its backing -- logistical and weapons, political and media support -- of the genocidal war launched by Israel, then I can assure you that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will not survive for 10 minutes," he asserted. "So the key to solve the problem is in Washington before it is in Tel Aviv."

Raddatz pressed the foreign minister on Iran's role in stoking the conflict, including its longstanding financial and military support of Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that killed hundreds of civilians in Israel in its Oct. 7 attack.

"We consider Hamas a Palestinian liberation group that is standing against occupation," Amir-Abdollahian said. "Of course, we never approved the killing of women and children, civilians anywhere in the world. We never support it."

Raddatz also questioned the foreign minister on Iran's backing of the Houthis -- the Yemeni rebel group responsible for dozens of recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, including U.S. ships.

The Pentagon has shared evidence of what it says is Iran's weapons smuggling network that supplies the Houthis, including details of a commando mission in the Arabian Sea that successfully intercepted Iranian-made missile components destined for Yemen but resulted in the death of two Navy SEALS.

But Amir-Abdollahian dismissed the allegations, baselessly accusing the U.S. military of fabricating the information.

"Mostly, this is a TV show," he asserted, even though the United Nations and other foreign governments have documented similar arms transfers from Iran.

While the Oct. 7 attacks and its tumultuous aftermath have renewed fears of direct combat between the U.S. and Iran, the two have teetered on the brink of war before in recent years.

Hostilities between the countries hit a zenith in 2020, when then-President Donald Trump ordered an air strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and a man the U.S. says responsible for the deaths of hundreds American and coalition service members and was actively plotting to kill more.

In the aftermath of Soleimani's killing, Iranian officials vowed they would eventually exact revenge.

"That was a big, big mistake made by Trump. That is not something that we will be able to forget," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that Tehran still wanted to see "all the people involved" in the strike "brought to justice."

"What does that mean?" Raddatz asked. "Does that mean killed?"

"Justice will rule on it," he responded.

However, Amir-Abdollahian argued that whether Trump won or lost his bid for another term in the Oval Office would ultimately have little impact on the relationship between the U.S. and Iran.

"Individuals are not important, what matters is the behavior of the government that takes the office.," he said.

In the Middle East, Tehran wields much of its power through its vast web of proxies--an informal coalition terrorist organization like Hamas, the Houthis, Lebanon's Hezbollah, as well as paramilitary groups scattered through Iraq and Syria that are united by anti-Western and anti-Israeli sentiments.

U.S. officials say Iran has significant influence over the network of militants that benefit from the country's financial and military support, but Tehran has consistently downplayed or denied the connections--insisting the country only wants to see peace across the Middle East.

"Nobody is going to benefit from any war. We believe that the solution is never war," Amir-Abdollahian said.

ABC News' Cindy Smith, Nate Luna and Christopher Boccia contributed to this report.
 

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US stages retaliatory airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Anton Petrus/Getty Images

(IRAQ) -- The U.S. on Tuesday staged airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in retaliation for ballistic missiles fired Saturday against Al-Assad airbase that left four U.S. personnel with traumatic brain injuries.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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NYPD investigates ‘serious crimes’ in apparent attack on Pro-Palestinian protesters

Bruce Yuanyue Bi/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- A group of demonstrators at Columbia University say they were attacked with what they believe to have been a "chemical-based weapon" during a gathering in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The New York Police Department told ABC News there is a report on file for assault after the protesters said they smelled a foul odor and began to feel nauseated, accompanied by headaches, during a protest Friday. The victims refused medical attention at the scene, according to the NYPD.

Students for Justice in Palestine said several students have been hospitalized or have sought medical care following the incident. Victims reported symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, chest and abdominal pain and headaches.

Interim Provost Dennis A. Mitchell said the NYPD is taking the "lead role in investigating what appear to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes."

"Numerous Columbia and Barnard students who attended a protest later reported being sprayed with a foul-smelling substance that required students to seek medical treatment," said Mitchell.

The alleged perpetrators have been identified to the university and have been immediately banned from campus while the law enforcement investigation proceeds, according to Mitchell.

The investigation remains ongoing, officials said. The university's Department of Public Safety is also investigating in collaboration with local and federal authorities after several reports were filed in connection with Friday’s protest "that are of great concern," according to a Columbia University spokesperson.

"While the investigation is proceeding, we continue to seek the university community’s support. Reporting is essential so that the proper authorities -- including the NYPD -- can track down the facts and take action as necessary," the Columbia University department said Sunday.

The Department of Public Safety is urging people to come forward if they have any information.

Several of the protesters were from the groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, according to posts from the groups on social media.

In a social media post, the Students for Justice in Palestine said "student protesters were sprayed by a chemical weapon" during a "pro-Palestine and anti-genocide" protest. They referred to the attack as a "hate crime" and said several students continued to experience burning eyes and nausea hours after the attack.

The two groups were suspended in November by the university for allegedly violating university policies for holding unauthorized events that "included threatening rhetoric and intimidation." Their suspension caused outrage nationwide.

Colleges and universities across the United States have struggled to handle the ongoing debate over the Israel-Hamas war with pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests erupting on campuses and federal agencies launching investigations into possible discrimination at several institutions.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 25,105 people have been killed and 62,681 others have been injured since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by the terrorist group Hamas and other Palestinian militants, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with a new statement from the university's interim provost.

 

 

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Winter Weather Closings

Winter Weather Closings and Delays – Even with wintry weather easing up in East Texas, some school districts, colleges and businesses have cancellations and delays in effect. Our news partner KETK has the complete up to date list here.

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Where and when to vote early in Smith County

Posted/updated on: February 22, 2024 at 4:06 pm

TYLER –Early voting for the Joint Primary Elections for Smith County residents will run from February 20 through March 1. Voters can cast their ballots at any of the six early voting locations, which include:

First Christian Church – Christian Life Center: 4202 S. Broadway Ave, Tyler
Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler
The Hub: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler
Lindale’s Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale
Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler
Whitehouse Methodist Church: 405 W. Main Street, Whitehouse
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North Korea tests new type of cruise missile, state media says

Posted/updated on: January 25, 2024 at 5:50 am
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan. 24, 2024. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- North Korea launched a test flight for a new type of missile, state media outlets said Thursday.

The test on Wednesday was the first for an under-development strategic cruise missile, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Reports named the weapon as a Pulhwasal-3-31 missile.

"The test fire had no negative effect on the security of the neighboring country and is not connected with the situation of the region," the Voice of Korea, a national broadcaster, said in an English-language post.

The launch comes amid growing cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan, with the three countries saying they're sharing real-time updates and analysis on military activity in the region.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday had called for North Korea to "refrain from further provocative, destabilizing actions and return to diplomacy."

"We are eager to engage in substantive discussions on identifying ways to not just manage military risk but create lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," Vedant Patel, a spokesperson, said during a press brefing, "as well as our continued stated goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

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5 questions as Trump’s E. Jane Carroll defamation trial resumes

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 4:12 pm
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Donald Trump's defamation damages trial is scheduled to resume Thursday after a two-day postponement stemming from a courtroom COVID-19 scare. At issue is whether the former president has to pay writer E. Jean Carroll additional damages for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegations of sexual abuse.

Originally scheduled to take three days, the trial is now nearing the end of its second week as Trump prepares to possibly testify and the court grapples with COVID concerns.

Here are five questions as the trial heads toward its conclusion.

What happens if multiple jurors have COVID-19?

If multiple jurors call in sick, Judge Lewis Kaplan will likely face a decision to either continue the trial with fewer jurors or extend the trial's delay until the jurors recover, according to former federal prosecutor Josh Naftalis.

"My expectation with most, if not all, Southern District judges is they would prefer to lose a juror and keep the trial going, than to put it off indefinitely to get back the person who's sick," Naftalis told ABC News.

When Judge Kaplan delayed the trial on Monday, he expressed confidence that the trial would continue through any COVID-related delay.

"This Court functioned all the way through the worst of the COVID pandemic. We conducted over a hundred jury trials right through the lockdowns and everything else," the judge said. "We have gotten through all of that. I'm sure we'll get through all of this too."

How many jurors are needed to render a verdict?

Judge Kaplan initially seated nine jurors to hear the defamation trial; however, a jury of six could still render a verdict, according to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Even though the jury does not include any alternates, having three more jurors than needed gives Kaplan a cushion, according to Nafatlis.

"If you lose a juror, you can keep going as long as you stay with the jury of at least six," Naftalis said.

However, if the jury loses four members, Kaplan would likely be forced to declare a mistrial in the case, according to Naftalis.

Kaplan would then have to empanel a new jury to restart the case. Depending on the availability of Kaplan, the parties, and the jury pool, that process could begin as early as next week.

Does Trump still plan to testify?

Trump arrived at court on Monday with his regular legal team as well as his two criminal defense lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles.

"He was planning to testify," defense lawyer Alina Habba told Kaplan Monday before court was adjourned due to health concerns.

What happens if Trump defies the judge on the stand?

If Trump takes the stand, his testimony will be heavily restrained by the judge's pretrial ruling, which determined that -- because a jury last year already found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and then defaming her -- Trump is barred from arguing that he did not sexually abuse Carroll or that he never met her.

The possibility that Trump violates those rules in the presence of the jury could put Kaplan in a tight spot, according to trial lawyer and ABC News contributor Chris Timmons.

"If you go into court and you disrespect the judge in front of the entire courtroom, you're going to be held in contempt or at least get warned that you're on the verge of being held in contempt," Timmons said.

If Trump defies Kaplan's orders, Kaplan could strike the testimony from the record and instruct the jury to disregard it, according to Naftalis.

"He will likely try to direct him as to what's in bounds and out of bounds," Naftalis said. "If Trump continues to ignore … there would likely be a break outside the presence of the jury where he says, 'If you continue to do this, I will just end your testimony.'"

If Trump continues to defy the rules, Kaplan could boot Trump from the courtroom -- something he threatened to do during last week's proceedings when Trump was being disruptive.

"Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which is what has been reported to me," the judge said last Wednesday after Trump was heard making comments within earshot of the jury. "Mr. Trump, I hope I don't have to consider excluding you from the trial."

"I understand you are probably very eager for me to do that," the judge added, to which Trump threw his up his arms and said, "I would love it, I would love it."

Could the judge hold Trump in contempt?

If Trump repeatedly violates the orders and instructions of the court, Kaplan could hold the former president in contempt and impose monetary sanctions -- but the likelihood that it gets to that point is low, according to Naftalis.

"I think the more likely scenario is the judge says, 'If you're not going to abide by the orders of the court, your testimony is over.' I think that's more likely than getting to, like, full-out sanctions," said Naftalis.

"The judge will interrupt them and strike it, and that will end it there," Naftalis said. "There won't be an opportunity for Trump to sort of go on and give us a soliloquy."

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Eva Mendes claps back at #NotMyKen crowd after Ryan Gosling snags ‘Barbie’ Oscar nom

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 4:02 pm
Warner Bros. Pictures

A "beyond proud" Eva Mendes took to Instagram Wednesday afternoon to clap back at those who once derided her longtime partner Ryan Gosling for taking the role of Ken in Barbie.

The movie has since become a cultural phenomenon and was the highest-grossing movie of 2023 — and the recipient of eight Oscar nominations, including one for Gosling as Best Supporting Actor.

To a screen grab of a 2022 Rolling Stone article titled in part "Ryan Gosling Is Giving Major Cringe as Ken in 'Barbie,'" Mendes said, "So much hate when he took on this role."

She continued, "So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars."

Mendes, 49, said of the 43-year-old Gosling, "So beyond proud to be this Ken's Barbie."

Her post got tons of support online — including from Ryan's Barbie co-star, Supporting Actress Oscar nominee America Ferrera.

She praised his "triple somersault performance," adding, "I'm so grateful for the way he showed up with his super stardom, and continues to show up to support all the women in this process!! He is a class act and insanely deserving and talented."

Mendes excitedly responded to that reply in both English and Spanish, calling America a sister and congratulating the "queen" for her own nomination.

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Ohio Senate overrides governor veto of trans care, sports ban HB 68

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 3:01 pm
Maddie McGarvey/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- The Ohio Senate has voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto against Ohio House Bill 68 in a 23-9 vote. This bill would ban transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming medical care and prevent transgender girls from taking part in girls' and women's sports.

The Ohio House voted to override the veto on Jan. 10.

The bill restricts the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries for transgender youth. The bill does not restrict the use of this care on non-transgender youth, and specifically includes an exception for intersex youth with ambiguous or abnormal sex characteristics.

A grandfather clause allows transgender people already receiving care to continue doing so.

Physicians have told ABC News that doctors, families and patients often have many long conversations together to consider age-appropriate individualized approaches to care. This often begins with mental health care, they say.

For youth approaching puberty, puberty blockers are a reversible form of gender-affirming care that allows children to pause puberty and explore their gender identity without the growth of permanent sex characteristics (e.g., breasts, genitalia) that may cause further stress, according to physicians interviewed by ABC News.

Hormone therapy for older teens helps align a patient's physical appearance with their gender identity. Patients are given estrogen or testosterone, and the changes from these medications occur slowly and are partially reversible.

Surgeries on adolescents are rare and only considered on a case-by-case basis, physicians have told ABC News.

DeWine vetoed the bill in December 2023, saying he believed the bill as written would harm transgender youth and impede on families' ability to make decisions after speaking with those who would be impacted by the legislation.

"The decisions that parents are making are not easy decisions," DeWine said in the Dec. 29 press conference. "These tough, tough decisions should not be made by the government. They should not be made by the state of Ohio. They should be made by the people who love these kids the most. And that's the parents, the parents who raised the child, the parents who have seen that child go through agony."

However, he agreed with several concerns highlighted by the legislature.

He proposed rules to regulate gender-affirming care instead that would be less likely to be challenged in court -- including bans on surgeries for minors.

"None of [the families] that I talked to talked about surgery," said DeWine in a Dec. 29 statement. "That's not where they were going in the discussion. And I think that's, frankly, a fallacy that's out there that, you know, this goes right to surgery. It just doesn't. All the children's hospitals say that we don't do surgeries."

At least 21 states have implemented restrictions on access to gender-affirming care, many of which have faced legal challenges.

A law banning gender-affirming care for minors in Arkansas was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge and similar laws have been blocked in Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Texas and Montana while lawsuits are considered.

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DeWine also proposed reporting and data collection on those who receive care to better monitor quality of care, as well as implementing restrictions on "pop-up clinics" that serve the transgender community.

"I truly believe that we can address a number of goals in House Bill 68 by administrative rules that will have likely a better chance of surviving judicial review and being adopted," DeWine said.

Gender-affirming care has been called safe and effective by more than 20 major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association. The AMA has said this care can be medically necessary to improve the physical and mental health of transgender people.

Transgender youth are more likely to experience anxiety, depressed mood and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts due to discrimination and gender dysphoria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research shows hormone therapy can improve the mental health of transgender adolescents and teenagers, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found.

When asked if he had thoughts on the sports restrictions in the bill, DeWine said he "focused on the part of the bill that I thought affected the most people and the most children by far," referring to the gender-affirming care portion of the bill.

The bill also would ban transgender girls from participating in sports. It would replace the state's current transgender sport participation policies, which require a transgender girl to complete a minimum of one year of hormone treatment or demonstrate that she did not possess physical or physiological advantages over genetic females.

For a transgender male to participate in sports, he currently must demonstrate that his muscle mass developed as a result of testosterone treatment and does not exceed muscle mass typical of adolescent genetic males. Hormone levels are then monitored every three to six months.

However, as Rep. Richard D. Brown pointed out during House debate on the bill, the Ohio Constitution states that "no bill shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title." It is unclear if this will complicate the bill's path forward.

Physicians who provide any gender-affirming medical care for trans youth in Ohio under this law would be "subject to discipline by the applicable professional licensing board" under this legislation.

ABC News' Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.

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Trump picks up endorsements from holdouts after New Hampshire win

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 2:51 pm
Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- Texas Sen. John Cornyn, considered a top contender to succeed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, joined over half of Republicans in the chamber in endorsing Trump following the former president's victory over Nikki Haley in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

In a reversal, Cornyn in a statement on X called on his party to consolidate support around a single candidate, Trump, after the double-digit win.

"I have seen enough. To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it's clear that President Trump is Republican voters' choice," Cornyn said.

The X statement comes eight months after Cornyn expressed skepticism that Trump could be an effective candidate in a call with Texas reporters.

"I think President Trump's time has passed him by and what's the most important thing to me is we have a candidate who can actually win," Cornyn said in the May call.

Cornyn had changed his tune Wednesday, telling reporters he now likes Trump's chances compared to President Joe Biden's polling.

"I think it's important to unify behind the candidate, and I respect the voter's choice in Iowa and New Hampshire," Cornyn said. "I think you'll see that repeated in South Carolina as well."

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer also joined the ranks of lawmakers backing Trump.

"It's time for Republicans to unite around President Donald Trump and make Joe Biden a one-term President," Fischer said on X.

More than 100 Republicans in the House of Representatives are backing Trump. That includes all members of the GOP leadership.

Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday night called out members of his party who have yet to endorse the former president.

"It's now past time for the Republican Party to unite around President Trump so we can focus on ending the disastrous Biden presidency and growing our majority in Congress," he said on X.

At least two major players in the Senate continue to hold out on Trump: House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota.

McConnell dodged questions about his decision to withhold an endorsement at the GOP's weekly press conference Tuesday.

"I don't have any announcement to make on the presidential election … And in fact, as you may recall -- I have stayed centrally out of it," McConnell said. "And I have not changed my mind about that. I'll let you know."

Trump previously called for a primary challenger to close McConnell ally Thune, who won re-election anyway in 2022. Like Cornyn, Thune and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who endorsed Trump in early January, are viewed as likely options of successors to McConnell.

Thune endorsed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott before Scott dropped out of the race.

But Scott threw his support behind Trump shortly before New Hampshire.

Speaking on Trump's behalf at the former president's victory rally post-New Hampshire, Scott delivered remarks reminiscent of Cornyn's statement, calling on his party to come together.

"It's time for the Republican Party to coalesce around our nominee and the next president of the United States, Donald Trump," he said.

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United Auto Workers endorse Biden; union president calls Trump a ‘scab’

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 4:02 pm
Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden received a key 2024 endorsement on Wednesday from the United Auto Workers, with the union's president using the occasion to savage Biden's likely general election opponent, Donald Trump.

Shawn Fain announced UAW's support for Biden's reelection bid at their biannual conference in Washington, D.C.

"I know there's some people that want to ignore this election," Fain said. "They don't want to have anything to do with politics. Other people want to argue endlessly about the latest headline or scandal or stupid quote. Elections aren't about just taking your best friend for the job or the candidate who makes you feel good. Elections are about power."

The backing of the Michigan-based UAW, with more than 400,000 members, could give Biden an edge in a key battleground state that has helped determine the last two political elections. He won Michigan by about 150,000 votes in 2020; Trump won it by about 10,000 votes four years earlier.

Biden also won the group’s endorsement in 2020, and it backed Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016.

But Trump was successful in battlegrounds like Michigan and Ohio in that election cycle in part because of his ability to attract more union support than past GOP candidates: The UAW said at the time it believed one in four of its members likely voted for Trump based on surveys.

"The question is, who do we want in that office to give us the best shot of winning?" Fain said on Wednesday. "Who gives us the best shot of organizing? Who gives us the best shot of negotiating strong contracts? Who gives us the best shot of uniting the working class and winning our fair share once again?"

Biden, who has increasingly been gearing in public to face Trump in the general election, also delivered remarks. He thanked the union for its support and praised members for inspiring the labor movement with its strike last year against the Big Three auto makers.

"Let me just say, I'm honored to have your back and you have mine, that's the deal," Biden said. "It comes down to seeing the world the same way, it's not complicated."

Fain cast the 2024 race as a choice between Biden and Trump and didn't mince words in his criticism of the former president. He specifically took issue with Trump's handling of the union's 2019 strike, arguing that Trump didn't do a "damn thing" while UAW members confronted General Motors at plants across the U.S.

"Donald Trump is a scab," Fain said. "Donald Trump is a billionaire, and that's who he represents. If Donald Trump ever worked in auto plant, he wouldn't be a UAW member -- he'd be a company man trying to squeeze the American worker."

Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fain's remarks, though Trump has previously dismissed Biden's record on unions.

Last year, Biden joined UAW members striking in Michigan against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis on the picket line in a historic show of support for workers amid their contract negotiations with the auto giants for better wages and conditions.

"If our endorsements must be earned, Joe Biden has earned it," Fain said on Wednesday.

Biden, who has touted himself as the most "pro-union" president, told members that union workers are central to his economic vision to build the economy from the middle out and bottom up.

"Together, we're proving what I've always believed," Biden said. "Wall Street didn't build America, the middle class built America and unions built the middle class."

He continued, "As long as I’m president, the working people are gonna get their fair share. ... You deserve it."

Trump, too, visited Michigan last September just a day after Biden to try to woo auto workers and union members. He delivered a speech at a non-unionized plant.

In that speech, Trump repeated his pitch for economic nationalism, calling himself the only candidate who wants to protect American labor -- which was a key pledge in his previous campaigns.

He also attacked Biden for the federal government's environmental regulation push on tailpipe pollution, which would encourage more electric vehicle manufacturing -- while also raising the concerns of auto workers like those in the UAW. Biden has said he wants to invest in the auto industry to spur more electric vehicle use to address climate change.

Trump took a darker view.

"You're all on picket lines and everything, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference what you get because in two years -- you're all going to be out of business," he said in September. "You're not getting anything. What they're doing to the auto industry in Michigan and throughout the country is absolutely horrible and ridiculous."

ABC News' Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.

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Prime Video reveals inspiration for third season of ‘Reacher’

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 1:41 pm
Ritchson and Sten - Prime Video

Prime Video reported Wednesday that the upcoming third season of its hit original series Reacher will be based on Persuader, the seventh book in author Lee Child's bestselling Jack Reacher series.

Child is also an executive producer of the show, starring Alan Ritchson as his hulking hero.

According to Prime Video, in the third installment, "Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past."

Production of the third season is already underway in Toronto. The show was renewed for a third chapter in December, two weeks before the sophomore season debuted on the streamer.

In its announcement, Prime Video also revealed that Maria Sten will return in the third season as Jack Reacher's ally Frances Neagley.

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Jon Stewart to return to ‘The Daily Show’ weekly through the presidential election

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 12:10 pm
Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Comedy Central announced that Jon Stewart will return to host The Daily Show on Mondays during the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.

His once-a-week return begins Monday, February 12. He'll also serve as executive producer of the award-winning show throughout the week.

"Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!" Stewart snarked on X, formerly Twitter, adding his stats as if he were an athlete.

The stand-up and Emmy-winning former host left the news and entertainment show in 2015.

In a statement, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios President and CEO Chris McCarthy said, "Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return ... to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season."

He added, "In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit."

For the rest of the week's episodes, The Daily Show will continue with its rotating roster of guest hosts, as it's done since former host Trevor Noah left the program in 2022.

The Daily Show's producers had been looking for a permanent host to take Noah's place but recently decided against that. Now, it appears this could have been their reasoning behind that.

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Ryan Gosling speaks out on Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’ Oscar snubs

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 7:38 am
Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Gosling is speaking out about Tuesday's Oscar nominations.

On Tuesday, the Barbie actor landed a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the 96th Academy Awards for his role as Ken in the box office movie. But, while he expressed his gratitude for the nod, the actor also took the opportunity to share his disappointment that director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were snubbed from two Oscar categories -- best director and best actress.

In a statement obtained by ABC News, Gosling said, "I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films."

"And I never thought I’d [be] saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it's for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” he continued. "But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film."

"No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius," his statement continued.

"To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement," Gosling added.

"Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history,” he said. “Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees."

Gosling went on to say he was "so happy for America Ferrera," who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film."

Despite the snubs in the two main categories for Gerwig and Robbie, Barbie earned eight nominations, including Best Picture.

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Scoreboard roundup — 1/23/24

Posted/updated on: January 24, 2024 at 5:06 am

Iran’s top diplomat says risk of war in the Middle East ‘has gone up,’ blames US

Posted/updated on: January 23, 2024 at 4:37 pm
The Iranians call Hamas a "Palestinian liberation group" and say Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are a response to the war in Gaza. (ABC News)

(IRAN) -- The chances that flashpoints in the Middle East will ignite a conflict that engulfs the entire region have increased, Iran's top diplomat told ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview Tuesday.

"The scope of the war has become wider. This means that the danger of having a wider war in the region has gone up," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, blaming the U.S and Israel for the escalating tensions.

"If the U.S. today stops its backing -- logistical and weapons, political and media support -- of the genocidal war launched by Israel, then I can assure you that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will not survive for 10 minutes," he asserted. "So the key to solve the problem is in Washington before it is in Tel Aviv."

Raddatz pressed the foreign minister on Iran's role in stoking the conflict, including its longstanding financial and military support of Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that killed hundreds of civilians in Israel in its Oct. 7 attack.

"We consider Hamas a Palestinian liberation group that is standing against occupation," Amir-Abdollahian said. "Of course, we never approved the killing of women and children, civilians anywhere in the world. We never support it."

Raddatz also questioned the foreign minister on Iran's backing of the Houthis -- the Yemeni rebel group responsible for dozens of recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, including U.S. ships.

The Pentagon has shared evidence of what it says is Iran's weapons smuggling network that supplies the Houthis, including details of a commando mission in the Arabian Sea that successfully intercepted Iranian-made missile components destined for Yemen but resulted in the death of two Navy SEALS.

But Amir-Abdollahian dismissed the allegations, baselessly accusing the U.S. military of fabricating the information.

"Mostly, this is a TV show," he asserted, even though the United Nations and other foreign governments have documented similar arms transfers from Iran.

While the Oct. 7 attacks and its tumultuous aftermath have renewed fears of direct combat between the U.S. and Iran, the two have teetered on the brink of war before in recent years.

Hostilities between the countries hit a zenith in 2020, when then-President Donald Trump ordered an air strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and a man the U.S. says responsible for the deaths of hundreds American and coalition service members and was actively plotting to kill more.

In the aftermath of Soleimani's killing, Iranian officials vowed they would eventually exact revenge.

"That was a big, big mistake made by Trump. That is not something that we will be able to forget," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that Tehran still wanted to see "all the people involved" in the strike "brought to justice."

"What does that mean?" Raddatz asked. "Does that mean killed?"

"Justice will rule on it," he responded.

However, Amir-Abdollahian argued that whether Trump won or lost his bid for another term in the Oval Office would ultimately have little impact on the relationship between the U.S. and Iran.

"Individuals are not important, what matters is the behavior of the government that takes the office.," he said.

In the Middle East, Tehran wields much of its power through its vast web of proxies--an informal coalition terrorist organization like Hamas, the Houthis, Lebanon's Hezbollah, as well as paramilitary groups scattered through Iraq and Syria that are united by anti-Western and anti-Israeli sentiments.

U.S. officials say Iran has significant influence over the network of militants that benefit from the country's financial and military support, but Tehran has consistently downplayed or denied the connections--insisting the country only wants to see peace across the Middle East.

"Nobody is going to benefit from any war. We believe that the solution is never war," Amir-Abdollahian said.

ABC News' Cindy Smith, Nate Luna and Christopher Boccia contributed to this report.
 

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US stages retaliatory airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Posted/updated on: January 23, 2024 at 3:57 pm
Anton Petrus/Getty Images

(IRAQ) -- The U.S. on Tuesday staged airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in retaliation for ballistic missiles fired Saturday against Al-Assad airbase that left four U.S. personnel with traumatic brain injuries.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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NYPD investigates ‘serious crimes’ in apparent attack on Pro-Palestinian protesters

Posted/updated on: January 23, 2024 at 11:26 am
Bruce Yuanyue Bi/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- A group of demonstrators at Columbia University say they were attacked with what they believe to have been a "chemical-based weapon" during a gathering in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The New York Police Department told ABC News there is a report on file for assault after the protesters said they smelled a foul odor and began to feel nauseated, accompanied by headaches, during a protest Friday. The victims refused medical attention at the scene, according to the NYPD.

Students for Justice in Palestine said several students have been hospitalized or have sought medical care following the incident. Victims reported symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, chest and abdominal pain and headaches.

Interim Provost Dennis A. Mitchell said the NYPD is taking the "lead role in investigating what appear to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes."

"Numerous Columbia and Barnard students who attended a protest later reported being sprayed with a foul-smelling substance that required students to seek medical treatment," said Mitchell.

The alleged perpetrators have been identified to the university and have been immediately banned from campus while the law enforcement investigation proceeds, according to Mitchell.

The investigation remains ongoing, officials said. The university's Department of Public Safety is also investigating in collaboration with local and federal authorities after several reports were filed in connection with Friday’s protest "that are of great concern," according to a Columbia University spokesperson.

"While the investigation is proceeding, we continue to seek the university community’s support. Reporting is essential so that the proper authorities -- including the NYPD -- can track down the facts and take action as necessary," the Columbia University department said Sunday.

The Department of Public Safety is urging people to come forward if they have any information.

Several of the protesters were from the groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, according to posts from the groups on social media.

In a social media post, the Students for Justice in Palestine said "student protesters were sprayed by a chemical weapon" during a "pro-Palestine and anti-genocide" protest. They referred to the attack as a "hate crime" and said several students continued to experience burning eyes and nausea hours after the attack.

The two groups were suspended in November by the university for allegedly violating university policies for holding unauthorized events that "included threatening rhetoric and intimidation." Their suspension caused outrage nationwide.

Colleges and universities across the United States have struggled to handle the ongoing debate over the Israel-Hamas war with pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests erupting on campuses and federal agencies launching investigations into possible discrimination at several institutions.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 25,105 people have been killed and 62,681 others have been injured since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by the terrorist group Hamas and other Palestinian militants, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with a new statement from the university's interim provost.

 

 

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Winter Weather Closings

Posted/updated on: January 17, 2024 at 12:00 pm

Winter Weather Closings and Delays – Even with wintry weather easing up in East Texas, some school districts, colleges and businesses have cancellations and delays in effect. Our news partner KETK has the complete up to date list here.

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