GINGER MAG

Nicole Curtis/Instagram

Key points

• Nicole Curtis seemingly used the N-word in a leaked video published by Radar Online.

• HGTV confirmed that it was pulling her show, Rehab Addict, from all of its platforms.

• Rehab Addict was scheduled to return with its first new episodes since July on Wednesday.

HGTVstar Nicole Curtis is receiving significant backlash for seemingly using a racial slur — and now, her show is being pulled from the air.

A representative for HGTV tellsEntertainment Weeklythat the network is removing Curtis' home renovation showRehab Addictfrom all platforms.

"HGTV was recently made aware of an offensive racial comment made during the filming ofRehab Addict," the representative says. "Not only is language like this hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees — it does not align with the values of HGTV."

The representative continues, "Accordingly, we have removed the series from all HGTV platforms. We remain dedicated to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion across our content and our workplace."

The news comes hours after Radar Onlinepublished a leaked videothat appeared to show Curtis using the N-word as she frustratedly works on a home renovation.

"Why? It's the last one. Oh, fart n-----," Curtis seemingly says in the video.

Immediately after her outburst, Curtis seems to recognize the severity of her words and implores someone on set to delete the footage.

"What the f— is that that I just said?" she asks. "Nick, you gotta, you gotta, can you kill that?"

She adds, "F--- my life."

Courtesy of HGTV

EW has reached out to a representative for Curtis for comment.

Curtis responded to the controversy in two posts on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday night.

"There is more to this, but my family comes first and I need to be mom right now more than anything else," she began. "I will take the time to be as I've always been with you, transparent and honest. TMZ called me as I had just turned my phone on after being at school — I said this briefly — but there is more."

Curtis then shared a screenshot of a statement she sent to a TMZ reporter via text.

"Regarding HGTV, I'm grateful for the 15-year journey we've shared. It's been a meaningful chapter, but my focus isn't on my career. My focus, at this moment is rightfully on my relationships, and my community — the people who truly know my character and where my heart is. I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone."

She continued, "As discussed, I'm a mom and was doing mom things all day and unplugged. I realize my shows were airing, but my family is my priority and I'm just catching up to all this now."

The controversy emerged on the same day that HGTV was set to premiere the first new episodes ofRehab Addictsince July. It is not immediately clear how many episodes of the show remain unaired in the current season, nor if the network had any further plans for Curtis or the show beyond this season.

Curtis launchedRehab Addictin 2010. The show saw her rehabilitate older homes across the Midwest, and aired eight seasons between 2010 and 2018. HGTV also reteamed with Curtis on two spinoffs, 2021'sRehab Addict Rescueand 2022'sRehab Addict Lake House Rescue.

The mainline show returned with two new episodes in the summer of 2025, and Curtis abruptly made the "executive decision" to shelve the remaining eps of the season to air at a later date.

"I appreciate your support and understanding for the late notice," shewrote on Instagramin July. "It's just a lot of hours (my hours) to get a show on air and we (my family +me) thought -why are we giving up Summer when we have the ability to do this in the Fall?"

Curtisshared another updatein October, explaining that she chose to recut the episodes and reshoot some material.

"I had a really great network call today and I was asked the same question -where's the shows?" she wrote. "I recut them. So, I'm in post[-production] getting them put back in the hopper that puts them on air. This is unheard of, typically, because production is production and talent is talent and no one would spend money when they don't have to. However, I'm the talent and I am the production and I rewatched these and thought -I have a different idea now. So, I took some rug money (not drug money, my actual rug money) and I reshot a 'few' things."

Shedefended her decisionin another post later that month.

"I own the production company which means it's my money and my time. Now, if I had aired these in July, they would have been ok, but I like great," she wrote. "You may ask, 'why have they not promoted or announcedRAshows?' Again, refer up above -it's me. I don't follow timelines, deadlines or the normal path of production. With that in mind, we have an unspoken rule -don't putRAon the timeline until NC, herself, locks them in."

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On New Year's Eve, sheannounced that the show would premiere in 2026.

"Walked a cool building today, went to do the deal and realized my laptop is on a plane somewhere," she said. "Absolutely fitting for 2025 -no one ask me why I pushed to 2026 for the show. I'm a right energy, right time person and 2025 did not hold the best….here's to 2026."

On Monday, HGTVannounced that the show would returnwith two new episodes on Wednesday.

Curtis also shared the news,writing, "The new episodes drop Wednesday …was told now or never -so you get them now."

Earlier on Wednesday, Curtisanticipated the releaseof newRehab Addictepisodes with a reflective post.

"I'll go to my last breath being proud that I did this more real, more raw than anyone else," she wrote. "There's never been 100 people, let alone, 25 people, even 10 people labeled production when I'm working. It's me, it's my construction guys, on big days (meaning there's a huge build like roof going on) it's 2 cameras, but most, it's one. It's never been about how I look (I fix that in post) it's always been about the house."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

James Van Der Beek has died following his 2023 diagnosis of colorectal cancer

NEED TO KNOW

• Van Der Beek played Dawson Leery on the beloved teen series Dawson's Creek between 1998 and 2003

• The actor's costar, Katie Holmes, who played Dawson's best friend and sometime love interest, Joey Potter, paid tribute to her friend in a heartfelt message posted to Instagram

James Van Der Beek'sDawson's Creekcostar,Katie Holmes,is paying tribute to the star following hisdeathon Wednesday, Feb. 11, at age 48.

In a moving, hand-written tribute posted toInstagram, Holmes said that the actor's death was "a lot to process," and that she'd written her words with a "heavy heart."

"I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James' journey. He is beloved. Kimberly, we love you and will be here always for you and your beautiful children," themom of one, 47, added in a caption, referencing theactor's family.

Jim Spellman/WireImage

Her emotional words began by addressing the Van Der Beek, who played the title character, Dawson Leery, inDawson's Creekfrom 1998-2003.

"James, thank you. To share a space with your imagination is sacred — breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other's hearts are safe in their expression."

She continued, "These are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth."

Holmes then listed some of Van Der Beek's best qualities, including "compassion, bravery, selflessness and strength."

"An appreciation for life with the integrity that life is art — creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children — the journey of a hero," she added.

View this post on Instagram

Holmes then went on to write that she mourns the loss of Van Der Beek "with a heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it."

The actress concluded by addressing her late costar's wife,Kimberly Van Der Beek, and thesix kidsthey shared. "We are here for you always," she wrote. "And will always be there to shower you with love and compassion."

Van Der Beek had beendiagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancerin 2023 and announced the news the following year.

Warner Bros.

In the series, Van Der Beek's Dawson was an aspiring filmmaker with his heart set on his own happily ever after with Joey Potter (Holmes). Dawson's other best friend, Pacey Whitter (Joshua Jackson), and Capeside newbie Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams) were integral parts of the ongoing storyline. In season 5,Busy Philippsalsojoined the series as Joey's college roommate, Audrey Liddell.Mary Beth Peil,John Wesley Shipp,Mary-Margaret Humes,Nina Repeta,Kerr SmithandMeredith Monroealso rounded out the cast.

Philipps, 46, was one of the first to share a tribute to her late costar, whom she called "one in a billion."

The actress shared throwback pictures of herself and Van Der Beek, seemingly from theirDawson'sdays, onInstagram. Alongside the photos, she wrote, "My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today…every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister."

"But I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly and their six magical children," Philipps wrote, and urged fans to visitthe GoFundMe created to support them. "James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don't know what else to say."

"I am just so so sad," she continued. "He was my friend and i loved him and i'm so grateful for our friendship all these years.❤️."

Mary Margaret Humes, who played Van Der Beek's mom, Mrs. Leery, published a recent photo she took with Van Der Beek, alongside one taken many years ago, onInstagram.

"Rarely am I at a loss for words … today would be the exception," Humes wrote. "James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity. I will always love and admire you for that. Our last conversations … merely a few days ago … are forever sitting softly in my heart for safe keeping. To our extended Dawson's Creek family of friends … please be respectful of our silences at the moment as Beautiful Kimberly and family have asked for peaceful privacy for now."

Last year, theDawson'scastreunitedfor a one-night-only charity event on Sept. 22, 2025, in New York City. The live reading of the show's pilot episode benefitted F Cancer and Van Der Beek.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Van Der Beekdropped outof appearing at the benefit one day before, citing health concerns. He did, however, appear ina pre-recorded videomessage that was projected onscreen. "I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight," he said in the clip. "From the cast to the crew to everybody who's doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"Thank you for coming. It's just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here," he said.

Read the original article onPeople

Viewership for "Today" has soared as audiences tune in forupdates on anchor Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old missing mother, Nancy, who was abducted from her Arizona home nearly two weeks ago.

The NBC program's audience jumped 23% last week, adding 624,000 viewers from the same period last year while the heartbroken TV host has been away from the morning juggernaut since her mom disappeared from her Tucson home on Jan. 31,Variety reported, citing Nielsen data.

Between Feb. 2 and 6, the morning show averaged nearly 3.32 million viewers, surpassing ABC's "Good Morning America" at about 2.91 million and 1.84 million for CBS' "CBS Mornings," the data shows.

"Today" dominated the morning airwaves, grabbing 41% of viewers and leading its rivals both overall and in the crucial 25-to-54 demo.

Nancy hasn't been seen since Jan. 31 around 9:45 p.m., when her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, dropped her off at her Tucson home after a dinner with his wife, Savannah's sister, Annie.

She was reported missing the next day when she failed to show up for church. Soon after, police launched a criminal investigation.

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Here's the latest on Savannah Guthrie's missing mom

• 'Today' viewership surges as anchor Savannah Guthrie's mom remains missing

• Investigators find black glove during hunt for Nancy Guthrie's kidnappers — and The Post was there

• Body language expert unpacks FBI surveillance footage of Nancy Guthrie suspect — and their distinct physical traits

• 3rd Guthrie ransom note sent to TMZ, including demand for bitcoin in exchange for info: report

Authorities have not identified any suspects behind the kidnapping, in which the elderly grandmother seems to have been forced from her home, leaving a trail of blood behind.

On Tuesday, the FBI released chilling footage of a man with black gloves, a ski mask, and a holstered gun destroying the security camera on her door, with federal investigatorslater finding a black gloveas part of an "extensive search" of the neighborhood.

Follow The Post's live updates on Savannah Guthrie's missing mom

Meanwhile, a mysterious note was sent to TMZ Wednesday morning demanding a Bitcoin transfer in exchange for information about Guthrie's captor.

TMZ reported that the $67,000 payment would be in exchange for the "name of the individual involved."

The letter — the third alleged note sent out since Nancy was last seen — contained details of a working bitcoin address, TMZ host Harvey Levin said during Wednesday's appearance on Fox News' "America Newsroom."

The self-proclaimed kidnappers have demanded millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, setting a final deadline for Monday, Feb. 9 — but have failed to provide proof of life or additional information.

Valentine's weekend will be a soaker across the South, with locally heavy rain and a few severe thunderstorms possible from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas and Virginia.

While this wet weekend forecast sounds like a bummer, there are several "saving graces:"

1. It won't rain the entire weekend in any one area of the South.

2. There's no bitter cold air in place, so this isn't another southern winter storm the likes of the recent ice storm ("Fern") nor the Carolinas clobbering ("Gianna").

3. This doesnotappear to be a significant severe weather outbreak, nor a major flash flood threat.

4. In fact, for much of the region, this rain is sorely needed. (More on that later.)

When Will It Rain?

The maps below show the timing of the rain through Sunday.

In general, rain moves into the Southern Plains Friday and Friday night, spreads into the Mississippi Valley Saturday, then into the Southeast Sunday, then should be off the East Coast by Monday.

(MORE MAPS:Daily US Rain, Snow Forecast)

Severe Threat

In general, we expect the severe weather threat with this system to be rather low and isolated.

- Friday night: A few severe storms in western Texas and southwest Oklahoma could produce large hail and strong wind gusts.

- Saturday - Saturday night: The area shown below has at least a chance of a few severe storms Saturday and Saturday night. Strong thunderstorm wind gusts and perhaps an isolated tornado are the main threats.

- Sunday - Sunday night: This isolated severe threat will sweep across the Deep South and northern Gulf Coast from southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia during the day, then across parts of the Florida Peninsula Sunday evening. Again, strong wind gusts and isolated tornadoes are possible.

(MORE:15 Severe Weather Safety Tips That Could Save Your Life)

Heavy Rain Threat

Parts of the South may be soaked by locally heavy rain this weekend.

The Ozarks into the Mid-South region, and from the Florida Panhandle to the Carolinas, could pick up 2 inches or more of rain, which could triggerlocalized flash flooding.

While this doesn't appear to be a widespread flash flood danger, keep this in mind if you're driving in these areas this weekend. Never try to drive through a flooded stretch of road. Turn around, instead.

(MORE:Flooding Is One Of Most Deadly Weather Phenomena)

'Goldilocks' Rain?

Given the relatively low threats of both severe weather and flash flooding, this might be a near-ideal case of drought relief.

As you can see in the map below, much of the South is currently in drought. Parts of Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas are in extreme drought as of mid-February.

Over the past few days, fires have burned in parts ofFlorida,western North Carolina,near Shawnee, Oklahoma, and theTexas Panhandle.

It's also been among thefive driest winters-to-datein over a dozen cities including Charlotte, Dallas, Little Rock, Raleigh and West Palm Beach, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him onBluesky,X (formerly Twitter)andFacebook.

The FBI's search of a Washington Post reporter's home is the latest in a long line of press freedom fights both for the newspaper and the wider industry spanning multiple presidential administrations.

Hannah Natanson, who covers the federal government for the news organization, was at her Virginia home whenthe FBI executed a search warranton the property as part of a leak investigation on Jan. 14.

First Amendment experts condemned the search, describing it as an exceedingly rare action that could cause a chilling effect within the news industry.

But it's far from the first timePresident Donald Trump'sadministration has been accused of violating news outlets' constitutional rights.

Weeks after Trump began his second term in office,the Associated Press sued the administrationfor banning the outlet from certain White House events over its refusal to use "Gulf of America" instead of "Gulf of Mexico" followingTrump's executive order renaming the body of water.

Months later, both NPR and PBScited the First Amendmentintheir respective lawsuitsover the Trump administration's successfuleffort to revoke their federal funding. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributed federal funding to the outlets, wasdissolved in January.

ThePentagon also implemented a new media policyin October saying reporters who "solicit" information not approved for public release could lose their credentials. TheNew York Times suedover the matter in December, saying the policy was "exactly the type of speech- and press-restrictive scheme that theSupreme Courtand D.C. Circuit have recognized violates the First Amendment."

Such lawsuits and controversies aren't unique to Trump's second term.

CNNsued the White House on First Amendment groundsin 2018 after itrevoked former reporter Jim Acosta's press passfollowing a heated exchange between Acosta and Trump in a news conference. TheWhite House later restored Acosta's credentials, and the lawsuit was dropped.

PEN America also sued Trump in his official capacity in 2018. Thecomplaint describedan alleged "campaign of intimidation against critical reporting" that it said "casts a chill on speech that – even if braved and overcome by diligent and courageous reporters – constitutes an ongoing First Amendment violation."

But experts said such tensions have reached new heights with the FBI search, which adds to not only the Washington Post's own history of battling the federal government but that of multiple news organizations going back decades.

What to know about FBI search of reporter's home

Afederal judge granted the Washington Post's Jan. 21 requestto bar the government from reviewing the seized materials – a phone, a Garmin watch, and a work and personal laptop – while litigation continues.

The outlet had previously told USA TODAY the FBI's seizure of such items "chills speech, cripples reporting and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials."

A Department of Justice spokesperson said Aurelio Perez-Lugones, the Pentagon contractor at the center of the leak investigation, was "actively communicating" with Natanson at the time of his arrest and that classified information was found in their exchange.

The department referred USA TODAY to Attorney General Pam Bondi'sJan. 14 X poston the FBI search, which said in part that reporting illegally leaked classified information "pose(s) a grave risk to our Nation's national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country."

The department also pointed toBondi's Fox News interview on the matter, in which she referencedher revocation of a policyunder former PresidentJoe Biden's administration that offered greater protection to journalists against government searches.

Bondi, in the interview, said the First Amendment was a "bedrock principle" but rejected notions that the search was unconstitutional. The investigation is "about classified material that could jeopardize lives," she said.

USA TODAY reached out to the FBI for comment.

The Pentagon Papers

The Washington Post has played a "pretty significant role" in press freedom issues throughout its history, saidGabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Perhaps the most famous of those fights is the Pentagon Papers case, in whichthe Supreme Court court ruledthe government could not bar the press from publishing information on the war in Vietnam previously unknown to the public.

The New York Timeswas the first outletto publish the papers, followed by the Washington Post several days later. Lower courtsgranted former President Richard Nixon's administration's effortsto bar further publication, but those rulings were overturned by theSupreme Courtdecision.

David Rudenstine, a law professor at the Cardozo School of Law in New York and author of the book, "The Day the Presses Stopped: A History of the Pentagon Papers Case," noted thatthe Washington Post's leadership at the timehad accepted the possibility of going to jail for the reporting.

"That's freedom of the press," he said. "That's people standing tall in the name of the First Amendment."

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In his concurring opinion, Justice Hugo Black wrote that the nation's founders understood the pivotal role a free press plays in democracy, adding that "only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in the government."

"In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly," Black wrote.

While the ruling granted the press "enormous power," Rudenstine said the case demonstrates that such power depends on newsroom higher-ups' willingness to use it.

He juxtaposed Katherine Graham, the Washington Post's publisher at the time, with the paper's current owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whodid not publicly respondto the FBI search.

Striking a balance between competing objectives

Experts also noted a lesser-known example from the 1980s, in which the paperuncovered information about "Operation Ivy Bells,"a U.S. mission to wiretap Soviet underwater communication cables.

Then-President Ronald Reagan's administration threatened legal action against news outlets that published certain details about the operation on the grounds that such reporting would jeopardize national security.

The Washington Post's leaders had conversations with the administration and ultimately published a story that withheld certain potentially compromising details.

"It wasn't at all caving or pulling back on important principles," saidCliff Sloan, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center who also served as general counsel for the Washington Post Company's online subsidiary in the early 2000s.

The scrapped details, he said, were not pivotal to the story that eventually published. He described the matter as an example of effective collaboration between the press and the federal government to balance their sometimes competing interests of holding the government accountable and preserving national security.

Concerns over the future of press freedom

Such collaborations seem more unlikely in the current context, experts said.

Among the reasons they offered were theadministration's threat to sue CBS Newsif it didn't air a Trump interview in full, thePentagon's effort to overhaul the military newspaperStars and Stripes and thePentagon's press policythat led to the vast majority of news outlets losing security access to the building.

But the search of Natanson's home marked an "opening salvo in a new war on the press," saidMary-Rose Papandrea,a First Amendment professor at George Washington University.

"Obviously the war is underway already, but this is a new battlefront," she said.

Clashes with the press aren't unique to Trump's presidency, though.

Former President Barack Obama's administration hada contentious relationship with Fox News, for example. Among the incidents was the administration'sattempt to exclude Fox Newsfrom interviewing compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg alongside four other networks in 2009. The White Housesaid itbased its decision on "some of [Fox News'] coverage and ... the fairness of that coverage."

The plan was abandoned after the other networks — ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC — refused to participate in the interview if the outlet wasn't included,Fox News reported.

Rudenstine said Nixon's administration had a deeply combative relationship with the press but added that such tensions have reached new heights under the Trump administration.

"I'm not trying to minimize what the Nixon administration did, but what the Nixon administration did do falls far short of what the Trump administration is doing," Rudenstine said.

FBI Director Kash Patel in photos

Rottman similarly said the FBI search marked an "escalation" in the administration's actions against the press, adding that it wasthe first time in American historythat the Department of Justice, whichthe FBI falls under, searched a reporter's home as part of a national security leak investigation.

"I have grave concerns about what the future holds," Papandrea said. "We're only one year down and three more to go."

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her atbjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:FBI search is latest of Washington Post's press freedom battles

BRUSSELS (AP) — European allies at NATO on Thursday brushed aside concerns that the United States has stepped back from its leadership role of the world's biggestsecurity organization, leaving them and Canada to do the lion's share of defending Europe.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend Thursday's gathering of defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels. His no-show came after Secretary of State Marco Rubioskipped the last meetingof NATO foreign ministers in December.

It's rare for members of a U.S. administration to miss a meeting of the organization's top decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, at the level of ministers, let alone two meetings in a row. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby was sent in Hegseth's place.

"Sadly for him, he is missing a good party," Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told reporters. "Of course, it's always better that the ministers attend here, but I would not describe it as a bad signal."

"I'm not disappointed," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. "Each of us has a full agenda. And one time the American defense minister is here, and one time not, so it's his decision and his duties he has to fulfill."

How times have changed

When asked what NATO's purpose was in its infancy in 1949, NATO's first secretary-general, the British general and diplomat Lord Hastings Ismay, was reputed to have replied: "To keep the Americans in, the Russians out and the Germans down."

Nowadays, Germany is stepping up. After Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago, it vowed to spend 100 billion euros ($118 billion)to modernizeits armed forces in coming years.

A big part of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte's job is to keep the Americans in.

"They have to take care of the whole world. This is the United States," Rutte told reporters before chairing the meeting. "I totally accept it, agree with it."

"They have always consistently pleaded for Europe doing more, Canada doing more, taking more care of the defense of NATO territory, of course in conjunction with the United States," he said.

That means more European spending on conventional weapons and defense, while the U.S. guarantees NATO's nuclear deterrent.

But doubts linger, and surprises from the Trump administration cannot be ruled out. Allies still wonder whethermore U.S. troopswill be withdrawn from Europe.

"What for me is the most important is the no-surprise policy that has been agreed between the NATO secretary-general and the U.S.," Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said.

Stepping back

Publicly at least, the Trump administration is doing much less at NATO. A year ago, Hegseth warned that America'ssecurity prioritieslie elsewhere and that Europe would have to look after itself, and Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Supplies of U.S. guns and money that were sent to Ukraine by the previous administration of President Joe Biden have dried up under Trump. European allies and Canada are obliged tobuy weaponsfrom the United States to donate now.

Western backers of Ukraine were also meeting at NATO on Thursday to drum up more military support. A scheme proudly championed by the Pentagon under Biden, theUkraine Defense Contact Groupis now chaired by the U.K. and Germany.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey announced that Britain would provide "an extra half a billion pounds ($682 million) in urgent air defense to Ukraine. This is Britain being a force for good in the world, building a new deal for European security within NATO."

Sweden also intends to fund the purchase of more American weapons. The Netherlands will send more flight simulators to help Ukrainian fighter pilots train to fly F-16 jets.

Arctic Sentry

The one "deliverable" from Thursday's meeting was the announcement that NATO would launchArctic Sentry, its response to U.S. security concerns in the high north, and an attempt to dissuade Trump from trying to seize Greenland.

It's ostensibly aimed at countering Russian and Chinese activities or influence in the Arctic region.

But Arctic Sentry is essentially a rebranding exercise. National drills already underway in the region, like those run by Denmark and Norway, will be brought under the NATO umbrella and overseen by the organization's military chief.

It is not a long-term NATO operation or mission.

Denmark, France, Germany will take part in the "military activities" happening under Arctic Sentry, but they have not said in what way. Finland and Sweden are likely to get involved. Belgium is considering what role it might play.

It remains unclear what role, if any, the United States will take.

"It can't just be more from the United States," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said ahead of Thursday's meeting. "We need capable allies that are ready and strong, that can bring assets to all of these areas of our collective security."

Trump'srenewed threatslast month to annex Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark — have deeply shaken the rest of the alliance. NATO's primary role is to defend the territory of its 32 member states, not to undermine it.

European allies and Canada hope that Arctic Sentry and ongoing talks between the Trump administration, Denmark and Greenland will allow NATO to move on from the dispute and focus on Europe's real security priority,Russia's waron Ukraine.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the Arctic security arrangement at least means that "we stop having some food fights over the Atlantic."

"I think that the Greenland saga was not the best moment of NATO (over) the last 76 years," he told reporters. "It was a crisis that was not needed."

Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures Via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Stephen Curry tells PEOPLE that being underestimated has "always been part of my story"

• Being an underdog before joining the NBA is why Curry connected to the new animated movie GOAT, which he produces and stars in

• GOAT is in theaters Friday, Feb. 13

Stephen Curryknows how it feels to be the underdog.

A four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP and Olympic gold medalist, Curry, 37, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue that before joining the Golden State Warriors as a point guard in 2009 he was constantly underestimated.

"I was physically a late bloomer, undersized," says Curry, now 6-foot-2. "When I walked into a gym, I didn't pass the eye test." Being underrated — which is also the title of a 2023 documentary about the basketball player — has "always been part of my story."

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty

The son of former basketball playerDell Curry, the Warriors point guard was widely expected not to make it to the NBA. It is why his first professional basketball game remains his most cherished memory.

"I will never forget my first game day — my first regular-season game — and all of the nerves and jitters I had," he says. "Because in that moment, you're realizing a dream."

It is also why Curry connected so deeply to the new animated movieGOAT, which he produced. In the film, he lends his voice to a giraffe "roarball" player named Lenny.

The star-studded cast also includes Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Nicola Coughlan, Nick Kroll, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis, Aaron Pierre, Patton Oswalt, Sherry Cola, Jelly Roll and Jennifer Hudson.

"The movie is inspired by that underdog mentality that I've had my entire life," he says aboutGOAT, which follows the story of a small goat, Will, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play professional roarball and revolutionize the game.

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"The idea of dreaming big, even when critics and doubters are around you — I still carry that mentality and want to prove myself every time I step on the court," he says.

Sony Pictures Animation

Curry stars in the film alongside his wife, actress and entrepreneurAyesha Curry, with whom he sharesfour children: Riley, 13, Ryan, 10, Canon, 7 and 21-month-old Caius.

Ayesha, 36, voices Carol, a goat who serves as a maternal figure to Will, making the project even more special for the family.

"Me and Ayesha [as] parents, we love finding entertaining, uplifting stories for our kids but also something that we can enjoy ourselves," Curry says.

The star, who says he "sees a lot of [himself] in Will," says the film is something everyone can relate to, whether they are an NBA athlete or not.

"It's not just for sports, it's not just for basketball," he says of the underdog mindset. "It's a mentality I think most people have found themselves in at one point or another — something we can all tap into."

GOATis in theaters Feb. 13.

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