GINGER MAG

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Friday that it has carried out anotherdeadly strike on a vesselaccused of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea.

U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat "was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations." It said the strike killed three people. A video linked to the post shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.

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Friday's attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration's strikes on alleged drug boats to 133 people in at least 38 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared last week that "some top cartel drug-traffickers" in the region "have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean." However, Hegseth did not provide any details or information to back up this claim, made in a post on his personal account on social media.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America and hasjustified the attacksas a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing "narcoterrorists."

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges connected to his coverage of protests over federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

During the brief, highly procedural hearing, Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko reminded Lemon of his constitutional rights and asked if he understood the charges against him.

Lemon answered in the affirmative before the judge said he was free to travel unless he were to violate any state or federal laws.

A prosecutor also revealed on Friday that authorities seized Lemon's phone during the arrest and have obtained a search warrant.

Lemon's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said taking the phone was a possible "over-execution."

Lemon, now a freelance journalist, followed protesters who entered a St. Paul church on Jan. 18. He live streamed the demonstration against a pastor there who protesters said works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"I wanted to say this isn't just about me, this is about all journalists, especially in the United States," Lemon said outside court.

"For more than 30 years, I've been a journalist, and the power and protection of the First Amendment has been the underpinning of my work. The First Amendment, freedom of the press, is the bedrock of our democracy."

"I'd like to thank everyone again for their support," Lemon said. "To my colleagues, countless journalists around the world ... my family and my friends, you all have showed up for me in a real way, and I am extremely grateful for that. I feel it. I feel it. I feel it."

Lemon, 59,was arrested on Jan. 30, in a federal prosecution that's drawn criticism from news media and free speech advocates. A federal grand jury returned theindictmentagainst him and eight co-defendants connected to that church protest.

Lemon pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The defense told Micko it seeks to get grand jury transcripts as Lowell said prosecutors took an "unusual" path secure charges against his client.

Before the grand jury action, a judge had declined to sign arrest warrants against Lemon and his colleagues.

"We have serious concerns about the application of these statutes to our client," Lowell said.

Attorney General Pam Bondicalled the church protesta "coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota."

Lemon was charged with conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.

The National Association of Black Journalists said the arrest of Lemon and fellow freelancer Georgia Fort are part of "the government's escalating effort and actions to criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement."

"A government that responds to scrutiny by targeting the messenger is not protecting the public, it is attempting to intimidate it, and considering recent incidents regarding federal agents, it is attempting to distract it,"according to an NABJ statement.

Attorneys for Lemon, as well as Fort, filed a joint motion late Friday seeking the disclosure of grand jury proceedings, calling the case an "unconstitutional mess" unworthy of the American justice system.

"In the United States of America, we do not prosecute journalists for doing their job. That happens in Russia, China, Iran and other authoritarian regimes. And yet the government sold this unconstitutional mess to the grand jury," themotion states.

The motion called the government's actions "highly unusual" and "nakedly political" and pointed out that multiple judges declined the charges before the Trump administration worked around them and presented the case to a grand jury.

"The resulting two-count felony indictment, returned on January 29, does not bear the name of a single line prosecutor from this District's U.S. Attorney's Office. That is irregular and represents an unusual departure from the many years' collaboration between the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office and the Civil Rights Division throughout multiple administrations, particularly in civil rights cases and cases that are notable in the Minnesota community," the motion states.

Harmeet Dhillon, the Trump administration's top civil rights official in the Justice Department, said that there's no precedent for using statutes to protect worshippers against journalists covering an event.

"In all these years up until I was the assistant attorney general for civil rights, nobody ever used that houses of worship part to prosecute protesters or criminals blocking access to a house of worship, so we've started to do that,"Dhillon has said.

Border Patrol and ICE agents have carried out raids in and around Minneapolis, leading to mass protests around the region.Border "czar" Tom Homansaid Thursday that the immigration enfrocement operation there would end.

Federal authorities fatally shotMinneapolis residentsAlex Pretti, 37,andRenee Good, 37,during these clashes.

Good appeared to be drivingaway from federal agents on Jan. 7 when she was fatally shot, while Pretti, a nurse who worked with veterans,was helping a womanwho'd been shoved to the ground when he was killed on Jan. 24.

TheTrump administrationlabeled both U.S. citizens as"domestic terrorists"with no immediate evidence the shooting victims had sought to harm federal agents when they were shot at close range.

Before taking office, Trump had complained about what he described as the weaponization of federal authority against political enemies.

Trump's Department of Justice created a "Weaponization Working Group"meant to root out "abuses of the criminal justice process" by federal law enforcement.

The Trump administration has been scrambling to issue a report when the working group's leader Ed Martin,who took over inMay,was removed from his earlier this monthwith no public explanation.

Selina Guevara reported from St. Paul, Minnesota, and David K. Li from Los Angeles.

A shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that took effect early Saturday impacts the agency responsible for screening passengers and bags at airports across the country. Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-daygovernment shutdownthat led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.

Congress Homeland Security Air Travel

Transportation Security Administrationofficers are expected to work without pay while lawmakers remain without an agreement on Homeland Security's annual funding. TSA officers also worked through the record shutdown that ended Nov. 12, but aviation experts say this one may play out differently.

Trade groups for the U.S. travel industry and major airlines nonetheless warned that the longer DHS appropriations are lapsed, the longer security lines at the nation's commercial airports could get.

Here's what to know aboutthe latest shutdownand how to plan ahead.

What's different about this shutdown?

Funding for Homeland Securityexpired at midnight. But the rest of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30. That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.

According to the department's contingency plan, about 95% of TSA workers are deemed essential personnel and required to keep working. Democrats in the House and Senate say Homeland Security won't get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations.

During past shutdowns, disruptions to air travel tended tobuild over time, not overnight. About a month into last year's shutdown, for example, TSA temporarily closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport. That same day, the governmenttook the extraordinary stepof ordering all commercial airlines to reduce their domestic flight schedules.

John Rose, chief risk officer for global travel management company Altour, said strains could surface at airports more quickly this time because the TSA workforce also will be remembering the last shutdown.

"It's still fresh in their minds and potentially their pocketbooks," Rose said.

What is the impact on travelers?

It's hard to predict whether, when or where security screening snags might pop up. Even a handful of unscheduled TSA absences could quickly lead to longer wait times at smaller airports, for example, if there's just a single security checkpoint.

That's why travelers should plan to arrive early and allow extra time to get through security.

"I tell people to do this even in good times," Rose said.

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Experts say flight delays also are a possibility even though air traffic controllers are not affected by the DHS shutdown.

Airlines might decide to delay departures in some cases to wait for passengers to clear screening, said Rich Davis, senior security advisor at risk mitigation company International SOS. Shortages of TSA officers also could slow the screening of checked luggage behind the scenes.

What travelers can do to prepare

Most airports display security line wait times on their websites, but don't wait until the day of a flight to check them, Rose advised.

"You may look online and it says two-and-a-half hours," he said. "Now it's two-and-a-half hours before your flight and you haven't left for the airport yet."

Passengers should also pay close attention while packing since prohibited items are likely to prolong the screening process. For carry-on bags, avoid bringing full-size shampoo or other liquids, large gels or aerosols and items like pocketknives in carry-on bags.

TSAhas a full liston its website of what is and isn't allowed in carry-on and checked luggage.

At the airport, Rose said, remember to "practice patience and empathy."

"Not only are they not getting paid," he said of TSA agents, "they're probably working with reduced staff and dealing with angry travelers."

Will the shutdown drag on?

The White House has been negotiating with Democratic lawmakers, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the end of the week before senators and members of Congress were set to leave Washington for a 10-day break.

Lawmakers in both chambers were on notice, however, to return if a deal to end the shutdown is struck.

Democrats have said they won't help approve more funding for Homeland Security untilnew restrictionsare placed on federal immigration operations after the fatal shooting ofAlex PrettiandRenee Goodin Minneapolis last month.

In a joint statement, U.S. Travel, Airlines for America and the American Hotel & Lodging Association warned that the shutdown threatens to disrupt air travel as the busy spring break travel season approaches.

"Travelers and the U.S. economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay, which increases the risk of unscheduled absences and call outs, and ultimately can lead to higher wait times and missed or delayed flights," the statement said.

Whoopi Goldberg was not in the mood on Thursday, Feb. 12, as her co-hosts on The View got into a heated debate over an Olympics hot topic

NEED TO KNOW

• Goldberg jokingly threatened to leave the table, and she was even encouraged by co-host Joy Behar to "take a nap" to avoid the discussion

• "Stay with us, Whoopi. Stay with us," Ana Navarro said, trying to keep her co-host engaged

The internet can't get enough of Norwegian biathleteSturla Holm Lægreid and his viral cheating confession, butWhoopi Goldbergis not interested.

On the Thursday, Feb. 12 episode ofThe View, the co-hosts discussed Lægreid's confession during a Tuesday, Feb. 10 press conference, where he admitted that he'd cheated on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal at the2026 Winter Olympics.

He called his ex "the love of my life" in the interview, according to a translation provided by E! News, but said he'd "made the biggest mistake of my life and was unfaithful" and had come clean about it and they'd broken up.

The next day,Lægreid issued an apology to both his ex-girlfriend and his teammate, Johan-Olav Botn, who had won gold but was overshadowed by the cheating confession. He said he "deeply regret[s]" taking the attention away from Botn and for thrusting his ex into the spotlight.

OnThe View, Goldberg, 70, said she was "confused by all of this" as the panel began discussing the drama.

"The main thing, Whoopi, is — he's with the girl six months, and he's cheating on her already,"Joy Beharexplained, before trying to offer a scientific explanation to explain the athlete's infidelity. "Tell us, doctor," Goldberg encouraged.

"I'm quoting the great anthropologist, Helen Fisher. She says that the first two years of a relationship, you're hot hot for each other because the biological imperative, so you can reproduce and continue with the species," Behar, 83, said. "So if you are already cheating at six months, that is biology telling you it's off, it's wrong."

Sara Hainesthen jumped in, and Goldberg put her head in her hands on the table. As Haines explained that she thinks Lægreid cheated because he wasn't yet invested in his girlfriend, it became clear that Goldberg had lost interest.

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"Stay with us, Whoopi. Stay with us,"Ana Navarrosaid.

Sunny Hostinjumped in next, and declared that the athlete "loves" his ex, as Goldberg tried to get up from the table entirely, and then said "I'm out" to someone off-camera, as she continued to attempt to get up from her chair.

"Whoopi, you're excused," Behar told her, noticing her decreasing interest. Goldberg slouched over the table, and Behar said, "Whoopi, you're excused from this conversation. Take a nap."

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"Please, yes," Goldberg said, and then she cut the conversation off for good.

"You know what? I'll get this all straightened out. We'll be right back," she told the audience, signaling a commercial break and ending the debate.

The Viewairs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.

Read the original article onPeople

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William has been campaigning to oust the former Prince Andrew from the royal fold for years, according to a new book

• Russell Myers shares details in his new biography, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story

• King Charles stripped his brother's royal titles and honors in October amid renewed interest in Andrew's ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Prince Williamvoiced concern about the formerPrince Andrew's role within the royal family long beforeKing Charlesofficiallystripped Andrew of all his royal titleslast year.

Russell Myers shares insights into the Prince of Wales' attitude toward his uncle in his new book,William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, out March 10.

In an excerpt of the book published byThe Mirror, Myers writes that Prince William spoke to his father, King Charles, in the wake of Andrew's2019 interview with the BBC interviewabout his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, asking Charles and Queen Elizabeth to take action.

A source said, "Once you understand the fact that everything that happens in the here and now, affects everything in the future, William's future, it is very easy to put yourself in his shoes. He never much liked his uncle and wanted him out of the picture immediately before the rot further set in."

"William's view was that he [Andrew] got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family," the source added.

SAMIR HUSSEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Andrewstepped back from his public royal rolefollowing his headline-making interview. However, Andrew continued to join the royals at family events such as holiday church outings and funerals.

A palace source close to Prince William said, "The Prince of Wales was adamant the whole episode would never go away and, despite how others may have felt, there was absolutely no upside in Andrew being protected. His view was crystal clear: Andrew shouldn't be anywhere near the family under any circumstances, not by association, not at family functions, anywhere."

"Every single time there was a new revelation, which no one knew when it was coming or what the next one would be, it was a stain on all of the family," the source continued.

Queen Elizabeth stripped her second son of hismilitary titles and patronagesin January 2022, after a judge rejected his attempt to have Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre'ssexual assault lawsuitagainst him dismissed. Andrew has repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations andreached a settlementwith her in 2022. Giuffredied by suicidein April 2025.

Andrew has continually denied any wrongdoing regarding his connection to Epstein.

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While Queen Elizabeth tried to protect her son and King Charles seemed to follow their mother's wishes, the King stripped his brother of his royal titles and honors in October 2025 amid renewed criticism.

On Feb. 9, 2026, Prince William and his wife,Kate Middleton,released their first statementon the matter.

A spokesperson said, "I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."

Read the original article onPeople

Amanda Edwards/Getty; Taylor Hill/WireImage

Key points

• Rosie O'Donnell said she recently returned to the U.S. for two weeks after she moved to Ireland last year to avoid Donald Trump's second presidency.

• The comedian said she visited her family and also wanted "to see how hard it would be for me to get in and out of the country."

• O'Donnell added that she wanted to "see if it was safe for me" after Trump threatened to revoke her citizenship after she left the U.S.

Rosie O'Donnellleft the U.S. last year in the wake ofDonald Trump's second election — but she recently visited for a vibe check.

The comedian, who moved to Ireland in January 2025, revealed why she returned after a year abroad.

"I was recently home for two weeks, and I did not really tell anyone," O'Donnellsaid in a new interview with Chris Cuomoon the SiriusXM showCuomo Mornings. "I just went to see my family. I wanted to see how hard it would be for me to get in and out of the country. I wanted to feel what it felt like. I wanted to hold my children again. And I hadn't been home in over a year."

O'Donnellpreviously explained whyshe relocated to Ireland. "It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well," she said, adding that she would consider moving back only "when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America."

Brendon Thorne/Getty

While theLeague of Their Ownactress lives in Ireland now with her 13-year-old child, her four adult children remain stateside.

"I also wanted to make sure that it was safe for me before I brought my daughter this summer, where we plan to spend the summertime off from her schooling here with my family," O'Donnell said of her recent visit in the interview. "My son is having his first child. So we're very excited to be home."

O'Donnell was shocked by how much her original home had changed for her after she'd spent a year away. "I was in New York for the last two weeks, and I have to tell you, it feels like a very different country, a very different place to me," she said, noting how disconnected she has become. "Because for a year I haven't been watching the news. I haven't been watching American culture television."

She explained how Irish culture feels distinct from that of the U.S. "I'm in a place where celebrity worship does not exist. I've been in a place where there's more balance to the news, there's more balance to life," she said. "It's not everyone trying to get more, more, more. It's a very different culture. And I felt the United States in a completely different way than I ever had before I left."

O'Donnell added that she completely stands by her decision to move. "I don't regret leaving at all," she said. "I think I did what I needed to do to save myself, my child, and my sanity. And I'm very happy that I'm not in the midst of it there, because the energy that I felt while I was in the United States was — if I can use the most simple word I can think of — it was scary. There's a feeling that something is really wrong, and nobody is doing anything about it."

O'Donnell had previouslyavoided returning to the States due to security concerns. "My daughter graduated college and I didn't go back because the security people said to me they didn't think it was wise," the comedian revealed in September. "Because I think Trump will use me to rile his base."

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Trump and O'Donnell have along-standing feudthat dates back to her time as a cohost onThe View. In July, the presidentthreatened to revoke the actress' citizenship.

"Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship," Trump wrote on hisTruth Socialplatform. "She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her."

O'Donnell was quick to respond on Instagram. "The president of the usa has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is - a criminal con man sexual-abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself," she wrote. "This is why i moved to ireland - he is a dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy, compassion, and basic humanity."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Astronomers have observed a planetary system that challenges current planet formation theories, with a rocky planet that formed beyond the orbits of its gaseous neighbors, possibly after much of the planet-forming material had been used up.

The system, observed using the European Space ‌Agency's Cheops space telescope, consists of four planets - two rocky and two gaseous - orbiting a relatively small and dim star called a red dwarf about ‌117 light-years from Earth in the direction of the Lynx constellation. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

The star, named LHS 1903, is about 50% as massive and ​5% as luminous as our sun.

The order of the planets is what caught the attention of scientists. The innermost planet is rocky, the next two are gaseous and the fourth one, which current planetary formation theory suggests should be gaseous, instead is rocky.

"The planet-formation paradigm states that planets close to their host star should form small and rocky, with little-to-no gas or ice," said astronomer Thomas Wilson of the University of Warwick in England, lead author of the study published in the journal Science.

"This is because this environment is too hot ‌to maintain substantial gas or ice, and any atmospheres that ⁠do form are likely removed via irradiation from their host star. Conversely, planets at larger separations are thought to be built in colder regions with a lot of gas and ice that would create gas-rich worlds with large atmospheres. This system challenges that by giving ⁠us a rocky planet outside of gas-rich planets," Wilson said.

Wilson called it "a system built inside-out."

In our solar system, the four inner planets are rocky and the four outer planets are gaseous. The rocky dwarf planets like Pluto that orbit beyond the gas planets are much smaller than any of the solar system's planets.

Astronomers have detected about 6,100 planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, ​since ​the 1990s.

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All four in the newly observed system orbit closer to the star than our solar ​system's innermost planet Mercury orbits the sun. In fact, the outermost ‌planet orbits at only about 40% of the orbital distance between Mercury and the sun. This is typical for planets orbiting red dwarf stars that are so much less powerful than the sun.

The two rocky planets are categorized as super-Earths, meaning rocky like Earth but two to 10 times more massive. The two gas planets are categorized as mini-Neptunes, meaning gaseous and smaller than our solar system's smallest gas planet Neptune but larger than Earth.

The researchers suspect that rather than forming all at once in a large disk of gas and dust swirling around their host star, this system's planets formed sequentially, with gas that otherwise would have made up the atmosphere of the fourth planet being ‌used up by its sibling planets before it coalesced.

Wilson said the fourth planet most likely was ​a "late bloomer."

"It formed later than the other planets in a gas-poor environment. There was actually not so ​much material to build this planet," Wilson said.

Another possibility is that it was ​born with a large gas atmosphere that later was lost in a calamity, leaving behind just the rocky planetary core.

"Did (the fourth planet) ‌arrive coincidentally just as the gas ran out? Or did it suffer ​a collision with another body which stripped ​its atmosphere away? The latter sounds fanciful until you remember that the Earth-moon system appears to be a product of just such a collision," astronomer and study co-author Andrew Cameron of the University of St Andrews in Scotland said.

This fourth planet also is interesting because of its potential habitability. Its mass is 5.8 ​times that of Earth and it is about 140 degrees ‌Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius).

"A temperature of 60 degrees Celsius is very similar to the hottest temperature recorded on Earth, 57 degrees Celsius (135 degrees Fahrenheit), so ​it's definitely possible that this planet is habitable. Future James Webb Space Telescope observations could reveal the conditions of this planet and help us understand ​how habitable it might be," Wilson said.

(Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)