2025 ~ NEO MAG

Here's your ticket to the ultimate cinematic self-discovery. Imagine you're the main character, the popcorn's warm, and the projector is humming. If you're honest and determined enough, you'll learn if your life is a windswept, epic adventure or a mystery thriller full of sharp turns.

The good thing is, no matter what your life's genre turns out to be, there are no critics here, but make sure to share your results with the other Pandas. Ready for the cinematic life trip? Let's go!

🚀 💡 Want more or looking for something else? Head over to theBored Panda Quizzesand explore our full collection of quizzes and trivia designed to test your knowledge, reveal hidden insights, and spark your curiosity.💡 🚀

It's Friday at 6pm. What vibe of soundtrack do you mentally cue up?

◯ A soaring orchestral theme◯ Slow violin meets acoustic guitar◯ A catchy whistle-along tune◯ A pulsing bassline in the shadows◯ A synthwave track◯ A single snare drum

Pick an item that feels like your personal mascot.

◯ Well-worn hiking boots◯ A ceramic mug with a smiley face◯ A pressed flower between pages◯ A holographic sticker◯ A magnifying glass◯ A scrappy foam finger from a local game

Which location would be your go-to for a day trip?

◯ Cliffside lighthouse tour◯ Old-town carriage ride◯ Candy factory visit◯ Historical museum◯ Planetarium◯ Baseball stadium

Your boss says "Surprise day off!" How do you spend it?

◯ Host a picnic◯ Bake cookies◯ Work anyway◯ Go for a drive◯ Stay at home, listen to some podcasts◯ Work out

A fortune cookie drops out at lunch. What do you secretly hope it reads?

◯ "Soon you will glimpse a star up close"◯ "Love arrives wearing mismatched socks"◯ "Laughs will bubble up like soda"◯ "The puzzle was inside the frame"◯ "The map you seek is closer than you think"◯ "Small steps beat tall tales"

Choose a classic board game for tonight.

Pick a scent for a candle you would actually burn.

◯ Pine and campfire◯ Fresh-cut roses◯ Warm vanilla◯ Rain on pavement◯ Ozone◯ Coffee

An unexpected email from an old ex appears.

◯ "Do they still miss me?"◯ Reply with an inside joke◯ Offer to grab coffee and catch up properly◯ Scan for hidden motives◯ Wonder if it's about a business opportunity◯ Delete the email

🧠 Curious to see the rest? Take the full quiz here 🧠

byNeo

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December 13, 2025

“What’s Your Life’s Genre?” Discover Whether You’re Living A Mystery Or A Comedy

Here's your ticket to the ultimate cinematic self-discovery. Imagine you're the main character, the popcorn's...

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Hey there Coneheads, welcome back for the latest December 2025 edition ofSNLin Review. Accept no substitutes.

Last week saw the return of Melissa McCarthy, andnearly 80%of you seemed to have enjoyed the episode. I am joined tonight by the one and only Gary Kroeger. We are thrilled to have him back! He says: "I've been watching the new season on YouTube and from your clips here on EW. I am really impressed with the new cast, but I have to admit, I'm still surprised at the reboot. New cast member Ben Marshall stands out to me because he is already 100% comfortable in his role. It isn't drastically different from his contributions with Please Don't Destroy, but he understands subtlety and earnest comedy. I still expect to see Heidi Gardner appear and am always a bit let down realizing that she is no longer there. Ashley Padilla gets me close to forgetting her, however… I'm really happy when I see more of Jane Wickline. I thought "Cousin Planet" was the best filmed sketch I've seen in maybe forever."

Tonight's host is Josh O'Connor, who stars in thelatestKnives Outsequel. (He's great in it!) Kroeger shares: "I only know of Josh fromThe Crown, but that is a very positive impression. It is hard to bring such a well-known figure to life without being a caricature, but that's what he does with Prince Charles. O'Connor doesn't 'act' per se, he 'exists' as the character. High praise."

OK, keep scrolling and following along below!

Cold Open

We start with a holiday story – just wait, that framing is an introduction to President Trump speaking with reporters live on Air Force One. James Austin Johnson appears behind the plane's curtain, where he lavishes praise on Karoline Leavitt, played by Ashley Padilla. They do a nice zoom in as he obsesses over her mouth. Padilla eventually gets the "LFNY" tonight!

Ambien and adderall drive Trump's stream of consciousness. Asked about the pending Warner Bros.-Netflix merger, he namechecks wanting to visit Luke's on theGilmore Girlslot, which is a hilarious reference. Also noteworthy: Chloe Fineman's Kaitlan Collins impression is solid here.

Reflecting on this season's cold opens and approach to the current political moment, Gary Kroeger doesn't mince words: "This is where I may step on some toes.SNLhas for decades now been one of the most provocative and necessary voices in political satire. It STILL is, but this season, for the first time, it feels formulaic. From the fact that there is a public expectation thatSNLis going to satirize the current event of that week,SNLdelivers the satire of the current event that week. Trump falls asleep, expect the Trump Falls Asleep sketch. There is nothing wrong with that fulfillment of expectation, but if I am to be completely honest — and I am being completely honest — the jokes were predictable, and that ISN'T the fulfillment of our expectation.SNL,in its purest and best form, surprises us with an angle we hadn't thought of. The formulaic approach is hard to resist; if it works, do it again, and again, but it has crept intoSNLwriting. The family around the dinner table, the contrasting couples out to dinner, provide easy platforms for fast writing that features a single joke premise, but I lose interest. And when I lose interest, I think back on John Belushi's Samurai, or Chris Farley's Motivational Speaker, or Dan Aykroyd's Julia Child, Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as the Delicious Duo, and remember when I was surprised."

Monologue

Josh O'Connor discusses Pixar! He looks like various characters, including Linguini fromRatatouille.

First takeaway: O'Connor isveryBritish. That can go both ways as a host. Gary Kroeger notes: "British Humor is the downstairs recreation room in the American House of Comedy. Without the Goons, then Python, I don't think there would have ever beenSNL.SNLcan draw a straight line to Sid Caesar, but Caesar was mainstream, while British comedians sprang from parodies of the mainstream. I worked with Ringo — a king of wry — and Michael Palin. Palin's approach was usually the silliest way toward discovering a truth. That is a template forSaturday Night Live."

"Let's Find Love"

Josh is on a dating game show, interviewing three potential contestants. One is a quirky elderly woman played by Ashley Padilla. She's quickly entering Kate McKinnon territory, folks. Kate would've played this in previous seasons, right? She rants about the upcomingToy Story 5. Big Pixar night so far.

Kroeger says, "Ashley is the definition of versatile."

"Your Year Wrapped"

Spotify's end-of-year lists are part of the annual Spotify Wrapped, revealing personalized stats for top artists, songs, and genres, with the data tracking nearly the full year. Now Uber is getting in on the game with embarrassing factoids about orders, including pick-up images.

Another funny JAJ-Padilla moment.

"Teaching Hospital"

Bowen Yang returns as the exasperated "Dr. Please"character! O'Connor is Shirley, with a funny Plain English delivery. Dr. Please brings upAll That, which is so meta my mind just reset. The crowd loved this.

Lily Allen performs "Sleepwalking"

Sleepwalking - Lily Allenpic.twitter.com/7E9nT0unvj

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

"Sleepwalking" sure feels like it is about gaslighting and emotional manipulation... so a very personal performance? Before tonight, Gary Kroeger says he previously knew "of Lily Allen, but it wasn't until tabloid drama regarding her separation from David Harbour. I did a dive into her music, and while 'electro-pop' — sorry for the reductive term — isn't my cup of tea, it is abundantly clear that she is talented, clever, conscious, and a genuine artist."

"Bachelorette Party Strippers"

Strippers are coming to a cozy, snowy ladies' night in the Catskills. The bride (Padilla) is deeply uncomfortable. Augie (O'Connor) and Remington (Marshall) arrive, and they ask for consent. They are very sensitive – the ideal men. They remove one cardigan, revealing another underneath. Both men vibe, have a Will They/Won't They moment, and kiss. Remington cries, thinking about the Supreme Court.

This is hilarious. Easily one of the season's best. Love the Fleet Foxes insult.

"Weekend Update"

Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che!pic.twitter.com/vrgeSLFZ9h

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

Colin Jost and Michael Che discuss Trump and Fatmentia, a made-up word. Other topics: the Kennedy Center Honors, the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger, OnlyFans, and Pantone's color of the year.

Marcello Hernández, wearing a festive sweater, comes on to discuss new boyfriends who get introduced during the holidays. He plays a voicemail he claims is from Lorne Michaels! He has some funny lines about watchingHome Alonegrowing up.

Jane Wickline comes out to discuss how society might end! She has a song about the true villains: the child actors fromStranger Things. AI is just a distraction. The Netflix show is ending, and these kids are now adults and have a lot of free time! They might steal the next election. (She's not wrong to evoke Joe Rogan's wild influence. He used to make people eat bugs!)

"Wizard of Oz"

never before seen footage from the original wizard of ozpic.twitter.com/dUCiLnmooH

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

Wicked:For Goodis a big success, so to celebrate, some cut scenes from the originalWizard of Ozhave been released. Bowen Yang plays the Wizard — he's inWicked,FYI, as I'm sure you know — and he savagely dressed down Dorothy and her friends.

The Lion does not want courage (love how Sarah Sherman's Dorothy pronounces that) – he wants a bigger, erm, endowment. Speaking of Kenan, Reese De'What alreadydid a premiselike this on the show as part of Cinema Classics before. Also,please watch this!

"Brad and His Dad: Christmas"

Brad and His Dad: Christmaspic.twitter.com/XhYws5iCOV

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

Nice, the return of Brad and his Dad! His dad is divorced — this week they are driving to get a Christmas tree. We saw this cartoon last month during theNikki Glaser episode.

Brad is trying to cut down the tree — he is distracted by Emily, the so-called prettiest girl in his class. Woof. He makes a 6-7 reference.

We get a Christmas miracle — Brad calls his dad on Christmas morning with a fun surprise… I like this a lot! Watch it.

"Study Group"

simon, the 12-year-old college studentpic.twitter.com/QTNqUTUsC0

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

Simon is 12. He's in a college study group; apparently, he's a Doogie Howser-style prodigy. He's trying to be relatable with his peers, but his mom (Padilla) keeps showing up. Big Bowen episode.

Lily Allen performs "Madeline"

Dakota Johnson makes a cameo! "Madeline" is the first single from Allen's latest studio album,West End Girl. In the song, she confronts the woman her husband is cheating on her with — "Jolene" meets "Stan"!?

The last time Allen performed on the show, Drew Barrymore was the host. She performed "Smile" and "LDN" from her debut albumAlright, Still.

"Variety's Characters on Characters"

Variety's Characters on Characterspic.twitter.com/HCgSwwHjOq

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

Actors on Actors is a popular awards season segment. This is the Christmas character equivalent! Bowen plays the First Day of Christmas. A great Mikey Day plays the Grinch, discussing process and what it was like working with Max. He interviews Johnson's Scrooge. Kenan Thompson is "Drum Daddy" opposite Marcello's Tiny Tim.

The only two women in Christmas talk. Ashley screams as the grandma who got run over by a reindeer. Going big this episode.

"West End Brunch"

west end brunchpic.twitter.com/JgHTI6KLVE

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl)December 14, 2025

Friends are chatting at lunch, and we get their inner monologues. This is a fun riff on Lily Allen's specific songwriting style. Characters stop and explain themselves in a light British accent.

Lily Allen appears! This was clever.

Final thoughts...

Vote, everyone!
Thank you as always to the peak gentleman, Gary Kroeger. He is directing theater now, and his "latest production is a British comedy of manners called The Cottage. Jason Alexander directed this on Broadway and I am directing at a beautiful theater in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The playwright is an American but very much in the style of Noël Coward. Humor from being British is very much at the center."

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byNeo

in

December 13, 2025

“Saturday Night Live ”recap: Josh O'Connor kisses multiple cast members in hosting debut

Saturday Night Live/YouTube Hey there Coneheads, welcome back for the latest December 2025 edition ofSNLin Review. Accept no substitutes. ...

Anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies intensify across Europe

LONDON (AP) — In the past year, tens of thousands hostile to immigrantsmarched through Londonchanting "send them home!" A British lawmaker complained of seeing too many non-white faces on TV. And senior politicians advocated the deportation of longtime U.K. residents born abroad.

The overt demonization of immigrants and those with immigrant roots is intensifying in the U.K. — and across Europe — as migrationshoots up the political agendaand right-wing parties gain popularity.

In several European countries, political parties thatfavor mass deportationsand depict immigration as a threat to national identity come at or near the top of opinion polls: Reform U.K., the Alliance for Germany and France's National Rally.

President Donald Trump, who recentlycalled Somali immigrants in the U.S. "garbage"and whose national security strategy depicts European countries as threatened by immigration, appears to be endorsing and emboldening Europe's coarse, anti-immigrant sentiments.

Amid the rising tensions, Europe's mainstream parties are takinga harder line on migrationand at times using divisive language about race.

"What were once dismissed as being at the far extreme end of far-right politics has now become a central part of the political debate," said Kieran Connell, a lecturer in British history at Queen's University Belfast.

Europe experiencing a growing sense of division

Immigration has risen dramatically over the past decade in some European countries, driven in part by millions of asylum-seekers who have come to Europe fleeing conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine.

Asylum-seekers account for a small percentage of total immigration, however, and experts say antipathy toward diversity and migration stems from a mix of factors. Economic stagnation in the years since the 2008 global financial crisis, the rise of charismatic nationalist politicians and the polarizing influence of social media all play a role, experts say.

In Britain, there is "a frightening increase in the sense of national division and decline" and that tends to push people toward political extremes, said Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Unit at King's College London. It took root after the financial crisis, was reinforced by Britain's debate aboutBrexitand deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, Duffy said.

Social media has exacerbated the mood, notably on X, whose algorithm promotes divisive content and whose owner, Elon Musk, approvingly retweets far-right posts.

Across Europe, ethnonationalism has been promoted by right-wing parties such as Alliance for Germany, France's National Rally and the Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Now it appears to have the stamp of approval from the Trump administration, whose newnational security strategydepicts Europe as a collection of countries facing "economic decline" and "civilizational erasure" because of immigration and loss of national identities.

The hostile languagealarmed many European politicians, but also echoed what they hear from their countries' far-right parties.

National Rally leaderJordan Bardellatold the BBC he largely agreed with the Trump administration's concern that mass immigration was "shaking the balance of European countries."

Racist rhetoric and hate crimes on the rise

Policies once considered extreme are now firmly on the political agenda. Reform UK, the hard-right party that consistently leads opinion polls, says if it wins power it will strip immigrants of permanent-resident status even if they have lived in the U.K. for decades. The center-right opposition Conservatives say they will deport British citizens with dual nationality who commit crimes.

A Reform UK lawmaker complained in October that advertisements were "full of Black people, full of Asian people." Conservative justice spokesman Robert Jenrick remarked with concern that he "didn't see another white face" in an area of Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city Neither politician had to resign.

Many proponents of reduced immigration say they are concerned about integration and community cohesion, not race. But that's not how it feels to those on the receiving end of racial abuse.

"There is no doubt it has worsened," said Dawn Butler, a Black British lawmaker who says the vitriol she receives on social media "is increasing drastically, and has escalated into death threats."

U.K. government statistics show police in England and Wales recorded more than 115,000 hate crimes in the year to March 2025, a 2% increase over the previous 12 months.

In July 2024, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslimviolence eruptedon Britain's streets afterthree girls were stabbed to deathat a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Authorities saidonline misinformationwrongly identifying theU.K.-born teenage attackeras a Muslim migrant played a part.

In Ireland and in the Netherlands, protesters often demonstrate outside municipal meetings in communities where a new asylum center is proposed. Some protests have turned violent, with opponents of asylum-seekers throwing fireworks at riot police.

Across Europe, the main focus of protests has been hotels and other housing for asylum-seekers, which some say become magnets for crime and bad behavior. But the agenda of protest organizers is often much wider.

In September,more than 100,000 peoplechanting "We want our country back" marched through London in a protest organized by a far-right activist and convicted fraudster Tommy Robinson. Among the speakers was French far-right politician Eric Zemmour, who told the crowd that France and the U.K. both faced "the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture."

Outflanking the right

Mainstream European politicians condemn the "great replacement" conspiracy theory. Britain's center-left Labour Party government has denounced racism and says migration is an important part of Britain's national story.

At the same time, it is taking a tougher line on immigration, announcing policies to make it harder for migrants to settle permanently. The government says it is inspired by Denmark, which has seen asylum applications plummet since it started giving refugees only short-term residence.

Denmark and Britain are among a group of European countries pushing toweaken legal protections for migrantsand make deportations easier.

Human rights advocates argue that attempts to appease the right just lead to ever-more-extreme policies.

"For every inch yielded, there's going to be another inch demanded," Council of Europe human rights commissioner Michael O'Flaherty told The Guardian. "Where does it stop? For example, the focus right now is on migrants, in large part. But who is it going to be about next time around?"

Calls for calmer rhetoric

Politicians of the political center also have been criticized for adopting the language of the far right. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in May that Britain risked becoming an "island of strangers," a phrase that echoed a notorious 1968 anti-immigration speech by the politician Enoch Powell. Starmer later said he had been unaware of the echo and regretted using the phrase.

Germany's center-right Chancellor Friedrich Merz has hardened his language on migrants as the Alternative for Germany has grown more powerful. Merz caused an uproar in October by saying Germany had a problem with its "Stadtbild," a word that translates as "city image" or cityscape. Critics felt Merz was implying that people who don't look German don't truly belong.

Merz later stressed that "we need immigration," without which certain sectors of the economy, including health care, would cease to function.

Duffy said politicians should be responsible and consider how their rhetoric shapes public attitudes — though he added that's "quite a forlorn hope."

"The perception that this divisiveness works has taken hold," he said.

Associated Press writers Mike Corder in The Hague, John Leicester in Paris, Suman Naishadham in Madrid, Sam McNeil in Brussels and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this story.

byNeo

in

December 13, 2025

Anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies intensify across Europe

LONDON (AP) — In the past year, tens of thousands hostile to immigrantsmarched through Londonchanting "send them hom...

Women fleeing Mali's conflict say they were sexually assaulted but silence hides many more

DOUANKARA, Mauritania (AP) — The girl lay in a makeshift health clinic, her eyes glazed over and her mouth open, flies resting on her lips. Her chest barely moved. Drops of fevered sweat trickled down her forehead as medical workers hurried around her, attaching an IV drip.

It was the last moment to save her life, said Bethsabee Djoman Elidje, the women's health manager, who led the clinic's effort as the heart monitor beeped rapidly. The girl had an infection after a sexual assault, Elidje said, and had been in shock, untreated, for days.

Her family said the 14-year-old had been raped by Russian fighters who burst into their tent in Mali two weeks earlier. The Russians were members of Africa Corps, a new military unit under Russia's defense ministry that replaced the Wagner mercenary group six months ago.

Men, women and children have been sexually assaulted by all sides during Mali's decade-long conflict, the U.N. and aid workers say, with reports of gang rape and sexual slavery. But the real toll is hidden by a veil of shame that makes it difficult for women from conservative, patriarchal societies to seek help.

The silence that nearly killed the 14-year-old also hurts efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.

The AP learned of the alleged rape and four other alleged cases of sexual violence blamed on Africa Corps fighters, commonly described by Malians as the "white men," while interviewing dozens of refugees at the border aboutother abuses such as beheadings and abductions.

Other combatants in Mali have been blamed for sexual assaults. The head of a women's health clinic in the Mopti area told the AP it had treated 28 women in the last six months who said they had been assaulted by militants with the al-Qaida affiliated JNIM, the most powerful armed group in Mali.

The silence among Malian refugees has been striking.

In eastern Congo, which for decades has faced violence from dozens of armed groups, "we didn't have to look for people," said Mirjam Molenaar, the medical team leader in the border area for Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, who was stationed there last year. The women "came in huge numbers."

It's different here, she said: "People undergo these things and they live with it, and it shows in post-traumatic stress."

Speechless after an assault

The aunt of the 14-year-old girl said the Africa Corps fighters marched everyone outside at gunpoint. The family couldn't understand what they wanted. The men made them watch as they tied up the girl's uncle and cut off his head.

Then two of the men took the 14-year-old into the tent as she tried to defend herself, and raped her. The family waited outside, unable to move.

"We were so scared that we were not even able to scream anymore," the aunt recalled, as her mother sobbed quietly next to her. She, like other women, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, and the AP does not name victims of rape unless they agree to be named.

The girl emerged over a half-hour later, looking terrified. Then she saw her uncle's body and screamed. She fainted. When she woke up, she had the eyes of someone "who was no longer there," the aunt said.

The next morning, JNIM militants came and ordered the family to leave. They piled onto a donkey cart and set off toward the border. At any sound, they hid in the bushes, holding their breath.

The girl's condition deteriorated during the three-day journey. When they arrived in Mauritania, she collapsed.

The AP came across her lying on the ground in the courtyard of a local family. Her family said they had not taken her to a clinic because they had no money.

"If you have nothing, how can you bring someone to a doctor?" the girl's grandmother said between sobs. The AP took the family to a free clinic run by MSF. A doctor said the girl had signs of being raped.

The clinic had been functioning for barely a month and had seen three survivors of sexual violence, manager Elidje said.

"We are convinced that there are many cases like this," she said. "But so far, very few patients come forward to seek treatment because it's still a taboo subject here. It really takes time and patience for these women to open up and confide in someone so they can receive care. They only come when things have already become complicated, like the case we saw today."

As Elidje tried to save the girl's life, she asked the family to describe the incident. She did not speak Arabic and asked the local nurse to find out how many men carried out the assault. But the nurse was too ashamed to ask.

Scratch marks are part of story she could not tell

Thousands of new refugees from Mali, mostly women and children, have settled just inside Mauritania in recent weeks, in shelters made of fabric and branches. The nearest refugee camp is full, complicating efforts to treat and report sexual assaults.

Two recently arrived women discreetly pulled AP journalists aside, adjusting scarves over their faces. They said they had arrived a week ago after armed white men came to their village.

"They took everything from us. They burned our houses. They killed our husbands," one said. "But that's not all they did. They tried to rape us."

The men entered the house where she was by herself and undressed her, she said, adding that she defended herself "by the grace of Allah."

As she spoke, the second woman started crying and trembling. She had scratch marks on her neck. She was not capable of telling her story.

"We are still terrified by what we went through," she said.

Separately, a third woman said that what the white men did to her in Mali last month when she was alone at home "stays between God and me."

A fourth said she watched several armed white men drag her 18-year-old daughter into their house. She fled and has not seen her daughter again.

The women declined the suggestion to speak with aid workers, some of whom are locals. They said they were not ready to talk about it with anyone else.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to questions, but an information agency that the U.S. State Department has called part of the "Kremlin's disinformation campaign" called the AP's investigation into Africa Corps fake news.

Wagner has a legacy of sexual abuse

Allegations of rapes and other sexual assaults were already occurring before Wagner transformed into Africa Corps.

One refugee told the AP she witnessed a mass rape in her village in March 2024.

"The Wagner group burned seven men alive in front of us with gasoline." she said. Then they gathered the women and raped them, she said, including her 70-year-old mother.

"After my mother was raped, she couldn't bear to live," she said. Her mother died a month later.

In the worst-known case of sexual assault involving Russian fighters in Africa, the U.N. in a 2023 report said at least 58 women and girls had been raped or sexually assaulted in an attack on Moura village by Malian troops and others that witnesses described as "armed white men."

In response, Mali's government expelled the U.N. peacekeeping mission. Since then, gathering accurate data on the ground about conflict-related sexual violence has become nearly impossible.

The AP interviewed five of the women from Moura, who now stay in a displacement camp. They said they had been blindfolded and raped for hours by several men.

Three of the women said they hadn't spoken about it to anyone apart from aid workers. The other two dared to tell their husbands, months later.

"I kept silent with my family for fear of being rejected or looked at differently. It's shameful," one said.

The 14-year-old whose family fled to Mauritania is recovering. She said she cannot remember anything since the attack. Her family and MSF said she is speaking to a psychiatrist — one of just six working in the country.

Aid workers are worried about others who never say a thing.

"It seems that conflict over the years gets worse and worse and worse. There is less regard for human life, whether it's men, women or children," said MSF's Molenaar, and broke into tears. "It's a battle."

For more on Africa and development:https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org.

byNeo

in

December 13, 2025

Women fleeing Mali's conflict say they were sexually assaulted but silence hides many more

DOUANKARA, Mauritania (AP) — The girl lay in a makeshift health clinic, her eyes glazed over and her mouth open, flies re...

Takeaways from AP report on sexual violence in Mali

DOUANKARA, Mauritania (AP) — Multiple women have told The Associated Press they survived or witnessed alleged rapes and other sexual assaults committed by a new Russian military unit in Mali, where it is assisting the military in hunting down extremists.

Men, women and children have been sexually assaulted by all sides during the conflict, the U.N. and aid workers say, with reports of gang rape and sexual slavery. But few cases are reported. Aid workers and others cite a veil of shame that makes it difficult for women from conservative, patriarchal societies to seek help.

That silence also hurts efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.

The AP obtained rare access to the border with Mauritania where thousands of Malians have fled. Refugees alsoalleged other abusesincluding indiscriminate killings and beheadings.

Africa Corps earlier this year replaced the Wagner mercenary group, and refugees said it has taken up Wagner's tactics. Legal experts say Russian authorities are directly responsible for the fighters' actions since they report to the defense ministry. Russia's defense ministry did not respond to questions.

Here are takeaways from the AP report.

Allegations of assaults

One victim was a 14-year-old who contracted a severe infection related to sexual assault, according to a doctor who treated her. Her family said she was raped by Russian soldiers. They and others spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

The AP learned of four other alleged cases of sexual violence, including what women described as attempted rape by Africa Corps fighters, who were widely described as the "white men."

One woman said she defended herself "by the grace of Allah" after armed men entered her home and undressed her. Another started crying and could not stop trembling. She had scratch marks on her neck. She was not capable of telling her story.

"We are still terrified by what we went through," she said.

A third woman said that what the men did to her in Mali when she was alone in the house "stays between God and me." A fourth said she had watched several armed men drag her 18-year-old daughter into their house. She fled and has not seen her daughter again.

The AP does not name victims of rape unless they agree to be named.

Abuses by all sides

Other combatants in Mali have been blamed for sexual assaults.

The head of a women's health clinic in the Mopti area told the AP it had treated 28 women in the last six months who said they had been assaulted by militants with the al-Qaida affiliated JNIM, the most powerful armed group in Mali.

Abuses are under-reported because of fear of reprisals and limited access to care in addition to the shame around sexual assault, according to the U.N. and aid workers.

"People undergo these things and they live with it, and it shows in post-traumatic stress," said Mirjam Molenaar, a medical team leader in the border area with Doctors Without Borders, or MSF.

Previous accusations against Wagner

Allegations of rapes and other sexual assaults occurred when Wagner mercenaries were in Mali. One refugee said she witnessed a mass rape in her village in March 2024.

"The Wagner group burned seven men alive in front of us with gasoline." she said. Then they gathered all women and raped them, she said, including her 70-year-old mother.

In response, Mali's government expelled the U.N. peacekeeping mission. Since then, gathering accurate data on the ground about conflict-related sexual violence has become nearly impossible.

Difficulties in accessing help

It can be difficult for refugees to know help is available. The refugee camp on the Mauritanian border is full, with over 150,000 people. Another 3,000 have crossed the border in the past month as fighting in Mali intensifies.

The new arrivals settle far from the camp in fragile shelters of fabric and branches. MSF opened a free clinic nearby in recent weeks. It has seen three survivors of sexual violence.

Aid workers worry about the many women who never say a thing.

"We know from the stories shared that there is a huge need," MSF's Molenaar said.

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December 13, 2025

Takeaways from AP report on sexual violence in Mali

DOUANKARA, Mauritania (AP) — Multiple women have told The Associated Press they survived or witnessed alleged rapes and o...

Brown University students are escorted by police (Marc Vasconcellos / Marc Vasconcellos / USA Today Network via Imagn)

First-year Brown University Benjamin DiBella was in the Sciences Library at the Providence college Saturday afternoon when someone yelled that there was anactive shooter on campus.

There was — but in a nearby building, Barus & Holley, where a gunman opened fire on people in a classroom, authorities said, killing two and wounding nine others. The manhunt for the shooter was ongoing early Sunday.

DiBella went to the messaging board Sidechat, "and saw dozens of messages all only minutes old noting panic and gunshots," DiBella said.

Follow live updates

What followed was a lockdown on the 9th floor, where doors were barricaded and people scrolled news feeds for information over the next two-and-a-half hours, he said.

"We were aware that police forces were gradually clearing the floors of the Sciences Library, and at times we heard them on floors above and beneath us," DiBella said.

The Ivy League college warned everyone on campus to shelter-in-place after reports of the active shooter came in at around 4:05 p.m., instructing them to lock doors and silence phones. They were to run, and fight, if absolutely necessary.

The order was still in effect at midnight for the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. A perimeter had also been established, with people still waiting in administrative buildings for a law enforcement escort to leave.

Image: TOPSHOT-US-SHOOTING-BROWN-CRIME (Bing Guan / AFP via Getty Images)

In his dorm room Saturday night, sophomore Satvik Paduri considered himself one of the lucky ones. He arrived home about an hour before the shooting and subsequent lockdown.

"I definitely don't feel comfortable going out of my dorm room just because they haven't found the shooter," Paduri, 19, of Texas, said. "Obviously, he could be anywhere."

All of Paduri's friends are safe — but there were fears when one of them, who was in the engineering building, was marked online as still being there after the shooting.

"It turns out he was able to get out, but just left his phone behind in the panic," Paduri said. "It's just horrifying that something like this has occurred so close to home, he said.

Atman Shah, also a sophomore, and his friend Amber were staying with friends, six in all in a dorm where four normally live. He and Amber were having a meeting about a block away at a cafe when everyone started quickly leaving.

"You saw police cars with lights and sirens going like 60 mph down a residential road, and that's when we knew 'OK, something serious is happening,'" said Shah, 19, of California.

He said it seemed likely they would all spend the night in the room.

The shock of the shooting and the panic of trying to reach friends who had left their phones behind had begun to ease by Saturday night, he said.

"As time goes on, it just becomes a deep sadness," Shah said.

Paduri and Shah both said they are fortunate neither they or any of their friends were hurt, and their thoughts are with the victims.

Both have some experience tangentially to shootings in public places that occurred when there was gunfire at malls where their friends either worked or were shopping.

"But this hits a lot closer to home," Paduri said. "It's shocking."

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December 13, 2025

Brown University students describe uncertainty and fear in lockdown after shooting

First-year Brown University Benjamin DiBella was in the Sciences Library at the Providence college Saturday afternoon when someone yelled t...

'SNL' cold open skewers Trump over new Jeffrey Epstein photos

President Donald Trumpwas the man behind the curtain in the latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open.

The show kicked off its Dec. 13 episode with a sketch featuringJames Austin Johnsonas Trump holding a press conference aboard Air Force One.

Johnson's Trump, who partially hid behind a curtain and told reporters he "took both an Ambien and an Adderall," was asked about anew batch of photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estatereleased by House Democrats, which show high-profile figures including Trump and former President Bill Clinton.

"The fact is, these photos are a fake news, Democrat hoax," Johnson's Trump said. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (played by Ashley Padilla) had to frantically step in after Trump changed his tune, saying the pictures are "100% legit" and admitted, "I'm in the files. I took a lot of great pictures!"

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In the sketch, Johnson's Trump also commented on news thatthe United States recently seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, with the president declaring, "We're doing pirate now!" After noting that he has been "targeting suspected drug planes," Trump showed reporters declassified footage of a drone strike on Santa Claus.

The cold open also featured Johnson's Trump insisting that the economy is doing fine for everyone "from the billionaires all the way down to the poor, poor millionaires," while maintaining he inherited a "mess of an economy from the awful presidents that came before me, like Biden and Trump."

James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump on

Another moment in the sketch referenced Trump's recentrant against CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins. After insisting that he is "very nice to women," he took a question from Collins and called her a "nasty, horrible witch." Collins (played by Chloe Fineman) described this as "one of the nicer things that you've called me."

The cold open ended with Trump saying that he has to begin his "pre-bedtime self-care ritual," which involves "putting a bandage on my hand, then covering it with makeup, then adding more layers of bandage and makeup."

"We should all be very worried about my health," he added. "I'm very ill."

"Wake Up Dead Man" star Josh O'Connorhosted the Dec. 13 episode of "SNL," which featured musical guestLily Allen. The episode was the second in a series of three consecutive weeks of shows to close out 2025.

Last week, "SNL" began with acold open that addressed the Trump administration'sVenezuelan boat strikes. The sketch starred Colin Jost as Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth, who chugged an energy drink before delivering a combative press conference about what he described as "Operation Kill Everybody."

"Let's just say if I had a drink for every Venezuelan we've killed, I'd really like that number of drinks," he said.

'SNL' mocks Hegseth,Trump over Venezuelan boat strikes in cold open

Johnson's Trumphad a somewhat reduced role in last week's cold open. Near the end of the sketch, Johnson's Trump was shown to have been sleeping through Hegseth's press event and muttering to himself about New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani while dreaming.

"I wasn't sleeping," he said. "I'm very much awake. Now, someone quickly tell me: Where am I, who am I, and what year might it be?"

Josh O'Connorrecalls 'Knives Out' line he found 'profound and true'

Who's hosting 'SNL' next week?

"SNL" will wrap up 2025 with one final episode before going on its annual holiday break.

Ariana Grandeis hosting the show's Christmas episode on Dec. 20. This marks the "Wicked: For Good" star's third time as host. She most recently hosted in October 2024 and in her monologue addressed her hopes that Kamala Harris would win the 2024 presidential election.

"The last time I hosted was in 2016, and we were right on the verge of electing our first female president, so I guess second time's the charm," she said, crossing her fingers.

The "SNL" Christmas episode will also featureCheras the musical guest for the first time since 1987.

NBC hasn't announced when "SNL" will return after Christmas, but the show is typically back with new episodes in mid-January.

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Joey Garrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' cold open mocks Trump over new Jeffrey Epstein photos

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'SNL' cold open skewers Trump over new Jeffrey Epstein photos

President Donald Trumpwas the man behind the curtain in the latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open. Th...

Vitalii Nosach /Global Images Ukraine via Getty

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Miss Universe announced that CEO Mario Búcaro has stepped down from his role one month after taking on the role
This comes after the latest pageant, which was executed by Búcaro, was riddled with numerous controversies
Búcaro assumed the position of CEO after former Miss Universe CEO Jakapong "Anne" Jakrajutatip stepped down in June

Miss Universe CEO Mario Búcaro has stepped down — a month after taking on the role.

TheMiss Universe Pageantannounced on Friday, Dec. 12, that Búcaro, 48, "concluded his tenure" as CEO of the organization, a position which he assumed in November afterJakapong "Anne" Jakrajutatipstepped down as CEO in June.

In a statement, Búcaro said, "Those who know me and have worked with me understand that I have always conducted myself with the highest ethical standards, and that in every responsibility I have assumed, I have sought to leave a positive legacy with every person with whom I have collaborated."

Búcaro added that his time within the Miss Universe organization "represented an invaluable period of learning, during which I had the privilege of working alongside extraordinary women, exceptional professionals, and a global community that genuinely believes in the empowerment of women."

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty

The Miss Universe pageant did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the announcement.

This comes after the numerous controversies that have plagued the latest Miss Universe competition, which he had helped execute. This included aheated confrontationon Nov. 4 between pageant executiveNawat ItsaragrisilandFátima Bosch, who represented Mexico and was ultimatelycrowned the pageant's winner, which went viral.

Following the incident, Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha announced multiple sanctions against Itsaragrisil, includinghis restriction from the pageant. However, Former Miss Massachusetts USA winnerMelissa Sapini, who represented Haiti atMiss Universe 2025claimed to PEOPLE in late November that contestants regularly saw the pageant executive in the following weeks.

She also claimed that there wereseveral "red flags" ahead of the pageantincluding contestants getting sick due to the flu and food poisoning, which she alleged some contestants got from the "box lunches" they gave out.

The pageant told PEOPLE in response to her claims that "a number of contestants" did not submit "their health conditions and dietary restrictions in advance," which made it "impossible for us to prepare special meals in time."

A judge alsoresigned ahead of the pageant, claiming that the organization formed an "impromptu jury" to select finalists, and a Miss Universe contestant alleged that theTop 30 in the competition was chosenbefore the contestants took the stage.

Mohan Raj/Getty

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The Miss Universe pageantissued a statementdenying both claims, saying "that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols."

Búcaro took the role over from previous CEO Jakrajutatip, who was issued anarrest warrantin late November for alleged financial fraud at her company, JKN Global Group, which owns the Miss Universe pageant.

Read the original article onPeople

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Miss Universe CEO Mario Búcaro Resigns 1 Month After He Was Put in the Role amid Pageant Controversies

Vitalii Nosach /Global Images Ukraine via Getty NEED TO KNOW Miss Universe announced that CEO Mario Búcaro has stepped down from his role...

'Little House on the Prairie' Star Admits He Regrets Saying 'No' to Meeting a U.S. President

The cast of theLittle House on the Prairiewerefamous in their own rightthanks to the TV series, with starDean Butlerhaving gotten an invitation to meet former President Ronald Reagan. Butler reveals it's one of his biggest regrets, especially considering where they would have met.

Alison Arngrim, Pamela Bob, and Butler got together for Part 2 of a previousLittle House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Pod,where a fan asked Butler which person, dead or alive, he would wish to interview.

"I loved Ronald Reagan as a character, as a presence, and what he stood for America at a time in mylifewhen I was very impressionable," revealed Butler. "I loved the way he spoke to our country. There was such dignity about him, and I met him one time and shook his hand, and it's really one of the fascinating things. This was later in his life, and he sort of looked right through me."

While Butler continued to praise the former president who died in 2004 at the age of 93, he went on to shock his fellow co-stars with a related story.

He revealed that he had gotten a "beautiful" handwritten card to meet Reagan, and decided not to go. It was not only one of his biggest regrets, but it was worse, considering they would have met in the infamous Nakatomi building fromDie Hard.

"I was invited to come and meet him in his office. I got a beautiful card, a handwritten card from his Chief of Staff, and I didn't do it," he confessed.

"I've always sort of kicked myself. He was in the Nakatomi building, which was the famous building forDie Hard."

At the mention of the infamous building from theBruce Willis movie, Arngrim screamed in shock and chastised Butler for saying no based on that detail alone. Butler added that the card said, "Come by and meet the boss," and admitted that nothing was going on at the time for him not to go.

This story was originally published byParadeon Dec 12, 2025, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

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'Little House on the Prairie' Star Admits He Regrets Saying 'No' to Meeting a U.S. President

The cast of theLittle House on the Prairiewerefamous in their own rightthanks to the TV series, with starDean Butlerha...

Buffalo Bills remain in Providence hotel as police seek Brown University shooter

TheBuffalo Billsare in Providence as they are scheduled to play theNew England Patriotsat Gillette Stadium on Sunday in a game that could decide the AFC East.

According to a report from The Athletic, "the Patriots and Bills have been in communication sincenews of the shootingfirst arose" and the Bills, who are staying at a downtown hotel about a mile from campus, are remaining inside their hotel after a gunman shot 10 people on Saturday afternoon, leaving two dead and several others injured.

Live updates:2 dead, 9 injured, Brown University shooter still at large

There was a heavy police presence on Thayer Street after a shooting at Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.

More than 400 officers are in Providence to help with the investigation as the shooter is still not in police custody, according to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. As of 10 p.m., the shelter in place order is still in place in Providence.

Brown University's Department of Public Safety sent a campus-wide alert at 4:22 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, urging students and staff to run, hide and fight (as a last resort) due to the presence of an "active shooter."

The Buffalo Bills are staying at a downtown Providence hotel less than two miles from the active-shooter scene near Brown University. I'm told all players and staff are safe and accounted for at this time. Brown University has urged the area to shelter in place as police respond.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini)December 14, 2025

ThePatriots are scheduled to face the Billsat 1 p.m. on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, which is about 25 miles southwest of Providence.

A statement from the New England Patriots.pic.twitter.com/66Esb4TdDo

— New England Patriots (@Patriots)December 14, 2025

The Patriots posted a statement on social media at 7:09 p.m. saying the team is "heartbroken by the horrific events at Brown University" and expressed their "deepest sympathies to those affected and their families."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal:Buffalo Bills remain in Providence hotel as police hunt for shooter

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Buffalo Bills remain in Providence hotel as police seek Brown University shooter

TheBuffalo Billsare in Providence as they are scheduled to play theNew England Patriotsat Gillette Stadium on Sunday in a...

Jimmy Lai, former pro-democracy newspaper founder, to hear verdict in national security case

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court will deliver its verdict on Monday in the trial of former pro-democracy media mogulJimmy Lai, who's charged with conspiracies to commit sedition and collusion with foreign forces in a case that marks how much the semi-autonomous Chinese city has changed since Beijing began a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent five years ago.

Lai, 78, was arrested in 2020 under anational security lawimposed by Chinese authorities to quell the massive anti-government protests that rocked the city in 2019.

Lai's156-day trialis being closely watched by foreign governments and political observers as a test of the judicial independence and media freedom in the former British colony, which was promised it could maintain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years after returning to Chinese rule in 1997.

Here's what to know about the landmark trial:

Lai was arrested as China tightened its grip on Hong Kong

Hong Kong was long known for its vibrant press scene and protest culture in Asia. But following months of anti-government protests that brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets, Beijing began a sweeping crackdown that has chilled most open dissent in the city.

Lai was one of the first prominent figures charged under the National Security Law, which has also been used to prosecute other leading activists and opposition politicians. Beijing deemed the law crucial for the city's stability.

Dozens of civil society groups have closed, as tens of thousands of young professionals and middle-class families emigrated to destinations like Britain, Canada, Taiwan, Australia and the United States.

Lai's newspaper was known for its fierce pro-democracy stand

Lai, a rags-to-riches tycoon who formerly owned clothing chain Giordano, entered the media world after the1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

He described himself as driven by the belief that delivering information is equal to delivering freedom. His newspaper drew a strong following with tabloid-style coverage of politics and celebrities, as well as a strong pro-democracy stance. It often urged its readers to join protests.

Lai took to the streets himself, too, including in the 2019 protests.

Lai was arrested under the security law in August 2020 as about 200 police officers raided Apple Daily's building. He has been in custody since December 2020.

Within a year, authorities used the same law to arrest senior executives of Apple Daily, raided its offices again and froze $2.3 million of its assets, effectively forcing the newspaper toshut down. The paper's final edition sold out in hours, with readers scooping up all 1 million copies.

Authorities accused Lai of seeking to get sanctions imposed on China

The most serious accusation against Lai was that he and other people had invited the U.S. and other foreign powers to act against China with sanctions or other measures "under the guise of fighting for freedom and democracy."

One major issue was whether Lai made such calls after the security law went into effect. Lai did not deny that he'd called for sanctions earlier, but insisted that he stopped once the law came in.

Prosecutors argued that even though Lai didn't make direct requests for sanctions after the law took effect, he had tried to "create a false impression" of China to justify foreign countries to impose punishment, pointing to articles and his comments in online broadcasts critical of Hong Kong and China.

Lai's lawyer Robert Pang said his remarks were just armchair punditry, akin to chatter "over the dim sum table."

Lai said he wrote "without any sense of hostility or intention to be seditious." Pang also pressed the court to consider freedom of expression and accused the prosecution of treating human rights as a foreign concept, leading totesty exchanges.

"It's not wrong to support freedom of expression. It's not wrong to support human rights," he said. "Nor is it wrong not to love a particular administration or even the country."

Judge Esther Toh responded that "It's not wrong not to love the government, but if you do that by certain nefarious means, then it's wrong."

Lai's foreign contacts came under attack

Prosecutors also dwelled on Lai's foreign contacts, including meetings he had with former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-Vice President Mike Pence at the height of the 2019 protests.

Prosecutor Anthony Chau said Lai's foreign connections showed his "unwavering intent to solicit" sanctions, blockades or other hostile activities against China and Hong Kong.

The prosecution also alleged Lai had conspired with fellow Apple Daily senior executives, members of an advocacy group called "Fight for Freedom Stand with Hong Kong" and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China to call for foreign actions.

Six Apple Daily senior executives involved in the casepleaded guiltyin 2022 and some of them served as prosecution witnesses.

Two other alleged co-conspirators linked to "Stand with Hong Kong" group also testified against Lai, but legal team called one of them "a serial liar" and argued that even if accepted his testimony didn't show that Lai had agreed to work with them as alleged.

Outside the courtroom, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, aninternational political groupcritical of China, said in a statement that it rejected "false claims" regarding Lai's involvement with its network.

Foreign governments are watching the case

Lai, a British citizen, has drawn concerns from foreign governments, including the U.S. and the U.K. — both have called for his release. U.S. President Donald Trump said he has raised the case with China, and U.K. Prime MinisterKeir Starmerhas said his government has made it a priority to secure the release of Lai.

But Beijing has called Lai "an agent and pawn of anti-China foreign forces," describing him as the main planner behind disruptive activities in the city.

Controversy arose even before his trial started. Lai's trial, originally scheduled to start in December 2022, was postponed to 2023 as authoritiesbarreda British lawyer from representing Lai, citing that it would likely pose national security risks.

Lai says his health is deteriorating, but he could face life in prison

In August, Pang said Lai had experienced heart palpitations and was given a heart monitor. His children raised concerns over his deteriorating health. The government said a medical examination of Lai found no abnormalities following his heart problems and that the medical care he received in custody was adequate.

The security law authorizes a range of sentences depending on the seriousness of the offense and the defendant's role in it, from three years for the less serious to 10 years to life for people convicted of "grave" offenses.

If Lai is convicted, sentencing is expected on a later day. He can appeal the outcome.

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December 13, 2025

Jimmy Lai, former pro-democracy newspaper founder, to hear verdict in national security case

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court will deliver its verdict on Monday in the trial of former pro-democracy media mogulJim...

Brown University mass shooting: Is this the first at an Ivy League school?

Brown Universityis the first Ivy League school in recent history with a mass shooting that led to multiple deaths.

While there have been isolated fatal shootings at severalIvy League colleges, including agun death at Harvard University in 2009anda 2021 killing of a Yale graduate student, there have been no active-shooter incidents with multiple fatalities.

USA TODAY, along with theGun Violence Archive (GVA), defines a mass shooting as an incident in which a minimum of four or more people are shot (injured or killed), not including the shooter, within a single event.

On Dec. 13, at least two people were killed and eight were injured in ashootingon Brown University's campus in Providence, R.I., according to the city's mayor. As of 8 p.m. on Dec. 13, Rhode Island Hospital six patients are in critical but stable condition, one patient is in critical condition and one patient is in stable condition.

The university, founded in 1764, had just begun itsfinal examination periodbefore the end of the Fall 2025 semester when the shooting happened.

Police rope off the scene as they continue to search for the suspect of a shooting at Brown University.

TheIvy League, technically the name of anathletic conference, is made up of eight elite East Coast colleges and universities: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University.

The group is widely renowned for its academic prestige and exclusivity.

While this is a first for the Ivy League, a few fatal shootings have taken place on college campuses in 2025.

Days before the Brown shooting, one student was killed and another critically injured in ashooting at Kentucky State University. A 48-year-old parent of a student at the university was arrested and charged in connection.

Back in April, two people were killed and several were injured in acampus shooting at Florida State University.

In 2023, threeMichigan State Universitystudents were killed in a campus shooting. Five others were critically wounded.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal:Brown University mass shooting: Is this the first at an Ivy League school?

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Brown University mass shooting: Is this the first at an Ivy League school?

Brown Universityis the first Ivy League school in recent history with a mass shooting that led to multiple deaths. ...

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic;Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg

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Grimes claims that her ex Elon Musk "blocked" her on X
"This is silly," she wrote
The singer, 37, and the tech billionaire, 54, share three children

Grimessays her ex and co-parent,Elon Musk, has blocked her on his social media platform X.

The singer — whoshares three childrenwith the tech billionaire — made the claim after an X user observed that she seemingly no longer follows Musk on the platform.

"For context I'm just living my life," Grimes, 37, responded onXon Thursday, Dec. 11. "He followed me then blocked me. I'm not gna be following and unfollowing. My only priority is co parenting, I am not interested in public dramatics."

She added: "This is so silly lol."

For context I'm just living my life. He followed me then blocked me. I'm not gna be following and unfollowing. My only priority is co parenting, i am not interested in public dramatics. This is so silly lol

— 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 ⏳ (@Grimezsz)December 11, 2025

Musk, 54, and Grimes were first linked in 2018. They welcomed their first child together, sonX Æ A-Xii ("X"), two years later in May 2020. The on-again, off-again couple went on to quietly have two more children: daughter Exa Dark Sideræl via surrogate in December 2021, and sonTechno Mechanicusin June 2022.

In October 2023, Grimes filed a petitionrequesting to establish parental rightsfor all three children, according to online records viewed by PEOPLE.

In November 2024, Grimes shared that she had held off on releasing new music because she had been involved in a custody battle with Musk.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

"Spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers rights having my instagram posts and modeling used as reasons I shouldn't have my kids and fighting and detaching from the love if my life as he comes unrecognizable to me, with a fraction of his resources (or iq/strategy experience)," she wrote in post onXat the time.

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.

"All the while Ididn't see one of my babies for 5 months," she continued. "And this is only what can be said publicly, since most of my experience these last years should remain behind closed doors."

Grimes voiced her frustration with Musk's parenting several months later after he brought the pair's oldest child, X, then 4 years old, to the Oval Office on Feb. 11. Soon after, Grimes shared that shewasn't awareof her son's public appearance and only learned about it through an X user.

Andrew Harnik/Getty

"He should not be in public like this," the singer wrote onXat the time. "I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I'm glad he was polite. Sigh."

Soon after, the musician spoke out in an interview withTIME, published on Feb. 24, and responded to critics who called her out after criticizing Musk.

"It was like, 'Grimes slams,' 'Grimes speaks out.' It's like, okay, it was a reply. But I would really like people to stop posting images of my kid everywhere," she told the outlet, adding that she believes "fame is something you should consent to."

"Obviously, things will just be what they are. But I would really, really appreciate that. I can only ask, so I'm just asking," she added.

Grimes again voiced her concern with Musk's parenting decisions the following month in March, saying she had "begged" the SpaceX founder to keep their kids out of the public eye while responding to an X user who asked her about the dangers of parenting in the age of the internet.

"I have tried begging the public and my kid's dad to keep them offline, and I've tried legal recourse … The state of my children's lives being public is of grave concern to me and I think about how to solve this every day," she wrote in the March 13X post.

She added, "It's insane to me that there's no way to deal with this. I would hope there was some law that would allow a parent to veto small children from living public lives but I don't even trust the law to help me now if I tried to invoke it tbh."

Read the original article onPeople

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Grimes Claims Ex Elon Musk Blocked Her on X amid Their Co-Parenting Relationship: 'This Is So Silly'

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic;Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg NEED TO KNOW Grimes claims that her ex Elon Musk "blocked" her on X ...

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Neil Diamond's wife, Katie Diamond, revealed the secret to their long-lasting marriage while chatting with PEOPLE at the New York City premiere of Song Sung Blue on Dec. 11
The couple will celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary in April
They tied the knot at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles in 2012

Neil Diamondis far from a "Solitary Man."

The singer, 84, has been married toKate Diamondfor nearly 14 years, and now, his talent manager wife is sharing the secret to their long-lasting union.

"We're best friends, and we really support each other. We lift each other up, and through thick and thin, through sickness and health, we really live it. And I think that that's the secret," Katie, 55, told PEOPLE at the New York City premiere ofSong Sung Blueon Thursday, Dec. 11.

"And it's our 14th wedding anniversary coming up in April," she added.

As for how she and Neil plan to mark the occasion, Katie said, "I mean, every day we try to make it special and celebrate every day."

Image Press/Shutterstock

Fittingly, it was music — specifically Katie's love of Neil's infectious hits, including "Sweet Caroline" and "Holy Holy" — that first brought the couple together. In 2007, Katie was working with Neil's then-manager, Irving Azoff, and convinced him to let her work on the singer's account.

They fell in love over the course of a year, though Katie was initially hesitant about getting into a relationship with the Grammy winner. "Part of me said, 'Don't get involved; he's a client,' " she toldParadein 2012. "There are a lot of complications for a lot of reasons. But our chemistry grew into something that couldn't be denied."

Neil, meanwhile, recalled toThe Telegraphthat he initially had no romantic feelings toward Katie, as he was focused on his music. However, as the two began to work together, he saw Katie in another light.

"We kind of fell in love, slowly," he told the U.K. outlet. "She wove her way into my heart, and I think she's a great person. I realized that I was in love with her."

Neil announced their engagement in September 2011, writing onTwitter (now X), "Good news coming from sunny LA/ and you're the first I want to tell/ Katie & I just got engaged/ and I hope you wish us well."

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

The couple tied the knot at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles on April 21, 2012, and Katie became "a proud stepmom" toNeil's four kidsfrom his two previous marriages: daughters Marjorie and Elyn and sons Jesse and Micah.

Speaking with Parade in 2012, the "Cherry, Cherry" singer opened up about why he likes being married — and why he felt like the "luckiest man on earth" to have Katie by his side.

"I don't want to end this whole fabulous journey alone," he said at the time. "I want someone by my side who I love and who loves me. I've finally found somebody who's up to the task of being my wife, because I'm very … high-maintenance."

Neil added: "I think I'm probably the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

Neil went on to record his 2014 album,Melody Road, with Katie as his creative muse. He spent five years working on the track "Art of Love," tellingNews Corp Australia Network, "I had a woman I was in love with in the picture, and just being with her and having her around me inspired me to stay with it."

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All these years later, Katie is just as charmed by Neil's music as she was back in 2007 when she first pitched to become his manager. Speaking to PEOPLE aboutSong Sung Blue— a film about real-life couple Mike (Hugh Jackman) and Claire Sardina (Kate Hudson), who founded the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder — Katie said she was moved by Hudson's performance of Neil's well-known song "I've Been This Way Before."

"When she sang it, I was sobbing," Katie recalled. "It brought me to tears. It is such a beautiful song."

Song Sung Blueis in theaters on Dec. 25.

Read the original article onPeople

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Maggie Simpson speaks!

Lindsay Lohanlends her voice toThe Simpsons' youngest daughter in anew clipfrom Sunday's episode of the show, "Parahormonal Activity," which features a flash-forward scene of the animated family chatting it up in the kitchen.

"I'm driving to school today," a moody, slightly older teen Bart says at the beginning of the clip, which Lohan posted on Instagram. "How am I gonna learn not to kill people if you don't let me practice?"

Maggie then nervously shivers, about to speak up — until Marge jumps in and insists, "Maggie, Maggie, rest your voice! You're still getting over that laryngitis!"

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But Maggie chimes in against her mother's wishes. "Please don't let Bart drive!" she yells. "It's too scary! He drives so wiggly, and everybody honks at us and yells bad words and shows us fingers!"

Bart then reluctantly hands over the keys.

Lohanshared her enthusiasmfor her guest role on the animated sitcom in a separate post.

"Catch me on #TheSimpsons this Sunday on Fox!" the actress wrote. "What a dream come true to be part of this iconic family."

Maggie traditionally only communicates via gestures, grunts, and pacifier-sucking sounds, and her nonverbal sounds are usually voiced by Nancy Cartwright, who also voices Bart.

However, she has occasionally spoken with other voices, usually in dream sequences, flash-forwards, and alternate reality episodes. Maggie first articulated words in the season 2 episode "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," in which Bart imagines his sister saying, "It's your fault I can't talk!" Carol Kane voiced Maggie for that single line.

Darren Gerrish/WireImage

Perhaps most memorably, Maggie uttered her first word in the season 4 episode "Lisa's First Word" — and the scene wasn't framed as a dream or a possible future, which made it one of the only moments in which the baby canonically spoke. Elizabeth Taylor delivers that single word —"daddy" — as Maggie sits alone in her crib, unheard by the rest of the family. Fun fact: Lohan portrayed Taylor in the 2012 Lifetime movieLiz & Dick, which unfortunately did not depict the Hollywood legend's moment in theSimpsonsrecording booth.

Cartwright also spoke one word as Maggie during the credits of 2007'sThe Simpsons Movie: "Sequel?"

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Later, in the season 20 episode "Four Great Women and a Manicure," Jodie Foster delivered a verbose monologue in a fantasy sequence parodying Ayn Rand'sThe Fountainhead. The scene saw Maggie defend her architectural ambitions (as displayed through complex structures made of building blocks) after criticism from her daycare teacher, arguing that she strove to "achieve things that are the glory of all humanity." Fun fact No. 2: Lohan has a connection to theSilence of the Lambsactress, too, as she starred in the 2003 remake ofFreaky Fridayas a teenage character similar to the one Foster portrayed in the original 1976 film.

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Other performers who have voiced Maggie include James Earl Jones, Kevin Michael Richardson, andSimpsonsregular Harry Shearer in non-canon "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. In the most recent "Treehouse of Horror," Viola Davis spoke for Maggie, who was revealed as the narrator of the final segment in the ep's closing moment.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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Lindsay Lohan voices Maggie in new teaser for “The Simpsons”: 'A dream come true'

Don Arnold/WireImage; 20th Television Maggie Simpson speaks! Lindsay Lohanlends her voice toThe Simpsons' youngest daughter in anew c...

What we know about the Brown University shooter

At least two people were killed and eight were woundedin a shooting at Brown Universityon Dec. 13. Law enforcement is still searching for a suspect.

Providence Deputy Police Chief Tim O'Hara told media in a press briefing that they knew that the shooter was male, and that he was dressed all in black.

Both O'Hara and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that law enforcement was actively searching for the suspect, who left the Barus and Holley engineering building onto Hope Street.

Police are using forensics, as well as looking at surveillance footage and talking to witnesses to develop more information about the suspect.

Here's what we know about the suspect:

Brown University suspected shooter is male, dressed in all black

Little is known about the suspect, but this is what law enforcement shared.

The shooter was:

Male
Wearing all black

How did the Brown University shooter get into the building?

O'Hara said it was unknown how the suspected shooter entered the Barus and Holley Engineering Building at 184 Hope Street, but it is known that he exited the building onto Hope Street.

Is there only one shooter?

Law enforcement told the media that the information they have right now is that there is only one shooter. However, Smiley cautioned at the start of the press conference that it is a developing situation that may evolve.

What should you do if you might know something about the Brown University suspected shooter?

Smiley urged anything who may know anything about the shooter or the shooting to call 911, particularly if they are a student, or "an adult" on Brown University's campus.

Anyone with security cameras near the Barus and Holley building or on Hope Street, including residents and businesses, should review their camera footage to see if they captured anything around the time of the shooting, officials said.

Was a suspect in custody?

Smiley clarified that there was initial misinformation that a shooter was in custody.

He said the confusion was caused by the fact that they took someone into custody preliminarily. However, that person ended up not being the shooter and was released.

A shooter is not in custody.

This is a developing story.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal:Brown University shooting suspect male, dressed in black. What we know

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December 13, 2025

What we know about the Brown University shooter

At least two people were killed and eight were woundedin a shooting at Brown Universityon Dec. 13. Law enforcement is ...

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. Credit - Evan Vucci—Associated Press

The mother ofKaroline Leavitt's nephew has hit out at the White House Press Secretary in her first public appearance since being released from the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, who was formerly engaged to the Leavitt's brother, Michael, and shares custody of their son, was asked during an interview onCNNon Friday if she had a message for the Press Secretary, who has publicly kept her distance from the incident.

"I think what I would have to say to Karoline is: just because you went to a Catholic school, doesn't make you a good Catholic."

Read more:New Yorkers Thwart ICE Raids, Highlighting Challenges for Trump's Crackdown in Nation's Immigrant Capital

Addressing Leavitt, who attended Catholic high school and college and is also the godmother of Ferreira's son, she continued, "You're a mother. You are a mother now, and you should know. How would you feel if you were in my shoes, you know? How would you feel if somebody did this to you?"

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TIME following Ferreria's comments.

During the interview, Ferreira gave a full account of her arrest and detention, which shone a spotlight on Leavitt's family in the midst of the Trump Administration's efforts to conduct the largest mass deportation in American history.

She said she was rushing to pick up the 11-year-old from school when a swarm of unmarked vehicles surrounded her home in Massachusetts. Shoes still untied, in her hurry, the 33-year-old was arrested by ICE officers without a warrant and taken to Louisiana.

Ferreira, who is in the process of seeking a green card, entered the United States from Brazil when she was 6 years old. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that she was in the country illegally, alleging that she entered the country on a B-2 tourist visa that required her to leave the country by June 6, 1999.

In their joint interview Friday evening, Ferreira's lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, contended that the Department of Homeland Security's assertion that she is a "criminal illegal alien," based on her alleged immigration status, is a "false character assassination."

In an earlierreporton Ferreira's detention, a person familiar with the situation, who was granted anonymity, told the New YorkTimesthat, despite their familial connection, Leavitt and Ferreira had not spoken in years.

During her Friday appearance, Ferreira recounted her tumultuous interactions with ICE. She claimed she was moved from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, then from New Hampshire to Vermont, from Vermont to Philadelphia, and from Philadelphia to Texas. Throughout the transfers, she said, ICE agents failed to tell her where she was going or why.

Upon arriving in Texas, she saw a sign that said Mexico, which led her to plead with an ICE agent. "I said, can you please, please, please have a little bit of empathy for me and tell me if you're taking me across the border?" Ferreira recounted. Her voice quivered as she continued: "He said no, we are taking you to your final destination, your final stop before your deportation, which is South Louisiana. Hardly anybody ever gets out of there."

There have beenreportsof sexual harassment and abuse, and "neglect of urgent medical care,' at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where Ferreira spent three weeks before a judge on Monday allowed her to post bail.

According todatareleased by the Prison Policy Initiative on Dec. 1, ICE has made approximately 217,518 arrests between Jan. 20 and Oct. 15, 2025. The average number of daily arrests rose from around 300 in early 2024 to more than 800 in January 2025, and to over 1,000 by October of this year.

Pomerleau told CNN, "When she was taken to Vermont, one of the ICE officers didn't think she spoke English and said, 'Oh, we got more business coming in,' and then she winds up in Louisiana, another for-profit hell hole prison paid for by taxpayers," adding: "This is a woman who owns two businesses, is a single mother, paying her taxes, and winds up in a for-profit prison in Louisiana. It's unconscionable what they are doing on a daily basis."

When asked about the WashingtonPost'sreportthat the White House tried to imply that Ferreira was an absentee parent who never lived with her son, she expressed her frustration with the matter.

"Why? Why lie? Why lie? Because I have so many friends and family that called me and said why would anyone lie about this when it's 2025?" she said. "We have a digital footprint of everything. It doesn't make any sense. I'm just as confused as you are, and I'm hoping this interview gets me some answers."

Contact usatletters@time.com.

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A list of deadly shootings on college campuses in the US

A shooting Saturday at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, lefttwo people dead and at least eight other critically injured.Authorities were still searching for a suspect in the hours afterward.

The shooting occurred on a Saturday afternoon in a campus building with final exams underway. The suspect was dressed in black and left the building on foot, officials said.

The violence prompted a shelter-in-place order for the larger university area. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said "we have all available resources" to find the suspect.

"Sadly, today is a day that the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island prayed would never come," the mayor said. "We've heard about horrific acts of gun violence and active shooter situations in other places, but not here."

Brown is a private institution with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.

Here is a look at other deadly shootings on U.S. college campuses in recent decades:

KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY: December 2025, 1 dead

A shooting at a residence hall at the public historically Black university left one student dead and another critically injured. The suspect, who is a parent of a student, faces murder and assault charges.

UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY: September 2025, 1 dead

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking on campus during one of his political events, sending hundreds of people running. A 22-year-old suspect faces aggravated murder in connection with Kirk's death. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: April 2025, 2 dead

Two died and six were wounded in a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee. A 21-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS: December 2023, 3 dead

A 67-year-old former business professor, whose applications to teach at UNLV had been rejected, opened fire in the building housing the university's business school, killing three professors and badly wounding a fourth. The gunman was killed in a shootout with police outside the building.

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: February 2023, 3 dead

A 43-year-old gunman fired inside an academic building and the student union, killing three students and injuring five others. He later killed himself miles away from the campus in East Lansing while being confronted by police.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: November 2022, 3 dead

A student and former member of the school's football team fatally shot three current players aboard a charter bus as they returned from a field trip, setting off panic and a 12-hour lockdown of the campus until the suspect was captured. Two other students were also wounded on the campus. The shooter has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and other charges and is awaiting sentencing.

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY: October 2015, 1 dead

Just weeks into his freshman year, a student walked onto the campus in Flagstaff and opened fire. One student was killed and three others were wounded in the first deadly shooting since the university was founded in 1899. The shooter later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault and was sentenced to six years in prison.

UMPQUA COMMUNITY COLLEGE: October 2015, 9 dead

A 26-year-old man opened fire on his writing class, killing his instructor and eight other people at the school in rural Roseburg, Oregon. Nine more people were also wounded. The shooter then killed himself.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA: May 2014, 6 dead

A 22-year-old college student frustrated over sexual rejections fatally stabbed or shot six students near the school in Isla Vista, California, and injured several others before he killed himself.

SANTA MONICA COLLEGE: June 2013, 6 dead

A deadly act of domestic violence at home turned public when a 23-year-old man left after killing his father and older brother, carjacked a woman and shot at other vehicles. He then entered the campus where he had previously been enrolled as a student and opened fire, killing four more people before he was fatally shot by police in the school's library.

OIKOS UNIVERSITY: April 2012, 7 dead

A former nursing student fatally shot seven people at the small private college in East Oakland, California. He was given seven consecutive life sentences and died in prison in 2019.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY: February 2008, 5 dead

A 27-year-old former student shot and killed five people and wounded more than 20 others at the school in DeKalb, Illinois, before killing himself.

VIRGINIA TECH: April 2007, 32 dead

In the deadliest shooting at a U.S. college, a 23-year-old student killed 32 people on the campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. More than two dozen others were wounded. The gunman then killed himself.

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA: November 1991, 5 dead

A former graduate student upset that his doctoral dissertation wasn't nominated for an academic award fatally shot himself after killing five people and injuring one other person in a shooting spree on the campus in Iowa City.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: August 1966, 13 dead

A Marine-trained sniper opened fire from atop the 27-story clock tower in the heart of the university's flagship Austin campus in one of the nation's first mass shootings. He killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others before authorities shot and killed him.

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December 13, 2025

A list of deadly shootings on college campuses in the US

A shooting Saturday at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, lefttwo people dead and at least eight other critica...