European leaders brace for President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum, as new tariff threats and talk of acquiring Greenland overshadow talks on affordability. The Justice Department issues subpoenas to Minnesota’s top Democratic leaders, as state officials accuse the Trump administration of weaponizing immigration enforcement and creating fear in immigrant communities. And the Supreme Court hears a high-stakes case over President Trump’s attempt to fire a Federal Reserve governor, a move that could upend a century of precedent and rattle financial markets.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Gigi Douban, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction (02:24) Trump’s Speech in Davos (06:07) DOJ Subpoenas For Minnesota (09:49) SCOTUS Federal Reserve Case
As world leaders gather in Davos, President Trump escalates pressure on allies with new tariff threats, renewed talk of acquiring Greenland, and plans for a sweeping new “Board of Peace” that could reshape global diplomacy. Three people die in six weeks at the country’s largest immigration detention center in El Paso, raising urgent questions about medical care, oversight, and the role of private contractors. And Indiana completes one of the most improbable turnarounds in college football history, capping a perfect season with a national championship win over Miami.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Alfredo Carbajal, Russell Lewis, Mohamad ElBardicy, Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.
(0:00) Introduction (01:58) Trump’s World Stage (05:51) El Paso Detention Deaths (09:17) Indiana College Football Champions
Madison Chock and Evan Bates both remember the moment everything changed.
The Team USA ice dancers — widely regarded as the best duo in the world and the favorites to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy — were originally paired together in 2011.
Over time, however, their professional partnership blossomed into something more.
“There’s definitely a moment that I recall,” Bates, 36, exclusively told Us Weekly alongside Chock, 33, via their partnership with Nulo. “We skated together for five years and it was just a friendship, but the friendship was good. From day one we always had a connection. We were laughing, we enjoyed our time together. It made skating so fun. Over the five years, we had success, but also didn’t have success. We had a lot of trying times. In those trying times, I really realized how much I relied on Maddie and really felt connected to her in a way that went beyond just as a skating partner.”
As the pair prepared to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Bates had the impression “it was going to be the end of the road for us as a career.”
“I remember thinking, ‘I can’t really imagine one day walking out of the rink and going our separate ways, being friends and just not seeing each other anymore,’’’ Bates said. “I made the realization, I shared the realization and, luckily, the realization was reciprocated. That changed everything in our relationship and our partnership.”
Bates added, “Since that moment, we’ve been pretty much inseparable.”
Chock remembers the moment, too, admitting she was “so surprised” by Bates’ admission.
“It really just came out of the blue for me,” she told Us. “I knew we always had an incredible chemistry. We had so much fun together. We were great friends. Training was always fun because we always just got along. We had the same work ethic. But when he told me how he felt, I was so surprised because I didn’t see it coming at all.”
Chock continued, “When I really sat with it and thought about it, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I feel the same things about you. This is incredible.’”
The couple got married in Hawaii in June 2024.
“Our day-to-day life is certainly very similar, if not completely unchanged with training and our typical routine that we have gotten used to over the years,” Chock said of life as husband and wife. “But I would say after we got married there was definitely a shift in the emotional connection and pull towards each other. It’s definitely much stronger.”
Evan Bates, Madison ChockCourtesy of Nulo
Chock added, “It’s very rooted in love and our commitment to each other, and our commitment in wanting to continue to improve as people moving forward and be the best partners we can be to each other.”
With the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on the horizon, Chock and Bates have partnered with Nulo’s “Fuel Incredible” campaign, designed to highlight the unique bond between athletes and their pets.
Chock and Bates are parents to toy poodles Stella, 13, and Henry, 9.
“Henry and Stella are a huge part of our lives,” Chock said. “Skating is a huge part, but Henry and Stella are right there along with us. They’re really an active part of our entire day.”
During training, Chock said both dogs “come with us to the rink on a daily basis.”
‘When we have a break, they run around and they greet everybody in the locker room,” Chock explained. “They just brighten spirits at the rink when everyone’s going through the ringer. Doing their run-throughs, having some grueling training sessions. Henry and Stella bring everybody so much joy.”
Ray J is reportedly being treated at a Las Vegas hospital for a severe case of pneumonia.
Ray J, 44, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, January 6, with pneumonia and heart pains, TMZ reported on Wednesday, January 7, citing a “source close to the R&B singer.”
According to the outlet, Ray J previously suffered from the illness — which affects the lungs and can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection, according to the Mayo Clinic — in 2021 and “thought he could die.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Ray J’s team for comment.
A few weeks prior to his hospitalization, Ray J shared an unusual update via Instagram, revealing that he’s part of a new show called Celebrity Hitchhiker.
“I’m hitchhiking right now to try to get a place to stay tonight,” he wrote in his December 13 message. “Hopefully I can meet a new family, and it can take me in and teach me about their rules and their goals and life, and then send me on my way to the next destination.”
Ray J had filmed the video in Tampa, Florida, and said that he wanted to make it to Los Angeles in time for Christmas. At the time, he was by himself.
“I need some food and I need shelter,” he told his followers. “Just a lot of s*** that’s happened. And I just wanna get back home and see my kids. It’s a hitchhiking show, but it’s real though at the same time, and I wanna make it really authentic. I just do it for real on my phone. I mean, I have a camera in there too, but it’s just me.”
The singer, whose real name is William Ray Norwood, Jr., was arrested on Thanksgiving Day of last year for making threats to his estranged wife, Princess Love. He did an Instagram Live that day, saying that he had “the worst Thanksgiving in the f***ing world.”
In his Live, he appeared to pull a gun on Love, 41, and at least one of their children.
“Y’all wanna drive drunk? Y’all wanna drive drunk? Drive drunk. Drive drunk, Princess,” he said, to which Love replied, “Ray, you just pointed a gun— .”
Ray J was released from jail on the day of his arrest, TMZ reported at the time. (Us reached out to his representatives for comment. He has since claimed that he nearly got into a fight with a fellow inmate while behind bars.)
Ray J and Love filmed the early years of their marriage for the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. They tied the knot in 2016 and have filed for divorce multiple times. They share daughter Melody Love, 7, and son Epik Ray, 6.
Days prior to the incident involving Love, American Express sued Ray J and his company Tronix Network in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing him of owing a massive credit card debt — $139,849.85, to be exact. He allegedly stopped making payments in May 2025. Ray J has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
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Cape Town welcomes 2026 on a high note – January is peak summer, and the city comes alive with an unbeatable mix of concerts, festivals, sport, culture and outdoor experiences. From iconic events like the Cape Town Minstrels Street Parade and the King’s Plate to international music tours, open-air theatre and cricket at Newlands.
Cats, the Musical
2-11 January 2026 Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Pieter Toerien and GWB Entertainment in association with Cape Town Opera by arrangement with The Really Useful Group presents CATS. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world-famous musical Cats brings iconic songs, choreography and theatrical magic to the Artscape stage. Tickets from R180 on Webtickets.
WAV Festival by AfroNation
2 January 2026 Green Point Track, Cape Town
A festival R&B lovers cannot miss! Amapiano’s Kelvin Momo brings his deep, emotional sound to the festival, while Shekinah’s golden voice is set to light up the stage. The lineup also includes Mariah the Scientist, Wale, Langa Mavuso, and Kujenga. Cape Town, get ready for a high-energy stadium showcase featuring the best in R&B. Find ticket information here.
Milk & Cookies Festival
3 January 2026 Kenilworth Racecourse, Cape Town
This multi-genre festival celebrates music, food, and community. From amapiano to R&B, house to hip-hop, Milk and Cookies blends global sounds with local culture for one unforgettable celebration. Vibrant stages, curated food vendors, immersive art installations, and the kind of energy that turns a crowd into a community – it’s a gathering where culture, connection, and creativity meet. For tickets go to Howler’s website and for more information visit the official page here.
Step into the New Year with Blanche; an All-white outdoor celebration, curated by AfroFuture and PVO. This signature experience blends live music, an unmatched atmosphere, and the most vibrant crowd. Presented by Martell, set against Cape Town’s stunning backdrop. Click here for ticket information.
Freshlyground Reunion Concert
4, 11, 18 January 2026 Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Freshlyground reunites for a special open-air concert at Kirstenbosch, delivering feel-good hits in one of Cape Town’s most popular outdoor venues. Find more information and ticket information.
Cape Town Minstrels Street Parade
5 January 2026 Somerset Road & Fan Walk, Green Point
The iconic Cape Town Minstrel Carnival returns to the Mother City on 5 January 2026. The annual event fills the streets with colour, music and tradition, continuing into DHL Stadium for the Kaapse Klopse Choral Competition. Tap here for the latest event information.
St Tropez presents: Uncle Waffles – The ultimate day time escape
5 January 2026 Cabo Beach Club, Cape Town
Turn on the glitz and glamour at this epic Cabo Beach experience. Headlined by global sensation Uncle Waffles, expect nothing less than an unforgettable day of pulsating beats, high-energy performances, and pure sophistication. The event promises world-class local DJs spinning infectious sounds that keep the energy flowing from noon until sunset. Get your tickets now.
MI Cape Town vs Joburg Super Kings
6 January 2026 Newlands Cricket Grounds
Catch SA20 cricket action as MI Cape Town face the Joburg Super Kings at the historic Newlands Cricket Ground. For ticket info, email info@ticketpro.co.za or visit the website here.
Cape Town Jazzathon
9-11 January 2026 Amphitheatre, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Celebrating its 29th anniversary this year, the Cape Town Jazzathon is South Africa’s longest-running music festival. Often referred to as “The People’s Festival,” the event will feature performances daily, from 12.30pm to 8pm. Enjoy a rich variety of styles including Afro Jazz, Cape Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, Reggae, Neo Soul, and Straight Ahead packed into three days of non-stop entertainment… and its free!!! Learn more.
L’Ormarins King’s Plate
10 January 2026 Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse
The Running of the 165th King’s Plate – the L’Ormarins King’s Plate is one of South Africa’s most prestigious horse racing events, combining elite racing, high fashion and a vibrant atmosphere. The King’s Plate is a totally blue and white affair where guests can enjoy some of the country’s best racing, wine, food, antique car displays and renowned after party in the peak of Cape Town’s summer. Tickets start from R600. For more information visit here.
Maynardville Open-Air Festival
From 13 January 2026 Maynardville Park, Wynberg
Cape Town’s premier open-air theatre experience returns, featuring live performances in a magical forest setting. Opening on 13 January, the Shades of Blue Chamber Concert will feature music from composers influenced by the rhythms and harmonies of jazz. Next up is Jazz in the Park (14 to 15 Jan), a new two-day celebration featuring local jazz legends from Cape Town’s rich jazz tradition. From 16 to 17 January, another crowd-favourite Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra returns with a stirring classical programme. See the full festival programme.
Calum Scott – The Avenoir Tour
14 January 2026 Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
International singer-songwriter Calum Scott performs live at Kirstenbosch as part of his global Avenoir Tour. Gates open at 6pm. Concert starts 7pm. For more information, go to Big Concert’s website.
Sheer City Festival
17-18 January 2026 Harrington Street Precinct
Sheer City is launching its inaugural two-day inner-city festival bringing together Cape Town’s most influential underground nightlife crews with international acts like Horse Meat Disco, Tama Sumo & Lakuti, Make A Dance, Freudenthal, and more. It’s a multi-venue, walkable block party across Harrington Street and the City Bowl fringe, a celebration of Cape Town’s creative pulse, queer culture, music, fashion, performance, and community. Expect six venues, over twenty artists, a full weekend immersion in the city’s next cultural moment.
Sheer Drop at Texas – 2pm to 10pm Sheer Delight at The Electric – 5pm to 2am Sheer Disco at Harringtons – 6pm to 4am Sheer D.O.G at Zer021 Social – 8pm to 4am Sheer Assembly at District – 8pm to 4am Sheer Dive at Surfa Rosa – 9pm to 4am
Long, lazy afternoons, cool beats and Cape Town’s most iconic views. Summer at Durbanville Hills is super chilled, and with it, the popular cellar’s much-loved Sundaze Summer Series. DJ Stefanos will be spinning tracks from 2pm to 6pm while you enjoy crisp wines, cocktails, craft beer, wine slushies, and a mouth-watering selection of eats from the Olive Grove Bistro. Set against panoramic vistas of Table Bay and Table Mountain, Sundaze is the perfect way to vibe with friends and family. Tickets cost R100pp and available via Webtickets.
Shxtsngigs: Daddy’s Home – South Africa Tour
27 January 2026 Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town
The viral podcast duo James and Fuhad bring their Daddy’s Home live show to Cape Town, blending comedy, culture and crowd interaction. Whether you’re a die-hard Cult Baby or just discovering the podcast that’s racked up millions of streams and laughs worldwide, this live experience is your chance to see the boys like never before – live, loud, and uncut. Tickets from R440 via Ticketmaster.
DHL Stormers vs Vodacom Blue Bulls
27 January 2026 DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Get ready for a major rugby showdown as the DHL Stormers face the Vodacom Blue Bulls in one of the season’s most anticipated fixtures. Cape Town is set to bring the gees – get your tickets today on the Stormer’s website.
World Sports Betting Cape Town Met
31 January 2026 Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse
Prepare for the grand return of the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, where the thrill of elite horse racing converges with a multisensory celebration unlike any other. The 2026 theme Symphony of Style combines fashion, music, and immersive moments. Book your tickets via Computicket.
For a long time, if you wanted to watch a movie on TV at home for free, you simply had to watch with a few commercials.
Well, if you don’t feel like shelling out the money for Netflix or HBO Max, you’re in luck: movies with ads still exist, they’re just on ad-supported streamers.
Platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV and even YouTube carry thousands of quality free movies in their libraries. This December, Watch With Us is highlighting some of the best.
Whether you want a big-budget comedy like Barbie or a prestige superhero movie like Batman Begins, you can watch it all for free at your fingertips.
Barbie (Margot Robbie) lives in the perfect dreamworld of Barbieland, where Barbies hold positions of power while all the Kens have to do is spend their days at the beach. However, when Barbie starts to experience an uncharacteristic existential crisis, she learns she must travel to the real world to see what’s going on with the girl who’s playing with her. Accompanied by a Ken (Ryan Gosling), Barbie searches for her owner while Ken gets some unsavory ideas about a newfangled concept called “the patriarchy.”
The Barbie phenomenon was certainly helped a bit by the “Barbenheimer” double-feature craze back in 2023, but make no mistake — Barbie is a fantastic and ingenious comedy film with or without the help of Christopher Nolan. Robbie and Gosling are the film’s standouts (Gosling in particular able to show off his comedic chops), but the entire cast works wonders: Will Ferrell,Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu andMichael Ceraall give hilarious performances.
Thirty-five years following the events of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling now stars in this sequel as LAPD Officer K, who hunts down and kills rogue replicant models — while also being a replicant himself. When K discovers a box containing shocking information following a mission, it threatens to destabilize the relationship between humans and replicants. K’s discovery is linked to missing blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), whom he goes on a quest to find.
While Blade Runner 2049 didn’t do so great at the box office, it was critically acclaimed and received a number of Academy Award nominations, winning two: Best Cinematography for Roger Deakins and Best Special Visual Effects. Ultimately, director Denis Villeneuve (Dune) expands upon Blade Runner in thoughtful and exciting ways, and the film manages to be an impressive visual feat distinct from the original as well.
The final installment in Daniel Craig‘s iteration as James Bond sees 007 finally leading a peaceful life in Jamaica, having since left active service in MI6. But, of course, that respite is merely momentary, and Bond is pulled back into his former work when an old CIA friend (Jeffrey Wright) shows up in need of his help. Bond must rescue a kidnapped scientist, but the mission becomes more arduous than expected and sends him down a dangerous path.
This epic conclusion to Craig’s chapter as Bond was met with warm response from fans and critics, praising the film not only for its exciting action sequences and slick style, but its ability to oscillate between comedy, drama, horror and romance with ease. In the end, the thrilling and visually stunning film is a fitting sendoff to Craig that ends up being far more moving than most people might expect.
This Batman origin story follows Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) from developing a fear of bats to his parents’ grisly murders, to his time in Bhutan training with the League of Shadows. But when he discovers the League’s intent to destroy the “corrupt” Gotham, he returns to the city intent on cleaning up crime sans killing. With the help of his butler (Michael Caine) and tech expert Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Batman takes on bad guys like the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy).
Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman is credited with having revitalized the character after the poor showing in Batman & Robin from 1997. Nolan moved away from the camp of Joel Schumacher and the gothic kink of Tim Burton and turned Batman into a prestige drama film — and it paid off. Critics applauded Batman Begins for understanding the core of the character while bringing him into exciting and intelligent new territory. In the end, Batman Begins spawned a legendary trilogy.
The grand conclusion to the John Wick story (or is it?), John Wick: Chapter 4 follows the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 —Parabellum. Wick (Keanu Reeves) hides out in New York City with the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) as he recovers from having been shot. Now seeking revenge against the High Table, who want him dead, the price on Wick’s head grows higher and higher. But Wick’s final battle now goes global, as he finds himself targeted by assassins around the world in service of a powerful enemy.
John Wick: Chapter 4 manages to be more grandiose, violent and excessive than the previous three John Wick films, and yet the movie doesn’t suffer for it. Instead, this fourth film in the action franchise proves that there can never be too much when it comes to watching Keanu Reeves’ kick people’s butts. With fantastic set pieces, mesmerizing fight choreography, and genuinely solid performances, John Wick: Chapter 4 stands as a highlight in modern action blockbuster filmmaking.
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