p dir=”ltr”>President Trump has announced the Navy will begin building a new class of warship named after himself. A federal judge has ruled the deportations of more than 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador were illegal. And, a number of staff members have left the think tank behind Project 2025 to join a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.
<
p dir=”ltr”>(00:00) Introduction (04:09) Trump Announces ‘Golden Fleet’ (07:56) Judge Rules Deportations Illegal (11:45) Heritage Foundation Exodus
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p dir=”ltr”>Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
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p dir=”ltr”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Anna Yukhananov, Jason Breslow, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woefle.
<
p dir=”ltr”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
<
p dir=”ltr”>We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.
The iconic Cape Town Minstrel Carnival returns to the Mother City on 5 January 2026.
Now known as the Hollywoodbets Cape Town Street Parade, this annual event is the longest existing carnival in the city and is an integral part of the city’s cultural heritage. Historically this celebration took place on 2 January aka Tweede Nuwe Jaar and the minstrels were to referred to as the Kaapse Klopse – this celebration the Mother City’s biggest event to usher in the New Year.
What To Expect at the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival
Thousands of minstrels in glittery uniforms from a variety of troupes with face paint, hats and parasols march through the city’s roads, playing their signature “ghoema” music on banjos, trumpets and drums. The troupes are spaced out so that each performance happens separately, allowing onlookers to hear each troupe. There is also a structure to each troupe, with non-instrument playing members called “voorlopertjies” leading the way with extravagant dance moves while the band provides the backing soundtrack.
Among this year’s troupe lineup you will see Original D6 Hanover Minstrels, Mitchells Plain Young Tycoons, Phantoms Community Development, Ashwin Willemse Orient Community Development, Young Wild Comanches, Manenberg Superstars, Carnival Boys Youth Development (also known as Crystal Palace), Wild Apache, Baruch Entertainers, CPT Hawkers, Fabulous Seawind Entertainers, and many more.
Experience The Magic
The parade is set to attract a crowd of 80,000 to 100,000 spectators, eager to experience over 16 minstrel troupes and 20,000 performers.
The parade will begin at the corner of Somerset Rd and Dixon St. The route will follow along Somerset Rd all the way to the DHL Stadium.
Road Closures
To accommodate the parade and ensure public safety, several roads will be closed from 6am on Monday, 5 January to Tuesday, 6 January 2026.
Affected streets include:
Street/Road
Restriction
Between
Closure Time
Opening Time
Main Rd
Full Closure (residential access lane between Upper Portswood Rd & Highfield Rd)
York Rd
Buitengracht Street
06h00
23h59
Prestwich Street
Full Closure
Alfred St Granger
Chiappini Street
06h00
23h59
Somerset Road
East Bound closure
Bay Blvd Granger
Granger Bay Blvd
06h00
23h59
Fritz Sonnenberg
Full Closure
Bay Blvd Granger
Rd Portswood
06h00
23h59
Somerset Road
Full Closure
Bay Blvd
Buitengracht St
06h00
23h59
Ebenezer Road
Full Closure (Hotel Access only)
Prestwich St Javis
RD Somerset
06h00
23h59
De Smit Street
Full Closure
St Napier St Javis
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Moreland Terrace
Full Closure
St Schiebe St
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Napier Street
Full Closure
Dixon St
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Alfred Street
Full Closure
Prestwich St
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Dixon Street
Full Closure
Strand St
Javis St
06h00
23h59
Chiappini Street
Full Closure
Prestwich St
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Chiappini Street
Full Closure
Napier St Liddle
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Alfred Street
Full Closure (Hotel Access only)
St Beach Rd
Schiebe St
06h00
23h59
Prestwich Street
Full Closure
Portswood Rd
St Alfred
06h00
23h59
Cobern St
Full Closure
Granger Bay Blvd
Somerset Rd
06h00
23h59
Granger Bay Blvd
East Bound Carriage Closure
Helen Suzman
Helen Suzman
06h00
23h59
Fort Wynyard St
Full Closure
Blvd
Granger Bay Blvd
12h00
23h59
Fritz Sonnenberg
Full Closure
Beach Rd
Vlei Road
Full Closure
Fritz Sonnenberg Rd
12h00
23h59
Local access and permit holders:
Street/Road
Restriction
Between
Closure Time
Opening Time
Main Road
Permit Holders Only
Granger Bay Blvd
Three Anchor Bay Blvd
06h00
23h59
Granger Bay Blvd
Permit Holders Only
Helen Suzman Blvd
York Rd
06h00
23h59
Ebenezer Road
Permit Holders Only
Port RD
Prestwich St
06h00
23h59
Bennett Street
Permit Holders Only
Port RD
Prestwich St
06h00
23h59
Hudson Street
Permit Holders Only
Waterkant Street
Somerset RD
06h00
23h59
Hudson Street
Local Access Only
Hudson St
Strand St
06h00
23h59
Vos Street
Local Access Only
Vos St
Strand St
06h00
23h59
Rose Street
Local Access Only
Rose St
Strand St
06h00
23h59
Waterkant
Local Access Only
Buitengracht St
Waterkant St
06h00
23h59
Cavalcade Road
Local Access Only
York Rd
Upper Portswood Rd
06h00
23h59
Thornhill Road
Local Access Only
Cavalcade Rd
Upper Portswood Rd
06h00
23h59
Entry
The HollywoodBets Cape Town Street Parade is free for the public. Follow Cape Town Street Parade on Facebook, Instagram, and X, for the latest updates on the start route and other information.
Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman — formerly the president of the American Psychiatric Association — stopped by “TMZ Live,” sharing some disturbing insight into the multiple rehab facilities … which ultimately failed Rob and Michele Reiner’s son Nick.…
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A recently engaged Wisconsin woman will spend the next six years in prison after allegedly admitting to kissing an 11-year-old boy in her classroom — and later sending him 35,000 explicit text messages.
Madison Bergmann, 26, was working as a fifth grade teacher at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin, until the victim’s father discovered the deluge of texts.
The boy’s dad told the court during Bergmann’s sentencing on Friday, December 19, that he found the messages “disturbing.”
The messages were sent over just three months, meaning she sent an average of over 2,000 messages to the victim every day. In the texts, Bergmann allegedly professed her affections for the boy and expressed her eagerness at touching him and “making out” with him again.
Her former coworker at the school, Abigail Faust, is also facing charges for inappropriate relationships with children, including a child whom she nannied in Washington County.
Bergmann pleaded guilty to one count of child enticement and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff back in September.
After the father brought the text messages to the police, officers searched her classroom and found a folder with the victim’s name on it containing handwritten love letters that indicated they had kissed.
Bergmann was supposed to get married in 2024. It is unclear when she got engaged.
She started to cry as soon as she entered the courtroom for her sentencing. The state had been seeking a 12-year sentence for the disgraced teacher.
Bergmann’s lawyers had been pushing for a one-year sentence.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that I take full accountability for every boundary that was crossed,” she said through tears. “I hope that your family has been able to begin to heal and find some peace in your lives again. I know the journey will be long for your family.”
“To his own credit, [my son] is like ‘I have to live with this forever. Whatever punishment she receives should be forever,’” the victim’s father said, according to KARE11. “When I review the texts too, it’s very deliberate — talking about touching his leg, talking to my 11-year-old son about her period, talking about his erections … to me it’s very disturbing stuff.”
Bergmann pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal from prosecutors that saw a number of charges against her dropped, including first-degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, exposing a child to harmful descriptions, and additional counts of sexual misconduct by school staff and child enticement.
When she is released from prison in six years, Bergmann will need to register as a convicted sex offender. She will also be placed on six years of extended supervision and is barred from having contact with minors without approval. The court has also placed restrictions on her internet use, according to KARE11.
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Never in director Paul Feig’s wildest dreams did he think Taylor Swift would approve of her song being featured in The Housemaid.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Housemaid.
Feig told Deadline at the film’s red carpet premiere last week that he was convinced Swift, 36, was “never gonna clear” her “perfect” 2017 song “I Did Something Bad” from Reputation.
“Well, that’s the thing; you want to put a Taylor song in your movie, but she and her company have to approve it,” he explained.
Taylor Swift.Kate Green/Getty Images
He continued, “So, we were tempting with it, and we were like, ‘It’s so perfect, but she’s never gonna clear this.’ Then we showed she and her people the movie, and she approved it. So, I guess she likes it. Thank you Taylor!”
The Housemaid is based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name, which spawned two more books and a novella. The story follows young housemaid Millie (Sydney Sweeney), who moves into Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) and Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried)’s home. Millie quickly discovers she was hired for more than just cleaning, but to help Nina plan an escape from her abusive husband.
Swift’s track was used as the end credits song after the film’s final scene, where Millie is interviewing for a position with a new family — and the new boss explains that she was recommended to her by Nina. The camera then shows a bruise on her wrist, suggesting Millie might be helping the new boss with a similar situation.
While no sequel has been officially announced, Sweeney, 28, and Seyfried, 40, have weighed in on whether they would be game.
“I think that we’ll just have to wait and see,” Sweeney told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Sunday, December 21. “I hope that the audience loves the movies just like we love the books, and we can continue to hopefully share that love within more of the films.”
Seyfried, meanwhile, said she’d “absolutely” want to do more films. “Listen, if it doesn’t do well, you can call it off, but if it does, well, it’s absolutely a franchise,” Seyfried told the outlet. “I didn’t sign on for anything but this one because my story ends, but they know that if they make another one, I’ll be a part of it, because I had so much fun with Paul.”
Feig, meanwhile, told The Hollywood Reporter at The Housemaid’s premiere that because the story is part of a series, “if people show up and see it, I would love to see what Millie does next.”
Before the movie was released, Seyfried shared that the film had “the support” of McFadden.
“We felt empowered because we had her blessing,” Seyfried said on an episode of the “Bookmarked” podcast earlier this month, sharing that Feig was also helpful. “You know, this movie is going to be special and surprising, even for the book lover. I almost feel like I need to read the book again.”
The Housemaid is in theaters now.
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p class=”readrate”>The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in the Caribbean that it says has links to Venezuela. The Department of Justice has released a limited number of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And, an analysis by NPR finds thousands of immigrants without legal status aren’t showing up to immigration court, leading to a rise in deportation removals.
<
p class=”readrate”>(00:00) Cold Open (01:37) Introduction (02:34) Coast Guard Pursues Tanker (06:53) Epstein Files Release (10:42) Immigration Court No-Shows
<
p class=”readrate”>Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
<
p class=”readrate”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Tara Neill, Anna Yukhanonov, Lisa Thomson and Adriana Gallardo.
<
p class=”readrate”>
<
p class=”readrate”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
<
p class=”readrate”>
<
p class=”readrate”>We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.