Protesters in Minneapolis return to the streets as federal agents take over the investigation into the killing of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent, while Portland officials condemn another immigration-related shooting. A review of immigration related shootings under President Trump shows a rising pattern of violence as federal agents carry out increasingly aggressive and public operations in U.S. cities. And President Trump signals the U.S. could run Venezuela “much longer” than expected, as oil executives head to the White House to discuss America’s expanded oversight of the country’s future.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Rebekah Metzler, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Milton Guevara and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Stacey Abbott.
Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota report threats and vandalism after a viral right-wing video accusing them of fraud prompts federal action with nationwide consequences. The Justice Department misses its deadline to release the Epstein files, fueling confusion and conspiracy theories as heavily redacted and unreliable documents trickle out. And Switzerland begins days of mourning after a deadly New Year’s Eve fire rips through a crowded nightclub at a ski resort, killing dozens and injuring many more.
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 class=”readrate”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Luis Clemens, Dana Farrington, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
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p class=”readrate”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Kaity Kline and Christopher Thomas.
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p class=”readrate”>We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is David Greenburg..
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p class=”readrate”> Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
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p class=”readrate”>(0:00) Introduction (01:54) Daycare Fraud Claims Fallout (05:31) Epstein Files Mess (09:27) Swiss Nightclub Fire
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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Voters in New York, Virginia and New Jersey choose new leaders today, and a redistricting vote in California could reshape the balance of power in Congress. The Trump administration says it will restart SNAP benefits, but only partially, leaving millions of families uncertain about how they’ll eat this month. And aid groups warn of a deepening crisis in Sudan after a paramilitary force accused of genocide seized the last major city in Darfur, killing thousands of people and trapping many more without food or water.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
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p class=”readrate”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Ben Swasey, Catherine Laidlaw, Kate Bartlett, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
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p class=”readrate”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas
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p class=”readrate”>We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.