Rhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra in ‘Pluribus.’ (Apple TV)
The finale of Apple TV’s Pluribus, about an alien virus that connects almost everyone in the world to an exceedingly cheerful hive mind, airs Wednesday. Karolina Wydra, who plays Zosia on the show, says it will leave you shook — and wondering what’s next.
“I think there’s gonna be a lot of questions raised. I think people are gonna be surprised,” she tells ABC Audio. “I think they’re gonna be shocked. I think people are going to be left with a big ‘what?’ question mark.”
Referring to the final moments of the episode, she adds, “When I read it, I went, ‘What the hell?’ Like, ‘What is happening? What?’ We all did!”
Pluribus has become Apple TV’s most-watched series ever — bigger than Ted Lasso and Severance. “I think our show is so original and it’s never been done before. And I think people want original stories,” Wydra explains.
It’s also a show where, as she puts it, “You actually have to lean in and listen and observe and be present. And I think people are enjoying that. And also that it’s coming out weekly and people have to wait for it and have something to look forward to.”
In last week’s episode, Zosia and Carol, played by Rhea Seehorn, become lovers. But since Zosia is part of the hive mind — or as the actors call it, The Collective — does Zosia have actual feelings for Carol?
“The Collective … really love[s] her unconditionally. They have genuine love for her, and I think for them, sex is an expression of true love. It’s not an act, but just sharing oneself with another,” Wydra explains. She adds, “I mean, we would laugh because we would say she basically just had an intimate moment with the rest of the world!”
But though Zosia is part of The Collective, Wydra still has questions about how it all works.
“I’m very curious still to find out, when you’re born, do you automatically become full of knowledge, and a two-year-old can perform open-heart surgery?” she muses, wondering, “…[D]oes innocence still exist?”
The Department of State building in Washington, July 11, 2025. Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is recalling dozens of career diplomats from overseas posts in the next month, according to a source familiar with the matter, the latest shakeup at the U.S. State Department.
More than two dozen senior diplomats have received notice that they must leave their roles in the next month, according to the source.
According to the American Foreign Service Association, the labor union that represents the U.S. foreign service and career diplomats, those affected by the recall report being notified by a phone call that they were being removed from their posts “abruptly,” with no explanation provided.
They were directed to vacate their posts by Jan. 15 or 16.
“This method is highly irregular,” a spokesperson for AFSA told ABC News.
“This is not normal practice. Career diplomats and ambassadors are not typically recalled in this manner. The lack of transparency and process breaks sharply with longstanding norms,” the spokesperson said.
Most of the impacted ambassadors are serving at U.S. diplomatic posts in Africa, but the removals also affect posts in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere.
A senior State Department official described the recall of the ambassadors as “a standard process in any administration.”
“An ambassador is a personal representative of the President, and it is the President’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” they said.
The State Department declined to comment on specific numbers or ambassadors affected.
AFSA confirmed there is no official, verified list of recalled ambassadors.
There are various lists circulating that appear to be crowdsourced from people inside and outside the department, according AFSA.
POLITICO first reported on the removal of the diplomats.
The recall is the latest move by the Trump administration to reshape the State Department to align it more with its “America First” priorities. The recall comes after more than 1,300 officials and more than 240 foreign service officers were laid off earlier this year as part of what the administration said was a major reorganization aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing government size.
It is typically normal for new presidents to replace political appointments service in ambassador roles; however, career diplomats are typically allowed to continue serving in their roles.
The AFSA slammed the recall, saying it sends a “chilling signal” to career foreign service officers that their oaths to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty.
“Removing senior diplomats without cause undermines U.S. credibility abroad and sends a chilling signal to the professional Foreign Service: experience and an oath to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty. This is not how America leads,” the statement said.
AFSA says the recall represents “a steady erosion of norms, transparency, and professional independence in the Foreign Service.”
“Abrupt, unexplained recalls reflect the same pattern of institutional sabotage and politicization our survey data shows is already harming morale, effectiveness, and U.S. credibility abroad,” the spokesperson said.
AFSA is working with partners to confirm names one-by-one through direct contacts.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
Rob Reiner attends the screening of ‘Misery’ during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25, 2025, in Hollywood, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for TCM)
Turner Classic Movies has set a day to honor the life of the late filmmaker Rob Reiner.
The TV network is going to honor the legacy of Reiner’s life and career with a programming tribute featuring a slate of his movies on Jan. 28, 2026. It will be headlined by the network’s special premiere presentation of The Princess Bride.
The day of programming, which will be billed as TCM Remembers Rob Reiner, will also feature his films When Harry Met Sally…, Stand by Me and This Is Spinal Tap.
According to a press release from TCM, Reiner was a longtime friend of the network who passionately advocated for film preservation. His career started with his Emmy-winning performance on the sitcom All in the Family. He went on to direct films that spanned multiple genres.
“With This is Spinal Tap Rob began an extraordinary 11-year run that rivals the finest directors in Hollywood history: He made The Sure Thing, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few GoodMen, and The American President,” TCM host Ben Mankiewicz said in a statement. “The profound sense of loss we’re all feeling is heightened by Rob’s lofty standing in Hollywood, he was universally loved inside the entertainment industry.”
While Mankiewicz said he didn’t know Reiner as well as he would have liked, “he always made me feel like we had been pals for decades. Rob’s character was defined by the qualities we see in those films: kindness, decency, humor, compassion, and most of all, a belief in humanity.”
Reiner and his wife Michele Singer were found dead Dec. 14 in their Los Angeles home. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for their murders.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on October 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is pausing leases for five offshore wind projects due to “national security concerns” identified by the Department of Defense, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on Monday.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” Burgum said in a press release about the move.
The administration did not disclose what national security risks the wind farms posed, saying that the Department of Defense found the threats in “completed classified reports.”
“As for the national security risks inherent to large-scale offshore wind projects, unclassified reports from the U.S. Government have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter.’ The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects,” the Department of the Interior said in its press release.
The action affects projects off the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Virginia and New York.
According to the Department of the Interior, that five leases that will be affected are: Vineyard Wind 1 (OCS-A 0501), Revolution Wind (OCS-A 0486), CVOW – Commercial (OCS-A 0483), Sunrise Wind (OCS-A 0487) and Empire Wind 1 (OCS-A 0512).
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont called the move “yet another erratic, anti-business move by the Trump administration that will drive up the price of electricity in Connecticut and throughout the region.”
“This project is nearing completion and providing good-paying clean energy jobs,” Lamont said in a statement.
Burgum wrote in an X post about the move that the projects were “expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms.”
Trump has made clear his distaste for windmills in many public events and on the campaign trail.
“Wind is the worst,” Trump said in a speech in Pennsylvania earlier this month. He added in his remarks, “We don’t want — we don’t approve windmills. We don’t approve it. I’m sorry.”
During an overseas trip to Scotland in July, Trump told Europe to “stop the windmills.”
“You’re ruining your countries. I really mean it. It’s so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds. And if they’re stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans. Stop the windmills,” Trump said.
Wind is the country’s largest source of renewable energy, accounting for about 10% of electricity generated in the United States, according to the Department of Energy. Proponents say renewable energy is instrumental in reducing the global reliance on fossil fuels, and the industry continues to grow worldwide despite political challenges.
The Sierra Club, an environmental organization, criticized the Trump administration’s action on Monday.
“The Trump administration’s vengeance towards renewable energy knows no end. Instead of progressing us forward as a nation, they are obsessed with attacking a growing industry that provides good clean energy jobs and affordable, clean electricity. Americans need cheaper and more reliable energy that does not come at the expense of our health and futures,” Melinda Pierce, the group’s legislative director, said in a statement.
This screen grab taken from a video posted on the X account of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shows a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft flying over a crude oil tanker, last docked in Venezuela, before apprehending it on Dec. 20, 2025. Handout/US Secretary of Homeland Security via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump last week announced a “complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela,” ratcheting up the pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime as 15,000 U.S. troops and 11 warships stand ready in nearby waters — and leaving questions over the scope of the apparent escalation.
A naval blockade is considered an act of war under international law. But Trump’s reference to “sanctioned” tankers indicated U.S. operations would continue as a law enforcement crackdown by the U.S. Coast Guard, which seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast last week and another over the weekend.
A Coast Guard interdiction is not a military operation; it is a court-authorized enforcement of U.S. sanctions.
According to retired Marine Corps Col. Steve Ganyard, a former State Department official and an ABC News contributor, the president’s orders, announced on his social media platform, amount to a legal quarantine — and not a blockade — because the post references only legally sanctioned tankers.
But Trump also referred to the Venezuelan regime as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which could implicate any oil tanker that enters Venezuelan waters.
It wasn’t clear how the administration could designate the government as terrorists — or whether Trump was making reference to Cartel de los Soles, which the administration designated as a terror organization and has said is headed by Maduro.
What impact could a quarantine or blockade have?
Trump’s post last week “leaves more questions than answers,” said Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “What exactly are we going to do? How are we going to do it?”
“None of that is really detailed,” he said.
Whether the escalated pressure will target sanctioned vessels — or all vessels — remains an open question, but both approaches would impact Maduro, Seigle said.
“If you cut off all oil exports, and the associated revenues — and that’s a big if –then I think in a matter of weeks, the regime in Caracas would face extreme pressure,” he said.
If the U.S. continues to target only sanctioned tankers, “then I think that it could be a more prolonged runway for the regime to try to work something out, find a compromise, or even plan a deliberate exit.”
The U.S. says it has killed more than 100 people in the 25 strikes it says it has carried out on alleged drug smuggling boats since September.
Experts have pointed to President John F. Kennedy’s quarantine of Cuba in 1962 as an analogue to Trump’s approach — with unknown possibilities inviting risk.
“What if a ship doesn’t stop? This was the debate in the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Seigle said. “It’s all fun and games if they pull over and let [themselves] get boarded.”
“What if they don’t? Are you opening fire? Are you sinking ships?”
The announced blockade, though, “looks like it’s a relatively low-risk military operation” designed “to prevent” such a “quagmire,” Seigle said.
“Because if it goes smoothly and they’re able to cut off a lot of Maduro’s oil revenue, then they have a reasonable chance of getting the political outcome that they want, which is Maduro fleeing.”
Yet Trump on Wednesday wouldn’t offer a comment when asked if he sought regime change in Venezuela. Instead, he repeated a claim he said was a premise for blocking tankers.
“You remember, they took all of our energy rights,” he said of Venezuela. “They took all of our oil from not that long ago, and we want it back. But they took it. They illegally took it.”
Trump did not specify which period of nationalizations undertaken by the Venezuelan governments aggrieved the U.S. in his view.
An international arbitration court in 2013 ordered Caracas to pay $8.7 billion to U.S. firm ConocoPhillips, penalizing Venezuela for expropriation of crude assets in 2007 which it found to be unlawful.
Operating in the shadows The U.S. has sanctioned hundreds of oil tankers around the world which it says are part of an illicit network often called the “shadow fleet.”
27 of those designated tankers are operating in Venezuelan waters, according to Seigle.
Venezuela, Russia, and Iran “share that sanctioned fleet,” he added, and Venezuela’s slice is the smallest of the three.
A full quarter of China’s oil imports are produced by those sanctioned countries, Seigle said, leaving the country with “an outsized concern.”
“This is going to raise eyebrows and maybe raise concerns in Beijing among strategic planners that are responsible for making sure that they have enough oil,” he said.
Sanctioned tankers represent less than a fifth of the oil exported from Venezuela, according to Seigle.
“But I think it can have outsized effects in a number of important areas, including whether and for how long Maduro can hold out in a leadership position in Caracas, and also with regard to Venezuela’s biggest oil customer, which is China.”
Why call Maduro’s regime terrorists?
|As a part of Trump’s lengthy post on social media, the president also said the “Venezuelan regime” was an FTO, which the State Department designated it as in November.
Trump and State officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have repeatedly said Maduro is a narco-terrorist and the head of a narco-terrorist organization, adding that Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
Trump is likely referring to the designation of the Cartel de los Soles when he points to the “Venezuelan Regime” in his post.
The State Department alleges in its designation that Maduro and other high-ranking officials head the Cartel de los Soles and have “corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.”
Maduro’s government categorically denies the existence of the cartel.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in November that the designation of Maduro as a terrorist gives the U.S. more military options in its anti-trafficking operation and public pressure campaign on the Venezuelan president.
The FTO designation “brings a whole bunch of new options to the United States,” Hegseth said. “It gives more tools to our department to give options to the president.”
Legal experts have told ABC that the designation does not in itself constitute an authorization of force. But administration officials have consistently pointed to these designations publicly when disclosing strikes on alleged drug traffickers.
Notably, while the Maduro regime has been targeted as a foreign terrorist organization, the country of Venezuela has not yet been placed on the official “State Sponsor of Terrorism” list.
Only Iran, North Korea, Syria and Cuba are currently listed as state sponsors of terrorism.
(NEW YORK) — This year is expected to be the busiest on record for holiday travel, but rough weather can make getting to your Christmas destination even harder.
Here’s a look at the Christmas week weather forecast:
Tuesday
The Northeast will get some pre-Christmas snow on Tuesday. New York City will see snowfall from about 6 a.m. to noon, while Boston will get hit from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
About 1 inch of snow is expected along the Interstate 95 corridor and about 3 to 6 inches of snow is possible in the inland Northeast.
On the West Coast, those driving to their Christmas destination should try to head out the door during the day on Tuesday, because a storm will move in Tuesday night, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
Wednesday
On Christmas Eve, the weather will be calm across most of the country — but not on the West Coast.
Heavy rain is forecast to fall on burn scar areas in Southern California, prompting a level 3 out of 4 risk for excessive rain and flash flooding.
Some parts of Southern California could see 9 inches of rain just on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Debris flows and landslides are also possible.
Thursday
On Christmas Day, record high temperatures are possible for millions from the Midwest to the South.
Temperatures are forecast to soar to record highs of 66 degrees in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Rapid City, South Dakota; 79 degrees in Midland, Texas; 77 degrees in St. Louis, Missouri; and 75 degrees in Atlanta.
While not record highs, temperatures could also jump to 80 degrees in Austin and Houston, 79 degrees in Miami and Orlando, Florida, and 72 degrees in Memphis, Tennessee. It’ll even warm up to 53 degrees in Washington, D.C.
One of the only parts of the country that has a good chance for a white Christmas is inland New England, where the snow from Tuesday could linger on the ground through Christmas Day.
Some mountainous areas in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California will also see a white Christmas.
Meanwhile, the rough weather will continue on the West Coast, with another round of rain and mountain snow moving in on Christmas Day.
Rep. Thomas Massie speaks alongside Rep. Ro Khanna during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol, November 18, 2025 in Washington. Heather Diehl/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation on Monday that would direct the Senate to initiate legal action to hold the Justice Department accountable for failing to release the complete files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Friday’s deadline, which was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Schumer’s announcement came after Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie announced on Sunday that they are pursuing “inherent contempt” charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi for not complying with the law to release the complete Epstein files.
If the effort passes, it could lead to Bondi’s arrest — though the pair is expected to introduce the resolution as “privileged” once the House returns in January, which would force a vote within two legislative days on the House floor, and it’s unclear if this effort would even be successful when it comes up for a vote.
“The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth,” Schumer said in a statement. “Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence — that breaks the law. Today, I am introducing a resolution to force the Senate to take legal action and compel this administration to comply.”
The DOJ faced a Friday deadline imposed by Congress and signed into law by the president to release a massive cache of records gathered during government investigations into the sex offender, who died in jail in 2019.
The Justice Department released thousands of files — ranging from investigative documents to grand jury testimony to snapshots taken by Epstein and his friends — but said it would fail to fully release all the files by the deadline. The law contains exceptions to protect victims and other circumstances, but critics say the DOJ is not following the letter and spirit of the law.
Schumer called the DOJ’s partial release on Friday a “blatant cover-up.”
“Pam Bondi and [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche are shielding Donald Trump from accountability, and the Senate has a duty to act,” Schumer said.
Schumer is expected to force consideration of this bill on the Senate floor in January when the Senate returns from its holiday break. The bill would likely require unanimous consent to pass.
It is unclear if it would have that support, but the Senate unanimously passed the Epstein Transparency Act, which compelled the release of the Epstein documents.
On Sunday, Khanna and Massie, the co-authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, announced their intent to pursue inherent contempt proceedings.
The inherent contempt power permits Congress to rely on its own constitutional authority to detain and imprison a “contemnor” — someone held in contempt — until the individual complies with congressional demands like a subpoena or a monetary fine, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The power directs the Sergeant at Arms to arrest the individual who refuses to comply with a subpoena or fine, however, once the witness complies with the subpoena, they are released.
Notably, the resolution would not require passage in the Senate to be enforced.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie said on “CBS News’ Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Khanna, who also appeared on the same program on Sunday, reiterated that inherent contempt is the right path at this point.
“We only need only need the House for inherent contempt, and we’re building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents. I’ll tell you why, I’ve talked to the survivors, why this is such a slap in the face,” Khanna said.
On NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Blanche said he wasn’t taking Massie and Khanna’s threats seriously because he said he believes they are in compliance with the law. Specifically regarding threats of legal action against the department, Blanche said, “Bring it on.”
A statement released Monday morning by attorneys representing a group of Epstein survivors said omissions in the files by either redactions or unreleased pages amounted to a failure.
“We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased,” the statement said.
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot has soared to one of the largest in the lottery game’s history.
The current jackpot is estimated to be $1.6 billion ahead of Monday night’s drawing. That would make it the fourth-largest in Powerball history and the fifth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots.
The estimated cash value of the current jackpot is $735.3 million.
Both figures are before taxes.
A player who wins the Powerball jackpot can choose between the lump sum payment or an annuity option, in which one immediate payment is received followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
The game’s jackpot was last won in September, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split the $1.787 billion prize — Powerball’s second-largest jackpot ever.
The game’s largest prize ever was $2.04 billion, won on Nov. 7, 2022, in California.
Tickets are $2 per play and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Monday night’s drawing is at 10:59 p.m. ET.
Matt Damon as Odysseus on the poster for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Universal Pictures)
This isn’t an enchantment from a siren: the official trailer for Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey has arrived.
Universal Pictures shared the brand-new trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of Homer‘s epic poem on Monday.
The trailer, which is just under two minutes, finds Matt Damon starring as Odysseus.
“After years of war, no one could stand between my men and home. Not even me,” Damon’s Odysseus says in voiceover atop of scenes of Trojan War soldiers marching.
We then see Telemachus and Penelope, played by Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway, awaiting Odysseus’ arrival.
The star-studded ensemble cast of The Odyssey also includes Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron.
Universal describes the adaptation as “a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology,” which will bring the foundational, classic story to IMAX screens for the first time.
Homer’s The Odyssey, of course, tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus’ 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He is filled with interruptions in his quest to return home to his wife, Penelope, and his grown son, Telemachus, who fights off suitors who are desperate to steal his father’s throne.
Nolan wrote and directed the film, his first since the best picture Oscar-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer. He also produced the movie with his wife, Emma Thomas.
The Odyssey opens in movie theaters on July 17, 2026.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends a rally for him as he arrives for his first check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office the day after a federal judge ordered his release from a detention in Pennsylvania, on December 12, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The federal judge overseeing Salvadoran native Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s immigration case is scheduled to hear arguments Monday over whether ICE should be allowed to re-detain Abrego Garcia while the government attempts to deport him to Liberia or another country.
Abrego Garcia was released on Dec. 11 after the judge, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, found the government had detained him “without lawful authority.”
In part, Judge Xinis said he had not been issued a formal order of removal during his immigration proceedings in 2019, when a judge also barred the government from deporting him to his native El Salvador due to his fear of persecution.
Following Abrego Garcia’s release, an immigration judge “corrected” the error and added a removal order to his record, finding that it “was erroneously omitted.”
Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, despite the 2019 court order barring his removal to that country, after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which he denies.
He was brought back to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, after which Judge Xinis released him from ICE detention while he awaits trial. He is scheduled to go to trial on the Tennessee charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty, in January.
On Friday, his attorneys filed a motion seeking sanctions against the Trump administration for allegedly violating a court order that barred officials from making extrajudicial statements that could impact the case. After Abrego Garcia’s release from ICE detention, Chief Border Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino called him an “alien smuggler” and “wife beater” on national TV, his attorneys said.
