2025-03-01 00:00:37.583

Amidst a meeting intended to finalize a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faced criticism from members of the Republican administration. Despite this, Zelensky remains optimistic about his relationship with Donald Trump, emphasizing the strong ties between the American and Ukrainian people. He expressed gratitude for the support received from both the American president and Congress, as well as the American people, for their role in aiding Ukraine.

2025-02-28 18:01:01.274

Attorney General Pam Bondi released government documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, but the initial batch posted online contained mostly previously public information, including flight logs and a redacted address book. The release, initially touted as "breaking news," included a list of masseuses and an evidence list with items like nude images and sex toys, but its origin wasn't specified. While the Justice Department claimed this showed transparency, the rollout was criticized as mere showmanship, with documents given to conservative influencers before the public. The lack of new information drew criticism, including from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. Bondi ordered an investigation into why not all documents were released and requested the FBI provide the rest. FBI Director Kash Patel pledged to find any missing records and ensure transparency. The documents are unlikely to satisfy those seeking fresh details about Epstein's crimes and connections to famous people, including mentions of Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew, and others found in previously released material. Epstein's case has attracted significant attention due to his connections to high-profile individuals and his controversial plea deal in 2008 which led to a lenient sentence. The previously released files included a 2016 deposition mentioning an accuser spending time at Trump's casino but not accusing him of any wrongdoing. Trump himself once called Epstein a "terrific guy", but later said they had a falling out. Thousands of pages of records have been released over the years through various means. A 2023 Associated Press report detailed the final days of Epstein's life in jail, and an Inspector General report found negligence and misconduct leading to his death.

2025-02-27 08:10:53.973

Matt Sauerhoff, CEO of The LIV Method fitness center, and celebrity chef Eddie Huang engaged in a heated confrontation in their Manhattan apartment building's lobby. The argument, captured on video, stemmed from an unleashed dog. Sauerhoff, using expletives, berated Huang, demanding he "suck a d--k." Huang, who was watching a UFC fight on a patio with his Doberman, claims Sauerhoff refused to leash his dog despite repeated requests. The argument escalated, with Sauerhoff questioning Huang's residency and attempting to have him removed from the building. The incident continued the following day when Huang encountered Sauerhoff's mother-in-law, who made comments Huang interpreted as veiled threats. Sauerhoff declined to comment on the incident. One of Sauerhoff's employees defended him, highlighting the positive atmosphere at his gym. Huang expressed his hope that the matter is resolved, though he added he'd prefer Sauerhoff to move out.

2025-02-27 08:10:52.809

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her role in "Gossip Girl," was found dead in her Manhattan apartment Wednesday morning. Her mother, Lana, discovered her unresponsive in bed. Police and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant, which sources say may have led to complications involving her liver and thyroid. While she had defended her frail appearance online in recent months, claiming to be "happy and healthy," the transplant may have been rejected, potentially causing her death. She was last seen alive by her mother Tuesday night at 10 PM and had been out with friends just days before. Her family has requested privacy.

2025-02-27 07:39:39.139

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead in her Manhattan apartment Wednesday morning. Her mother, Lana, discovered her unresponsive in bed. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Trachtenberg, known for her role in "Gossip Girl," had recently undergone a liver transplant, which reportedly caused complications affecting her liver and thyroid. While she defended her appearance online in recent months, insisting she was healthy and happy, sources indicate the transplant may have been rejected, possibly leading to her death. She was 39 years old. The family has requested privacy.

2025-02-27 05:16:00.263

NEW YORK (AP) — Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” — has died. She was 39. Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. at a 51-story luxury apartment tower in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood where officers found Trachtenberg “unconscious and unresponsive,” according to an NYPD statement. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected and the New York Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, police said. “The family requests privacy for their loss,” Trachtenberg’s representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement Wednesday. Trachtenberg was 8 when she began playing Nona Mecklenberg on Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” from 1994 to 1996 and then starred in the title role in the film adaptations of “Harriet the Spy” and “Inspector Gadget,” opposite Matthew Broderick. “Michelle comes off as genuine because she really is a genuine kid. Everyone can identify with her,” said Debby Beece, president of Nickelodeon Movies in 1996. In 2000 Trachtenberg joined the cast of “Buffy,” playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003. Trachtenberg thanked Gellar for speaking out against Joss Whedon in 2021, following abuse allegations made against the “Buffy” showrunner. “I am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman to repost this,” she wrote on social media, and alluded to “his not appropriate behavior” she experienced as a teenage actor. In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery’s “Truth or Scare.” Trachtenberg went on to recurring roles on “Six Feet Under,” “Weeds” and “Gossip Girl,” where she played the gang’s scheming nemesis, Georgina Sparks. For her fan-favorite role, she was nominated as a TV villain at the Teen Choice Award in 2012. “It’s definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl,” she told Seventeen in 2009. I love the reaction you get. I never understood why some actors don’t want to play villains or evil characters.” She was one of the original series’ stars to return for a pair of guest appearances in the 2021 “Gossip Girl” revival. Blake Lively on Instagram on Tuesday honored her “Gossip Girl” co-star: “The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.” As if to cement herself in millennial culture, Trachtenberg made a cameo in Fall Out Boy’s music video for the “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” alongside Seth Green. Hollywood took to social media to mourn one of their own, one who had made the transition from kid star to teen queen to adult actor. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” co-star David Boreanaz said on Instagram it was “so very sad.. horrible news.” Melissa Gilbert, who starred with Trachtenberg in the 1996 film “A Holiday for Love,” wrote on Instagram: “My heart aches for your family and all those who loved you so.” Rosie O’Donnell, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in her “Harriet the Spy” debut, said her death was “heartbreaking:” “I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.” Glee star Chris Colfer remembered her this way: “Michelle was the absolute sweetest and one of the most supportive people I knew,” he wrote. Trachtenberg’s later credits included “Ice Princess” in 2005, playing a math prodigy and aspiring figure skater. The AP said it had “a good, though feeble, heart and the best of intentions” and said Trachtenberg was “mining the same nervous twitter from her kid-sister days on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’” The New York City-born Trachtenberg also appeared in the 2004 teen sex comedy “EuroTrip,” she co-starred with Zac Efron and Leslie Mann in 2009’s “17 Again” and played a murderous stalker and abductor on an episode of “Criminal Minds.” For “Killing Kennedy,” the 2013 film in which she played the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, around 80% of Trachtenberg’s dialogue was in Russian. She had learned the language from her mother growing up. Other credits included supporting roles in the films “Mysterious Skin” in 2004 and “Black Christmas” in 2006. She also starred on the NBC medical series “Mercy” (2009–2010) opposite Taylor Schilling. More recently, she hosted the true-crime docuseries “Meet, Marry, Murder” on Tubi. ___ Associated Press Writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.