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President Biden announced major steps toward decriminalizing marijuana possession Thursday, offering mass pardons for anyone convicted of a federal crime for simply possessing the drug, and urging governors to do the same. He also directed his administration to expedite a review of whether marijuana should continue to be listed as a Schedule I substance, a classification reserved for the most dangerous drugs, including heroin, LSD and ecstasy. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said in a video statement. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.” He added: “There are thousands of people who were convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing or educational opportunities as a result.” The review of marijuana’s classification, to be led by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland, could address a long-standing question over whether possession of marijuana — deemed legal in several states — should ultimately be decriminalized at the federal level.

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Thursday after the United States redeployed an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s previous launch of a nuclear-capable missile over Japan. The latest missile launches suggest North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is determined to continue with weapons tests aimed at boosting his nuclear arsenal in defiance of international sanctions. Many experts say Kim’s goal is to eventually win U.S. recognition as a legitimate nuclear state and the lifting of those sanctions, though the international community has shown no sign of allowing that to happen. The latest missiles were launched 22 minutes apart from the North’s capital region and landed between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The first missile flew 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and the second flew 800 kilometers (497 miles) on an apogee of 60 kilometers (37 miles).

LOS ANGELES — A court filing Tuesday from Angelina Jolie alleges that on a 2016 flight, Brad Pitt grabbed her by the head and shook her then choked one of their children and struck another when they tried to defend her. The descriptions of abuse on the private flight came in a cross-complaint Jolie filed in the couple's dispute over a French home and winery they co-owned that is separate from their ongoing divorce, which she sought soon after. A representative for Pitt, who was not authorized to speak publicly, strongly denied Jolie's allegations and called them "another rehash that only harms the family." The allegations of abuse on the plane first became public shortly after the flight, but reports were initially vague and details were kept sealed in divorce documents and investigations by the FBI and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, both of which found that no action against Pitt was necessary. A judge gave Pitt 50-50 custody of the children after a closed-door trial in which the allegations were aired. But an appeals court subsequently disqualified the private judge for not disclosing possible conflicts of interest after a motion from Jolie, nullifying the decision.

It does inside the eastern Ukrainian town of Lyman, retaken from the Russians at the weekend. The deserted debris-strewn streets are lined by boarded up or burnt-out buildings. Metal sheeting dangling from smashed roofs is buffeted by the wind. Few civilians venture out. We counted almost as many dogs as people - though the population was around 20,000 before the war. The handful of civilians we met seem shell-shocked by months of bombardment, and uncertain their ordeal is over. The only surge of life was a convoy of Ukrainian troops riding high on top of armoured personnel carriers, waving and cheering, as they headed out of town, along a road bordered by pine forest. They roared past evidence of the human cost of Russia's defeat. The bodies of five dead Russian soldiers lay near each other, now bloated, and contorted by death, but once somebody's husband or somebody's son. They were in full uniform, with boots still on, as if they might somehow return to the fight. They appear to have been cut down together as they tried to flee. Nearby we saw a heap of discarded Russian uniforms, sleeping bags, and ration packs. There was an army backpack with a name written on it. We don't know what became of its owner.

Tributes have been paid to a woman who died after being attacked by American bulldogs. The victim has been named locally as Ann Dunn. She died after an incident at a house in St Brigids Crescent, Vauxhall. Police and ambulance attended a property at about 4.25pm on Monday. Despite efforts to save her she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. A police cordoned was put in place around the area and an investigation into what had happened was launched, reports the Liverpool Echo. On Tuesday Merseyside police said five American bulldogs, which were inside the property, were handed over and have since been humanely destroyed. A 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control. He remains in custody. The victim has been named locally as Ann Dunn. Hundreds of people have taken to social media to pay tribute to her. In one, Kate Burke said: "RIP gorgeous lady, still can't believe it Ann. Had some good times with you I will never forget." She added: "I am all so heartbroken for you kids and family right now. Don't want to even think how they feeling. So happy I got have old chat with you on Friday even though it was only for 10 minutes, keeping looking [over] your family."

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown took to Twitter to defend himself following the circulation of disturbing videos that appeared to show Brown exposing himself to a woman at a pool in a Dubai hotel. The incident reportedly occurred in May, when Brown tied a scarf around a woman’s head before tossing her head first into the water “like he was spiking a football,” according to the New York Post. A separate video showed Brown swimming towards the woman and exposed himself in her direction. According to the Post, Brown was asked to leave the hotel shortly after the incident, which was one of several complaints that hotel guests made about him. Brown also allegedly violated hotel dress code and left his room smelling like marijuana, which is in violation of the law in the United Arab Emirates

Grab your favorite Halloween candy and check out this ranked list of the best Halloween kids movies. It's finally that time of year. The temperature is dropping, the leaves are changing color, and Halloween decorations are being sold at almost every store imaginable. Forget Christmas; for many people, this is the best time of the year. And if there's one thing people love to do during the Halloween season, it's cozying up with a warm drink and watching Halloween movies. Most people will be aiming for the traditional horror movies like Trick or Treat, Nightmare on Elm Street, and the cult classic Halloween, but we've made a list of some of the best movies to put on for the kids to get them into the spooky spirit. Or if you're just someone who isn't into the blood, gore, and horror of scary movies, this list is for you too.

The Bruins nearly blew a 24-point lead in the fourth, but their offense produced just enough to lock down the victory against the No. 15 team in the country. The Huskies made it close down the stretch, but the Bruins’ high-powered offense managed to eke one out and secure the victory at the Rose Bowl. UCLA football (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) pulled off an upset win over No. 15 Washington (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) on Friday night, holding off a major comeback effort en route to a 40-32 victory. The Bruins led 40-16 at the start of the fourth quarter, only to watch that lead dissolve down to eight in the final minutes.

He holds a ball in his mouth and cheerfully dances around with it.

President Joe Biden said that Ian could be responsible for “substantial loss of life” and could end up being the deadliest storm in Florida history. More than 2 million customers in Florida were without power early Friday two days after Hurricane Ian slammed into the state, killing at least 12. Meanwhile, the storm, which hit Florida’s southwest coast as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday, strengthened back into a hurricane after being downgraded to a tropical storm as it barreled towards South Carolina's coast. Ian is expected to make landfall in state later Friday. More than 2.2 million customers remained without power across Florida, while many communities have had to contend with widespread flooding, destroyed homes and devastation.

Now that the highly anticipated Hocus Pocus sequel has arrived on Disney+, let's take a closer look at all the times the new movie paid tribute to its predecessor. Oh, look. Another glorious Hocus Pocus movie. That's right, Disney+ released the highly anticipated sequel to the 1993 cult classic Sept. 30, reuniting our favorite witches, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. And, instead of running amok, amok, amok, we combed through every scene of Hocus Pocus 2 to find all of the Easter eggs that called back to the original. From hidden costumes to favorite lines, we're happy to report that Hocus Pocus 2 is chock-full of tributes to the first film. This isn't necessarily surprising, as Bette told E! News at the Hocus Pocus 2 premiere that the fans are "the reason this movie got made." "It is very sweet," Bette said while reflecting on the love for the Sanderson Sisters. "Even though they are killers. There is something about the bond between the sisters."

The comedian, who came out of near anonymity to take over the program from Jon Stewart in 2015, plans to exit the flagship Comedy Central series after a seven-year tenure that saw him transform it for a new generation of viewers who are more at home on social media than they are cable outlets and broadcast networks. Noah revealed his plans to an audience at Thursday evening’s taping of the program in New York, according to two people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear when his actual exit would take place, or whether the Paramount Global cable network had begun to consider a successor. Jill Fritzo, a representative for Noah, could not be reached for immediate comment.

“WELCOME RISE MESSIAH CANNON,” Cannon wrote on his Instagram Stories on Friday, indicating that Rise was born on September 23. He posted what appears to be a video of Bell’s baby shower, writing, “As my journey on this planet becomes more and more remarkable and unfathomable, all I can do is thank God and continue to ask the Most High to order my steps.” Sharing that Bell wanted a “BlessingWay” instead of a baby shower, he described the event as “a bunch of powerful prayer warriors interceding for our new child’s entrance to Earth!”

Queen Elizabeth II died of “old age,” according to her official death certificate, which did not note any contributing factors. In extracts from the queen’s death certificate, released by the National Records of Scotland on Thursday, the local time of death for the 96-year-old monarch was shown as 3:10 p.m. That detail and others provide a glimpse into the final day of her life.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was taken to a local hospital with head and neck injuries suffered on a second-quarter sack in Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa hit the back of his head on the ground when he was sacked by Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou, and his arms appeared to seize up almost immediately. He remained on the field for roughly 10 minutes before he was loaded onto a stretcher and taken away. The Dolphins said shortly before halftime that he was conscious and had movement in all his extremities at the hospital, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. After the game, they said Tagovailoa was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday night and travel back to Miami with the team.

MacKenzie Scott, a billionaire philanthropist who has donated vast sums of her wealth in recent years, has filed for divorce from her second husband, a science teacher whom she married in 2021. The petition was filed in King County, Wash., on Monday, 18 months after Scott and Dan Jewett announced their marriage. The filing requests that the couple’s property be divided according to a separation contract, the details of which were not included in the petition. Jewett and his lawyer also signed the filing, which was first reported by the New York Times. In 2019, Scott and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (who owns The Washington Post) ended their 25-year marriage, with Scott being awarded about 4 percent of Amazon, a cut worth roughly $36 billion at the time. Since then, Scott has been donating her fortune at an astonishing rate — an estimated $12 billion to more than 1,200 groups in three years, the Times reported in March.

“Everyone thought it was fireworks — it’s almost Halloween,” one 14-year-old ninth-grader said. He recalled hearing two shots, then a break, and then seven more in quick succession, almost as if they came from an automatic weapon. “The shots were loud,” the boy added.

Katie Couric announced Wednesday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in June and has undergone surgery and radiation treatment. In a first-person essay posted to her website, the news media personality, 65, said she received the Stage 1 diagnosis after missing an annual mammogram. “I felt sick and the room started to spin,” she wrote. “I was in the middle of an open office, so I walked to a corner and spoke quietly, my mouth unable to keep up with the questions swirling in my head.”

President Joe Biden mistakenly called out for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, the Indiana Republican who died in a car crash in August, while giving opening remarks at a White House conference on hunger, nutrition and health. Walorski was one of four cosponsors on a bill to fund the conference and had been an advocate for reducing hunger in America. "Jackie, are you here? Where's Jackie," he said looking out into the audience on Wednesday morning. "She was going to be here."

A photo shoot for the stills of Marilyn Monroe that would feature throughout Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde,” now streaming on Netflix, was essential to the hair and makeup team in transforming Ana de Armas into the celebrated icon. Jaime Leigh McIntosh, hair department head and makeup department head Tina Roesler Kerwin spent two and a half hours each morning applying hair and makeup to de Armas.

The body of the renowned US big-mountain skier Hilaree Nelson was found on Wednesday morning after she fell down a narrow 5,000ft slope during a trek in the Himalayas two days earlier. Nelson and her partner, Jim Morrison, had scaled the 26,781ft peak of Manaslu on Monday morning. They reached the summit at 10.42am “in tough conditions”, Morrison wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday. The pair transitioned from climbing to skiing down to regroup with their sherpa team. “I skied first, and after a few turns Hilaree followed, and started a small avalanche. She was swept off her feet and carried down a narrow snow slope down the south side (opposite from climbing route) of the mountain over 5,000 [feet],” Morrison wrote. “I did everything I could to locate her, but was unable to go down that face as I hoped to find her alive and live my life with her. “I spent the last two days searching from the air in a helicopter.” Morrison wrote that he and a rescue team landed at 22,000ft and found her body on Wednesday morning. Nelson, 49, who has two children, is one of the highest-profile mountaineers, with a career spanning two decades. North Face described her as “the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation” on its website. In 2012, she became the first woman to climb both the summit of Everest and the peak of adjacent mountain Lhotse within 24 hours. In 2018, the resident of Telluride, Colorado, was awarded the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award after making the first ski down Lhotse that year. “There are no words to describe the love for this woman, my life partner, my lover, my best friend, and my mountain partner,” Morrison wrote. “My loss is indescribable and I am focused on her children and their steps forward.” Friends of Nelson told National Geographic that in addition to being an accomplished athlete, Nelson was known for her grit and grace in the face of challenges.

He was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend's LA house, his manager Jarez Posey told US media. Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, won a Grammy for the 1995 track Gangsta's Paradise, which led the soundtrack for Dangerous Minds.

Japan bid farewell to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in an elaborate state funeral Tuesday, despite public opposition to the cost of the event as the country grapples with their late leader’s legacy. Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was shot dead during a campaign speech in Nara in July, stunning a nation where gun violence is extremely rare. More than 4,300 guests attended the service at the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo, including foreign dignitaries such as US Vice President Kamala Harris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned to Kyiv after touring the newly liberated Kharkiv region last week, he addressed the nation to praise the “warriors” who had forced the Russians into a panicked retreat. As news of the extent and success of the counteroffensive echoed around the world, he singled out by name just one man among the thousands in Ukraine’s armed forces who had helped destroy the myth of an undefeatable Russian army.

The new image comes courtesy of Empire Magazine and highlights Namor, who has been inspired by the culture and history of Mesoamerica. Unlike the comics, which see Namor as the ruler of Atlantis, the upcoming film will see Namor as the ruler of Talocan, which was also drawn from real cultures instead of Greek mythology.