“Masters of the Universe” is on target to be a gigantic flop despite a massive production budget and huge marketing effort, and now the film’s producer Steve Tisch is under scrutiny again for his reported ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Tisch, who is also co-owner of the New York Giants, denied that he was ever close with Epstein despite frequent email exchanges, including conversations about a 20-year-old Ukrainian woman Epstein was allegedly trying to convince to date the NFL owner. Tisch said that he only had a “brief association” with the convicted sexual predator. “As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with,” he said. Interestingly, the filmmakers didn’t hide the association with Tisch as producers. They did appear to downplay Leto’s involvement despite him being one of the film’s stars. This comes at a time when the NFL is being criticized for remaining quiet on Tisch’s ties to Epstein while Hollywood isn’t coming under the same kind of scrutiny.  Blame is already being placed on one of the movie’s stars, Jared Leto, due to sexual assault allegations. Rumor has it he was banned from promoting the movie at all, which has movie fans questioning why he was selected to play the main villain, Skeletor, in the first place. “Scary Movie” took top spot at the box office over the weekend while “Masters of the Universe” slid into second with a lackluster $29.3 million opening weekend in North America and just $25 million overseas. It’s nowhere near close to recouping the amount spent to make and promote the film. “This is a soft opening for an action adventure with franchise and series potential,” industry expert David A. Gross told Variety of the box office results. “[R]ight now, the only fantasy heroes doing strong business are the biggest and most established superheroes, like Spider-Man, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Superman.” Horror movies continued to dominate, including “Scary Movie” and runaway hits “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” which were both produced on small budgets. Both films have been showcased as examples of how moviegoers are hungry for original stories and not franchise films. “Masters of the Universe” is an adaptation of the popular He-Man franchise featuring the hero Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), alter ego He-Man, attempting to defeat the evil Skeletor (Leto) on the planet Eternia. 

Two crew members are confirmed dead following an attempted emergency landing of a private jet in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. The Gulfstream G200 Galaxy departed from La Romana International Airport was en route to pick up former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, along with his family and some friends, from Texas and transport them to Puerto Rico. Shortly after takeoff, however, the crew reported problems on board, returned to the airport, and tried to perform an emergency landing. “The U.S.-registered aircraft, registered to an executive aviation company, had its two crew members on board: the pilot and co-pilot. No passengers were reported,” the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation said. The two pilots reportedly described an “engine failure” and the “loss of power in one engine” in a message to the control tower while requesting an immediate return to the airport.  Molina, a two-time World Series champion and 10-time All-Star, wrote on social media, “My condolences to the pilots and their families. This plane was on its way to pick up me, my family, and friends in Texas to bring us back to Puerto Rico.” Emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene following the crash. Dominican Republic authorities launched an investigation to determine the cause of engine failure as well as the crash during the emergency landing.

Move over, refined sugar: there’s a popular new sweet treat in town, and it’s way healthier. MAHA devotees and average folks just seeking out healthier alternatives are chomping down on an ancient snack that’s been enjoyed for thousands of years. The company Joolies California Superfruit noted that sales of dates in the United States were up 33% in 2025, per Food52. Native to the Middle East, dates are known for their rich, caramel-like flavor and high nutritional value. Based on these trends, that love for their natural sweetness is destined to continue.  “It’s one of the oldest cultivated fruits,” Amanda Sains, vice president of marketing and founding team member at Joolies said. “It’s mentioned in the Quran, the Bible. It has this incredible history.” Fox News reported that the market size for dates in America is projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2034. Why the new obsession? It’s because of a general uptick in the use of natural, healthy sugars as Americans become more health-conscious and seek alternatives to processed foods and additives. “While dates might be a newer trend for consumers, they’ve been the go-to ingredient among dietitians to sweeten smoothies and lower-sugar dessert foods for years,” registered dietitian Lisa Moskovitz told Fox News Digital. “Not only are they super tasty and versatile, but they provide fiber, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients like magnesium and potassium,” she added. Food52 reported that a big problem with selling dates in the past was the packaging and overall appearance, which could be a deterrent for some would-be customers. Companies have worked to upgrade packaging to make the sweet, chewy stone fruits more appealing. Also, dates are now being used in other foods, such as energy bars. It’s all working. Another major reason for the newfound popularity is, predictably, TikTok. There are several trends circulating about how to cook tasty, healthy desserts with dates as the star ingredient. “They’ve always been kind of misunderstood,” Sains told Food52. “They’re sweet, delicious, and so good for you, but they’ve been stuck in ugly packaging.” The vice president also mentioned that dates are a lot more popular in other parts of the world. Now, the trend has hit the United States. “When you travel to Morocco, Greece, the U.K., even Australia, you realize how much more normalized date consumption is,” Sains told the outlet. “You’ll see them at the checkout counter or in bowls at people’s homes. In the U.S., that just hasn’t been the case.”

When South African refugees were told they would be shown videos on how to assimilate to American culture, they expected a crash course in local customs and habits they may not have known. Instead, they sat wide-eyed as they watched videos teaching them how to shower, use a toilet, and brush their teeth. Several Afrikaners, members of South Africa’s white minority to whom President Donald Trump has granted special refugee status, told The Daily Wire they were shocked by the videos. “When we were watching it, we laughed at a lot of these videos and made comedic remarks because they pointed out the obvious regarding not going to the bathroom outside and how to use a microwave even,” said Adriaan, an Afrikaner refugee who arrived in December. “We found it very funny, but we understood as well the idea of like people from Somalia who’ve never had electricity … they were mostly made for people that can’t speak English, that have never lived in a first world country.” “It was just plain ridiculous,” Marie, another Afrikaner refugee, said. The videos are produced by an initiative of the nonprofit organization the International Rescue Committee, which is called SettleIn. The program boasts that its content was “developed under agreements financed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, United States Department of State,” according to its website. SettleIn’s website adds that its content does not “necessarily represent the policies or official views of those agencies and should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.” One of the videos on SettleIn’s YouTube channel promotes “personal hygiene,” saying that “In the United States, this means taking regular showers or baths, applying deodorant daily, washing and grooming hair, and washing clothes frequently.” “Only toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet,” it adds. The video goes on to say that “practicing proper personal hygiene promotes good health, prevents the spread of diseases, and may influence relationships with others,” adding: “Personal hygiene is also important for getting and keeping a job.” An accompanying guide also advises refugees against urinating and spitting “in public.” It also instructs them to “wear clothing that is clean,” “wash hands when they are dirty, after using the bathroom, and before and after eating,” and to “use a tissue, not your hand or the sleeve of your shirt” to wipe a runny nose. Credit: Settle In on YouTube Another video advises refugees not to run from the police during encounters with law enforcement. “Don’t run or reach for anything suddenly,” the video advises. One of the videos features a refugee woman telling her fellow newcomers that homes in the United States are “not like when we are back home living in the refugee camps, you have to be so clean person, clean your home, take your trash out.” The International Rescue Committee, which partners with the federal government as part of its U.S. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP), has condemned the Trump administration’s refugee policy to decrease refugee admissions and to prioritize white Afrikaners facing racial persecution in South Africa. The Trump administration suspended USRAP on January 20, 2025, and subsequently terminated agreements with refugee aid nonprofits, including the International Rescue Committee (IRC). A federal judge initially blocked the suspension in early 2025 and ordered the government to reinstate its agreements with resettlement groups like the IRC. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled the administration could lawfully suspend refugee admissions, but it left in place the requirement that the government keep funding domestic services for refugees already in the country. SettleIn is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to the International Rescue Committee website. It is part of the committee’s Switchboard, which provides training to refugee support organizations and case managers, which is “100% financed by federal funds,” citing an Office of Refugee Resettlement grant that has provided the organization more than $20 million in taxpayer funds since 2023. The program offers some practical advice on filing one’s taxes, obtaining a driver’s license, and buying and renting a residence in the United States. It also provides a cultural guide for refugee organizations and case workers on working with Afrikaner refugees. The packet neglects to mention the racially motivated killings of white farmers in South Africa and other race-based laws discriminating against Afrikaners. The guide paints Afrikaners as settlers who took part in “displacing native peoples,” which it said in combination with the British Empire holding Afrikaners and black Africans in concentration camps “helped consolidate a concept of Afrikaner nationalism through collective suffering at the hands of the British.” “From 1948 to 1994, Afrikaners participated in establishing and implementing the South African government’s system of Apartheid, a regime of racial segregation. In the post-Apartheid era, South Africans including Afrikaners continue to grapple with issues of identity, reconciliation, and socio-economic transformation,” the guide reads. The International Rescue Committee did not respond to a request for comment. Such federally-funded programs “are intended to support refugees from a broad range of countries of origin, educational backgrounds, languages, and lived experiences,” a Department of Health and Human Services spokesman told The Daily Wire. “Office of Refugee Resettlement-funded resources, including those developed by technical assistance providers, provide practical information to help refugees navigate daily life in the United States, including topics such as healthcare, education, transportation, housing, employment, and other essential services,” the spokesman said. “Some materials also provide information about common household and community practices in the United States, recognizing that refugees arrive with varying levels of familiarity with U.S. systems, institutions, and cultural norms,” the official added. Refugee names have been changed. Blake Schaper contributed to this report.

Country music artist Morgan Wallen was caught on video last week throwing a cell phone across the stage during a show. The incident occurred during a Pittsburgh stop on his “Still the Problem” tour Friday. A concert attendee recorded Wallen gesturing to the phone before walking away, then walking back and ripping the phone out of the guard’s hand. The country star proceeded to dramatically throw the phone across the stage. A TikTok user posted a video of the incident, writing in the caption, “I get it … security should be doing security things, but …” The TikTok poster also said the phone was given to the security guard by another fan to record.  Wallen canceled the second of his two planned stops in Pittsburgh, blaming weather and later referencing what he described as “nonsense” rumors about him. “This morning, my team walked on my bus and told me they had been consulting with local officials and that I should cancel my show in Pittsburgh tonight and I said, ‘Why?’” Wallen said in the video posted to his Instagram Stories. “They said that there was going to be strong winds in the area, and I said, ‘OK.’ So, that is what I did and that was the information I had in the moment, and I trusted my team,” Wallen said. “I understand that wind hasn’t gotten to Pittsburgh yet. … The truth of the matter is, I have a large stage that, in those conditions, could become fatal to a lot of folks around it. So, I did the best I could with the information I had in that moment.” “I’ve been seeing a lot of nonsense about me that is simply not true, and I just wanted to clear the air,” he added. “I think my true fans know that that’s not how I operate in general, but I had to say it. Y’all take care.” His fans were questioning this explanation, speculating that it had to do with the prior night’s incident and not with the weather at all.  “Morgan wallen [sic] cancelling his show last night is just hilarious because i walked outside after my shift at 11pm and my car was completely dry,” one X commenter claimed. “No rain in sight. that man was already on his way back to tennessee [sic].” “…he hates his fans and his job and they eat it up,” the person continued.  Wallen previously made headlines for flipping a piano during a performance last month.