Category: usa news today

Release date, cast, all you need to know
Netflix’s new dramedy, “The Four Seasons,” highlights love and friendship with a star-studded cast.
Released on May 1, the show follows six married friends who go on quarterly weekend trips. However, old tensions and new conflicts arise when one couple decides to end their relationship.

“The Four Seasons,” created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, is a reimagination of the 1981 movie with the same name.

“I’ve always loved this movie since I was a kid, and I do think that a series like this where you can really just expand things and take your time a little bit more felt like a perfect way to hang out with these characters a little bit longer,” Fey told The Hollywood Reporter.

Here’s what we know about Netflix’s “The Four Seasons”:

When and where does ‘The Four Seasons’ air?

The first season of “The Four Seasons,” which consists of eight episodes, is now available on Netflix. It premiered on May 1 at 3 a.m. EDT.

‘The Four Seasons’ episode list

Episode One: “Lake House”

Episode Two: “Garden Party”

Episode Three: “Eco Resort”

Episode Four: “Beach Bar”

Episode Five: “Family Weekend

Episode Six: “Ultimate Frisbee”

Episode Seven: “Ski Trip”

Episode Eight: “Fun”

‘The Four Seasons’: Tina Fey, Erika Henningsen bring real-life friendship to Netflix show

‘The Four Seasons’ trailer

‘The Four Seasons’ gets mixed reviews from critics

According to USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler, “The Four Seasons” “feels surface-level at best, unfunny and dull at worst,” adding that it ” is a big miss when it should have been an easy home run.” Read the full “Four Seasons” review.

The Guardian says the show is “full of properly funny lines, rooted in properly middle-aged experience. In its comedy and its drama it captures the warm, weary affection for life and each other that only old friends and enduring couples really know.”

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the miniseries has “some pleasantly sweet moments and some poignant ones, but few of them land with much weight since the characters are so thin.”

The show has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes so far.

‘The Four Seasons’ cast

Tina Fey

Steve Carell

Colman Domingo

Will Forte

Kerri Kenney-Silver

Marco Calvani

Erika Henningsen

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
May 1, 2025
With 100 days now in the books, how are Americans feeling?

The second Trump Administration has affected changes that are singular in their scope and in the speed at which they were made.

May 1, 2025
Trump nominates Mike Waltz as UN ambassador in stunning twist

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump has named Mike Waltz his next nominee for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations hours after ousting him as his national security adviser.

The stunning move, announced in a Truth Social Post, came after USA TODAY and other outlets earlier on May 1 reported Waltz is leaving as national security adviser amid continued fallout weeks after he invited a journalist into a chat among top national security officials discussing plans for Yemen airstrikes.

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as national security adviser while continuing to lead the State Department.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

May 1, 2025
See May Day protesters rally against Trump administration across the US

Demonstrators held May Day rallies around the country on May 1, 2025 to protest the policies of President Donald Trump.

May 1, 2025
Recapping his involvement in war chat leak

A little over three months into his stint as President Donald Trump‘s national security adviser, Mike Waltz was embroiled in a controversy so widespread it soon had its own nickname: Signalgate.

The former Republican congressman from Florida is set to leave his White House post, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison on May 1, amid persistent fallout from a scandal in which he and several other prominent officials used the commercial messaging application Signal to discuss highly sensitive details about a planned U.S. military strike in Yemen.

While all details around his departure had not yet come to light by Wednesday afternoon, May 1, his involvement in the Signal chat has been a cloud over his tenure since it was first revealed March 24.

More about Waltz’s departure: Mike Waltz to exit Trump administration

What was Waltz’s involvement in ‘Signalgate’?

The Signal group chat was made public after reporter Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to the conversation. In a March 24 article published in The Atlantic, Goldberg wrote it was Waltz who added him to the chat.

The conversations centered on planned U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthi sites in Yemen on March 15. The texts were exchanged hours before the airstrikes. In one exchange, Waltz is seen in screenshots of the chats to respond to news of an airstrike with emojis of an American flag, fire and a fist.

Goldberg’s reporting of the chat included descriptions of the types of weapons to be used and detailed timing of the strikes, leading Democrats to call the discussions security breaches and demanded Hegseth and Waltz to resign.

On the day of the initial Atlantic report revealing the Signal chat, Waltz said he took “full responsibility” for the “embarrassing” blunder, saying he “built the group.”

“We’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he told Laura Ingraham on Fox News.

Is ‘Signal’ keeping your info safe? What to know after leaked war plans

Trump stood by Waltz in immediate aftermath

Trump had publicly defended Waltz after the discussion contents were made public, and other members of the chat vigorously denied sharing any classified military plans.

At one point Trump said in an interview he believed a “lower level” employee was to blame for adding Goldberg to the chat, not Waltz.

“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” the president said in an interview with NBC News, calling the situation “the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one.”

Prior to joining Congress, Waltz served as defense policy director in the Pentagon under Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates in the Bush Administration and was a counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Contributing: Saman Shafiq, Bart Jansen, Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Joey Garrison.

Kathryn Palmer is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

May 1, 2025
DHS defends raid on Oklahoma family’s home despite wrong target

The Department of Homeland Security said the previous residents were the intended targets for a search warrant in a human smuggling investigation.

Federal immigration agents raided an Oklahoma family’s home and seized their belongings ‒ even though they are American citizens and weren’t either suspects or the subject of the search warrant. The intended suspects had apparently moved out two weeks earlier.

Federal officials have stood by the April 24 incident, which comes as immigration raids have ramped up across the United States, sparking renewed debate over enforcement and community safety.

KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City reported a woman and her three daughters said they were treated like “criminals” when roughly 20 armed federal agents raided their rental home in northwest Oklahoma City. The woman, who was not named, told KFOR the agents tore apart every inch of the house, seizing their phones, laptops and their life savings in cash as “evidence.”

While the agents carried out the search warrant, the woman said the names listed on the document were not hers or her family’s, but likely those of former tenants whose mail was still arriving at the address. She and her daughters had moved from Maryland to Oklahoma about two weeks earlier.

The woman told KFOR that the men identified themselves as agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI. She said the agents would not leave a business card, and she does not know whom to contact in order to retrieve her family’s possessions, according to KFOR.

A U.S. Marshals spokesperson told The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the agency wasn’t involved in the incident. An FBI spokesperson wasn’t sure of the lead agency in the raid.

DHS stands by raid, blames court warrant

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the previous residents of the home were the intended targets for a court-authorized search warrant for a “large-scale human smuggling investigation.” In addition to standing by the raid, officials blamed on the court where agents obtained a search warrant.

“It was ultimately a successful operation,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’ assistant secretary for public affairs, told NPR on May 1. “Unfortunately, the warrant that the court did give was for a house that the targets had moved out two weeks prior, so that was not an ideal situation obviously.”

McLaughlin said officials would conduct internal investigations to ensure similar actions don’t occur.

The investigation resulted in eight Guatemalan nationals indicted for their roles in smuggling people into the country, DHS’ statement said. Two of the people had criminal convictions for narcotics possession, identity fraud, money laundering and re-entry after deportation.

May 1, 2025
Alec Baldwin’s troubled movie at least looks great

Watching “Rust,” it’s easy to be rattled by the gunshots.

Being a Western drama, naturally there’s plenty of gunfights, showdowns and old-school cowboy justice. But this is also a movie haunted by one shot in particular, the bullet that killed Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins three-and-a-half years ago when a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin discharged. That shot is the hardest one to forget.

After years of lawsuits, criminal charges and controversies involving Baldwin, filmmakers, crew members and Hutchins’ family, writer/director Joel Souza’s movie (★★½ out of four; rated R; in theaters and on demand May 2) is finally finished and being released for interested moviegoers.

Storywise, it’s a solid if overlong tale of family and redemption – fans of “Yellowstone” or “Horizon” will find stuff to love. Where “Rust” stands out is in its look, a gorgeously shot production with an emphasis on contrasts and dark colors that’s a testament to the talents of Hutchins and fellow cinematographer Bianca Cline.

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In 1880s Wyoming, orphaned 13-year-old Lucas Hollister (Patrick Scott McDermott) takes care of his little brother (Easton Malcolm), selling off valuable animals just to put food on the table. Lucas accidentally kills a man with whom he’s had a public beef and is sentenced to hang. As gallows are being built outside Lucas’ jail cell, his estranged grandfather Harland Rust (Baldwin), an infamous outlaw, shows up to break him out of jail and take him to safety in Mexico, murdering a couple of lawmen in the process.

His grandpa’s existence is a surprise in itself to Lucas – he believed the old man was dead – and even though the kid’s had to grow up fast, the odd pairing takes a bit to bond as Harland is hard on the youngster. “There’s alive and there’s ain’t. Try to focus on the former,” he says, attempting to get the youngster in a survival mindset.

Meanwhile, a bounty is put on the heads of both Lucas and Harland, which sends a wild-eyed and sadistic guy named Preacher (Travis Fimmel) hunting for them. U.S. marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) is tasked with tracking Harland down as well, though he struggles with leaving behind his ailing son.

Between the film’s strong opening and the bloody climax, “Rust” moseys along with subplots, side characters and various threats to Lucas and Harland’s well-being. Baldwin is positively gruff as the world-weary Harland, and he and McDermott fall into an interesting chemistry as the outlaw’s backstory and familial connection are slowly revealed. McDermott is aces as a kid who from the start is thrown into disarray, and Hopkins is pretty terrific as the good-hearted but troubled marshal.

It might surprise some that “Rust” was ever finished after the tragedy. Yet it’s clear that a good amount had to be redone. Because of scheduling conflicts, McDermott and Hopkins replaced original actors Brady Noon and Jensen Ackles in major roles. And Cline was tapped to finish the job as director of photography by Souza, who himself was wounded by the same bullet that fatally struck Hutchins. (The film is dedicated to Hutchins and includes a saying of hers at the end: “What can we do to make this better?”)

For someone not involved in the production, it’s a fool’s errand to try and pick out what’s Hutchins’ work and what’s Cline’s. Instead, let’s celebrate that the overall cinematic life that “Rust” conjures is exceptional. There are widescreen vistas aplenty and fantastic use of shadows throughout the movie.

There’s a stunning bit early on with Lucas at the graves of his parents seen from afar, and Baldwin’s character is a dark, unseen figure in scenes until he introduces himself to both Lucas and the audience. While people riding horses is a frequent trope for the genre, several moments set at dusk or against a cloudy sky deftly capture the movie’s melancholic mood.

There are uncanny echoes of real life in “Rust”: That an errant bullet and an accidental shooting death spur the main plot of the movie is remarkable, and the tale features several characters having to deal with the consequences of their violence. (Souza took out the scene that was the setting for Hutchins’ death.)

Like “The Crow” or “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” “Rust” is a film that’s forever tied to one fatal day. It’s not fair or perfect but finding beauty amid tragedy is something.

May 1, 2025
Mike Waltz to exit White House amid furor over Trump Signal chat

WASHINGTON − Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, is set to leave his White House post amid continued fallout weeks after he accidentally invited a journalist into a chat between top national security officials discussing plans for Yemen airstrikes.

A source familiar with the situation on May 1 confirmed Waltz’ exit, as well as deputy national security advisor Alex Wong.

Trump had publicly stood by Waltz after his national security adviser and other members of the chat vigorously denied sharing any classified war plans on the publicly available app Signal. The chat was revealed when Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, published a March 24 story detailing how Waltz accidentally invited him into the communications.

Yet behind-the scenes, the embarrassing mishap ‒ which even Trump started referring to as “Signalgate” ‒ took a toll on the relationship between Trump and Waltz, a former Republican congressman from Florida.

Waltz’ departure, just 102 days into Trump’s second term, marks the first high-ranking administration official to leave since the president’s inauguration. Yet Waltz lasted longer than Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, who Trump in February 2017 fired 24 days into his first term.

The Waltz move comes after far-right activist Laura Loomer has exerted increasing influence in Trump’s decision-making, including encouraging Trump to recently fire two senior officials on the National Security Council after a White House visit.

“Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” Loomer said in a post on X shortly after news broke about Waltz’s exit.

With Waltz out, three original Trump picks for top posts who had been serving as Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House are now either gone or ‒ in the case of Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial nominee to lead the Justice Department, and Elise Stefanik, his onetime selection for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations ‒ never made it.

On the day of the initial Atlantic report revealing the Signal chat, Waltz said he took “full responsibility” for the “embarrassing” blunder. “We’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he told Laura Ingraham on Fox News.

Waltz mistakenly added Goldberg, a longtime national security journalist, to a chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal in mid-March that also included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Vice President JD Vance, among other members of the Trump administration’s top echelon.

Officials in the group discussed military plans to strike the Houthi militant movement in Yemen, and Hegseth sent a message detailing strike times by U.S. warplanes and drones – as Goldberg reported in the bombshell article.

Trump defended Waltz at the start of the controversy, saying it was a “mistake” and that “he’s not getting fired.” But fallout from the incident grew as Trump’s intelligence officials were grilled by lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees and following reports of an additional Signal chat created by Hegseth in which the defense secretary shared sensitive military information with his wife and brother.

As Hegseth repeatedly denied accusations that he had shared any classified war plans, The Atlantic published screenshots on Wednesday morning of messages Hegseth sent in the chat that detailed the exact times of planned strikes and how they would be delivered.

Waltz was also defiant for weeks before news of his departure. “No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS,” he posted on X on Wednesday.

A former member of the Army’s Green Berets, Waltz served three terms representing the sixth congressional district in North Central Florida. He was replaced in Congress by Republican Randy Fine, who won a special election in March.

Waltz initially was elected to the House in 2018, replacing Ron DeSantis after his rise to Florida governor. An officer in the Army National Guard, Waltz had served in combat zones multiple times. He had been a defense policy director in the Pentagon before being tapped by Vice President Dick Cheney as a counterterrorism adviser during the George W. Bush administration. Waltz retired from the Army Reserve last fall at the rank of colonel.

Dinah Pulver contributed to this report.

(Correction: An app notification to this story misstated the position of the national security advisor. It is not a Cabinet-level position.)

May 1, 2025
Trump cannot use Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans, judge rules

Luc Cohen and Ted Hesson
| Reuters

NEW YORK – President Donald Trump‘s administration exceeded the scope of an 18th-century wartime law in using it to deport some Venezuelan migrants, a federal judge in Texas said on Thursday in barring the administration from using it to speed up deportations.

More: US judge in Texas orders release of Venezuelan couple, temporarily blocks deportations

In a 36-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez ruled that the Trump administration could not rely on the Alien Enemies Act to detain or deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

“The historical record renders clear that the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms,” wrote Rodriguez, who was appointed by Trump during his first term.

The Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

May 1, 2025
Donald Trump would ‘love to see’ Stephen A. Smith run for president

Donald Trump stirred the 2028 pot again this week, saying he would “love to see” ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith make a bid for the White House.

The president made the comment after calling in to a NewsNation town hall on April 30 during which participants asked him a myriad of questions about his first 100 days back in office.

“I love watching him. He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him,” Trump told the panelists, which included Smith. “I’ve been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates, and I will tell you, I’d love to see him run.”

That Trump underscored the sports analyst’s popularity and ability to generate buzz is one of the reasons 57-year-old Smith is being trotted out as a possible contender.

Democrats are facing a deluge of criticism from their base and are still in the midst of overhauling their messaging to combat Trump 2.0, particularly on finding ways to better connect with young male voters, who are skewing more conservative than their female counterparts.

Smith has raked in millions of followers across various media platforms over the years for his outspoken and sometimes controversial “hot take” style of debate, which Trump allies have said would be formidable in a campaign.

But those same qualities have generated skepticism among other political observers, who argue picking another celebrity – Trump hosted NBC’s “The Apprentice” for 14 seasons – would be a mistake.

“Calm down, Stephen A.,” NBA basketball great Charles Barkley said in an April 15 interview. “Stephen A. is one of my friends, but come on, man, stop it.”

Earlier this month, however, Smith said he was “officially leaving all doors open” after he previously rejected the idea of running for president. Polling shows the bombastic sports broadcaster would have a long way to go to win over voters, however.

Data For Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based progressive think tank, showed Smith had the lowest net favorability among several other likely contenders, such as former President Joe Biden‘s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

May 1, 2025