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Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer officially file for divorce after 7 years

January 06, 2026
Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer officially file for divorce after 7 years

Amy SchumerandChris Fischerare officially divorcing after seven years of marriage.

The couple agreed to an uncontested divorce, according to New York County Supreme Court records reviewed by USA TODAY on Jan. 6.

The "Trainwreck" star, 44, previously took to social media on Dec. 12 toconfirm her "amicable" split from Fischer, a professional chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author.

"Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years. We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son. We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time," Schumer wrote in her Dec. 12 post, which showed a photo of the pair side by side on a subway.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives of the couple for comment.

Chris Fischer and Amy Schumer attend SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Feb. 16, 2025, in New York City.

Peoplewas first to report the news of the divorce.

The pair shares a 6-year-old son, Gene.

She quipped that the divorce is not because she lost weight or because he is a James Beard award-winning chef who "still pulls some hot tail."

"Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever," she added.

<p style=Hollywood isn't filled with just fairytale endings. Read on for the celebrity couples who split in 2025.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban split after nearly two decades marriage.

People and TMZ – which was first to share the news – reported on Sept. 29 that Urban, 57, and Kidman, 58, are separated. The couple first met 20 years ago in Los Angeles and married just over a year later near Sydney, Australia, on June 25, 2006.

Urban and Kidman are parents to daughters, 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Mel Gibson and Rosalind Ross, who began dating in 2014, revealed their separation in a Dec. 30 statement to People magazine after breaking up about a year prior. The reason for the pair's split was not disclosed.

"Although it's sad to end this chapter in our lives, we are blessed with a beautiful son and will continue to be the best parents possible," Gibson and Ross told People. Gibson, a father of nine, shares 8-year-old son Lars with Ross.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Internet personality Alix Earle tearfully confirmed her breakup with NFL wide receiver Braxton Berrios after two years of dating.


While the couple has dealt with speculation surrounding the status of their relationship as far back as the summer, it wasn't until Dec. 13 that Earle, 24, confirmed to her fans in a TikTok video that she and Braxton, 30, have gone their separate ways.

"Braxton and I are no longer together," she said. "We have been doing long distance since, basically, June, and we haven't gotten to see each other that often. It's just been really difficult for me."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer are divorcing after seven years of marriage, the comedian confirmed on Instagram Dec. 12.

"Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years. We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son," Schumer wrote.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=On Dec. 5, New York Times bestselling author Jillian Shriner announced she and Scott Shriner, Weezer's bassist, are going separate ways after more than two decades.

"After twenty-two years together, we have decided to divorce. Looking back with pride on the world we built, we marvel at our magnificent boys- our brightest lights," she wrote in an Instagram post. "The same wild hearts that brought us together, carry us now in different directions. We'll forever be a family, united in love, laughter, and music."

"We're people who grow. We're passionate people. We're creative people. You hope you'll change and grow together. We grew apart," she told Rolling Stone.

The announcement came months after Shriner was shot by police officers and faced criminal charges in the headline-making Los Angeles standoff. On Sept. 25, Shriner was sentenced to a court-ordered two-year mental health diversion program.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style="The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker are ending their marriage after over a decade, according to People magazine on Nov. 21, 2025. The reality TV star later broke her silence on Nov. 24, 2025.

"After deep thought and a lot of prayer, I've made the decision to move forward with a divorce. This is a difficult and emotional time, but my focus remains on protecting my peace, being the best mother I can be, and co-parenting with love and respect," Burruss told the outlet in a statement. The two met while filming the fourth season of "RHOA" in 2011, and became engaged in 2013. They share two children.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style="A Thousand Years" singer Christina Perri is ending her marriage after nearly eight years. The 39-year-old singer/songwriter on Nov. 3 filed a petition to divorce her husband, Paul Costabile, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to filings obtained by USA TODAY.

The "Jar of Hearts" songstress said the two have been separated as of the filing day of Nov. 3 and described the reason for the split as irreconcilable differences.

She also asked the court to award joint physical and legal custody for their daughters, Carmella, 7, and Pixie, 3.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style="Emily In Paris" costars Paul Forman and Ashley Park reportedly broke up after nearly two years together, People and TMZ reported on Oct. 1, 2025.

According to People, the pair were spotted holding hands at a dinner event in Los Angeles restaurant in October 2023 but did not confirm their relationship until January 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers are going their separate ways after six years of marriage.

Phypers filed for divorce at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 7, according to People magazine and E! News. Richards' estranged spouse cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the couple's split.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=After weeks of tabloid speculation over the status of their nine-year relationship, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's representatives released a joint statement on July 3 confirming the end of the couple's six-year engagement.

"Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting," read the statement obtained by USA TODAY. "They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is — and always will be — raising their daughter with love, stability, and mutual respect."

Perry, 40, and Bloom, 48, share a 4-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Internet personality Gigi Gorgeous, right, and husband Nats Getty are divorcing after six years of marriage. Getty filed for divorce on July 2, a representative for the couple confirmed to USA TODAY, adding that the split was "amicably decided."

"While they have decided to end their marriage, they remain friends and have the upmost love and respect for each other," the spokesperson said.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=After nearly a decade and a half of marriage, Dermot Mulroney is calling it quits with wife Prima Apollinaare.

The "My Best Friend's Wedding" star, 61, filed for divorce in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 23, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY. Mulroney, who married singer-actress Apollinaare in December 2010, cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split. The former couple's date of separation was not disclosed in the filing.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=After two decades of marriage, Scott Wolf and his wife are going their separate ways.

Kelley Wolf, who wed the "Party of Five" alum in May 2004, announced the couple's separation in a June 10 post on Instagram. "It is with a heavy heart that Scott and I are moving forward with the dissolution of our marriage," Kelley, 48, wrote.

In a statement the same day to USA TODAY, Scott Wolf said he'd filed for divorce from Kelley, calling it "the most difficult decision of my life." "Our children have always been, and continue to be, the loves of our lives and our every priority," Wolf added. "So, I kindly ask for privacy at this time as we help guide them through this new chapter."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=A "Love is Blind" relationship has come to a bittersweet end. On June 11, Lydia Velez Gonzalez announced on Instagram — and in an accompanying What's the Reality?

podcast interview with fellow alumna AD Smith — that she is she is divorcing Milton Johnson after three years of marriage. In her lengthy post, Velez Gonzalez indicated her estranged husband had been the one to change his mind as she wrote, "I wish I knew the answer to what happened?"

"No one will ever know the amount of pain as I write this, or all the sleepless nights," she added, going on to thank Johnson for "choosing me as I was." Nonetheless, "For me Love will always be blind," she wrote.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=In a Sunday Times interview published May 31, "Anyone But You" star Sydney Sweeney confirmed she's single and no longer planning a wedding with her partner of nearly seven years, fiancé Jonathan Davino.

Sweeney's comments came out more than three months after rumors started swirling around a possibly rocky relationship and a postponed wedding. By the end of March, outlets including PeopleTMZ and US Weekly were reporting the two had split.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Deborra-Lee Furness filed for an uncontested divorce from Hugh Jackman in New York on May 23, more than a year and a half after the former couple announced their separation in September 2023. The actors, who met filming the 1995 Australian show "Correlli," married in 1996 and share two adult children, Oscar and Ava.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Sia and husband Daniel Bernard have called it quits, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press and People. The "Chandelier" singer filed to divorce her second husband after two years of marriage on March 19. The filing also reveals the couple privately had a baby in March 2024: They share 11-month-old Somersault Wonder Bernard, her third child. The Australian singer-songwriter, born Sia Furler, cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Hollywood isn't filled with just fairytale endings. Read on for the celebrity couples who split this year.

"Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" star Emily Osment filed for divorce from Jack Anthony in March after five months of marriage. The couple tied the knot on Oct. 12, 2024, and separated on Dec. 7, 2024, according to the filing. "I think with any big decision in your life, whether it's relationships or work or whatever it may be, you have to firmly plant both feet in that decision," Osment said in a statement. "Ultimately, it didn't work out."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style= Tyler Francis and Ashley Adionser, who were married on "Love is Blind" Season 7, are headed toward divorce, Adionser announced in a Jan. 21 statement. "While I had hoped for mutual understanding and transparency in our relationship, it has become clear that our paths are no longer aligned, making it impossible for me to continue in this marriage," her statement read, in part.

During their time on the show, Francis had social media speculating about his claim that he was a "sperm donor" to three biological children and not involved in their lives. The couple most recently showed a united front during a reunion special that released in October.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> James Kennedy and Ally Lewber have <a href=called it quits on their romance, one month after the "Vanderpump Rules" star was arrested on domestic violence charges.

Lewber confirmed the couple's breakup on her Jan. 22 Instagram story after it was announced that Kennedy will not face criminal charges for the December 2024 incident." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jessica Simpson, right, and her husband Eric Johnson are exploring life apart. In a Jan. 13 statement from Simpson's representatives, the singer <a href=confirmed the couple is separating. "Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage," Simpson said. "Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them."

The couple has been married since 2014 and shares three children." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Actress Jessica Alba, left, and her husband, film producer Cash Warren, will ended their 16-year marriage. "I'm proud of how we've grown as a couple and in our marriage over the last 20 years and it's now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals," Alba wrote in a Jan. 16 Instagram post." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> One of Instagram post, he and Rachael Kirkconnell, left, are going their separate ways four years after the two ended "The Bachelor" Season 25 together.

"Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding," he captioned a photo of the two meeting in the show's premiere. "Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Celebrity breakups of 2025: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Katy Perry

Hollywoodisn't filled with just fairytale endings. Read on for the celebrity couples who split in 2025.Nicole KidmanandKeith Urbansplit after nearly two decades marriage.PeopleandTMZ– which was first to share the news – reported on Sept. 29 that Urban, 57, and Kidman, 58, are separated. The couple first met 20 years ago in Los Angeles and married just over a year later near Sydney, Australia, on June 25, 2006.Urban and Kidman are parents to daughters, 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret.

Fischer appeared in the 2020 HBO Max docuseries, "Expecting Amy," which chronicled Schumer's pregnancy and the couple's health and career challenges. He also executive produced and starred in the 2020 Food Network show "Amy Schumer Learns to Cook," in which he taught Schumer various culinary skills as they quarantined on Martha's Vineyard with their baby.

The two also executive produced the 2025 documentary "Room to Move," in which Schumer also made an appearance.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Amy Schumer, Chris Fischer file for divorce after 7 years

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Protest-hit Iran warily watches the US after its raid on Venezuela

January 06, 2026
Protest-hit Iran warily watches the US after its raid on Venezuela

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —Iran faces a new round of protestschallenging the country's theocracy, but it seems like the only thing people there want to talk about is half a world away: Venezuela.

Since the U.S. military seized Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran, over the weekend, Iranian state media headlines and officials have condemned the operation. In the streets and even in some official conversations, however, there's a growing question over whether a similar mission could target the Islamic Republic's top officials including the supreme leader, 86-year-oldAyatollah Ali Khamenei.

The paranoia feeds into wider worries among Iranians. Many fear that close U.S. ally Israel will target Iran again as it did duringthe 12-day warit launched against Tehran in June. Israel killed a slew of top military officials and nuclear scientists, and the U.S.bombed Iranian nuclear enrichment sites. Khamenei is believed to have gone into hiding for his protection.

"God bless our leader, we should be careful too," said Saeed Seyyedi, a 57-year-old teacher in Tehran, worried the U.S. could act as it did in Venezuela.

"The U.S. has always been after plots against Iran, especially when issues like oil, Israel are part of the case. In addition, it can be complicated when it is mixed with the Russia-Ukraine war, the Lebanese (group) Hezbollah and drug accusations."

The U.S. long has accused the Iranian-backed Hezbollah of running drug-smuggling operations to fund its operations, including in Latin America, which the group denies.

'Please pray'

Immediately after Maduro's seizure, an analyst on Iranian state television claimed, without offering evidence, that the U.S. and Israel had plans during the war last year to kidnap Iranian officials with a team of dual-national Iranians. Even for conspiracy-minded Iranian television, airing such a claim is unusual.

Then on Sunday night, the prominent Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Javedan warned an audience at prayers in Tehran University that Khamenei's life was in danger.

"Someone said he had a bad dream that the leader's life is in danger," Javedan said, without elaborating. "Please pray."

However, Iran is roughly twice the size of Venezuela and has what analysts consider to be a much stronger military and robust security forces. The memory of Operation Eagle Claw, a failed U.S. special forces mission to rescue hostages held after the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran, also haunts Washington.

Then there's the political situation in Iran, with its theocracy protected by hard-liners within the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, who answer only to Khamenei. They could launch assassinations, cyberattacks and assaults on shipping in the Mideast, warned Farzin Nadimi, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who studies Iran's military.

And crucially, Iran also still has fissile nuclear material.

"In the grand-strategy scheme of things, they need to think about the day after," Nadimi said of anyone considering a Venezuela-style raid. "Iran is a much more complex political situation. They have to calculate the costs and benefits."

Not just the Iranians

Others wonder what part of the world theU.S. might take interest in next, while critics havewarned about setting a dangerous precedent.

"The regime in Iran should pay close attention to what is happening in Venezuela," Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on social media on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not directly link Maduro's detention to Iran but acknowledged the protests sweeping Tehran and other cities, saying: "It is very possible that we are standing at the moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands."

Hours before the U.S. action in Venezuela,U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iranthat if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters" the U.S. "will come to their rescue."

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denounced the comments by Trump and Netanyahu as an "incitement to violence, terrorism and killing."

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who had been close to Trump but resigned Monday after a falling-out with the president, directly linked the Venezuela operation to Iran.

"The next obvious observation is that by removing Maduro this is a clear move for control over Venezuelan oil supplies that will ensure stability for the next obvious regime change war in Iran," Greene wrote on social media.

'Make Iran Great Again'

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, put on a "Make Iran Great Again" hat during a Sunday segment on Fox News. He later posted an image showing him and Trump smiling after the president autographed a similar-looking hat.

"I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again," Graham said.

Even Saudi Arabia, Iran's longtime rival that reacheda Chinese-mediated détente with Tehran in 2023, appeared to be thinking about a possible U.S. intervention in Tehran.

"By dragging Maduro before a U.S. court, Trump sent a message more brutal than the massive bombs his aircraft dropped on Iran's nuclear facilities," Ghassan Charbel, editor-in-chief of the Saudi-owned, London-published Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, wrote Sunday.

"How devastating it must be for Iran's supreme leader to hear of Maduro's abduction at the hands of American forces."

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Horror of school attack in Uvalde, Texas, brings tears as officer faces trial over police response

January 06, 2026
Horror of school attack in Uvalde, Texas, brings tears as officer faces trial over police response

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Families whose loved ones died in the Uvalde, Texas, elementaryschool massacresobbed in court while listening to frantic 911 calls during the first day of testimony in the trial of a police officer accused of failing to protect the children by not doing enough to stop the attack.

A prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that former school officerAdrian Gonzalesarrived outside the school just before the teenage gunman went inside but didn't make a move to stop him even when a teacher pointed to where he was firing in a parking lot.

The officer went into Robb Elementary only "after the damage had been done," special prosecutor Bill Turner said during opening statements.

The judge overseeing the case and attorneys warned jurors that the testimony and images will be emotional and difficult to process. Among those expected to testify will be some of the victims' families.

Tissue boxes were brought to the families as the testimony began. Some shook their heads as they listened to audio from the first calls for help. Their cries grew louder as the horror unfolded on the recordings.

Defense attorneys disputed that Gonzales — one of two officers charged in the 2022 attack — did nothing, saying he radioed for more help and evacuated children as other police arrived.

"The government makes it want to seem like he just sat there," said defense attorney Nico LaHood. "He did what he could, with what he knew at the time."

Prosecutors focused sharply on Gonzales' steps in the minutes after the shooting began and as the first officers arrived. They did not address the hundreds of other local, state and federal officers who arrived andwaited more than an hourto confront the gunman, who was eventually killed by a tactical team of officers.

Gonzales has pleaded not guilty to child abandonment or endangerment and could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison if convicted.

Witness testimony will resume Thursday morning.

Students grabbed scissors to confront attacker

Defense attorneys said Tuesday that Gonzales was focused on assessing where the gunman was while also thinking he was being fired on without protection against a high-powered rifle.

"This isn't a man waiting around. This isn't a man failing to act," defense attorney Jason Goss said.

Gonzales and former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo are the only two officers to face criminal charges over the response. Arredondo's trial has not been scheduled.

Gonzales, a 10-year veteran of the police force, had extensive active shooter training, the special prosecutor said.

"When a child calls 911, we have a right to expect a response," Turner said, his voice trembling with emotion.

As Gonzales waited outside, children and teachers hid inside darkened classrooms and grabbed scissors "to confront a gunman," Turner said. "They did as they had been trained."

Families question why more officers weren't charged

It's rare for an officer to be criminally charged with not doing more to save lives.

"He could have stopped him, but he didn't want to be the target," said Velma Lisa Duran, sister of teacher Irma Garcia, who was among the19 students and two teachers who were killed.

Some families of the victims have voiced anger that more officerswere not chargedgiven that nearly 400 federal, state and local officers converged on the school soon after the attack.

An investigation found 77 minutes passed from the time authorities arrived until they breached the classroom and killed Salvador Ramos, who wasobsessed with violence and notorietyleading up to the shooting.

Reviews found many failures with police response

State and federal reviews of the shooting citedcascading problemsin law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned why officers waited so long.

The officer's attorneys told jurors that there was plenty of blame to go around — from the lack of security at the school to police policy — and that prosecutors will try to play on their emotions by showing photos from the scene.

"What the prosecution wants you to do is get mad at Adrian. They are going to try to play on your emotions," Goss said.

"The monster who hurt these children is dead," he said.

Prosecutors likely will face a high bar to win a conviction. A Florida sheriff's deputy wasacquitted by a juryafter being charged with failing to confront the shooter in theParkland, Florida, school massacre in 2018— the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting.

Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press journalists Nicholas Ingram in Corpus Christi, Texas; Juan A. Lozano in Houston; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

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Jan. 6 anniversary showcases fight over narrative around Capitol riot

January 06, 2026
Jan. 6 anniversary showcases fight over narrative around Capitol riot

A pardonedformer Proud Boy leader led a marchto the U.S. Capitol. Democrats gathered to decry the storming of the American seat of government on Jan. 6, 2021. The White House unveiled a new website declaring "it was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection."

The five-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot saw the Trump administration and Democrats present two very different accounts of that momentous day, which led to both aHouse impeachmentand afederal criminal indictmentof a former president.

Tuesday's partisan split screen highlighted the starkly different narratives that have formed around Jan. 6 in the years since a mob ofPresident Donald Trump'ssupporters stormed the Capitol to try and prevent the certification of Trump's 2020 election loss toJoe Biden.

People hold a banner and placards as they gather ahead of a march from The Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol in memory of those who died on, or in the aftermath, of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on the fifth anniversary of the attack in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2026. Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio (C) shakes hands with a demonstrator during a Jan. 6th memorial march marking five years since the attack on Jan. 6, 2026 in Washington, DC. Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building by Donald Trump supporters who claimed the presidential election had been stolen. Edward Young holds a People gather ahead of a march from The Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol in memory of those who died on, or in the aftermath, of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on the fifth anniversary of the attack in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2026. Counter-protester Patricia Eguino (R) clashes with demonstrators during a Jan. 6th memorial march marking five years since the attack on Jan. 6, 2026 in Washington, DC. People hold a sign during a Jan. 6th memorial march marking five years since the attack on Jan. 6, 2026 in Washington, DC. A man wears a MAGA hat as people gather ahead of a march from The Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol in memory of those who died on, or in the aftermath, of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on the fifth anniversary of the attack in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2026.

January 6 defendants march in DC five years after attack on Capitol

Among Trump's first acts in office after he was inaugurated to begin a second term following his 2024 election victorywas to pardon nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants, a fact the Trump administration highlighted ina new Jan. 6 pageon the White House website.

"President Trump took decisive action to pardon January 6 defendants who were unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples," the page begins, before continuing with a selected timeline of events that day, video of Trump's speech before the riot, links to government reports about Jan. 6 and other material.

The White House website repeats Trump's unfounded claim about fraud in the 2020 election in slamming Democrats for certifying the results and accusing them of staging "the real insurrection." Much of the site also presents an accounting of the day that's at odds with the findings of a bipartisan investigation into the attack, which also is linked to and criticized on the page.

A federal grand juryindicted Trumpin 2023 on charges he conspired to steal the 2020 election in a series of actions that culminated on Jan. 6. Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped the charges after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Smith, in testimony to Congress last month, said Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol.

"Our view of the evidence was that he caused it and that he exploited it and that it was foreseeable to him," he said,according to a transcriptreleased by the House Judiciary Committee.

Many Republicans also voted to certify the 2020 election results and condemned what happened on Jan. 6, includingMike Pence, Trump's former vice president. Pence, who enraged Trump when he certified the election,said in a social media postmarking the five-year anniversary that Jan. 6 "was a tragic day."

"But it became a triumph of freedom when, after Capitol Police quelled the violence, leaders in both chambers in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy's work under the Constitution," Pence continued.

The White House website, under a heading in its Jan. 6 timeline titled "betrayal of the president," accuses Pence of "cowardice and sabotage."

Counter-protester Patricia Eguino (C) clashes with demonstrators during a January 6th memorial march marking five years since the attack on January 06, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Democrats warn that Jan. 6 sentiment remains

At a hearing on Capitol Hill to commemorate the anniversary, Democrats warned that Trump's pardons of rioters and hisinstallation of Jan. 6 defendantsinto jobs at the Justice Department underscore how the forces that led to the events of that day are still influencing the country.

"It is still January 6 in America," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who led the House impeachment proceedings against Trump after the 2021 riot. "And it will be until the forces of strong, nonviolent democracy prevail."

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben hold a moment of prayer in front of the door where rioters first broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025.

In an emotional moment during the anniversary event, a rioter and former Trump supporter expressed remorse for her actions as she held back tears. Pamela Hemphill, who served a 60-day sentence for participating in the insurrection, later rejected a pardon from the president for her actions.

"Once I got away from the MAGA cult and started educating myself about January the sixth, I knew what I did was wrong," she said. "I am guilty. And I own that guilt."

The crowd knocked her down during the riot, Hemphill said. After her head was stepped on and her knee was cut, she wasn't breathing.

"If it hadn't been for the Capitol Police officers, I would've died," she said.

Former Proud Boy leads march

Another Jan. 6 defendant, former Proud Boy leaderEnrique Tarrio, led a "memorial march"to the Capitol on the anniversary.

Tarrio was convictedof engaging in a seditious conspiracy against the government while he was head of the Proud Boys, a far right extremist group, that culminated in Jan. 6. Hewas sentenced to 22 yearsin prison andlater releasedafter Trump commuted his sentence.

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio speaks to demonstrators ahead of a January 6th memorial march marking five years since the attack on January 06, 2026 in Washington, DC.

The marchwas billed as honoring those who died on Jan. 6, including Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was shot and killed inside the Capitol during the riot. The Justice Department recentlysettled a lawsuitbrought by Babbitt's family.

The march began at the Ellipse, where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, before a crowd of his supporters descended on the Capitol. The event also drew counterprotesters.

Law enforcement separate counter protestors as they clash with participants during a January 6th memorial march marking five years since the attack on January 06, 2026 in Washington, DC.

More than 140 police officers were injured on Jan. 6 as the mob overran the Capitol,according to the final reportof the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. At least 2,000 people gained access to the Capitol, according to the report, causing lawmakers to flee in fear.

The committee held nine public hearings and drew on the testimony of more than 70 witnesses, many who served in the Trump administration.

"That evidence has led to an overriding and straight forward conclusion: the central cause of January 6th was one man, former PresidentDonald Trump," the report concluded.

Trump claims Jan. 6 'scandal'

Trump told House Republicans on Tuesday that the committee that investigated the riot ignored that he told protesters to behave "peacefully and patriotically" and "never reported it."

"It's a scandal," Trump said.

In fact, the final report on the investigation quoted Trump telling participants about 20 minutes into his speech near the White House to proceed "peacefully and patriotically." But the report said he later amped up his language with lies about the election and urging participants to "fight like hell" for their planned walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.

Rioters stand on the US Capitol building to protest the official election of President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021 on Washington DC. Law enforcement officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump rioter Josiah Colt is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.  Josiah Colt turned himself in at the Ada County Sheriff's Office in Boise, Idaho on Jan. 12, 2021. A person poses with a noose displayed in front of the US Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. A Capitol police officer looks out of a broken window as pro-Trump rioters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters storm into the U.S. Capitol during clashes with police, during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump rioters protest inside the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. - Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. A supporter of President Trump carries a Confederate flag as he protests in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, 2021, Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. A supporter of President Donald Trump sits inside the office of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Police hold back supporters of US President Donald Trump as they gather outside the US Capitol's Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. - Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification.

See images of pro-Trump rioters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021

Trump also said Tuesday the House investigation never reported that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, turned down his offer to provide 10,000 National Guard troops for protection on Jan. 6. Trump alleged that Pelosi was "caught" acknowledging the offer during a documentary her daughter made.

"I said, 'Whoa, this is a major story,'" Trump said. "They are vicious people."

Fact checkershavecalled Trump's statement about offering 10,000 troops false.

President Donald Trump addresses a House Republican retreat at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 06, 2026 in Washington, DC.

The House's final report on the investigation said Trump raised the possibility of deploying troops at the White House but his aides discouraged him, saying they were unnecessary. His acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, testified there was no order to prepare 10,000 troops.

Pelosi said Tuesday on social mediathat Trump "incited" the "violent insurrection" that forced lawmakers, staffers and reporters to "flee for their lives."

"January 6th was not an aberration and it was not spontaneous," Pelosi said. "It was the culmination of a sustained assault on truth, on the rule of law, and one of the most sacred principles of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power."

The House impeached Trump a second time after Jan. 6, buthe was acquitted by the Senate,paving the way for him to run again in 2024.

Trump is the only president impeached twice.He told House Republicans on Tuesdaythat they need to maintain control of the chamber, saying Democrats will "find a reason to impeach me" a third time if they win a majority.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Republicans, Democrats battle over Jan. 6 narrative on anniversary

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Playoff-bound Bills sign kicker Matthew Wright to practice squad with Matt Prater's status uncertain

January 06, 2026
Playoff-bound Bills sign kicker Matthew Wright to practice squad with Matt Prater's status uncertain

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Theplayoff-bound Buffalo Billssigned kicker Matthew Wright to their practice squad on Tuesday in a precautionary move in the event Matt Prater is sidelined after aggravating a quadricep injury to his right kicking leg last weekend.

The 29-year-old Wright has six seasons of NFL experience and appeared in four games with three teams already this season, including two most recently with the Houston Texans in November. The Bills turned to Wright after he joined kickers Younghoe Koo and Matt Gay in working out for the team earlier in the day.

Wright has played at least one game with eight teams since making his NFL debut by appearing in three outings with Pittsburgh in 2020. His most extensive experience came with Jacksonville in 2021, when he hit 21 of 24 field goals and 13 of 15 extra points attempts in 14 games.

This season, he's hit all five field-goal attempts — including three beyond 40 yards — and gone 4 of 4 on extra points.

Overall, he's 60 of 68 on field-goal attempts, including 7 of 11 from 50 yards and beyond, and missed just two of 47 extra-point tries.

Wright has no postseason experience, though his familiarity with kicking in Jacksonville comes in handy with sixth-seeded Buffalo (12-5) traveling to play the AFC South champion Jaguars (13-4) ina wild-card playoffgame on Sunday.

Prater's status is uncertain, with coach Sean McDermott on Monday saying the team would bring in a potential replacement this week. Prater was hurt in the first half of a season-ending 35-8 win over the New York Jets on Sunday in his return after missing two games.

Buffalo avoided re-signing Michael Badgley, who missed an extra-point attempt and had another blocked in the two games filling in for Prater. The Bills signed the 41-year-old Prater in the days before their season opener after Tyler Bass was sidelined by hip and groin issues. Bass has since had season-ending surgery.

Buffalo freed up a practice squad spot by cutting offensive lineman Richard Gouraige. The Bills also signed former Austin Peay and Temple kicker Maddux Trujillo to a reserve-future contract.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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