Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ dies at 79, reports say
Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning star of “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather” films and “Father of the Bride,” whose quirky, vibrant manner and depth made her one of the most singular actors of a generation, has died. She was 79.
People Magazine reported Saturday that she died in California with loved ones, citing a family spokesperson. No other details were immediately available, and representatives for Keaton did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Associated Press.
The unexpected news was met with shock around the world.
“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!,” Bette Midler said in a post on Instagram. She and Keaton co-starred in “The First Wives Club.”
Leonardo DiCaprio, who played her nephew in “Marvin's Room" when he was 18, wrote on Instagram that she was “one of a kind. Brilliant, funny and unapologetically herself...she will be deeply missed."
Court: National Guard troops sent to Illinois by Trump can stay but can’t be deployed for now
CHICAGO (AP) — National Guard troops sent to Illinois by President Donald Trump can stay in the state and under federal control, but can’t be deployed to protect federal property or go on patrol for now, an appeals court ruled Saturday.
The decision comes after federal Judge April Perry on Thursday ruled to temporarily block the National Guard deployment for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The appeals court on Saturday granted a pause in the case until it can hear further arguments.
The on-again, off-again deployments stem from a political and legal battle over Trump’s push to send the Guard to several U.S. cities. His administration claims crime is rampant in those cities, despite statistics not always supporting that.
If a president invokes the Insurrection Act, they can dispatch active duty military in states that fail to put down an insurrection or defy federal law. However, Perry said she found no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Trump directs the Pentagon to use 'all available funds' to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure U.S. troops are paid Wednesday despite the government shutdown, a short-term fix that will not apply to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed.
Trump said in a social media post that he was acting because “our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.”
The Republican president's directive removes one of the pressure points that could have forced Congress into action, likely ensuring that the shutdown — now in its 11th day and counting — extends into a third week and possibly beyond. But no similar action seems forthcoming for federal employees also working without pay while thousands are now being laid off during the lapse in government operations. The White House budget office started the layoffs on Friday.
Trump blamed Democrats and said he was exercising his authority as commander in chief to direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.” The Republican president added, "We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”
U.S service members were in danger of not receiving their next paycheck on Wednesday after the government shut down on Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget cycle. The U.S. has about 1.3 million active-duty service members, and the prospect of troops going without pay has been a focal point when lawmakers on Capitol Hill have discussed the shutdown’s negative impact.
Palestinians return to ruins and US expects hostages freed on Monday as Gaza ceasefire holds
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Gaza ceasefire held in its second day as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their neighborhoods Saturday and Israelis cheered Monday's expected release of remaining hostages.
“Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go,” said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli in Gaza City as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war. A boy climbed debris to raise the Palestinian flag.
Israelis applauded U.S. President Donald Trump, and some booed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner addressed a weekly rally in Tel Aviv that many hoped would be the last.
“To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you are coming home," Witkoff told the crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Kushner said they would celebrate on Monday, when Israel’s military has said the 48 hostages still in Gaza would be freed. The government believes around 20 remain alive. Kushner also noted the “suffering” in Gaza.
Israelis hugged and took selfies. Many waved U.S. flags. “It’s a really happy time, but we know that there are going to be some incredibly difficult moments coming,” said one person in the crowd, Yaniv Peretz.
Steve Martin, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn are among stars paying tribute to Diane Keaton
Oscar winning actor Diane Keaton, who died at 79, was known for her performances and style that helped shaped some of the most indelible films of all time, including “The Godfather,” “Annie Hall,” “Father of the Bride” and “Something's Gotta Give.”
She was beloved by fans and fellow actors, many of whom paid tribute Saturday after news of Keaton's death broke. They included co-stars such as Bette Midler, Mandy Moore and Steve Martin, who shared an excerpt of an interview with Keaton and Martin Short that he said “sums up our delightful relationship with Diane.”
Here is a roundup of some notable reaction to Keaton's death and legacy:
“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was … oh, la, lala!” — On Instagram. Middler co-starred with Keaton in “The First Wives Club.”
“Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life. You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter.” — On Instagram. Williams-Paisley played Keaton's daughter in the “Father of the Bride” films.
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Many unresolved questions remain as a ceasefire holds in Gaza
CAIRO (AP) — A ceasefire was holding in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on Saturday after two years of war. But will the agreement lead, as U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed, to “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”?
The deal took pressure on Israel and Hamas from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey. The war has devastated the Gaza Strip, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, sparked other conflicts around the region and increasingly isolated Israel.
The deal's first phase is meant to free the remaining hostages within days in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
A long list of questions remains over what happens next.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
What to know about National Guard deployments in Memphis, Tennessee, and other cities
Judges have stalled President Donald Trump’s plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and in Portland, Oregon, but troops are now patrolling in Memphis, Tennessee, with the blessing of the state's governor.
The troops, dressed in Guard fatigues and protective vests, with guns in their holsters, patrolled at a Bass Pro Shops store and a nearby tourist welcome center beside the Mississippi River on Friday. It was unclear how many troops have been deployed to Memphis.
Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to other cities as well, including Baltimore; the District of Columbia; New Orleans; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The federal government says the troops support immigration agents and protect federal property.
The Guard troops in Memphis remain under the command of Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who supports their use to further a federal crackdown on crime.
By contrast, Trump has attempted to deploy National Guard troops — including some from Texas and California — in Portland and Chicago after taking control of them himself, over objections from state and local leaders who say such interference violates their sovereignty and federal law. Federal courts in Illinois and Oregon this week blocked Trump's efforts to send troops out in those cities.
Power restored to 800,000 in Kyiv after major Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid
Power was restored to over 800,000 residents in Kyiv on Saturday, a day after Russia launched major attacks on the Ukrainian power grid that caused blackouts across much of the country, and European leaders agreed to proceed toward using hundreds of billions of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s war effort.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said “the main work to restore the power supply” had been completed, but that some localized outages were still affecting the Ukrainian capital following Friday’s “massive” Russian attacks.
Russian drone and missile strikes wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv, damaged residential buildings and triggered blackouts across swaths of Ukraine early Friday.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko described the attack as “one of the largest concentrated strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday said the strikes had targeted energy facilities supplying Ukraine’s military. It did not give details of those facilities, but said Russian forces used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and strike drones against them.
16 people died in a blast at a Tennessee explosives factory early Friday, the sheriff says
McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) — A blast in rural Tennessee that leveled an explosives plant and was felt for miles around killed 16 people and left no survivors, authorities said.
The explosion left a smoldering wreck of twisted and charred metal and burned-out vehicles at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, which supplies and researches explosives for the military.
The cause of the blast is not known. Investigators are combing the incinerated property foot-by-foot searching for possible evidence.
“There’s a gauntlet of emotions there,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference, pausing to clear his throat before he asked for prayers for the families of the victims in a shaky voice.
“We’ve recovered no survivors,” he added.
A Sudanese paramilitary attack kills at least 53 people in Darfur, an aid group says
CAIRO (AP) — A shelling and drone attack by the Sudanese paramilitary forces hit a shelter in a besieged city in the Darfur region, killing at least 53 people, a doctors’ group said Saturday. The onslaught was the latest in Sudan's more than two-year war.
The Sudan Doctors’ Network, a group of medical professionals tracking the war, says at least 14 children and 15 women were among the dead in the attack late Friday by the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, on the city of el-Fasher.
The attack also left 21 people wounded, including five children and seven women, the group said. Most of the wounded suffered serious injuries, it said.
The attack targeted al-Arqam Home, a shelter for displaced families in el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, the group said. The shelter is located at the Omdurman Islamic University.
“This massacre represents a continuation of the scorched-earth policy practiced by the Rapid Support Forces against civilians, in flagrant violation of all international norms and laws,” the medical group said.
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