By Dan Heching, CNN

(CNN) — Rob Reiner once called directing “Stand by Me” the “richest experience” he had making a film, a big statement from a man who gave the world some of its most beloved movies.

The 1986 film almost didn’t get made before rocketing to cult status and helping launch the careers of its young stars, including Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman. The film also helped make a star of River Phoenix, who died at the age of 23 from an overdose in October 1993.

Phoenix’s fellow “Stand By Me” cast members are now in mourning once again, after Reiner was found dead this weekend with his wife in their Brentwood, California home. Their son, Nick Reiner, was being charged with two counts of first degree murder on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said at a press conference.

O’Connell told CBS Mornings on Monday that Reiner “was like a father” to him. In a passionate all-caps post on Instagram, Feldman said the same, calling Reiner a father to all on set during the summer they filmed the movie, and a “surrogate father” to him and Phoenix in particular.

“Stand by Me,” based on the Stephen King short story “The Body,” follows four young friends in a small town who venture into the wilderness to find the body of a missing boy. Their travels bring them face-to-face with the prospect of their own mortality and the realities of what it is to grow up, becoming a formative experience that brings them closer.

Reiner and much of the cast have said in the past that the four main characters – Gordie, played by Wheaton, Chris, by Phoenix, Teddy portrayed by Corey Feldman and Vern by O’Connell – were very similar to the actors who portrayed them.

“He chose me because he saw so much of Gordie in me,” Wheaton wrote in a heartfelt blog post on Monday following Reiner’s death. “Back then, I didn’t know what that meant, only that he made me feel like I was enough.”

O’Connell echoed that thought on CBS Mornings, telling a moving story from set to show how Reiner allowed him to be himself. Hyperactive as a child, O’Connell was often told by his mother to “just sit on your hands and shut up.” At one point on the set of “Stand by Me,” he was ad-libbing and getting into character during a scene before Reiner yelled “Cut,” called out his name and came over, causing O’Connell to think he had yet again spoken out of turn.

“And he goes, ‘Jerry, Keep going man. That’s what I’m talking about right there. Keep going. More,’” O’Connell remembered.

Wheaton described how Reiner made sure the young cast “got to be kids” when they weren’t shooting. In an oral history published in Variety for the film’s 30th anniversary in 2016, O’Connell even called Reiner “the fifth boy in ‘Stand by Me.’”

Reiner talked at length in that history about the work he

The post City of Santa Barbara Breaks Ground on ‘Missing Middle’ Housing Project appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

Por Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español

La inestabilidad política y la violencia que afectan a Haití desde 2021 no dan señales de ceder e incluso podrían empeorar en 2026. Este el panorama que expone el más reciente informe de la organización no gubernamental Comité Internacional de Rescate (IRC, por sus siglas inglés), que advierte que más de la mitad de la población del país está en riesgo de sufrir asesinatos, violencia sexual, reclutamiento forzado, desplazamiento o hambre, problemas que se podrían agravar el próximo año.

El documento, publicado este martes, sitúa a Haití en la quinta posición entre los lugares con diversas situaciones de emergencia en el mundo, solo debajo de Sudán, Palestina, Sudán del Sur y Etiopía. En su análisis, el IRC evalúa variables como el estado de la democracia, la criminalidad o los mercados ilegales.

La organización concluye que desde el asesinato del presidente Jovenel Moïse, ocurrido en julio de 2021, en Haití se vive una constante inestabilidad política a la que no ha podido hacer frente el Consejo Presidencial de Transición. Según el informe, las pandillas han aprovechado ese entorno para ganar terreno y actualmente el 54 % de la población haitiana —6,4 millones de personas— vive con necesidades humanitarias.

“El caos político que siguió al asesinato del presidente Jovenel Moïse dejó al país sin un gobierno efectivo y seguridad. Las pandillas armadas han sido capaces de tomar el control de casi toda la ciudad capital, Puerto Príncipe, y ahora están expandiendo sus operaciones más al norte y el oeste”, dice el documento.

“Intentos internacionalmente respaldados por restaurar el orden han fallado consistentemente y el mandato del Consejo Presidencial de Transición que actualmente gobierna a Haití estará vigente hasta febrero de 2026, lo que dejará un vacío que las pandillas podrían explotar”, agrega.

CNN contactó al Consejo Presidencial de Transición para pedir comentarios sobre los señalamientos del informe y está en espera de respuesta.

La actividad de las pandillas que operan en Haití se recrudeció en 2025, dice el IRC. Señala que en los primeros nueve meses del año fueron asesinados unos 800 civiles, más que el doble en comparación con el mismo período de 2024.

Además, las pandillas realizan secuestros y extorsiones para aumentar sus ganancias, así como actos de violencia sexual y reclutamiento forzado, en particular de menores de edad. De acuerdo con el informe, de los primeros tres meses de 2024 a los primeros tres meses de 2025, los casos de reclutamiento forzado crecieron en un 700 %.

“Este crecimiento explosivo es un signo de las ofensivas de las pandillas y de un peligro mayor para mujeres y niños en 2026”, dice el documento.

Analistas consultados por CNN y otros informes recientes también advierten el peso de las pandillas en Haití. La semana pasada, un reporte del Proyecto de Ubicación y Datos de Eventos de Conflictos Armados (ACLED, por sus siglas en inglés) señaló que la peligrosidad de las pandillas hace que Haití se ubique en el octavo puesto entre los lugares más peligrosos del mundo.

Para enfrentarlas, el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU aprobó en octubre la creación de una nueva fuerza internacional que busque suprimirlas. Sin embargo, el reciente informe del IRC pone en duda que dé los resultados esperados, con el argumento de que otros esfuerzos similares han fallado.

“Est

By Priscilla Alvarez, Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — The South African government briefly held, then released, two US government employees on assignment in South Africa as part of the Trump administration’s bid to admit Afrikaners to the United States, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

The incident appeared to mark an escalation in the already-tenuous relationship between the United States and South Africa, which has rejected the premise of the Trump administration’s push to admit White South Africans as refugees. It also revealed some of the hiccups and hurdles US personnel have faced in the administration’s unprecedented focus on Afrikaners.

It isn’t clear why the US employees were questioned.

The US government is “seeking immediate clarification from the South African government” and it expects “full cooperation and accountability,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told CNN on Tuesday.

“We’ll have more to say once all the facts are confirmed, but the Trump Administration will always stand up for US interests, US personnel, and the rule of law,” he said. “Interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable.”

CNN reached out to USCIS, which referred questions to the State Department. CNN also reached out to South Africa Home Affairs for comment.

President Donald Trump has justified the administration’s decision to resettle Afrikaners in the US by citing claims that “a genocide is taking place” in South Africa, adding that “White farmers are being brutally killed and their land confiscated.”

South African authorities have strongly denied such claims. CNN has investigated the claims of White “genocide” in South Africa and found no evidence to back them up.

Over the course of the year, the Trump administration has been conducting what are known as circuit rides to South Africa to interview Afrikaners for possible admission to the United States. That is done by US Citizenship and Immigration Services personnel who specialize in refugees.

This year, the US set an annual limit of 7,500 refugees—the majority of whom are White South Africans—slashing last year’s ceiling of 125,000 and excluding some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Almost all refugees have been blocked from entering the US, with the exception of White South Africans, during Trump’s second term.

This week, South African immigration officials visited an office in the country where the US was conducting refugee interviews of Afrikaner applicants. The South African officials briefly questioned two US government employees and briefly detained Kenyan nationals working with the State Department, sources said. All were released. The US is working with partners on the ground as part of the admissions process.

The Amerikaners, an organization that partners with the US to facilitate the admission of Afrikaners, Read more

By Daniel Wine, CNN

Welcome to 5 Things PM! Merriam-Webster just became the latest dictionary to choose a word of the year based on our relationship with technology. This one takes aim at all those absurd videos and talking cats.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

5 things

1⃣ Tiny cars

President Donald Trump thinks he has an easy solution to a big problem. He wants US factories to manufacture very small cars, like the ones found in Asia and Europe, to help drive down soaring prices. It’s not that simple.

2⃣ ‘You’re a missing person’

Michelle “Shelley” Newton was allegedly abducted by her mother more than 40 years ago, when she was just a toddler. Thanks to the help of a courageous tipster, she was recently reunited with her family in Kentucky.

3⃣ Dressed for success

Tight, revealing uniforms can cause girls and young women to feel awkward and self-conscious, and some quit sports as a result. Elite female athletes are speaking up and insisting on changes.

4⃣ No-man’s land

The Green Belt — an 860-mile corridor along the former border between West Germany and communist East Germany — was once one of the most dangerous places in Europe. Now it’s a haven for wildlife.

5⃣ Unlikely allies

Some dolphins off the coast of British Columbia appear to have become friends with orcas — a traditional enemy. Scientists think they know why.

Watch this

Water rescue: A man was stranded on top of his car as floodwaters rose near Seattle. A drone flew in and dropped him a safety vest, giving him a lifeline until a helicopter arrived.

Top headlines

• Rob and Michele Reiner’s son will be charged with murder in their deaths
• Search for person of interest in Brown University shooting continues as FBI releases new video timeline
• Full video showing follow-up strike on alleged drug boat won’t be released to the public, Hegseth says

Check this out

Underground fashion: Glamour and New York City’s subway rarely go hand in hand, but Chanel transformed the grungy setting for a runway show. Take a look.

For CNN subscribers

• Tensions are rising in an Appalachian town over a growing White suprem