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NEED TO KNOW

• Kid 'N Play's Christopher Reid underwent a heart transplant after being diagnosed with congestive heart failure last year

• The rapper hopes his story inspires others, especially people of color, to prioritize their heart health

• Reid is feeling renewed and working on a new special, Kid 'N Play tour dates and a book titled Heart of the Matter

Christopher Reidhas a second chance at life.

The hip-hop icon known for his towering high-top fade — who rose to fame as one half of the duo Kid 'N Play alongside Christopher Martin, and later starred in theHouse Partyfilms — is recovering after undergoing a heart transplant.

"New year, new heart, new vibration," Reid said ina sit-down withGood Morning America's Michael Strahanthat aired on Thursday, Feb. 5.

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Reflecting on his scare, Reid, 61, said he began noticing something was wrong with his health over the past year when everyday tasks became harder.

"I started to feel a little bit more fatigued than before," Reid explained. "And then when you feel that shortness of breath, sleeping a lot more than normal. And I think sometimes you kind of just chalk it up to, 'I'm getting older, the road is harsh.' "

But by July, his symptoms worsened, sending him to the emergency room, where doctors delivered a shocking diagnosis.

"Congestive heart failure," Reid said. "That's a bad one."

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After initially being treated with medication, Reid returned to his cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles just weeks later with worsening swelling, raising serious concerns.

"He came in very swollen again," said Dr. Erika Jones. "That is a little unusual in somebody who has been started on treatment, for the swelling to come back that quickly."

Additional blood work revealed Reid's heart failure was beginning to affect other organs. He was rushed to the ICU and told that a heart transplant was his only option.

"When we think about status for heart transplant, he was very high on that list because of how ill he was," said cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Laura DiChiacchio. "[He was] really dealing with a life or death situation."

Reid said he was determined to approach the process with gratitude and purpose.

"I wanted to let them know at the same time, 'Hey, I am worthy of this,' " he said. "If I do get this gift, I intend to respect it and really live life to the fullest."

Just nine days later, he received the call. "They're saying, 'We got the heart and we want to put it in tomorrow night at 10 p.m.,' " Reid recalled. "About seven hours later, I have a new heart."

Now recovering, Reid said the experience has left him feeling renewed. "I hope that I'm the same person, but that I'm a better version of myself," he said. "Because man, this thing, this is a beautiful life."

Reid's story comes during American Heart Month in February, a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC.

It's a reality Reid says too many people ignore until it's too late. He told Strahan he's hoping his story will encourage others, particularly people of color, to prioritize their health.

"A lot of people be walking around with heart disease because they don't go to the doctor," Reid said. "You might not [get over it]. So I'm urging all of my fans, all of y'all's loved ones too — get it checked out."

As for Reid's future, Strahan said the musician is feeling energized and is already working on a new special, planning additional Kid 'N Play tour dates and writing a book.

Its title, fittingly, isHeart of the Matter.

Good Morning Americaairs weekdays (beginning at 7 a.m. ET) on ABC.

Read the original article onPeople

Timothée ChalametandKylie Jenner's relationship is once again under intense scrutiny after the actor was reportedly spotted arriving at aParisian hotelwith French-Romanian actressAnamaria Vartolomei.

Innow-viral clipsand images circulating across social media, the 30-year-old star and Vartolomei were allegedly filmed trying tododge cameras.

The duo's latest appearance sparkedwild conspiracy theoriesonline, as netizens heavily debated whether Chalamet's romance with Jenner was merely a "PR stunt" or a "transactional situationship."

One person commented, "Let's be honest with ourselves… Kylie is not in love with Timothy.Kylie and Tim are using each other mutuallyas the next stepping stone in their careers."

Timothée Chalamet's late-night hotel appearance with Anamaria Vartolomei in Paris has sparked conspiracy theories about his romance with Kylie Jenner

Image credits:Karwai Tang/Getty Images

According to multiple reports, Timothée Chalamet has been in the French capital for the past few days to promote his 2025 award-winning film,Marty Supreme.

Chalamet brought to life the character of table tennis hustler Marty Reisman, inspired by the 1950s sports world, a role that even earned him his first Golden Globe last month for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Moreover, the film has received significant awards buzz, with an impressive nine nominations, including the Best Picture category for the upcoming Oscars ceremony next month.

Image credits:Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

Amid this promotional tour, the actor was unexpectedly spotted by several fans and paparazzi leaving an ultra-exclusive luxury sports and lifestyle club called 21 Blanche, located in the city's 9th arrondissement, withMickey 17actress Anamaria Vartolomei.

In a brief clip, the two were seen making their way toward the exit together, but upon spotting photographers, Vartolomei allegedly became hesitant to walk out.

The actress was then seen stepping aside for Chalamet and letting him walk out solo first, following behind him with another man, who many assumed was a member of their team.

One viral Reddit post claimed, "The pair had suddenly realized they were being filmed as they seemed to shy away from the cameras and returned to their hotel around 10:30 PM."

In viral clips, the French-Romanian actress was allegedly seen trying to distance herself from Timothée upon spotting paparazzi and fans

Image credits:Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

"Later, around 11:30 PM, it seemed thepair wanted to go out quietlytogether as they requested a large security detail, including tarpaulins to prevent them from being seen getting into the same vehicle."

Moreover, it was alleged that "they then drove around Paris for an hour… but ultimately decided to return to the hotel because too many people allegedly were watching them."

Image credits:Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

Many viewers flooded the comments section with the conclusion that the two were romantically involved, with some even accusing Timothée of "cheating" on Kylie.

One person said, "Poor Kylie,she got cheated on again!"

A second user commented, "Tim is going to di* when Kylie finds out lol."

Image credits:Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

"God. The amount of logistics and keeping track of lies upon lies to everyone about everything when having an affair looks exhausting. How do people do it?!"

Many were also of the opinion that theDunestar's romance with Kylie was "just a PR relationship," while others were even supportive and happy about his appearance with Anamaria.

From Oscar "smear campaign" claims to "open relationship" accusations involving the reality TV star, the viral sighting has wildly reignited the rumor mill

One viewer wrote, "I'd take anything atp for him to get out of kylie jenner's shadow lol," while another added, "Maybe Timmy is a paid 'boyfriend' after all."

A third netizen quipped, "Poor Kylie… Thank you to my partner of 3 years – I couldn't have done this without you – hisspeech at the Globessaid."

"Social climbers the lot of them to even be involved with the karTRASHians. Honestly tho i'm not sure why Timothy needed this? to help promote marty supreme?" questioned one confused fan of the actor.

Image credits:BACKGRID UK

Rumors of the lovebirds' three-year-long relationship being a "paid transactional situationship" have been circulating since Chalamet's Critics' Choice Awards shoutout to Kylie last month, when he cryptically, for the first time, publicly acknowledged her as his "partner."

Several social media users slammed his public declaration of love forThe Kardashiansstar, pointing out that Chalamet did not mention her name directly.

Image credits:BACKGRID UK

Comments like, "I couldn't afford this [award] without you," "Thank you for mommy dearest having bought this for me," "Kris is actually behind the camera with a g*n in one hand and a cue card in the other," and others flooded online.

While Timothée and Anamaria have not addressed the exact nature of their relationship, or the outing in question, some fans defended them in light of his Oscars nomination, calling the "cheating" allegations a "smear campaign" against him.

While the majority were convinced that the 30-year-old star was "cheating," a coincidental connection between him and Vartolomei has reportedly emerged

"The story circulating online is made up… The original post was… hoping to smear his Oscar campaign… You guys are falling for fake tea," argued one supporter.

Another wrote in his defense, "Probably just creating movie buzz, are they working together in something do we know?"

"Sorry this is nonsense, the video looks like he is with a group of people and they knewthey were photographed, there's tons of people at the door."

Image credits:Monica Schipper/Getty Images

At the time of writing, there is no confirmed film project linking the two, but there does appear to be a luxury designer brand connection between Chalamet and Vartolomei.

Reportedly, theCall Me By Your Namestar is the global ambassador for the Bleu de Chanel fragrance, while Anamaria is a long-standing House Ambassador for Chanel, specifically for fashion and beauty.

Given their shared ties to the brand, their recent appearance together in Paris may have been related to a Chanel work-related meet-up.

However, until the two address the cheating rumors directly or announce a project together, their meeting remains awild mystery, as fans keep guessing.

"They got that 'just got caught on the Coldplay Jumbo screen' look lol," joked one user, while a second echoed the sentiment, writing, "Reminds me of an incident at a concert not that long ago."

"He is absolutely cheating. That woman is not part of his entourage… He is sneaking around with that woman and finally got caught," wrote one netizen

The U.S. Department of Justice released the latest batch of the Epstein files on January 30.

The Gist

• This crop includes disturbing photos and emails involving both Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.

• In one email, it is revealed that Sarah brought her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to lunch with the convicted sex offender not long after his release from prison in 2009.

More disturbing details are emerging regardingSarah Ferguson's correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—including details of a lunch with Epstein that the former Duchess of York brought her daughters to just days after his release from prison.

In emails dated July 27, 2009—five days after Epstein was released from prison after serving 13 months for soliciting a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution,Peoplereported—it is suggested that Sarah brought her daughtersPrincess BeatriceandPrincess Eugenieto lunch with Epstein in Miami, Florida soon after. The email exchange is part of the latest crop of Epstein files, this one released by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30.

"What address shall we come to," the email from Sarah read. "It will be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie." At the time, Beatrice and Eugenie were just 20 years old and 19 years old, respectively.

A week later, on August 3, 2009, Sarah referenced the lunch in a different email, writing, "I have never been more touched by a friends [sic] kindness than your compliment to me infront of my girls. Thank you Jeffrey for being the brother I have always wished for."

Per a report published byThe Daily Mail, Epstein wrote in a 2011 email that Sarah "was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow."

Other emails from the latest crop of the Epstein files include other inappropriate comments about Beatrice and Eugenie. In one email, Epstein asked Sarah about an upcoming trip to New York, to which she replied, "Not sure yet. Just waiting for Eugenie to come back from a shagging weekend!!"

Other items included in the latest batch involving Sarah and her ex-husband, the formerPrince Andrew, include a photo ofAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling on all foursover an unidentified woman on the ground. Despite this, Andrew continues to deny any wrongdoing.

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In an email sent in 2010, Sarah reportedly told Epstein, "just marry me," adding (perThe Daily Mail), "You are a legend. I really don't have the words to describe, my love, gratitude, for your generosity and kindness. Xx I am at your service." According to the outlet, Sarah had also told Epstein to "marry" her in an email from September 2009.

In his correspondence with Epstein, Andrew included photos of his daughters when they were in their early 20s,Peoplereported, sending Epstein Christmas cards from 2011 and 2012 with Beatrice and Eugenie included.

In October, not long after Andrew and Sarah surrendered their respective Duke and Duchess of York titles,King Charlesstripped Andrew of all of his royal titles and privileges. Both Andrew and Sarah moved out of Royal Lodge, their shared 30-room mansion in Windsor, and are living separately, Andrew moving to the Sandringham estate, and Sarah's whereabouts unknown. Despite all of the scandal, Beatrice and Eugenie have retained their princess titles and Her Royal Highness stylings.

According to a source speaking toThe Daily Mail, Beatrice and Eugenie "are aghast at what they have read. They are mortified by the emails their mother has sent to Epstein. It is so embarrassing for them."

"We don't believe the girls were told much about what has just emerged, and they will simply be aghast at just how close their parents were to this appalling man," the insider added.

Yet, a source told the outlet, they are staying "loyal to their parents in private while separating themselves in public."

"The Yorks are just about holding it together as a family, but this has put new strains on their relationships," the insider said. "The last I heard, the daughters were still supporting both parents behind the scenes."

Read the original article onInStyle

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday said he hoped an ongoing legal battle with a Hong Kong firm over operations of Panama Canal ports would "not escalate," but that Panama's government would remain firm in its ruling against the company.

"Panama is a dignified country and will not allow itself to be threatened by any country on earth," Mulino said in his morning press briefing, responding to rebukes by the Chinese government.

Mulino's comment comes a week after Panama's Supreme Court ruled that a concession held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings in the Panama Canal was unconstitutional.

The court's decision was seen as a win for President Donald Trump, whoaims to block Chinese influenceover the strategic waterway. The push by the U.S. thrust the Central American nation into the center of a geopolitical tug-of-war.

China warned Panama would pay "a heavy price" if the Panamanian ruling was upheld.

Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings said it strongly disagreed with last week's ruling, and on Wednesday its subsidiary announced it hadstarted arbitration proceedings against Panama.

Mulino said that until the court's ruling is executed — a period of time he did not specify — Panama's Maritime Authority would work with Panama Ports Company, the CK Hutchison subsidiary, to ensurecontinuing port operations.

Once the concession is formally ended, a local subsidiary of Danish logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk will operate the ports in a transitional phase until a new concession can be bid and awarded, Mulino said.

The two Panama ports are part of a $23 billion sale of CK Hutchison's 43 global ports to a consortium of buyers including U.S. investment firmBlackRock. The deal, which was first announced last March, has been delayed by complications surrounding the Panama court case as well as elevated geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Analysts believe the Hong Kong conglomerate is likely to buy time with legal proceedings, such as the latest arbitration move, while looking for alternatives for the broader port deal.

For much of two decades, police, FBI agents and prosecutors investigated allegations thatJeffrey Epsteinsexually abused underage girls. Now, the Justice Department has released much of what they found to the public.

The millions of documents comprise the most detailed look yet at the inner workings of the multiple investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.

Those documents include some of the earliest police reports taken by police in Palm Beach, Florida, as well as recordings of some of Epstein's victims speaking on the phone and to investigators. And it includes internal Justice Department emails from as recently as a few months ago.

Here is a timeline of the Epstein investigations and the efforts to open up the government's files:

The investigation begins

March 2005: Palm Beach police begin investigating Epstein after the family of a 14-year-old girl reports she was molested at his mansion. Multiple underage girls, many of them high school students, would later tell police that Epstein hired them to give sexual massages.

May 2006: Police officials sign paperwork to charge Epstein with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor, but the county's top prosecutor, State Attorney Barry Krischer, takes the unusual step of sending the case to a grand jury.

July 2006: Epstein is arrested after a grand jury indicts him on a count of soliciting prostitution. The relatively minor charge upsets Palm Beach police leaders, whopublicly accuse Krischerof giving Epstein special treatment. The FBI begins an investigation.

2007: Federal prosecutors prepare an indictment, but for a year Epstein's lawyers engage in talks withthe U.S. attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta, about a deal that would avoid federal prosecution. Epstein's lawyers decry his accusers as unreliable.

Secret deal leads to a light jail term

June 2008: Epstein pleads guilty to state charges: one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He is sentenced to 18 months in jail.Under a secret arrangement, the U.S. attorney's office agrees not to prosecute Epstein for federal crimes. Epstein serves most of his sentence in a work-release program that allows him to leave jail during the day.

May 2009: One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, files a lawsuit claiming Epstein and Maxwell arranged for her to have sexual encounters with "royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen" and others. The lawsuit doesn't name the men.

July 2009: Epstein is released from jail. For the next decade, Epstein's accusers wage a legal fight to get his federal non-prosecution agreement voided.

News media and lawsuits keep public interest high

March 2, 2011: The Daily Mail publishes an interview with Giuffre in which she describes traveling with Epstein to London at age 17 and spending a night dancing with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known asPrince Andrew. The story and a photo of the prince with his arm around Giuffre creates a crisis for the royal family. FBI agents subsequently interview Giuffre.

Dec. 30, 2014: Giuffre's lawyers file court papers claiming she had sexual encounters with Mountbatten-Windsor and other men, including "foreign presidents, a well-known Prime Minister, and other world leaders." All those men deny the allegations.

November 2018: The Miami Heraldrevisits the handling of Epstein's casein a series of stories focusing partly on the role of Acosta — who by this point is President Donald Trump's labor secretary. The coverage intensifies public interest in Epstein.

New York prosecutors revive case

Dec. 6, 2018: FBI agents and the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan begin a new investigation into Epstein.

July 6, 2019: Epstein isarrested on new sex trafficking chargesbrought by the prosecutors in New York, who have concluded they aren't bound by the earlier non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in Florida. Days later, Acosta resigns as labor secretary.

Aug. 10, 2019:Epstein kills himself in his jail cellin New York.

July 2, 2020: Federal prosecutors in New Yorkcharge Maxwell with sex crimes, saying she helped recruit and abuse Epstein's victims.

Dec. 30, 2021: After a monthlong trial,a jury convicts Maxwellof sex trafficking and other crimes.

June 28, 2022: Maxwell is sentenced to 20 years in prison.

January, 2024: Public interest in the Epstein case surges again aftera judge makes more court records publicin a related lawsuit.

A new president and a fresh political crisis

Jan. 20, 2025: Trump, who was friends and neighbors with Epstein for years, becomes president again. During his 2024 campaign, he had suggested that he'd seek to open more government files on Epstein.

February 2025: Attorney General Pam Bondisuggests in a Fox News Channel interviewthat an Epstein "client list" is sitting on her desk. The Justice Department distributes binders marked "declassified" to far-right influencers, but much of the informationhad long been public.

April 25, 2025:Giuffre dies by suicide.

July 7, 2025: The Justice Department says Epsteindidn't maintain a "client list"and it won't make any more files related to his sex trafficking investigation public.

July 15, 2025: Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introducethe Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would force the Justice Department to make its investigative files on Epstein public.

July 17, 2025: The Wall Street Journal describes a sexually suggestive letter that thenewspaper says bore Trump's nameand was included in a 2003 album for Epstein's 50th birthday. Trump denies writing the letter andsues the newspaper.

July 24-25, 2025: In an effort to puta political crisis to rest, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviews Maxwell. She denies wrongdoing and says she never saw Trump involved in any sexually inappropriate activity. Afterward, she ismoved from a low-security prison in Floridato a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.

A prince loses his royal title

Oct. 21, 2025: Giuffre'sposthumous memoir is published. In it, she revisits her claims that Epstein and Maxwell sexually trafficked her to powerful men, including Mountbatten-Windsor.

Oct. 30, 2025:King Charles III strips Mountbatten-Windsorof his remaining titles, meaning he can no longer be referred to as "prince," and evicts him from his royal residence.

Nov. 12, 2025: A House committee releases a trove of email correspondence between Epstein and others, including Mountbatten-Windsor, Trump ally Steve Bannon, ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. In one 2019 email to a journalist, Epstein wrote that Trump"knew about the girls"but didn't explain what he meant by that.

Nov. 14, 2025: At Trump's urging, Bondi announces that the U.S. attorney in Manhattan willinvestigate Epstein's tiesto some of the Republican president's political foes, including former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat; Summers; and Hoffman, a prominent Democratic donor. None of those men has been accused of misconduct by Epstein's accusers.

Nov. 18, 2025: Congresspasses the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Trump signs it into law the next day.

Dec. 19, 2025: The Justice Department begins releasing records. The batch includes snapshots that Epstein kept in his home of various famous people he met over the years, including Trump and Clinton. After releasing just a sliver of the available documents, though, the Justice Department halts disclosures, saying it needs more time to review the records.

Jan. 30, 2025.: The Justice Department begins releasing what Blanche says are more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The files are posted to the department's website.

Follow the AP's coverage of Jeffrey Epstein athttps://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein.