Month: December 2025

Retired NASCAR champion Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina Grossu Biffle and their two children were among seven people killed in a plane crash in North Carolina on Thursday morning.

Rep. Richard Hudson, a friend of the family, confirmed the news on X: “I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them. They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others. Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track. The Biffles flew hundreds of rescue missions in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. The last time I spoke with Cristina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to ask how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. That’s who the Biffles were. Our prayers are with their family, friends, and everyone grieving this unimaginable loss.”

Biffle’s friend Garrett Mitchell also confirmed on Facebook that the family was en route to Florida, writing: “Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane. Because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”

The identities of all those who were killed in plane crash were later disclosed in a joint statement released by the Biffle, Grossu, Dutton and Lunders families, as shared by Fox Sports motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass on X: “We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones. This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words. Greg and Cristina were devoted parents and active philanthropists whose lives were centered around their young son Ryder and Greg’s daughter Emma (mother – Nicole Lunders). Emma was a wonderful human being with a kind soul who was loved by many people. Ryder was an active, curious and infinitely joyful child. Dennis Dutton and his son Jack were deeply loved as well, and their loss is felt by all who knew them. Craig Wadsworth was beloved by many in the NASCAR community and will be missed by those who knew him. Each of them meant everything to us, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives. At this moment, our focus is on honoring their lives and supporting one another.”

According to the Associated Press, Biffle, 55, was traveling with his wife, as well as daughter Emma, 14, and son Ryder, 5, aboard a Cessna C550 that crashed while attempting to land in foggy weather at Statesville Regional Airport in Statesville at around 10:15 a.m. (about 45 miles north of Charlotte). There were six people on board, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Local news outlet WSOC reported that the plane is owned by Biffle through GB Aviation Leasing. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident,  saying that the plane took off from the airport shortly after 10 a.m. but then returned and was attempting to land there.  Data shows that the plane had planned to fly from Sarasota, Florida, to Treasure Cay International Airport in the Bahamas before returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and then heading to Statesville that evening.

Nicknamed “The Biff,” Biffle spent the entirety of his NASCAR career with Roush Racing from 2003-2016, now known as RFK Racing, which also issued a statement mourning his loss.  Biffle won multiple championships during his racing career including in the Truck Series in 2000 and the Xfinity Series in 2002. He was also named as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, and received the 2024 NMPA Myers Brothers Award for humanitarian aid last year.

NASCAR also released a statement on Thursday which read:  “NASCAR is devastated by the tragic loss of Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, son Ryder, Craig Wadsworth and Dennis and Jack Dutton in a fatal plane crash.  Greg was more than a champion driver, he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many. His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport. On the track, Greg’s talent and tenacity earned him championships in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as numerous wins and accolades in the NASCAR Cup Series. Beyond his racing career, he gave of himself for the betterment of our community. Most notably, Greg spent countless hours of his time helping the citizens of North Carolina during the disasters that followed Hurricane Helene. His tireless work saved lives. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Greg’s entire family, friends, and all who were touched by his life.”

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In a 216-211 vote, the House passed a GOP-backed health care bill that does not include an extension of expiring tax credits that help millions of Americans pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say the bill will lower health insurance premiums for 100% of Americans. The bill, however, faces an unclear future in the Senate, where it would need support from several Democrats to pass.

GOP leadership unveiled the plan, known as the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, less than a week ago as they faced increasing pressure from moderates in their party to hold a vote on extending the enhanced premium tax credits, which lapse on Dec. 31. The tax credits help eligible people cover premiums for their health insurance purchased through an Affordable Care Act marketplace.

The exclusion of an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits caused a group of four moderate Republicans to break ranks, joining Democrats in a procedural move that forced the vote. Ultimately, none of them voted against the bill. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the sole Republican to vote against it.

Earlier in the day, Moderate Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie signed onto a discharge petition filed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, pushing the measure to the 218 signatures needed to bypass committees and reach the House floor. All 214 Democrats backed the effort. The revolt followed a late Tuesday decision by the Republican-controlled House Rules Committee to block amendments that would have extended the subsidies.

The four Republicans who joined the petition said leadership left them with no other option. Fitzpatrick said he spent months trying to negotiate changes before siding with Democrats, and shared in a statement that “House leadership then decided to reject every single one of these amendments. As I’ve stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge. Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome.”

Lawler also criticized Speaker Johnson’s refusal to allow a vote on an extension, reacting angrily to the decision Tuesday. “This is absolute [expletive], and it’s absurd.” Lawler later said he does not fully support Democrats’ proposal but viewed the petition as “the only way to protect the 28,000 people in my district from higher costs.”

Johnson went on to reject claims that the episode shows he has lost control of the House. “I have not lost control of the House,” Johnson said Wednesday, adding that “we have the smallest majority in U.S. history, OK? These are not normal times. There are [processes] and procedures in the House that are less frequently used when there are larger majorities. When you have a razor-thin margin, as we do, then all the procedures in the book people think are on the table, and that’s the difference.”

Under House rules, a discharge petition requires several legislative days before a vote can occur. With lawmakers leaving Washington for a winter recess, the subsidy extension is expected to reach the floor in the new year at the earliest. Even if the House approves the measure, its future in the Senate remains uncertain. Republicans there rejected a similar three-year extension last week.

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The children of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, have issued their first public statement following the couple’s deaths and the arrest of their brother, Nick Reiner, in connection with the killings.

In a message released through media outlet TMZ, siblings Jake and Romy Reiner said: “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends. We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”

Prosecutors say the bodies of Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were discovered Sunday afternoon at their Brentwood, California, home. The couple was found around 3:40 p.m., reportedly by their daughter Romy. Nick Reiner, 32, was taken into custody several hours later at the Expo/Vermont Metro station in Exposition Park.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed the official cause of death on Wednesday, stating the Reiners died as the result of multiple sharp force injuries, with the manner of death ruled a homicide

Nick is charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders for allegedly stabbing his parents to death. Court documents show Reiner also faces an allegation of using a deadly weapon, a knife. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or face the death penalty.

Reiner appeared briefly in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday after being medically cleared, but his arraignment was postponed for a second time and is now scheduled for Jan. 7. During the appearance, he did not enter a plea. According to reports, he was handcuffed and dressed in an anti-suicide smock. The only words he spoke in court were, “Yes, your honor.”

His attorney, prominent defense lawyer Alan Jackson, urged restraint following the hearing. “There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case,” Jackson said. “Things need to be thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed .. We ask that during this process, you allow the system to move forward in the way that it was designed to move forward … not with jumping to conclusions, but with restraint and with dignity and with the respect that this system and this process deserves, and that the family deserves.”

Rob and Michele Reiner were married in May 1989 and shared three children: Jake, 34; Nick, 32; and Romy, 27. Rob Reiner was also the father of Tracy, 61, the daughter of his late ex-wife, Penny Marshall, whom he adopted when they were married.

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Australian authorities say the father and son accused of carrying out a deadly antisemitic attack during a Hanukkah gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach were motivated by Islamic State ideology and had recently traveled to the Philippines, a region known for past extremist activity.

Officials described the assault as a terrorist attack aimed at maximizing casualties among civilians. Fifteen people were killed and more than 40 wounded in Sunday’s shooting, including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. The attackers were identified as a 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, who was fatally shot by police at the scene, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who remains hospitalized after being wounded during the confrontation. Police said the firearms used were legally owned by the elder Akram.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday investigators have found clear indicators of extremist influence. “It would appear that there is evidence that this was inspired by a terrorist organization, by ISIS” Albanese told reporters. Australia’s federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, echoed that assessment, calling the incident “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.” Authorities said homemade ISIS flags and improvised explosive devices were discovered inside a vehicle linked to the suspects.

Investigators confirmed the two men traveled to the Philippines from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28, with immigration records listing Davao as their final destination. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said authorities are examining where the men went and what they did during the trip. Australian media, citing security sources, reported the suspects may have received “military-style training,” though Philippine officials said there is no current evidence of foreign militants operating in the country’s south.

Indian police confirmed Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad, where he earned a degree before migrating to Australia in 1998. He held an Indian passport, while his children were born in Australia and are citizens. Indian authorities said Akram had limited contact with relatives in India and that family members “expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalization.” Police added his son’s radicalization appeared to have no connection to India.

Australian officials acknowledged that Naveed Akram had been investigated in 2019 for possible links to a Sydney-based extremist network, but intelligence agencies later determined he posed no threat at the time. ABC News reported he had associations with individuals tied to pro-ISIS activity, though lawyers for one of those figures denied any involvement in the Bondi Beach attack.

Albanese and state leaders pledged to further tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws, noting that the elder suspect legally possessed multiple firearms. “The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims.”

Israeli officials sharply criticized Australia’s government, pointing to a rise in antisemitic incidents. Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon warned that Jewish Australians no longer feel safe and urged stronger action, saying, “We are now facing here a surge of antisemitism, and Australians of Jewish faith are not feeling secure in their own country, and this is insane.”

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Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced during a press conference on Tuesday that Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for the killings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in their home over the weekend.

Hochman said at the news conference alongside McDonnell that “their loss is beyond tragic and we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice,” adding that this type of case is “the most serious charge the DA’s office can bring against anyone.” The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, Hochman said, with the DA adding that “no decision at this point has been made with respect to the death penalty.” Hochman said Riener also faces a special allegation that he used a knife in the killings; sources familiar with the case sharing that the couple were found with multiple stab wounds.

Reiner, 32, was not medically cleared to appear in court on Tuesday, according his attorney, Alan Jackson.  Jackson confirmed to reporters outside Los Angeles Superior Court that he was representing Reiner, and that his client would not be making his first court appearance Tuesday because he hadn’t been medically cleared. Reiner is being held without bail at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. “Hopefully he’ll be cleared tomorrow and we can get him here,” Jackson said, though he would not specify what medical issue prevented Reiner from being cleared, only saying it was “procedural.”

Nick Reiner had been living on his parents’ property in a guest house separate from the main structure, but was not at home when his parents’ bodies were discovered. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that he was found in Exposition Park near the University of Southern California on Sunday night thanks to “good, solid police work” and was taken into custody. Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said at the department’s weekly commission meeting on Tuesday that the Reiners were found dead in the master bedroom of their Brentwood home by their daughter, Romy Reiner. Choi did not give any additional new insights into their deaths.

Reiner’s attorney, Alan Jackson, is a partner at the firm Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP. He has previously represented Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read, among others, in their high-profile cases. He helped secure an acquittal for Read, who had been charged with murdering her police officer boyfriend in Massachusetts. Jackson represented Spacey in his Massachusetts groping case, which was dismissed when the actor’s accuser dropped their civil complaint; and he was also on the team that defended Weinstein in his California criminal trial. In addition, Jackson successfully prosecuted record producer Phil Spector for murdering actress Lana Clarkson.

Nick has a history of battling addiction and he had spoken publicly about his struggles, which reportedly began when he was a teenager. He has said that he has been in and out of addiction treatment facilities, and spent time homeless and living on the streets. Nick co-wrote – and Rob Reiner directed – the 2016 film ‘Being Charlie’ about the struggles of an addicted son and a famous father. While it was not autobiographical, the film included several elements of their lives.  Just three months ago, Nick was photographed with his parents and siblings at the premiere of his father’s film “Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.”

New details about the events leading up to the incident have also been revealed. The night before the killings (Saturday, December 13) Nick and his parents attended a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, where he was seen being disruptive; with sources stating that Rob and Nick had a “brief but loud” argument.

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