Biden family Christmas photo draws mixed reactions over framing and placement
Former President Joe Biden shared a family photo on social media on Christmas Eve, sparking online criticism after he appeared partially visible in the image while son Hunter stood front and center.
The photo shows several members of the Biden family standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree, with Hunter positioned prominently in the foreground.
Former first lady Jill Biden is also in the image, standing in front of the former president with her head partially obstructing his face. All other family members appear fully framed and clearly visible.
In the X post accompanying the image, Biden wrote, “Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Christmas Eve filled with joy.”
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The post did not address the framing of the photo, and representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The image circulated widely on social media following its release, with users commenting on the positioning and composition of the family members shown.
One person posted a close-up of Biden’s face, writing, “Took me a while to find ya, champ.”
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Another commenter wrote, “I think it’s disrespectful to put the eldest family member in the back of a photo taken for the former president’s social media.”
Appearing to compare the image to a Where’s Waldo? scene, one person wrote, “Where’s Joe?“
Another user asked Biden in the comments, “Why are you in the back, blocked by Jill?”
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Other users questioned why Hunter was positioned so prominently in the photo, with some comments focusing specifically on his placement.
One person wrote, “Hunter is the alpha now.”
Additional posts shared altered versions of the image, depicting Hunter either shirtless or with a white substance under his nose.
“Wishing you and your entire family (specially your son) a white Christmas,” one user wrote.
Not all the comments were critical of the photo or the former president.
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One person wrote, “Wishing you and your family a peaceful and joyful Christmas. Your strength and love inspire us all.”
Another added, “Wishing you a peaceful Christmas Eve too, Mr. President. Let’s hope the spirit of goodwill extends into the new year and helps bridge some of the divides we’ve seen. The image is a nice reminder of simpler times.”
Several others shared similar sentiments, including a message that said, “Merry Christmas to the whole Biden family!”
Palestinian suspects torch Christmas tree at Catholic church: police
Three Palestinians were arrested on accusations of lighting a Christmas tree on fire and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Authority Police announced.
The attack happened at around 3 a.m. Monday, according to the church.
Palestinian Authority Police said Wednesday the three were taken into custody after a review of surveillance footage targeting the Holy Redeemer Church of Jenin. Tools believed to have been used in the attack were seized from the suspects.
Police condemned the apparent attempt to incite sectarian and religious tensions in the West Bank.
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The church shared photos on social media showing the skeleton of a synthetic Christmas tree that had been cleared of the green plastic branches, and red and gold ornaments were scattered across a courtyard.
The torched tree was quickly cleaned up by the church, which erected a new one a day after the attack in time for Christmas Mass.
The church held a special ceremony with local Muslim and Christian leaders and politicians in attendance. Rev. Amer Jubran, the local priest at the church, said the arson was an isolated incident and emphasized the city’s unity.
“This occasion reaffirmed that attempts to harm religious symbols will never diminish the spirit of the city nor the faith of its people,” the Holy Redeemer Church said in a statement.
The small Christian community in the West Bank is facing increasing threats of extremism from various sides, including both Israeli settlers and Palestinian extremists, prompting them to escape the region.
Christians make up between 1-2% of the West Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, and the vast majority of the community is Muslim. Across the entire Middle East, the Christian population has been declining as people have fled conflict.
In Israel, some church authorities and monitoring groups have documented a recent uptick in anti-Christian sentiment and harassment, including in Jerusalem’s Old City. Extremist Israeli settlers have also reportedly vandalized and torched areas around churches and Christian villages.
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The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza kicked off a surge of violence in the West Bank, with the Israeli military’s offensive targeting terrorists killing hundreds of Palestinians and displacing tens of thousands. Terrorists have also attacked and killed Israelis in Israel and the West Bank.
The conflict has coincided with an increase in Israeli settler violence and Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
Father allegedly shoots family after wife asked him to turn off 49ers game
A Florida man shot and killed his wife and shot his stepdaughter earlier this week before fatally shooting himself after an argument over an NFL game, authorities said.
Jason Kenney, 47, took his own life hours after killing his wife, Crystal Kenney, Dec. 22, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference.
Judd said the murder occurred after Crystal Kenney suggested to her husband that he turn off Monday’s NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts.
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Jason Kenney had been drinking, and the argument escalated, prompting his wife to tell her 12-year-old son to call 911.
The boy ran to a neighbor’s home when he heard gunshots. Responding deputies found Crystal Kenney dead and a 13-year-old girl who had been shot in the shoulder and face.
She is recovering in a hospital.
“She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,’” Judd said.
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The boy was unharmed, as was Jason and Crystal’s 1-year-old daughter, who was home at the time of the shooting. She was found by deputies asleep in her crib.
After the shooting, Jason Kenney fled and called his sister, who lives in upstate New York, Judd said. He told her he had “done something” wrong and that it would be the last time they would talk.
He then drove to his father’s home, where deputies found him. As deputies attempted to get him out of a shed, Jason fatally shot himself, Judd said.
During a search of the family’s home, deputies found a note Crystal wrote to her husband urging him to get help.
“You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,” the note states, Judd said.
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The surviving children are in the custody of grandparents.
“The entire family was destroyed,” Judd said. “Our homicide detectives are distraught. When you go in there, there is a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under it, just like the nuclear family should be.”
Popular painkiller offers little relief, raises serious health risks, study finds
A widely prescribed opioid painkiller showed limited effectiveness and increased risk of negative effects in a new analysis published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
The study examined tramadol, a common prescription opioid used to treat chronic pain.
Tramadol has historically been perceived as a safer or less addictive opioid, which has contributed to its widespread use in chronic pain treatment, the study authors noted.
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“Often, we may use tramadol to avoid more addictive drugs like other opioids, though in fact tramadol is a synthetic opioid. It is much milder,” Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, told Fox News Digital.
In the new analysis, researchers used data from 19 randomized clinical trials involving 6,506 adults with conditions including osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. All the studies compared tramadol to a placebo treatment.
Overall, tramadol led to a small decrease in pain, but the amount of relief was less than what is usually considered clinically meaningful, the authors reported.
“It is notable how minimal the pain reduction was and how clearly the study highlighted the elevated risk of serious adverse events, even over relatively short trial durations,” Alopi M. Patel, M.D., pain medicine physician at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York City, told Fox News Digital. (Patel was not involved in the study.)
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Participants receiving tramadol experienced a higher risk of adverse events, both serious and non-serious, compared with those receiving a placebo.
Serious adverse events primarily included cardiovascular events, such as chest pain, coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. The authors concluded that tramadol likely increases the risk of heart-related issues.
The authors concluded that the benefits of tramadol for chronic pain are small and that the harms likely outweigh the benefits. The findings call into question the use of tramadol for chronic pain conditions, they stated.
Study limitations
Most of the trials included in the analysis were short, with treatment periods ranging from two to 16 weeks and follow-up periods from three to 15 weeks.
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This limited the ability to assess long-term outcomes, the researchers acknowledged.
The authors reported that many outcomes had a high risk of bias, which may have exaggerated the apparent benefits and minimized the reported harms.
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The trials involved several different types of chronic pain, but the data were not detailed enough to draw conclusions for any specific condition. This makes it “harder to generalize the findings to specific patient populations,” noted Patel.
Though the study has value, Siegel said, “looking at slight increased rates of cancer or heart disease among those on the drug is completely misleading, because it is not controlled for other factors and there is no evidence or hint of causation.”
“You would have to first look at underlying characteristics of that group who took the meds.”
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The doctor also pointed out that the study “doesn’t compare [tramadol] with full-on opioids like Percocet.”
Experts emphasize that patients should not stop taking tramadol abruptly, as doing so can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Those looking to change their medication should consult a doctor.
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“I recommend that clinicians and patients engage in transparent, shared decision-making that considers tramadol’s modest benefits alongside its risks,” Patel advised.
Fox News Digital reached out to several manufacturers of tramadol requesting comment.
Russian forces near collapse in Kupyansk as Moscow allies concede city lost: Report
Russian forces appear close to being pushed out of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, with only a small number of isolated troops remaining and even pro-Kremlin voices acknowledging the setback, according to a report.
The Kyiv Post reported Thursday that Ukrainian military officials say Russian units left inside the city are cut off from reliable supply lines and are increasingly surrendering as their position deteriorates.
Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for Ukraine’s Joint Forces grouping, said Russian forces inside Kupyansk now number only several dozen and include foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Moscow’s troops.
“They are surrendering,” Trehubov said during a televised briefing carried by Ukrainian state media. “There have even been cases of foreigners — foreign mercenaries for the Russians — giving themselves up.”
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According to Ukrainian officials, the remaining Russian units are surviving largely on limited air resupply, a tactic that cannot sustain long-term operations inside the city.
“Supply by air bridge alone is not something that allows them to hold out for long,” Trehubov said.
While Russian forces continue to launch multiple assaults along the Kupyansk axis each day, Ukrainian officials say those attacks lack the manpower and reserves needed to change the balance on the ground.
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“At this stage, they simply do not have additional capabilities to somehow restore the situation,” Trehubov said.
The Kyiv Post also reported that Russian military bloggers and war correspondents have begun openly conceding that Kupyansk is no longer under Russian control, marking a notable shift in Kremlin-aligned messaging.
“An entire wave of messages appeared saying that Kupyansk is gone,” Trehubov said. “Even Russian propagandists have switched to a line acknowledging that the city is no longer under their control.”
Ukrainian officials stressed that Russia never fully reestablished control over Kupyansk after its liberation in September 2022, aside from a brief occupation during the early phase of the invasion.
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“In reality, it was never fully taken by them in order to be ‘lost,’ aside from a short period in 2022,” Trehubov said.
Efforts by Russian units to dig in within the city’s northern districts have failed, leaving those forces unable to withdraw or receive reinforcements, Ukrainian officials said.
“They themselves now admit that the defense of the city by the same units that entered and tried to secure positions in the northern districts has failed,” Trehubov said.
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Combat continues outside the city, particularly from positions across the Oskil River, though Ukrainian forces maintain control of Kupyansk itself.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian troops carried out five attacks in the Kupyansk sector Dec. 24, all of which were repelled near Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Zahryzove and Kupyansk.
Trehubov said a recent Ukrainian counteroffensive further disrupted Russian efforts to stabilize the front.
“The counteroffensive came as a surprise for the enemy,” he said. “Right now, they simply lack the resources to regain control.”
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Kupyansk, a key rail and road hub in the Kharkiv region with a prewar population of about 27,000, has long been a focal point of Russian territorial claims.
The city was briefly occupied during the opening months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 before being liberated by Ukrainian forces later that year, a history Ukrainian officials say Moscow has repeatedly tried to obscure through disinformation.
Charles Barkley blasts NFL for Christmas Day games
NFL games on Christmas Day are a relatively new thing.
Usually, the NFL has owned Thanksgiving Day, aside from the games played on Sundays and Mondays.
This year, the NFL partnered with Netflix to show two games during the day and a game on Amazon Prime Video at night. The games are going up against the NBA, which has owned the Christmas holiday on TV for several years.
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The NFL’s encroachment on the NBA is something that appeared to irk Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
“The NFL got greedy and started adding Christmas games. We used to have this day to ourselves, but Roger Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always want to hog every day of the week now,” Barkley said on ESPN as the NBA’s schedule got started. “Christmas is an NBA day.”
Barkley blasted the NFL in January 2024 for having an exclusive Peacock game during the playoffs.
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He said at the time that showing a playoff game through streaming was “low class.”
“That’s not cool. They’re just being greedy pigs,” he said on ESPN Radio at the time. “I’m glad some NFL players are taking some shots at them. … I know the NFL is the biggest thing in the world, but to put this game on Peacock and make people have to buy Peacock, that’s just low class. I’m disgusted.”
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The NFL’s domination over the sports conversation is only going to grow should the league and players agree to an 18th regular-season game, a notion that has been floated in recent years with the possibility of the Super Bowl moving to Presidents Day.
Grandfather killed just days before Christmas while in McDonald’s drive-thru
A grandfather was killed just days before Christmas in what officials have described as a “freak accident” at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Nebraska.
Michael Dickinson, 69, was crushed to death after he was pinned between his vehicle and the payment window on Tuesday morning in Grand Island.
He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Grand Island police.
Police said the victim’s next of kin were notified of his death.
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Police Division Chief Dean Elliott told KSNB-TV that the incident was “100% a freak accident.”
“It appears the deceased opened the door to further reach out of the window for payment purposes,” he said.
“We’re not sure if the vehicle lurched forward or what happened, but he became pinned between the door frame and the drive-thru window counter,” Elliott added.
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A McDonald’s employee attempted to save the man by vaulting through the passenger side of the car, but was unsuccessful in the effort to free Dickinson, Elliott told KSNB. The employee was also injured in the rescue attempt.
The incident remains under investigation.
Dickinson’s right leg was amputated in 2021, his daughter wrote on Facebook, adding that he was fitted with a prosthetic a few months later and re-learned how to walk. She did not say why his leg was removed.
His family remembered “his love” on their first Christmas without him, recounting his willingness “to help and be there when it mattered most.”
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“A skilled and hardworking mechanic, Michael took pride in his work and had a gift for fixing what was broken. It reflected who he was – reliable, practical, and dedicated,” his family wrote.
“Though his life was cut short, Michael’s love, loyalty, and kindness will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. He will be dearly missed and always remembered,” the post added.
Christmas sides your grandparents served that mostly vanished from holiday tables
Christmas dinner may revolve around a honey-glazed ham or prime rib today, but for generations of Americans, it was the side dishes that truly defined the holiday table.
Long before trendy TikTok foods, freezer-aisle staples and sheet-pan shortcuts, Christmas spreads featured labor-intensive recipes that were passed down and cooked fresh once a year.
Creamed vegetables, piped potatoes and slow-braised winter produce reflected regional roots and Old World traditions.
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As tastes shifted, entertaining grew more casual and time became a luxury, many of these classic sides quietly faded from Christmas menus.
Here’s a look at six vintage Christmas side dishes that were once enjoyed by millions — and aren’t truly forgotten.
1. Creamed onions
Once a staple of Christmas dinners across the Northeast and Midwest, creamed onions were traditionally served alongside roast beef or ham as a rich, celebratory side, along with their close cousin, creamed celery.
The dish fell out of favor because peeling pearl onions is labor-intensive and American tastes leaned away from boiled vegetables, though home cooks still debate the best version — fresh, canned or frozen — on Reddit’s r/Cooking page.
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“Creamed onions were a staple,” one user recently recalled. “They were a hit with everyone.”
2. Duchess potatoes
This elegant, piped potato dish originated in 19th-century France and was a popular Christmas showpiece.
Enriched with butter and egg yolks and baked into decorative shapes, duchess potatoes stay fluffy in the center and develop a crisp, golden exterior.
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As holiday entertaining became more casual and convenience foods like instant mashed potatoes took over, duchess potatoes largely vanished from American tables.
3. Braised red cabbage
Sweet-and-sour red cabbage was brought to the U.S. by German, Scandinavian and Danish immigrants and became a familiar Christmas side in many households, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast.
In Denmark, the dish emerged as a Christmas staple in the 1800s during a period of national romanticism, when red cabbage and boiled potatoes were chosen to reflect the red-and-white colors of the Danish flag, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
4. Spinach soufflé
Spinach soufflés were a mid-century symbol of sophistication for hosts and frequently appeared at Christmas dinners in the 1950s through the 1970s, according to food blogs.
Because they could deflate easily and required careful timing, they gradually fell out of favor as holiday cooking became more focused on easier, less stressful dishes.
5. Yorkshire pudding
This traditional British side is made from a batter of eggs, flour and milk, baked until light and crisp, and historically served with roast beef to soak up drippings.
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It appeared on Christmas menus in the 19th century, according to the food site Epicurious — and while it was once common in American households, it gradually faded from many Christmas tables as roast beef gave way to other holiday mains.
Reddit users recently debated whether Yorkshire pudding belongs again on holiday tables, with one commenter arguing that if beef is the main course, it is “surely required.”
6. Parsnips
Parsnips were once a common winter vegetable before potatoes took over American tables.
Parsnip cakes — a humble British staple introduced to Americans in the early 1900s — remained popular through World War II because the hardy vegetable was easy to grow during rationing, with the mixture baked or fried and enriched with butter or gravy rather than tasting strongly of roots, according to Tasting Table.
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Over time, parsnips fell out of favor — they gained a reputation for bitterness if overcooked, and tastes shifted toward milder, more familiar vegetables.
Beverly D’Angelo reveals improvised moment that became a ‘Christmas Vacation’ classic
Beverly D’Angelo took matters into her own hands and made movie history.
After “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985), the Griswolds returned to deliver more chaos in 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” The film starred D’Angelo and Chevy Chase, along with Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others.
D’Angelo is ringing in the new year with plenty in store for fans. She stars alongside Hayden Panettiere in the upcoming 2026 psychological thriller “Sleepwalker.” She recently followed it up with “The Heart Brake,” in which she turns a property into a Christmas bed-and-breakfast called the Noel Hotel.
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But when the holidays roll around, D’Angelo still looks back at the film that keeps on giving — and the moment she made her own.
“It was not in the script for me to guard the family jewels when the police came to stick us up,” the actress told Fox News Digital. “I threw that in. That was definitely improvised. That was my little touch. All in one take.”
In the film, a police officer orders everyone gathered for the Griswold family Christmas to freeze. A stunned Ellen (D’Angelo) suddenly grabs Clark’s (Chase) crotch and stands still, obeying the command.
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“We had one take left, and it was the end of the day,” D’Angelo recalled. “I said, ‘I bet nobody catches this.’ We did the shot, freeze, and I put my hand there. It was like, ‘OK, that’s a wrap. Everybody go home.’ It was subtle. And it had to stay in the film because it was the only shot left! What are they going to do? They didn’t have a choice.”
Chase was in on the joke.
It was a long day of filming, and the star was eager to have some fun. D’Angelo tipped off Chase about what she was going to do. He agreed — before quickly adding, “You can’t do that,” convinced she’d never get away with it, Forbes reported.
“I guarantee you no one’s going to be looking at my hand,” she told him, as quoted by the outlet. “Everybody’s going to be looking at your face and Randy’s [Quaid] face and the expressions. I’m going to be way down below your waist, and the director’s not even looking at me. He’s just trying to get you guys good, get this take.”
It worked — and if you blink, you’ll miss it.
“Well, what would you do in that situation?” D’Angelo told Fox News Digital. “You would guard the family jewels, first and foremost.”
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D’Angelo, 74, noted that she and Chase, 82, became fast friends from the moment they met on set. That bond has endured for decades.
“I knew from the beginning I’d have a lifelong friendship with Chevy,” D’Angelo explained. “It was just like meeting a brother. We’ve kept that connection all the way, decades later. I just had a feeling when we met that we would be a tribe. I can’t explain it, except there’s just something about when Chevy and I get together.”
“There’s a chemistry we can create,” she shared. “We have a chemistry, we get each other. And then, we can easily flip into Clark and Ellen. It’s just something. I can’t explain it. It doesn’t happen with anybody else. He makes me Ellen, and I make him Clark when we work together. It’s very natural. We just know.”
Despite their instant connection, D’Angelo admitted she didn’t expect them to cross paths again after the first film.
“When we did the first ‘Vacation,’ it was just a summer movie,” said D’Angelo. “That concept of a franchise arrived much later. We only made the second one because the first one was such a hit. And then ‘Christmas’ was just as successful as the very first one, which is unusual. So, when I went in to meet Chevy, I just thought I was doing a Chevy Chase comedy that was going to be done after ‘Animal House.’”
“I had some hesitations about it,” she noted. “There are these old rules — never work with kids and animals. And there were a lot of kids and animals. Plus, I was the mother of teenagers, and I was 29 when we did that. I was even suggesting actresses to my agent. ‘Tell them to meet this person, that person.’ Just actress friends that I thought would be good. But it was my husband at the time — I was married to an Italian duke, actually — and he said, ‘But Beverly, this is hilarious! You must do it.’”
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“That was that,” she continued. “I was in Italy when a friend of mine called me, and he said, ‘Do you know you’re in the number one movie this week?’ It was the first ‘Vacation.’ It just kept growing. It seems to be part of our whole culture now. For so many people, it’s part of their Christmas ritual. I don’t know what to say, except to quote myself and say, ‘It’s Christmas. We’re all in misery.’”
Making “Christmas Vacation” wasn’t always easy. It reminded D’Angelo of one of her past rules.
“The squirrel that jumped out of the tree? That squirrel was trained by professional animal trainers,” said D’Angelo about the unforgettable scene from “Christmas Vacation.”
“It was trained to leap out of the tree and onto Chevy’s shoulder, and onto somebody else’s shoulder. It was trained to do all these tricks. They really, really trained it.”
“They did a fantastic job to the point that the squirrel had a heart attack or something,” she claimed. “Something happened to the squirrel. So when it came time to shoot, they had to quickly find another squirrel. They got a relatively wild one, certainly not trained to do all the tricks that the original squirrel had been able to do. So they do have a live squirrel leaping out of the tree, but everything else is a stuffed squirrel.”
However unruly the making of “Christmas Vacation” may have been, D’Angelo knows it’s become a holiday classic — and she’s grateful.
“Here’s the thing about Christmas,” she said. “Of course, when you have children, it becomes important. I was never a big holiday person, per se. I don’t even like to celebrate my birthday, to tell you the truth. I don’t like all the attention. But it’s that spirit of giving, it’s a wonderful thing to always be engaged in.”
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“I didn’t think that [‘National Lampoon’] was going to turn into a lifelong thing,” she reflected. “It’s beautiful.”