Trump warns Cuba ‘ready to fall’ after Maduro capture left Cuban officers dead
President Donald Trump late Sunday predicted Cuba was “ready to fall” after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, warning that Havana can no longer rely on Caracas for security and oil.
Trump said Cuba’s fate is now directly tied to Maduro’s ouster and the collapse of Venezuela’s ability to bankroll allies in the region.
Asked if he was considering U.S. action in Cuba, Trump replied: “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”
The president’s comments during a press gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One come after Saturday’s capture of Maduro and his wife on charges tied to a narco-terrorism conspiracy. The audacious operation has sent shockwaves through allied governments in the region, with Cuban officials calling for rallies in support of Venezuela and accusing the U.S. of violating sovereignty.
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U.S. officials say Cuban security forces played a central role in keeping Maduro in power. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban operatives effectively ran Venezuela’s internal intelligence and security operations – including personally guarding Maduro and monitoring loyalty inside his government.
“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.”
Cuba’s government acknowledged Sunday that 32 Cuban military and police officers were killed during the American operation in Venezuela, marking the first official death toll released by Havana. Cuban state media said the officers had been deployed at the request of Caracas and announced two days of national mourning.
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Trump confirmed Cuban casualties while traveling back to Washington.
“A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” he said. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Trump also took aim at neighboring Colombia, accusing its leadership of fueling drug trafficking into the U.S.
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“Colombia is very sick, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” Trump said, adding that the country, “is not going to be doing it for a very long time.”
He suggested the U.S. was prepared to act against narco-trafficking networks operating by land and sea, citing recent interdictions.
Trump also revived his long-standing focus on Greenland, arguing the Arctic territory is critical to U.S. security amid growing Russian and Chinese activity.
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“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” Trump said. “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
Trump has framed Saturday’s operation as part of a broader effort to reassert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, invoking the Monroe Doctrine and warning that hostile regimes can no longer rely on one another for survival.
Maduro is set to be arraigned in federal court in New York on Monday.
Rubio fires back as ABC host repeatedly questions US authority over Venezuela
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sparred with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday as the “This Week” host repeatedly pressed Rubio over whether the U.S. was going to run Venezuela.
After extracting Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, President Donald Trump said during a press conference that the U.S. was now “going to run the country” until there can be a safe transition of power.
Stephanopoulos asked Rubio what authority the U.S. had to run Venezuela.
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“Well, first of all, what’s going to happen here is that we have a quarantine on their oil,” Rubio said. “That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met. And that’s what we intend to do. So, that leverage remains. That leverage is ongoing. And we expect that it’s going to lead to results here.”
Rubio added that the goal was to ensure Venezuela would no longer be “a narco-trafficking paradise” that aids U.S. adversaries and to give Venezuelans a better future.
“Let me ask the question again,” Stephanopoulos repeated. “What is the legal authority for the United States to be running Venezuela?”
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“Well, I explained to you what our goals are and how we’re going to use the leverage to make it happen,” Rubio said. “As far as what our legal authority is on the quarantine, very simple. We have court orders. These are sanctioned boats and we get orders from courts to go after and seize these sanctions. So, I don’t know, is a court not a legal authority?”
Stephanopoulos then asked if the U.S. was currently running Venezuela.
“Well, I’ve explained once again. I’ll do it one more time,” Rubio said. “What we are running is the direction that this is going to move moving forward. And that is we have leverage. This leverage we are using, and we intend to use. We started using already.”
The ABC host then asked if Rubio himself was currently running Venezuela, leading the secretary to again repeat that the U.S. was focused on its “leverage” against the country. However, he said he was “very intricately involved” with some law enforcement operations involving the U.S. Coast Guard.
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“We are hopeful that there are people in place now. We’re going to find out. The proof will be in what they do or fail to do that will start making some of these changes that will ultimately lead to a Venezuela that looks substantially and dramatically different from what’s been in place for 15 years,” Rubio said.
During the interview, Rubio also expressed doubts that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was the current leader of the country and whether she should remain in office.
“This is not about the legitimate president. We don’t believe that this regime in place is legitimate via an election,” Rubio said. “And that’s not just us. It’s 60-something countries around the world that have taken that view as well.”
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He said he believed a legitimate leader would come after a period of transition and elections.
UK and French jets target suspected terrorist weapons cache in joint operation
British and French warplanes struck an underground facility believed to have been used by Islamic State militants to store weapons and explosives, the U.K. Ministry of Defence confirmed Sunday.
The strike took place Saturday evening in a mountainous region north of Palmyra, in Syria’s Homs province.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets, supported by a Voyager refueling tanker, operated with French aircraft to strike access tunnels leading to the underground site.
Paveway IV precision-guided bombs were also used in the operation.
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An assessment was ongoing, but initial indications suggested that the target was successfully hit, the ministry said.
Britain and France are partners in the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which was formed to combat the extremist group after it had previously seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.
U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Sir John Healey said the strike showed Britain’s determination to prevent any resurgence of Islamic State and to stand “shoulder to shoulder with our allies” against extremist violence in the Middle East.
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The operation came amid continued U.S. military activity in Syria, where American forces have conducted counterterrorism missions in the country.
In December, the Trump administration also ordered large-scale U.S. strikes across central Syria.
This was in retaliation for an ambush near Palmyra that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.
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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, according to U.S. Central Command, ISIS remains an active and persistent threat despite sustained pressure from coalition forces.
CENTCOM said recent U.S. operations in the region have also targeted infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria.
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“We will not relent,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement on Dec. 30.
“We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to U.S. and regional security.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.K. Ministry of Defence for comment.
Helicopter crash kills Arizona man and 3 nieces on wedding day after canyon collision
A helicopter crash in a remote Arizona canyon killed a local man and his three nieces on his wedding day after the aircraft apparently struck a slackline strung across the terrain, authorities said.
FOX 10 in Phoenix reported that the victims of the crash, which happened Friday, were identified by family members.
The crash happened near Superior in Pinal County, east of the Phoenix area, shortly after the helicopter took off from Pegasus Airpark. All four people on board were killed when the aircraft plunged to the canyon floor.
Family members said the pilot was David McCarty, a Queen Creek man originally from Oregon, who was flying his nieces – Katelyn Heideman and sisters Rachel and Faith McCarty, all in their early 20s – to see the sights before his wedding ceremony.
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Eyewitnesses told family members they saw the helicopter’s blades detach moments before it plunged to the canyon floor.
Relatives said McCarty was an experienced pilot who owned multiple helicopters and had flown the canyon numerous times without incident, adding that the short flight was meant to be a joyful outing ahead of what was supposed to be a celebratory day.
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“The families lost 50% of their children on the wedding day, which was supposed to be a celebration,” a family member told FOX 10 Phoenix. “It’s extremely tough. Nobody ever anticipates this sort of thing to happen, and it’s just heart-wrenching.”
The loss has rippled through the family’s hometown of Echo, Oregon, where relatives said the close-knit community is struggling to cope with the deaths of three young women at once.
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“They’re just struck with grief,” a relative told the station. “When they say it takes a village to raise a child, that’s the epitome of these communities. Everybody had a hand in raising these girls.”
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently investigating the crash to determine the official cause.
Cowboys fall to historic low in blowout loss, as player is ejected for attacking opponent
The Dallas Cowboys have suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2002 after a 34-17 collapse to the New York Giants on Sunday.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was pulled from the game at halftime, and defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku was ejected from the game after pulling off a Giants players’ helmet in between downs in the third quarter.
Prescott’s game and season ended after a first half in which he fumbled and passed for just 70 yards. He left the game with the league lead in passing yards for the season.
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In Prescott’s absence, the Cowboys were outscored 18-7 in the second half and the team got into a costly scruff with Giants opponents, resulting in penalties and the ejection. The Ezeiruaku ejection occurred after the Giants scored a touchdown to go up 22-10, and a brawl ensued with pushing, shoving and intentional face-mask grabbing.
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Dallas defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was also assessed an unnecessary roughness penalty, which put the Giants at the one-yard line for the point after try, as New York went for two, going up 24-10.
Dallas never recovered, as backup quarterback Joe Milton threw a late interception en-route to a 17-point loss to finish the season.
It was a fitting end to a failed season for the Cowboys, who officially extended their Super Bowl drought to 30 years.
Dallas went all-in at this year’s trade deadline in an attempt to bolster its playoff chances, trading a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick to the New York Jets for defensive tackle Williams. But it won’t pay off in the short term for the Cowboys after their 2025 failure. Williams is under contract until 2027.
Questions about whether the Cowboys would be competitive in 2025 were raised after the team traded star linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the season. The Cowboys’ defense is 29th in the NFL this year without Parsons.
Dallas gave its fans some hope with a three-game winning streak in November, rebounding from 3-5-1 to 6-5-1 and within striking distance of the seventh seed in the NFC. But a 44-30 primetime loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 4 took all the air out and dropped Dallas’ playoff chances to just 8%. They went 1-3 in their final four games after the Lions’ loss to fall to a losing record.
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Meanwhile, the Giants improved to 4-13 for their third straight losing season. The Giants had a chance to secure the second or first pick in the NFL Draft with a loss on Sunday, but could potentially drop all the way to the seventh pick with the win.
The Giants also defeated the Cowboys and Eagles in the same season for the first time since 2020.
Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actor announces wheelchair use as rare disorder progresses
“Grey’s Anatomy” actor Steven W. Bailey revealed that he has been diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder.
In an “open letter” that he posted in a thread on X, the 54-year-old actor, who played Joe, the owner of the fictional Emerald City Bar frequented by the hit show’s main characters during seasons one through seven, shared that he is battling congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) after being diagnosed more than five years ago.
“I’ve spent years being cautious, private, and quiet about something that has been shaping my life and my work,” Bailey began. “That time is over.”
He continued, “It’s the darndest thing, but it turns out I have a rather rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. Weird, right? It’s called Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome.”
CMS is a “group of rare hereditary conditions caused by a gene change that results in muscle weakness, which worsens with physical activity,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Any muscles used for movement can be affected, including muscles that control speaking, chewing and swallowing, seeing and blinking, breathing, and walking,” the medical center added.
Bailey went on to share why he chose to keep his condition private after he was first diagnosed.
“Out of career caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being private about such things in general, I have been hiding my battle with this disease for over five years,” he wrote. “Time to stop.”
“CMS is a genetic disease that disrupts the communication between the brain and the muscle at the “nerve/muscle junction”… or whatever doctors call it,” Bailey explained. “There are billions of these junction dodads in a body, and an increasing number of mine seem to be on the blink. Troublesome, little buggers — right?”
“The point is: my muscles aren’t clearly receiving all my brain’s orders to do all the swell things muscles are meant to do,” he continued.”It’s a drag.”
“The result being that my hands, arms and legs tire quicker than they should, which makes them weaker than, well … anticipated,” Bailey added. “Sustained repetitive movements are particularly difficult and can cause my muscles to temporarily tighten and shut down.”
While Bailey joked that his symptoms “often get me out of the chores of doing the dishes and folding laundry in my household,” he noted that “there are also some downsides, too.”
The actor shared that his condition has made walking longer distances and sustained movement increasingly difficult for him.
“I am fortunate that I am currently still able to walk the dog around the block, navigate my home, pop into the store for a quick few items, and the like on my feet,” he wrote. “The truth is, as my disease progresses, I have been using a powered wheelchair more and more to get around.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of CMS often begin at birth or early childhood, but mild forms may be diagnosed later. CMS is a lifelong condition and currently has no cure, though medications can help manage symptoms.
Bailey, who has also appeared in other hit TV shows including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “NCIS,” “Community,” “Modern Family,” “Scandal,” “Shameless,” “Chicago Fire” and “You,” shared how the progression of his disease is affecting his career.
“Professionally, this is changing me as an actor,” he wrote. “Much like walking my dog around the block, or helping at the store, I can still perform on my feet, limitedly.”
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“I can ambulate my way through simple ‘walks and talks’ with no problem,” Bailey continued. “I can still rise to my feet to object to the judge, derail a town meeting, or yell at a cop for being a loose cannon.”
However, Bailey explained that he decided to make a shift toward more wheelchair-based roles as a necessary next step.
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“Practically speaking, moving forward, it’s time for my work, like in my life, to start skewing more wheelchair, if you will. Passed that time, really,” Bailey admitted. “But now I am here — done hiding — with a clear understanding of my disease, wheels firmly beneath me, ready for the next chapter in my life and career.”
“I am hopeful that there is still room for me in this industry that I love. I look forward to performing as characters who live their lives with a chair, creating a more representative world in film and television,” he continued.
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“And now that I think of it, I don’t need to leap to my feet to object to that judge I mentioned earlier. They’ll hear me,” he added. “And I can derail any town meeting from my chair — no problem. And as far as loose cannons go — well, you get the point.”
“Same guy. Same actor. Same artist. Now with wheels,” he wrote as he concluded his X thread.
Ali Larter turns heads at awards show while ‘Sinners’ breaks nomination records
“Landman” actress Ali Larter turned heads Sunday while walking the red carpet at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards.
Larter, 49, slipped into a black silk gown ahead of the show at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Alicia Silverstone rocked a strapless sparkling Stella McCartney dress.
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress in “Sentimental Value,” Elle Fanning hit the red carpet wearing a shimmering gold Ralph Lauren dress.
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Nominated for Best Actress for her role in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” Amanda Seyfried sported a strapless Valentino gown.
Leonardo DiCaprio skipped the red carpet, but reunited with his “One Battle After Another” co-stars Chase Infiniti and Benicio del Toro once inside the event.
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Ariana Grande continued her “Wicked: For Good” campaign, and wore a custom pink Alberta Ferretti dress complete with a cape and Swarovski jewelry.
“Sinners” director Ryan Coogler enjoyed a date night with wife Zinzi as they walked the red carpet Sunday.
His critically acclaimed horror flick leads film contenders with 17 nominations, the Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced in a December release.
“Sinners” earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, among others, in addition to Best Actor nods for cast members Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Miles Caton.
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Caton praised God upon receiving the first award of the night for Best Young Actor.
Leighton Meester echoed spring wearing a lilac-hued Carolina Herrera gown as she smiled alongside husband Adam Brody, who is nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in “Nobody Wants This.”
“One Battle After Another” followed closely behind “Sinners,” earning 14 nominations.
“Adolescence” leads television nominees with six nominations, while Sara and Erin Foster’s “Nobody Wants This” earned five nods, including Best Comedy.
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Chelsea Handler returned for the fourth year to serve as host of ceremonies.
Musk shares photo of dinner with Trumps at Mar-a-Lago while hinting at more to come
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to have repaired their once-strained relationship, according to a post shared by the billionaire Tesla founder on X.
In a post shared Sunday, Musk wrote, “Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS,” before adding, “2026 is going to be amazing!”
The photo, taken from a Saturday evening event at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, sparked speculation that the pair’s bromance may be back on after months of tension.
After the 2024 campaign, Musk became one of the Republican Party’s biggest political donors, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Reuters.
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Trump later tapped Musk to advise the government efficiency effort and set up DOGE, focused on reducing federal spending and streamlining operations – but Musk stepped back from the role in mid-2025 amid mounting criticism.
Tensions also resurfaced when Musk publicly criticized Trump-backed spending proposals and raised concerns about the size of federal outlays.
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“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk said in a June 3 post about Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk complained.
Trump shot back that he was “very disappointed” in Musk’s criticism of his bill at the time before adding, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
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Musk shot back on X saying, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
At one point, Musk suggested he could form a new political party. But by late 2025, both sides appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone.
In September, the two were seen shaking hands at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in a box at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Musk was also seen at a White House dinner in November as Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence asked Trump at a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2 if Musk was “back in [his] circle of friends” after their falling out.
Well, I really don’t know. I mean, I like Elon a lot,” Trump replied.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Fire that killed billionaire started by nurse who claimed to be Green Beret
Ted Maher was convicted of setting the 1999 Monaco penthouse fire that killed billionaire Edmond Safra, but his criminal story didn’t end there.
From staged heroics and shifting identities to a later murder-for-hire plot against his wife, a crime expert says Maher’s long arc offers rare insight into how certain offenders escalate rather than reform.
According to former FBI special agent Jason Pack, Maher’s behavior reflects a recognizable pattern among offenders who manufacture crises, seek control and continue deceiving long after their first crime is exposed.
Maher, an American who said he had been a Green Beret, was a private nurse hired to care for Safra when a fire broke out inside Safra’s heavily secured Monaco penthouse in the early hours of Dec. 3, 1999. Safra and another nurse, Vivian Torrente, died of smoke inhalation after locking themselves inside a bathroom believed to double as a safe room.
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Maher survived and initially told authorities that two hooded intruders armed with knives had broken into the apartment — a claim Monaco officials later said could not be corroborated, according to The New York Times.
After days of conflicting accounts, Maher admitted to police that he had set the fire himself by igniting a wastepaper basket, Monaco’s chief prosecutor Daniel Serdet said at the time, The Times reported. Maher told investigators he did not intend to kill anyone and said he had fabricated the intruder story to “draw attention to himself,” Serdet said.
Serdet told reporters Maher was jealous of Safra’s seven other nurses and hoped to win his employer’s approval by staging a rescue. “He wanted to be a hero,” Serdet said, according to The Times.
Investigators said Maher slashed himself twice with his own knife — once in the thigh and once in the stomach — before seeking help from the building’s concierge, The Times reported. Officials said Safra and Torrente could have escaped the fire but remained inside the locked bathroom because Safra feared attackers were still inside the apartment.
Safra’s death stunned the world of international banking and sparked widespread speculation about whether he had been targeted because of his business dealings. Newspapers around the world theorized that Safra, a Lebanese-born banker, may have been killed because of his financial relationships, including dealings involving Russian investors, The Times reported.
Investigators ultimately rejected those theories. Serdet said Maher acted alone and that there was “no complicated intrigue” behind the fire, according to The Times.
The fire came at a pivotal moment in Safra’s life. According to The Times, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was preparing to retire as a deal to sell his banking empire, including Republic National Bank of New York, neared completion.
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His death marked the loss of far more than a banking titan. He was not only one of the world’s wealthiest bankers, but a major global philanthropist whose foundation has funded education, medical research, humanitarian aid and religious institutions across more than 40 countries — a legacy that continues decades after his death.
According to The Times, Safra believed he had powerful enemies, a concern fueled by his banking career and cooperation with U.S. authorities, which contributed to the intense security measures inside the Monaco penthouse.
Safra’s security concerns were rooted in real events, according to Vanity Fair. Dominick Dunne, who wrote extensively about the case, said Safra had alerted U.S. authorities to Russian organized crime activity tied to his banking business — a move that left him deeply fearful.
“He turned in the Russian mafia to the FBI,” Dunne told “48 Hours.” “He became very paranoid about his safety.”
Pack said that environment is critical to understanding how Maher’s original story took hold. In his view, Maher tailored his intruder narrative to fit Safra’s fears, making the account initially plausible to investigators and the public.
“When a man spends decades trying to sell a ‘hero’ story,” Pack said, “you eventually have to stop listening to the music and start looking at the math.”
A new Netflix documentary, “Murder in Monaco,” has revived interest in the case and Maher’s claims of innocence. But Pack said the most revealing evidence lies not in revisiting that night in 1999, but in the decades of conduct that followed.
Pack said Maher’s conduct since the Monaco case further undermines his claims of being a coerced or misunderstood figure.
In 2002, Maher was convicted of arson causing death and sentenced to 10 years in prison. After serving roughly eight years in prison, he returned to the United States, changed his name and later became entangled in additional crimes.
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In 2025, Maher was convicted in New Mexico of soliciting the murder of his estranged wife in a plot prosecutors said involved staging her death as a fentanyl overdose.
“You don’t go from ‘misunderstood hero’ to ‘murder-for-hire’ by accident,” Pack said. “That kind of behavior reveals a consistent operational mode.”
Pack described what he called a pattern of staged crises and deception. In Monaco, he said, Maher manufactured a fire to engineer a heroic rescue. Decades later, prosecutors said he plotted another staged event, this time with lethal intent to gain financially.
Pack also pointed to Maher’s decision to reinvent himself under a new name after prison as further evidence of deception rather than rehabilitation.
“When someone changes his identity to escape his past, that conduct defines his character,” Pack said.
Maher has claimed for years that his confession in Monaco was coerced. But Pack said Maher’s later actions severely undercut that narrative.
“It’s easy to blame a foreign police force when you’re the only one talking,” Pack said. “But when you’re caught orchestrating a murder from a jail cell in New Mexico, the victim story is finished.”
Maher is currently incarcerated in New Mexico and has reportedly been dealing with late-stage throat cancer. Pack said that while only Maher knows exactly what happened in Monaco, his subsequent behavior provides a clearer picture than any reenactment.
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“If you want to understand who Ted Maher is,” Pack said, “don’t look at a documentary. Look at the sentencing report.”