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Monica Potter recalled working with the late Robin Williams in the 1998 comedy-drama Patch Adams.

Key Points

• "I saw a part of myself in him," Potter said of working with the actor who died by suicide in 2014.

• Williams portrayed medical student Hunter "Patch" Adams in the film, and Potter costarred as fellow medical student and Adams' eventual love interest, Carin Fisher.

Monica Potterfondly remembers her time working withRobin WilliamsinPatch Adams, sharing in a recent interview how closely connected the two were.

Potter and Williams starred in the 1998 comedy-drama that followed the true story of Hunter "Patch" Adams, a medical student who challenged the traditional healthcare system by using humor and compassion to treat patients. Williams, whodied by suicide in 2014at 63, portrayed Adams, and Potter costarred as a fellow medical student and Adams' eventual love interest.

While appearing on theStill Here Hollywoodpodcast, Potter shared how, while filming together, their many conversations made her feel the late actor "understood" her.

"He was very shy, and he was extremely sensitive. He was very funny, as we know, but I saw a part of myself in him," Potter said, adding that Williams agreed, telling the actress he'd found the "female version" of himself with her.

While Robin Williams' signature humor appears inPatch Adams, the film tackles challenging topics such as suicide and child molestation, as well. Potter's character Carin Fisher also meets a tragic end. While trying to help a disturbed patient, Fisher is killed by the patient in a murder-suicide.

Potter noted that working on such a film was "the only job I could have where you could go to work and be allowed to cry and not get fired."

"That's an emotion that we all have," Potter continued, adding that people are generally "taught to push that away."

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Interestingly, she and Williams connected over the shared belief that "laughing and crying" are the same, with the actress telling Williams, "'Thank you. I've been saying that since I was a little kid.'"

"It's the same thing. It's an expression of how you're feeling. and he was the biggest empath I've ever met besides my dad," Potter added.

Another former costar of Williams who recently recounted his sensitivity wasSally Field, sharing howthe actor aided her when she learned of tragic newson the set ofMrs. Doubtfire.

While filming the 1993 comedy, Field found out that her father, who had been sick and was in a nursing home, was dying. TheRemarkably Bright Creaturesactress ultimately had to make the difficult decision of taking her father off life support. Once she returned to set, Williams quickly recognized Field was upset.

When Williams pulled his costar aside, Field initially told him she was fine but began to cry. "My father just died, and I was the one to say, 'Go ahead. Let him die,'" she told Williams at the time.

"And Robin turned around and said, 'That's it for the day, guys. We just wrapped here. We're done for the day. Get a few shots of the kids and maybe one of Mrs. Doubtfire, but Ms. Field's going home.'"

Fields said Williams then walked her off set. "That was Robin," she concluded.

Listen to Monica Potter's full interview on theStill Here Hollywoodpodcast above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian woman and a young girl were killed in anIsraeli airstrike in southern Gazaon Monday, hospital authorities said.

APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Gaza

The strike hit a tent sheltering a displaced family in the area of Muwasi, on the western side of Khan Younis, according to the Kuwait field hospital, which received the casualties. The hospital said another girl was wounded.

The military said it had struck a militant, but gave no further details.

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The fatalities were the latest among Palestinians in the coastal enclave sincean October ceasefire dealattempted to halt amore than two-year warbetween Israel and the Palestinian militantHamasgroup in Gaza. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the shaky ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.

Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing more than 880 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, is generally seen as reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths.

Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to violations of the truce or threats to its troops. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

Iran agrees in principle to dispose of highly-enriched uranium, White House official says 03:41

U.S. intelligence shows thatIran's supreme leaderis effectively holed up in an undisclosed location with little access to the outside world and is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

The Iranian officials authorized to work with the Trump administration have been having a difficult time communicating inside of their own government system — and it's a central reason why the details of a potential deal with Iran and past agreements have been slow to emerge.

When the U.S. sends proposed details, the difficulty in reaching the supreme leader means there can be a long delay before the U.S. receives a response, two of the officials said.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on intelligence on the supreme leader's whereabouts or Iranian communication methods.

A senior administration official said Sunday the supreme leader hadagreed to the contoursof the current draft agreement, and President Trump posted on Truth Social that he anticipated final word in the next few days.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in U.S. and Israeli strikes in Operation Epic Fury, is taking extreme measures to avoid the strikes similar to the ones that killed his father,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until Feb. 28. Mojtaba Khamenei has not been officially seen or heard in public since before the start of the war.

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U.S. and Israeli intelligence obtained from inside the Iranian government has made it possible to locate and eliminate much of the Iranian senior leadership during the war, one of the officials said.

At this point, most Iranian leaders don't see daylight, spending weeks inside highly fortified bunkers and avoiding speaking to each other unless absolutely necessary, the sources said.

"Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated," one official said.

The most cautious measures are being taken by the supreme leader.

By design, even officials at the highest levels of the Iranian government don't know where he is and have no way to contact him directly.

Instead, messages are passed through a network of couriers created to obscure the supreme leader's location.

"This is why you see people saying things like, 'The supreme leader has agreed to the framework,' or 'We're waiting to hear back on the final deal points.' Every piece of information he receives is dated and there's a lot of latency to his responses," one official said.

The supreme leader has communicated in broad terms to his subordinates, giving them direction on what issues they can negotiate on and which issues shouldn't be discussed.

Ireland Baldwin announced she is expecting her second baby in a joint Instagram post with her boyfriend, RAC

NEED TO KNOW

• The post included a photo of Ireland holding a strip of sonogram images

• The couple revealed the birth of their daughter, Holland, in May 2023

Ireland Baldwinhas a baby on the way!

The 30-year-old actress announced that she is expecting her second child with boyfriend RAC (born André Allen Anjos) in a jointInstagrampost on Saturday, May 23.

The post features a compilation video of the couple preparing to be a family of four. Clips show them adding a brown fuzzy robe to their collection, as well as tossing a baby onesie next to a pair of toddler’s pajamas, adding a baby bottle beside a sippy cup and pushing away a bottle of wine.

The video ends with Ireland's manicured hand holding a strip of sonogram images in the entryway of their dining room.

Ireland and Anjos captioned the sweet post with a simple red heart emoji.

The couplerevealed the birth of their daughter, Holland, now 3, in May 2023.

Ireland, who is the daughter ofAlec BaldwinandKim Basinger, often shares her motherhood journey online.

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On May 6, she posted about Holland getting along with two of her dogs.

“I never imagined that my two soul dogs — Kota, my husky and London, my GS — would ever get to meet a child of mine. I’ve had Kota and London since I was 18 and 20 years old. I can’t believe my little human gets to be loved by them,” Irelandcaptioned a videoof her daughter walking outside with a dog.

The mom, according to her Instagram bio, has six rescue dogs.

In May 2025, Ireland shared photos fromHolland’s farm-themed partyto celebrate her second birthday. The toddler could be seen interacting with the animals and posing with family members.

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The year before, Ireland reflected on becoming a momon her very first Mother’s Day.

Sharing a set of photos of herself and Holland, she wrote, "Thank you for making me a momma! You changed my life and everything I have ever known."

Read the original article onPeople

A sharp drop in blood donations is raising concerns as New Jersey enters the busy summer season.

New Jersey Blood Services, which supplies about 500,000 blood products each year to more than 150 hospitals, EMS agencies and health care partners, reports donations are down nearly 15% – roughly 4,500 fewer donations than needed to meet demand.

The decline comes at the start of what officials call “trauma season,” a period when accidents and emergencies typically increase and hospitals rely more heavily on blood supplies.

“This is one of the more challenging starts to summer we’ve seen in recent years,” Jeannie Mascolino, vice president of operations for NJBS, said in a news release. “We are already thousands of donations behind where we would typically like to be heading into Memorial Day weekend, when donations often decline further.”

More:3 Saint Peter’s employees mark 50 years at New Brunswick hospital

If the trend continues, officials warn, hospitals could face shortages during a critical period when trauma cases rise due to travel, outdoor activity and holiday events. Trauma patients can require dozens – sometimes hundreds – of transfusions in a short time.

Across New Jersey, Level 1 trauma centers treat about 10,000 patients each year, many during weekends and the summer months.

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To help boost supply, NJBS is offering a packable picnic blanket to anyone who donates blood between May 20 and May 27 at donor centers or blood drives. The promotion is part of its “Be the Reason Summer Feels Brighter” campaign focused on maintaining donations during a historically slow period.

More:Hunterdon ER honors Dr. Lunger, whose care shaped generations

NJBS, part ofNew York Blood Center Enterprises, also notes that updated FDA guidelines have expanded donor eligibility, allowing more people to give blood. Most donors can give every 56 days, while platelet donors may donate twice a month.

Appointments and eligibility details are available atnybc.orgor by calling 1-800-933-2566.

Email:bwadlow@MyCentralJersey.com

This story was created by reporter Brad Wadlow, bwadlow@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process.Learn more.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com:Why NJ blood donations are dropping and what it means for hospitals

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. military conducted a rapid response exercise involving Marines and military aircraft in Venezuela’s capital Saturday, over four months after theouster of then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela US Drill

Two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft, which have characteristics of both a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane, flew overthe recently reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas. They landed in the parking lot with the downdraft blowing tree branches. Forces then descended from the aircraft.

“Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the embassy said on Instagram.

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Venezuela’s government had announced the drill earlier this week. Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the U.S. would conduct the exercise to prepare “in the event of medical emergencies or catastrophic emergencies.”

The drill comes almost two months after the U.S. formally reopened its embassy in Caracas. The reopening followed the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country afterMaduro's ouster in early January.

Some Caracas residents Saturday gathered near the embassy to watch the aircraft, while a few dozen others gathered elsewhere in the city to protest the exercise. Protesters held a Venezuelan flag with the message “No to the Yankee drill” written over it.

U.S. military aircraft last flew over Caracas on Jan. 3, when elite forces rappelled down from helicopters and captured Maduro and his wife. Both were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson hope to hold a future wedding celebration at the White House, a source tells PEOPLE exclusively

NEED TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump and Melania Trump are expected to attend

• The couple quietly married in Florida on May 21 and are set to host a small, private wedding ceremony in the Bahamas this weekend

Donald Trump Jr.andBettina Andersonare hoping to celebrate their nuptials at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at some point in the future.

A source tells PEOPLE exclusively that the couple is hoping to have a future wedding celebration at the White House. PresidentDonald Trumpand first ladyMelania Trumpare expected to attend, the insider says.

Don Jr., 48, and Bettina, 39, are reportedly breaking a Trump family tradition this weekend and opting for a small Bahamas wedding ceremony, in part to keep the celebration private and intimate, insiders previously told PEOPLE.

According to a Palm Beach source, the pair wanted to tie the knot before events for the nation's 250th anniversary pick up, and before the disruptive summer and fall storms in South Florida and the Caribbean begin.

“July 4 belongs to America, and early fall is not a good time to plan a wedding in South Florida or on the islands due to questionable bad weather, so they decided to do it now in a place they both love,” the source said.

The pair alreadyquietly made their union officialin a ceremony held in Florida on Thursday, May 21, according to a Florida marriage license obtained by PEOPLE.

The document, which they applied for on May 14, bears Don J. and Bettina's signatures and indicates that the couple was married at Bettina's twin sister Kristina Anderson McPherson's home in West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Bettina's brother-in-law, real estate attorney Bradley McPherson, officiated the wedding, the license shows.

The coupleannounced their engagementat a White House holiday event on Dec. 15, 2025.

On Friday, May 22, the president, 79,announcedthat he will not be attending the wedding this weekend due to "circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America."

"While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so," he wrote onTruth Socialon Friday, May 22. "I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time."

On Thursday, the president had said his eldest son would “like me to go” to the wedding celebration but that “it's going to be just a small, little private affair. I'm gonna try and make it.”

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This is the first marriage for Bettina and the second for Don Jr., who sharesfive childrenwith his ex-wife,Vanessa Trump:Kai, 19; Donald III, 17; Tristan, 14; Spencer, 13; and Chloe, 11.

Read the original article onPeople