KTBB News, Weather, Talk – Page 2 – KTBB News, Weather, Talk

Trump to hold Long Island rally in effort to court New Yorkers

(NEW YORK) -- Former President Donald Trump's efforts to appeal to New York, a blue state, continue with a large-scale rally in Long Island on Wednesday -- Trump's second rally in the state on top of the multiple campaign stops he did in between his court appearances for his New York civil fraud trial.

Trump is set to speak Wednesday evening at the Nassau Coliseum -- a venue that holds 16,000 spectators, but the campaign alleges 60,000 tickets were requested, which would make it one of Trump's largest rallies this campaign cycle.

Outside the Coliseum ahead of Trump's event, vendors lined up selling various Trump merchandise. The celebration, which included music blaring through speakers, featured golden cars with Trump's face on the front and bedazzled Trump jackets.

The line for attendees stretched around the building hours before doors opened.

Trump's rally is set for the same day he was initially scheduled to be sentenced in his New York civil fraud trial. The judge in the case delayed his sentencing from Sept. 18 until Nov. 26 -- after the presidential election.

Ahead of his Wednesday rally, Trump has worked to court New Yorkers by promising to reverse a tax policy he signed into law in 2017. In a post on his social media platform, Trump claimed he would "get SALT back," suggesting the elimination of the cap on state and local tax deductions. In his 2017 tax law, Trump capped deductions at $10,000.

A majority of New York's congressional Republican delegation have been pushing to reverse the SALT deduction cap on Capitol Hill, spearheading the ongoing debate around the issue.

However, while many local Republicans have celebrated Trump's posture change, it also comes as he has recently rolled out a series of tax breaks, raising concerns about significant increases to the deficit.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? VOTE FOR TRUMP! I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more," the former president posted on his social media network ahead of his Wednesday rally.

In May, Trump pledged to turn New York red during a campaign rally in deep-blue South Bronx, New York, attempting to court the Hispanic and Black voters that make up a majority of the area's population.

"We have levels of support that nobody's seen before ... Don't assume it doesn't matter just because you live in a blue city. You live in a blue city, but it's going red very, very quickly," Trump said at the time.

The Trump campaign has worked to court New Yorkers this campaign cycle, attempting to at least pull enthusiasm away from Democrats and help make down-ballot races more competitive.

This is also his first large-scale campaign rally after an apparent assassination attempt on Trump while he was golfing in West Palm Beach on Sunday. The day prior, Trump held a town hall where nearly 4,000 Michigan voters attended; the Nassau rally is expected to be four times the size.

Trump had also made multiple smaller campaign stops in New York City before and after his mandated court appearance throughout his seven-week hush money payment criminal trial earlier this year to highlight several campaign messaging at each stop.

In mid-April, he visited a small bodega in Harlem that was the scene of a fatal stabbing two years earlier to highlight what he claimed was the failure of Democratic prosecutors in New York to ensure public safety as they prosecute him. Later that month, he visited a construction site in midtown Manhattan to boast support from union workers and working class voters.

Family members found shot to death at their Vermont home in triple homicide: Police

(PAWLET, Ver.) -- A man, his wife and her 13-year-old son were found shot to death at their Vermont home, state police said, with authorities looking for a suspect.

Officers responded to a report of a "suspicious person" early Sunday, Vermont State Police said. The investigation led them to a home in the town of Pawlet, where they found the three victims dead, police said.

State police identified the victims on Tuesday as Brian Crossman Sr., 46, who was a Pawlet government official; his wife, Erica Crossman, 41; and her son and his stepson, Colin Taft, 13.

All three died from gunshot wounds and their deaths have been ruled as homicides by the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, state police said. Brian Crossman was shot in the head and torso, Erica Crossman was shot in the head and her son had multiple gunshot wounds, state police said.

No one is in custody in connection with the homicides, Vermont State Police said Tuesday.

"Initial work by detectives indicates this was an isolated event with no identified threat to the community," state police said.

No additional details are available at this time amid the ongoing investigation, police said.

Brian Crossman had joined the Pawlet Select Board this year, where he served as a liaison to buildings and development and to the town's highway department, according to the town's website.

Flowers were left in his honor at the Pawlet Town Hall ahead of a board meeting Tuesday night, Albany, New York, ABC affiliate WTEN reported.

Pawlet Select Board Chair Mike Beecher remembered him as a "friend and neighbor" and a "hardworking community member."

"This tragedy that struck him and his family has also hit our community hard, and we are shaken and grieving," Beecher said in a statement Tuesday. "Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating loss. The town of Pawlet will work to get through this as we always get through hard times, by supporting each other and doing our best to carry on."

Pawlet, a town of about 1,400 people, is located in western Vermont on the New York state line.

Kilauea volcano erupting in remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

M. Zoeller/US Geological Survey / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

(HILO, Hawaii) -- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, one of the most active in the world, is erupting again, prompting a volcano watch alert in surrounding areas, according to officials.

The eruption is occurring within a remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Lava began flowing from a new fissure vent that opened from east to west within the volcano's Nāpau Crater early Tuesday morning, the USGS said.

Several lava fountains about 32 feet high and pools of lava on the floor of the crater were observed by helicopters flying over the eruption Tuesday morning.

A separate fissure west of the Nāpau Crater began emitting lava on Monday, stopping after a few hours and then resuming activity later that evening, according to the USGS, which also noted that the eruption was preceded by a sequence of below-ground earthquakes.

About 17 earthquakes were detected beneath the Kilauea summit region between Monday and Tuesday. The earthquakes occurred at depths between .6 and 1.9 miles below the ground surface, the USGS said.

The USGS issued a volcano watch – known as a code orange – which means that an eruption is either likely or occurring but with no, or minor, ash.

There is no immediate threat to life or infrastructure, but residents nearby may experience volcanic gas emissions related to the eruption, the USGS said.

Yet hazards remain around the Kilauea caldera from the instability of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall, the USGS said. Ground cracking and rockfalls can be enhanced by earthquakes.

Volcanic smog, known as vog, presents airborne health hazards to people and livestock and has the potential to damage agricultural crops and other plants, according to the USGS.

The USGS further warned that additional ground cracking and outbreaks of lava around the active and inactive fissures in Kilauea are also possible.

Another potential hazard is Pele's hair, a volcanic glass formation produced from cooled lava that's stretched into thin strands. The USGS warns that winds could carry lighter particles from the strands downwind. Contact with the particles can cause skin and eye irritation, according to the USGS.

Eruptions at Kilauea have been destructive in the past. In 2018, more than 600 properties were destroyed by heavy lava flow that stretched from the Kilauea summit to the ocean.

Unusual eruptions that were described as being similar to a "stomp-rocket toy," a children's toy that involves launching a rocket into the air after stomping on the release mechanism, contributed to the severity of the lava flow and could potentially impact future eruptions, according to a paper published earlier this year in Nature Geosciences.

The area surrounding the rim of Kilauea's Halemaʻumaʻu crater has been closed to the public since 2008 due to the hazards.

ABC News' Bonnie Mclean contributed to this report.

See Robert Pattinson, Robert Pattinson and Robert Pattinson in the sci-fi action-comedy ‘Mickey 17’

The trailer has dropped for Mickey 17, director Bong Joon-ho's follow-up to his Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite, and it stars Robert Pattinson. Or, more accurately, Pattinsons.

An adaptation of Edward Ashton's novel Mickey 7, the darkly comedic sci-fi film has the star playing the title role(s).

English actor Pattinson's voice in character is unrecognizable. "Nothing was working out, and I wanted to get off Earth," he explains in voice-over.

To that end, he signs up to be an "expendable."

That's a deep space exploration gig so perilous that death is common — requiring a new clone to be printed, imprinted with the previous one's memories.

The character is shown falling into a crevasse and being attacked by aliens, all to be "born" again.

The 17 refers to how many times he's been printed to replace the previous one, but troubles arise as Mickey starts to question his true purpose. "Even on my 17th go-round, I hate dying," he confesses.

But he's particularly shook when he discovers an 18th version of him, also played by the The Batman star, that emerges while Mickey 17 is still alive.

Mickey 17 also stars Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Ackie. It hits theaters Jan. 31.

Fed cuts interest rate by half a point

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers.

The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflects its new focus on bolstering the job market, which has shown clear signs of slowing. Coming just weeks before the presidential election, the Fed’s move also has the potential to scramble the economic landscape just as Americans prepare to vote.

The central bank’s action lowered its key rate to roughly 4.8%, down from a two-decade high of 5.3%, where it had stood for 14 months as it struggled to curb the worst inflation streak in four decades. Inflation has tumbled from a peak of 9.1% in mid-2022 to a three-year low of 2.5% in August, not far above the Fed’s 2% target.

The Fed’s policymakers also signaled that they expect to cut their key rate by an additional half-point in their final two meetings this year, in November and December. And they envision four more rate cuts in 2025 and two in 2026.

In a statement, the Fed came closer than it has before to declaring victory over inflation: It said it “has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%.”

Though the central bank now believes inflation is largely defeated, many Americans remain upset with still-high prices for groceries, gas, rent and other necessities. Former President Donald Trump blames the Biden-Harris administration for sparking an inflationary surge. Vice President Kamala Harris, in turn, has charged that Trump’s promise to slap tariffs on all imports would raise prices for consumers even further.

Rate cuts by the Fed should, over time, lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards, boosting Americans’ finances and supporting more spending and growth. Homeowners will be able to refinance mortgages at lower rates, saving on monthly payments, and even shift credit card debt to lower-cost personal loans or home equity lines. Businesses may also borrow and invest more. Average mortgage rates have already dropped to an 18-month low of 6.2%, according to Freddie Mac, spurring a jump in demand for refinancings.

In an updated set of projections, the Fed’s policymakers now collectively envision a faster drop in inflation than they did three months ago but also higher unemployment. They foresee their preferred inflation gauge falling to 2.3% by year’s end, from its current 2.5%, and to 2.1% by the end of 2025. And they now expect the unemployment rate to rise further this year, to 4.4%, from 4.2% now, and to remain there by the end of 2025. That’s above their previous forecasts of 4% for the end of this year and 4.2% for 2025.

The Fed’s next policy meeting is Nov. 6-7 — immediately after the presidential election. By cutting rates this week, soon before the election, the Fed is risking attacks from Trump, who has argued that lowering rates now amounts to political interference. Yet Politico has reported that even some key Senate Republicans who were interviewed have expressed support for a Fed rate cut this week.

The central bank’s officials fought against high inflation by raising their key rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Wage growth has since slowed, removing a potential source of inflationary pressure. And oil and gas prices are falling, a sign that inflation should continue to cool in the months ahead. Consumers are also pushing back against high prices, forcing such companies as Target and McDonald’s to dangle deals and discounts.

The Fed’s decision Wednesday drew the first dissent from a member of its governing board since 2005. Michelle Bowman, a board member who has expressed concern in the past that inflation had not been fully defeated, said she would have preferred a quarter-point rate cut.

Yet after several years of strong job growth, employers have slowed hiring, and the unemployment rate has risen nearly a full percentage point from its half-century low in April 2023 to a still-low 4.2%. Once unemployment rises that much, it tends to keep climbing. Fed officials and many economists note, though, that the rise in unemployment this time largely reflects an influx of people seeking jobs — notably new immigrants and recent college graduates — rather than layoffs.

At issue in the Fed’s deliberations is how fast it wants to lower its benchmark rate to a point where it’s no longer acting as a brake on the economy — nor as an accelerant. Where that so-called “neutral” level falls isn’t clear, though many analysts peg it at 3% to 3.5%.

Man found dead under unoccupied tow truck in Carthage

CARTHAGE – The Carthage Police Department is trying to find answers after a man was found dead under an unoccupied tow truck, according to our news partners at KETK. Carthage PD said they were notified of a crash at 11:22 p.m. on Tuesday in the 800 block of S. Adams Street “involving an out-of-county tow truck and a passenger car.” Officers reportedly found both vehicles unoccupied, and found “the apparent tow truck driver” dead under the tow truck. The Carthage Fire Department helped work the scene and Texas DPS were contacted to help reconstruct the crash. Police are still investigating and the identity of the victim has not been released at this time.

David Rancken’s App of the Day 09/18/24 – Scrollit – Visual Messenger!

How would you like to have you own personal billboard? Get David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Scrollit – Visual Messenger. You can find Scrollit – Visual Messenger in the Apple Store.

Brendan Fraser, Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei break bad in trailer to caper comedy ‘Brothers’

For a streaming movie about two bickering burglars, the upcoming Prime Video movie Brothers boasts some A-list names.

Game of Thrones Emmy winner Peter Dinklage joins Oscar nominees Josh Brolin and Glenn Close, and Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Marisa Tomei, in the caper comedy that centers on a cache of emeralds with a large side of family dysfunction.

Oh, and there's also an amorous orangutan named Samuel.

The trailer opens with the diminutive Dinklage getting tossed into a bathtub and held underwater by Fraser, who asks where the stones are.

Rewinding, Dinklage explains, "Some families have a long line of dentists and lawyers. We had a long line of felons."

He says that since childhood, he and his "big ugly twin brother," played by Brolin, were always stealing stuff. "I had the plans, he had the hands," the actor narrates.

While Brolin's character has gone straight, Dinklage proposes one last score — for the stones.

Complicating matters is the return of their mother, played by Close. "You were gone 30 years!" Brolin says, with Close responding, "I can apologize only so much."

"You haven't apologized at all," Brolin replies.

Evidently, however, she's needed so the trio can get their hands on the $4 million haul.

There's a ton of physical comedy and R-rated wordplay from director Max Barbakow — and Brolin's character is apparently molested by the ape, requiring the embarrassed thief to slather hand sanitizer all over himself afterward.

The movie hits Prime Video Oct. 17.

2 wanted, one wearing pink shower cap, in stolen New York City subway crash

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- A search is underway in New York City for two suspects, including one dressed all in pink, who allegedly crashed an empty subway train after brazenly walking into a station and stealing it, authorities said.

The theft of the train in the nation's largest subway system unfolded amid the deployment of additional police officers to the subway system to combat a surge in crime. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul even deployed National Guard troops as part of a five-point plan to protect subway riders.

According to a New York Police Department incident report, the thieves, a man and a woman, stole the empty train just after midnight on Thursday at the Briarwood subway station in the borough of Queens, according to police.

"These two individuals entered an unoccupied train and operated it, causing a collision and damage to the train," according to the NYPD incident report.

No injuries were reported and the suspects fled the area on foot, according to police.

No arrests have been announced as of Wednesday morning, police said.

The duo was caught on surveillance cameras walking through the empty train at Briarwood station before taking it on a short joy ride, police said.

One of the alleged thieves was described as a woman with a medium build and medium complexion, according to police.

"She was last seen wearing a pink shower cap, a pink sleeveless shirt, pink shorts, and carrying a pink handbag," according to the incident report.

Her accomplice was described by police as a man with a slim build and light complexion, He was dressed in a blue tank top, red shorts and carrying a black backpack.

It was at least the second theft of a New York City subway train in less than eight months.

On Dec. 30, 2023, a group stole empty trains parked in a restricted area near the Forest Hills-71st Avenue subway station in Queens. Authorities said the group entered the operators' compartments of two lead train cars before driving them northbound.

Amidst a 45% year-over-year spike in New York City transit crime in January, mostly due to grand larcenies, Hochul deployed 1,000 state workers, including 250 state police troopers and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police members, to assist the NYPD in enhanced baggage checks at heavily trafficked areas of the subway system.

Hochul also directed the New York National Guard to make 750 members, who are currently part of the Joint Task Force Empire Shield, available to help check subway riders' bags for weapons.

According to the most recent NYPD crime statistics, transit crime as of Sunday is now down 5.4% from this time in 2023.

Water main break in Gladewater

GLADEWATER – Our news partners at KETK report the City of Gladewater said due to a water main break Wednesday morning portions of the city will not have water. Gladewater ISD officials said all students will be released early at 1 p.m. due to the S. Main Street water main break. City officials said they will provide updates as soon as they receive them on their Facebook page.

Halle Berry holds “special wig screenings” of new thriller ‘Never Let Go’

Halle Berry knows how to laugh at herself — after all, she's the only Oscar winner to personally pick up a Razzie Award — and she just proved that again with a hair-raising promotion for her new thriller, Never Let Go.

To celebrate the infamous wig she wore as a 911 operator in the 2013 thriller The Call — which, she explained on Instagram, fans have been "jokingly 'dragging' me [about] for years" — she held "special wig screenings" of the new film.

Fans who got to see the Sept. 20 release early were invited to wear a wig inspired by Halle's headwear in various films — and more than a couple chose to callback The Call.

In the video posted online, Halle surprised fans, showing up to one such showing wearing the frizzy "abomination" she wore in that film, which she explained was identical to one worn by a real-life 911 operator she met while doing research.

Moviegoers who went uncovered were supplied by Halle, who tossed wigs into the crowd à la Oprah, saying, "YOU get a wig! And YOU get a wig!"

The superstar added, "This means so much to me that you guys would come out tonight, put on a wig, take the time [and] come support this movie I'm so proud of."

She added, "And you know, there's another wig in it — another f***** up wig."

In the movie, she plays a haunted mother trying to keep her two sons safe in a post-apocalyptic world.

Referencing the plot of The Call, Halle added, "But you know, I saved Abigail Breslin from the trunk, I got her a** out, and I'm gonna save these kids, too."

Never Let Go opens Friday.

Abilene Christian to build nuclear reactor on campus

AUSTIN – the Dallas Morning News reports federal nuclear power regulators have given the go-ahead for the first research nuclear reactor in more than 40 years, and it’s here in Texas. Abilene Christian University will be home to the advanced nuclear reactor, which the university’s NEXT Lab and Abilene-based nuclear company Natura Resources will build on campus. The permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a milestone in the research and development of smaller-scale nuclear reactors in Texas and could become the state’s first new nuclear reactor since the Comanche Peak power plant’s second unit was licensed to operate in 1993. The NEXT Lab reactor could generate enough energy to power the equivalent of only about 250 homes. However, it will create a testing ground for a type of reactor that its developers believe can be scaled to larger utility-scale reactors. It will be housed in the university’s Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center, which was completed in August 2023.

“With the NRC’s issuance of the construction permit, we are one step closer to making that a reality. The performance-driven approach of Natura Resources to advanced reactor deployment has quickly moved them from a relative unknown to a leader in the upstart advanced reactor industry,” said Phil Schubert, university president. Federal inspectors will monitor the construction of the reactor, which will not produce electricity until ACU obtains additional federal approval to fuel the reactor with uranium. “This is the first research reactor project we’ve approved for construction in decades, and the staff successfully worked with ACU to resolve several technical issues with this novel design,” Andrea Veil, director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, said in a news release. Molten salt will be used to cool the reactor, which can reach extreme temperatures. Heat that radiates through the molten salt can then be used to create electricity. While this method of cooling has existed for more than 50 years, it is not widely used. Legacy reactors generally rely on water to cool fuel rods.

Travis County sues Texas officials over voting

AUSTIN (AP) – Travis County officials sued Attorney General Ken Paxton and Secretary of State Jane Nelson on Tuesday over the state’s attempt to block voter registration efforts ahead of a hotly contested presidential election.

The new federal lawsuit escalates a pre-election war between Republican state officials and Democratic urban county leaders over voter registration efforts and accuses Texas officials of violating the National Voter Registration Act. Developments in the ongoing battle continue unfolding as the Oct. 7 deadline to sign up to vote looms.

“Today, Travis County, once again, fights back,” Travis County Attorney Delia Garza said during a press conference Tuesday.

Paxton’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

The federal suit is in response to Paxton turning to state courts to try and block the county from mailing out voter registration applications to people identified as eligible voters who aren’t currently on the rolls. Travis County is home to Austin and has long been a Democratic stronghold in the state.

Paxton’s lawsuit argued that the Texas Election Code did not grant a county officials the ability to collect information about private citizens to convince them to vote and claimed that such an effort is illegal. But Democrats, local leaders and election experts disagree with Paxton’s interpretation of state law.

In interviews with conservative personalities and on social media, Paxton has also pushed false accusations that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris intentionally allowed undocumented immigrants into the country so that they can vote for Democrats. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee this year, has repeated similar claims, including during this month’s presidential debate against Harris, the Democratic nominee.

Paxton has argued that mailing voter registration applications could lead to ineligible voters signing up to vote. Voter registration applications are returned to county offices and are reviewed to confirm eligibility. The Secretary of State’s Office also verifies eligibility.

“Travis County has blatantly violated Texas law by paying partisan actors to conduct unlawful identification efforts to track down people who are not registered to vote,” Paxton said in a statement earlier this month. “Programs like this invite fraud and reduce public trust in our elections. We will stop them and any other county considering such programs.”

Jeremy Smith, the CEO of Civic Government Solutions, the company contracted by Travis County to identify unregistered voters, also denied that his organization engaged in partisan tactics in identifying eligible voters who haven’t yet signed up to cast a ballot in November.

“All of our contracts, 100% of them, are nonpartisan. It is written in,” Smith said. “We are under restrictions and obligations to prove that and maintain that and provide that data for accountability back to all of our clients.”

Garza said the new legal filings transfers Paxton’s state lawsuit to federal court. Travis officials are asking the federal court to allow them to continue sending out voter registration applications. The filing came one day after a judge denied Paxton’s request to block Bexar County, home to San Antonio, from mailing out voter registration applications to its residents. The court found no reason to grant the request since the county had already mailed out the forms. Bexar County is also strongly Democratic.

Travis officials allege Paxton violated Title 52 of the Voting Rights Act by trying to prevent them from carrying out their duties to promote people’s right to vote. They accuse Nelson of doing nothing to stop Paxton’s alleged unlawful conduct. They argue that the state law not only allows them to send out the applications, but also encourages them to do so.

Nelson’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Garza pointed out that a state law provision states that local governments can be reimbursed for mailing out voter registration applications to its residents.

“Travis County was going about its business serving the citizens of our community and dutifully complying with federal and state election laws,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown.

Update: U.S. 59 has reopened after a seven-hour traffic delay

UPDATE: U.S. 59 has reopened after a seven-hour traffic delay.

LUFKIN – One person is injured after a wreck involving three 18-wheelers Wednesday morning on US Highway 59 in Lufkin, according to our news partners at KETK.

According to Lufkin officials, the crash happened just before 8 a.m. near the intersection of Southwood Drive and FM 324.
Courtesy of City of Lufkin

Authorities are asking drivers to avoid the area if possible and to expect delays. Officials said one of the vehicles lost its load on the highway and clearing the scene “will take a considerable amount of time.”

Officials said southbound US 59 traffic is rerouted into one of the northbound lanes.

One of the drivers was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, Lufkin officials said.

“Northbound lanes are also expected to experience closures and delays as heavy-rotation wreckers are brought in for cleanup,” authorities said.

Agatha All Along star Patti LuPone wants to fight Ryan Reynolds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Broadway legend Patti LuPone is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to a scene-stealing role as Lilia Calderu, a 450-year-old Sicilian witch in Agatha All Along.

And while she tells Variety she still knows "nothing" about the MCU at large, she has thrown down the gauntlet with one of its newest superstars, Ryan Reynolds.

Not Reynolds' foul-mouthed, fourth wall-breaking character, mind you, but apparently the affable actor from Vancouver who helped save the MCU from its recent box office slump with Deadpool & Wolverine.

She hasn't seen any Avengers movies, and confessed she didn't want to, before adding, "Maybe I should say I want to because I want to be in the Marvel Universe."

She explained she'd like to either play a "good witch or a villain" on the big screen, then called out Reynolds personally. "Is Deadpool, are they Marvel?" she asked. When she heard that is indeed the case, she added, "I would fight Ryan Reynolds. I have no idea what Deadpool is, but I would just fight Ryan Reynolds."

Incidentally, LuPone told the trade she watched WandaVision three times to prepare for her role in the spin-off, which debuts Wednesday on Disney+, adding, "I finally understood a little of it."

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.