OPINION: ‘Read the back label, not just the front.’

Police confirmed the pair knew each other.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has recommended Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced over the decades-old murder of their parents and be eligible for parole immediately.

"Resentencing is appropriate," he said and will make the recommendation to a judge.

Gascon says there was not total agreement within his office about what should happen, but that his decision was made after a "very careful review."

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A judge will ultimately decide on the brothers' case, and a hearing on the matter has been scheduled for November 26.

Gascon told a packed media conference on Thursday (Friday AEDT) if the judge adopts his recommendation, the pair could be eligible for parole immediately.

"I believe the brothers were subject to a tremendous about of dysfunction in their home and molestation", he said.

He also said there is no excuse for murder.

"I believe they have paid their debt to society," Gascon said.

The hearing stems from a defence petition citing what the Menendez brothers' lawyers argue is new evidence, as well as a recent California law on resentencing in which the court can take into consideration sentences in comparable cases.

The judge can also consider whether the defendants were victims of psychological or physical abuse, whether they are rehabilitated and whether they are a danger to society.

The reexamination of the case comes more than 35 years after the fatal shooting of Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. Their sons, Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 at the time, were arrested less than a year later, in 1990, and accused of first-degree murder.

At their high-profile trials decades ago – one of the first cases to be televised – the brothers did not deny killing their parents, but argued they should not be convicted because they acted in self-defence after enduring a lifetime of abuse by their father.

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A first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on the charges. In their second trial, much of the defense evidence about sexual abuse was excluded. The brothers were found guilty in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison.

Last year, lawyers for the Menendez brothers filed a habeas corpus petition asking the court to reconsider the conviction and sentence in light of new evidence, including a sworn statement by former Menudo boy band member Roy Rosselló, who alleged Jose Menendez sexually assaulted him in the 1980s.

The lawyers also said a letter Erik Menendez wrote to a cousin months before the killings alludes to the abuse he endured.

The defence is asking the court to either vacate the brothers' conviction and sentence, or permit discovery and an evidentiary hearing during which they can provide proof, the petition says.

The brothers' story has taken on new interest following the September release of the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. Netflix also released a documentary on the Menendez case this month featuring both men discussing what led to the killings.

Gascón, who is campaigning for reelection on a platform that includes sentencing reform, told CNN this month times have changed regarding how the public and the courts treat victims of sexual abuse.

"There is no question that a jury today would look at this case probably very differently than a jury did 35 years ago," he said.

Last week, the brothers' relatives made impassioned pleas for their release.

Joan Vander Molen, Kitty Menendez's sister, said the actions of the brothers were "the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruelty of their father."

"They were just children. Children who could have been protected and were instead brutalized in the most horrific ways," she said.

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A new lawsuit alleges Vince McMahon knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee in the 1980s.

The suit, filed on behalf of five former WWE "ring boys", alleges McMahon, his wife Linda McMahon, the WWE, and TKO Group Holdings, the league's parent company, knowingly allowed former ringside announcer Melvin Phillips jnr to use his position to sexually exploit children as young as 12 and 13 years old.

"Phillips lured and manipulated the young boys with promises of meeting famous wrestlers and attending the highly popular wrestling shows, experiences that were otherwise unattainable for these kids," the lawsuit alleges. "(The McMahons and the WWE) allowed Phillips and others to engage in, and foster, the WWE's rampant culture of sexual abuse."

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The WWE did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment. Jessica Rosenberg, an attorney for Vince McMahon, called the allegations false.

As early as 1992, New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick wrote about Phillips' alleged abuse of ring boys at the WWE.

"More than 30 years ago, the columnist Phil Mushnick tried to make headlines with these same false claims. Those allegations were never proven," Rosenberg said in a statement.

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"The negligence claims against Mr McMahon that were asserted today rely on these same absurd, defamatory and utterly meritless statements by Mr Mushnick. We will vigorously defend Mr McMahon and are confident the court will find that these claims are untrue and unfounded."

The suit, filed in Baltimore County, Maryland, on behalf of five John Does, alleges Phillips would recruit children to work as ring boys, helping him run errands to set up for WWE events. However, the job was a guise for sexually exploiting the boys, which Phillips would do even in front of wrestlers and executives in the locker area, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit alleges McMahon was aware of Phillips' abuse of the children. In fact, the lawsuit alleges McMahon admitted that he was aware as early as the 1980s that Phillips had a "peculiar and unnatural interest" in young boys.

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Phillips worked for the WWE in the 1970s, '80s and '90s as a "prominent" ringside announcer and crew chief. He died in 2012.

"It was common knowledge in the WWE — among the ring crew, wrestlers, and executives — that Phillips surrounded himself with a posse of underaged ring boys, including when he travelled across state lines and stayed in hotel rooms with the children," the lawsuit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, the McMahons fired Phillips in 1988 after allegations about him sexually exploiting children continued to surface. Yet they rehired him six weeks later, and the lawsuits alleges he continued recruiting young men to sexually exploit.

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The lawsuit alleges the McMahons re-hired Phillips on the condition that he "steer clear from kids," yet he did not, and they knowingly let it happen. Phillips would often film his sexual abuse of the underage ring boys on video camera, the lawsuit alleges.

"After decades of suffering in silence from their childhood trauma, these survivors come forward now to hold (McMahon and the WWE) accountable for their conduct in allowing the systemic and pervasive abuse by Philips," the lawsuit alleges.

No one has ever been criminally charged.

Linda McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE in 2009. She worked in former president Donald Trump's cabinet as the 25th administrator of the Small Business Administration before stepping down in 2019.

This lawsuit is the latest in a series of misconduct allegations against McMahon and the WWE. In 2022, McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE and the following year paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to Rita Chatterton, a former employee and referee, who accused McMahon of raping her in 1986. McMahon returned to WWE's board in January 2023.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported in 2022 McMahon had paid more than $US12 million to four women to cover up "allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity".

In January, McMahon stepped down as chairman of TKO, WWE's parent company, following allegations of sexual assault and trafficking. McMahon has denied the allegations.

A group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia's Kursk region, an area of ongoing military operations, Ukraine's military intelligence service announced.

After receiving training in Russia's far east, some troops have now made their way to the western Russia region where Ukraine has maintained a strong foothold since launching an incursion in August.

In a post on its official Telegram account, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said the troops had been spotted in Kursk on Wednesday.

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The intelligence service said the roughly 12,000 North Korean soldiers that have been deployed to Russia are receiving training at five military training grounds in the east.

This comes after CNN geolocated social media videos showing troops arriving at the Sergeevka training ground, close to Russia's border with China.

Thursday's 12,000 figure is larger than had been previously been flagged by US officials. On Wednesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at least 3000 North Korean soldiers arrived in eastern Russia this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukraine had intelligence about Russia "training two military units from North Korea" involving perhaps "two brigades of 6000 people each."

Ukrainian intelligence services said on Thursday that "several weeks" have been allocated for the coordination of the North Korean troops which includes 500 officers and three generals.

READ MORE: North Korean troops seen being equipped in Russia ahead of likely deployment to Ukraine

Moscow 'in contact' with Pyongyang

Ukraine had repeatedly warned that warming relations between Russia and North Korea could see Pyeongyang taking a more direct role in the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did nothing to dispel this suspicion when questioned by journalists at the BRICS summit on Thursday, saying Russia is currently "in contact" with North Korea.

"We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously," Putin told the press conference in Kazan, Russia.

"But what and how we will do is our business," he added.

Putin's Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has been tasked with overseeing the troop's training, the Ukrainian intelligence service said.

CNN had previously reported when North Korean recruits were filmed receiving equipment and uniforms at a training ground in Russia's Far East.

The soldiers are thought to have received ammunition, bedding, winter clothing and footwear, and hygiene products from the Russian authorities, the Ukrainian intelligence service reported.

Argentina's police raided the Buenos Aires hotel where ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne stayed before dying last week after falling from a third-floor balcony, a government official said Thursday.

A police special investigations unit went to the Casa Sur hotel Wednesday night on orders from the public prosecutors’ office.

Officers seized items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, a government official told The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to speak publicly.

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The singer died October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony in the up-market, touristy Palermo district.

According to the autopsy, Payne died from multiple injuries as well as both internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard.

Initial investigations suggest that the musician was alone and experiencing a “breakdown” due to consumption of substances that have not yet been determined.

Following Payne’s death, police found substances in his hotel room, as well as several destroyed objects and furniture, according to the public prosecutors’ office.

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The British boyband star had cocaine in his system, according to a preliminary toxicology report published by local press Monday and confirmed to the AP by a source familiar.

Definitive results aren’t expected to be made public for several weeks.

The Casa Sur hotel has become a place for Payne’s fans to pay their respects.

They have left flowers, candles and photos of the singer in a makeshift shrine around a tree at the hotel’s entrance.

READ MORE: Police treating former One Direction member Liam Payne's death as suspicious, but say star was alone

The singer’s father, Geoff Payne, is in Buenos Aires arranging the repatriation of his son’s body, which is expected to be released around October 28.

Payne’s family — which includes his mother Karen Payne and his two sisters Ruth and Nicola — have expressed their devastation over the loss, as have his former bandmates. Artists and celebrities from various countries continue to share their grief.

One Direction was among the most successful boy bands of recent times.

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It announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016 and Payne — like his former bandmates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson — pursued a solo career.

The singer had posted on his Snapchat account that he travelled to Argentina to attend Horan’s concert in Buenos Aires on October 2.

He shared videos of himself dancing with his girlfriend, American influencer Kate Cassidy, and singing along in the stands. Cassidy had left Argentina after the show, but Payne stayed behind.

Beyoncé will appear alongside US Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Texas, the first joint appearance with the music icon whose anthem has been the soundtrack of the Harris campaign.

The appearance, in which Beyoncé will appear with legendary country singer Willie Nelson, is designed to be one of the biggest closing acts of the campaign.

Since the moment Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, the vice president's team has been working behind the scenes to negotiate a joint appearance before election day.

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Beyoncé's team did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Her upcoming appearance in the city of Houston on Friday (Saturday Australian time) was first reported by The Washington Post.

Beyoncé all but gave her endorsement to Harris months ago, giving her permission to use her song Freedom as her official campaign anthem, CNN first reported in July.

Beyoncé, who is known for maintaining strict clearance guidelines around her music, gave quick approval to the Harris campaign to use the anthem, which has been the backdrop for Harris ads and when she was onstage at the Democratic National Convention. Harris first walked out to Freedom at her first official stop at her campaign headquarters, two days after she launched her presidential campaign.

At one point, rumours of Beyoncé appearing at the Democratic convention threatened to overtake Harris' acceptance speech. Campaign officials have insisted it was never the plan to have Beyoncé join Harris in Chicago, even as they sent conflicting signals in the moment.

Fans may be wondering whether Taylor Swift — who endorsed Harris last month — will join Harris on a campaign stop in this final stretch to the election.

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"Wouldn't it be great?" one campaign official said of a Swift appearance, declining to answer the question.

It certainly won't happen with Beyoncé in Houston: Swift is scheduled to perform in New Orleans Friday night on the final leg of her "Eras" tour.

Though Friday will be Beyoncé's first time officially rallying with Harris, the superstar has a history of endorsing Democratic candidates.

In 2013, she sang the US national anthem at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama. In 2016, Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z headlined a pre-election concert for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, with her backup dancers dressed in blue pantsuits to honour the woman who could have been the first female president.

"I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless," Beyoncé said at the time. "And that's why I am with her."

In 2020, Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket, posting on her Instagram to encourage her followers to vote.

In Houston, Harris is expected to address abortion rights as she seeks to draw a contrast with former US president Donald Trump over the controversial issue ahead of election day, a senior campaign official previously told CNN.

During her remarks, the vice president is expected to warn of the threat a second Trump term poses to women's reproductive freedom.

Harris will also place blame on the former president for extreme abortion bans, including in Texas, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She will be joined by women who have been impacted by the restrictive laws.

Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would use presidential powers to end Jack Smith's probe into multiple criminal cases he's brought against the former US president, promising to fire the special counsel who has indicted him on multiple criminal charges.

"Oh, it's so easy. It's so easy," Trump said when asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt whether he would "pardon yourself" or "fire Jack Smith".

"I would fire him within two seconds," Trump said.

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Smith was appointed as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee two investigations into Trump regarding his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

The classified documents case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge, but Smith is appealing.

Trump still faces charges in Smith's election subversion case. After the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, Smith filed a superseding indictment in August that slimmed down the allegations but didn't drop the four charges that were brought against Trump.

Trump faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

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If the former president were to fire Smith, that would allow the Department of Justice and Trump's attorney general to drop the charges against him and end the court cases.

Trump, who was convicted earlier this year of 34 felony counts in a separate New York case against him, has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the justice system is being weaponised against him because he's running for president.

But Trump has suggested on multiple occasions he would weaponise the justice system against his political rivals if re-elected.

Trump's comments to Hewitt aren't the first time he's suggested he would fire Smith. Trump, who frequently rails against Smith on the campaign trail, told Breitbart last July that he "wouldn't keep" the special counsel if he were re-elected.

"I wouldn't keep him," Trump said when asked if he would fire Smith.

"Jack Smith? Why would I keep him?"

Trump has routinely on the campaign trail suggested he would weaponise the justice system to go after his political opponents if re-elected.

The former US president has said several times he feels entitled to go after his political opponents because of his own criminal charges and has vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to "go after" US President Joe Biden and his family if he wins back the White House.

Trump has also labelled his political opponents "the enemy from within" as he ramps up his rhetoric against his perceived enemies in the final stretch of the campaign.

Trump has called Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi "the enemy from within" and has claimed they pose a greater threat than foreign adversaries.

Trump has gone so far as to suggest using the military to handle "the enemy from within" on Election Day, saying that he isn't worried about chaos from his supporters or foreign actors, but instead from "radical-left lunatics".

Vice President Kamala Harris has highlighted Trump's comments on the campaign trail as she argues he is "unstable," "unhinged" and out for "unchecked power".