Melissa Etheridge announced Friday that in July she’ll release a live album called I’m Not Broken (Live From Topeka Correctional Facility) as part of a two-part docuseries she’s bringing to Paramount+ that month. She says the concept of the docuseries, which is a passion project for her, was inspired by the late country icon Johnny Cash.
“I did a show at the Kansas state women’s penitentiary. … We filmed it. We followed about five women. They wrote me letters, I met them, I wrote them a song, performed it there,” Melissa tells ABC Audio. “It’s about the healing powers of music and … a spotlight on our correctional facilities and how we can help make them better.”
As for why she wanted to play in a prison, it’s because of Cash, who often performed in correctional facilities. His 1968 album Live at Folsom Prison is a classic.
“I grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas. Lots of prisons [there],” Melissa tells ABC Audio. “When I was about 8 years old, Johnny Cash came and performed two blocks from my house at the federal penitentiary. We did not get to see him, but since then, I’ve always felt like that is a real way of giving back to people and, and maybe using the power of music to lift them up.”
“I almost did it with [country legend] Tammy Wynette in the ’90s, but she passed away, unfortunately. And so I kept the dream alive, and I finally got to do it,” Melissa adds. “It’ll be on Paramount+ in July.”
(NEW YORK) — The highly anticipated 2024 WNBA draft is finally here. Like many fans, players will anxiously await to hear their name called on Monday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
In 2023, the league broke records in ticket sales with back-to-back WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, reporting sold-out games throughout the season and viewership with the WNBA reporting over 36 million total unique viewers across all national networks during the regular season.
The women’s NCAA championship game earlier this month outdrew the men’s with an average of 18.9 million viewers, according to ESPN.
With some of women’s college basketball players being newcomers, the league is anticipating bigger turnouts than ever before. Here are six players to watch ahead of the WNBA draft.
1. Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark is known for her jaw-dropping 3-pointers and record-breaking scoring. The University of Iowa star declared for the WNBA draft in February in a social media post. Clark, 22, is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, according to ESPN. I
Iowa announced it will be retiring Clark’s jersey, No. 22, later this season. The Fever is also reporting increased ticket sales and the league will broadcast 36 of their 40 games this season.
2. Cameron Brink
Hailing from Beaverton, Oregon, and standing at 6-foot-4, Cameron Brink is a force to be reckoned with in the post. Brink became the first women’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with New Balance in 2023. Brink broke the program record for career blocks as a junior and won an NCAA championship with Stanford in 2021 under Tara VanDerveer, the winningest coach of all time who also announced her retirement after this season.
The 22-year-old is expected to be the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft with the Los Angeles Sparks, according to ESPN.
3. Kamilla Cardoso
At just 15 years old, Kamilla Cardoso left her home in Montes Claros, Brazil, and moved to the U.S. alone. Her goal was to play basketball in college and reach the WNBA. The 6-foot-7 star began her basketball career at Syracuse and later transferred to South Carolina, where she won two NCAA national championships. After a masterful performance in the NCAA Tournament, the 22-year-old was awarded the most outstanding player in this year’s championship game.
Cardoso is expected to be the No. 3 overall draft pick for the Chicago Sky, according to ESPN. She will be featured in a documentary alongside Clark coming this May.
4. Rickea Jackson
Though you don’t hear the name often, 23-year-old Rickea Jackon’s calm and poised demeanor on the court should not go unnoticed. Hailing from Detroit, Jackson was a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award as Division I’s best small forward while playing for Tennessee, according to the WNBA, and is the fourth-leading scorer in Lady Vol’s program history.
The 6-foot-2 forward has name, image and likeness deals with Burt’s Bees and Bojangles. She is projected to be the No. 4 overall pick for the Los Angeles Sparks. according to ESPN.
5. Aaliyah Edwards
Playing under UConn head coach Geno Auriemma is no easy task. The 6-foot-4 forward from Kingston, Ontario, helped UConn to three NCAA Final Four appearances. Edwards was the youngest member of the Canadian women’s national team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to the WNBA.
Edwards signed an NIL deal with adidas Canada, becoming the first NIL athlete of the global sports brand’s Canadian division, according to the WNBA. She is projected to be selected No. 5 to the Dallas Wings, according to ESPN.
6. Angel Reese
The Baltimore native turned “Bayou Barbie” became a sensation following Louisiana State University’s victory over Iowa in the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship. Angel Reese, the 2024 SEC player of the year, made her WNBA draft announcement in style — with a feature in Vogue magazine. With nearly 3 million followers and big NIL deals, the 6-foot-3 forward has captivated the world at the intersection of sports and fashion. She is projected to be selected No. 8 by the Chicago Sky, according to ESPN.
The WNBA draft will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be streamed on ESPN.
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(LONDON) — A suspect was arrested after a priest was stabbed during a livestream in Wakeley, a city in New South Wales, Australia, police said on Monday.
A “number” of other people were also stabbed, law enforcement said.
A video of the incident, which was viewed by ABC News, appears to show a man approaching the priest as he speaks to his congregation. The man appears to interrupt the sermon and to begin violently attacking the priest.
“Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries,” the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement. “The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics.”
Officers were dispatched to a church on Welcome Street after a call about multiple injuries came in at about 7:10 p.m. on Monday, police said.
“A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area,” police said in a statement.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
Jonathan Glazer‘s film The Zone of Interest, which recently won Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound, was the most-watched title on streaming last week, according to the analysts at Reelgood.
The haunting drama is available for streaming on Max.
In a bit of trivia, it means its producer A24 now has the top movie at the box office, with Civil War, and the top movie on streaming.
The weekly top 10 chart from the company, which monitors 20 million viewing decisions for all platforms, saw Netflix’s series Ripley taking the second slot for the week of April 4 through April 10, 2024.
Ewan McGregor‘s drama series A Gentleman in Moscow, on Paramount+ with Showtime, ranked third, while Apple TV+’s new series Sugar, starring Academy Award winner Colin Farrell was fourth, and the four Oscar-winning film Poor Things starring two-time winner Emma Stone, rounded out the top five of the most-watched titles for last week.
Former US President Donald Trump waves as he departs Trump Tower for Manhattan Criminal Court, to attend the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, in New York City on April 15, 2024. — CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Jury selection could take up to two weeks, with the entire trial expected to last between six and eight weeks.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 15, 10:03 AM Proceedings are underway
“All rise,” the bailiff announced at 9:59 a.m. ET. “This is the People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump.”
And with that, proceedings are underway.
Members of the prosecution and the defense, including the former president, stood briefly as Judge Juan Merchan entered the courtroom and took his seat on the bench.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg entered the courtroom shortly before court went into session.
Apr 15, 9:41 AM Trump calls trial ‘assault on America’
Former President Trump arrived at the courtroom at 9:32 a.m. flanked by members of his legal team.
In brief remarks to reporters on the way in, he called his criminal trial an “assault on America.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Trump said, marking his first comments of the day as he becomes the first former American president to face criminal charges.
“There is no case,” he said. “This is political persecution.”
Trump also attacked President Joe Biden and said the case should not go forward.
Upon entering the courtroom, he sat at the defendant’s table as his lawyers and court officers buzzed around him.
Apr 15, 9:23 AM Members of DA’s team arrive
Several members of the Manhattan district attorney’s office have arrived in the courtroom.
Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Apr 15, 9:06 AM Trump arrives at courthouse
Former President Trump has arrived at the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
He stepped out of his motorcade, waved, and walked into the side entrance.
A small group of supporters and protestors both cheered and booed his arrival.
Apr 15, 8:59 AM Trump en route to courthouse
Former President Trump is en route to the courthouse in lower Manhattan for this morning’s proceedings.
The former president left for the the courthouse from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan.
Apr 15, 7:26 AM Court may start with hearing on Trump testifying
Court this morning may start with a hearing over what prosecutors can ask Trump during cross-examination should he take the stand later in the trial.
The judge would hear arguments from both the people and the defense. The proceedings would then move into jury selection later in the morning.
Prosecutors have indicated they would want to cross-examine Trump on approximately “thirteen different court determinations,” including the recent civil finding that he sexually abused columnist E. Jean Carroll, the criminal conviction of the Trump Organization last year, the finding that he committed a decade of business fraud, and the dissolution of his charity, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The hearing — known as a Sandoval hearing — is standard practice before jury selection and typically occurs when a defendant signals a willingness to testify.
In a filing last month, Trump’s lawyers requested a Sandoval hearing to limit the scope of Trump’s potential cross examination, if he opted to testify.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
Apr 15, 7:06 AM Jury selection set to begin
Former President Trump will leave his Trump Tower apartment in Midtown Manhattan this morning and travel down to lower Manhattan for the first day of jury selection in his criminal hush money trial.
The proceedings come after Trump unsuccessfully tried three times last week to delay the start of the trial through the filing of appeals.
As a defendant in a criminal case, the former president will be required to be in court for the entire trial, which is expected to take six to eight weeks.
Former US President Donald Trump waves as he departs Trump Tower for Manhattan Criminal Court, to attend the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, in New York City on April 15, 2024. — CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Jury selection could take up to two weeks, with the entire trial expected to last between six and eight weeks.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 15, 9:41 AM Trump calls trial ‘assault on America’
Former President Trump arrived at the courtroom at 9:32 a.m. flanked by members of his legal team.
In brief remarks to reporters on the way in, he called his criminal trial an “assault on America.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Trump said, marking his first comments of the day as he becomes the first former American president to face criminal charges.
“There is no case,” he said. “This is political persecution.”
Trump also attacked President Joe Biden and said the case should not go forward.
Upon entering the courtroom, he sat at the defendant’s table as his lawyers and court officers buzzed around him.
Apr 15, 9:23 AM Members of DA’s team arrive
Several members of the Manhattan district attorney’s office have arrived in the courtroom.
Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Apr 15, 9:06 AM Trump arrives at courthouse
Former President Trump has arrived at the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
He stepped out of his motorcade, waved, and walked into the side entrance.
A small group of supporters and protestors both cheered and booed his arrival.
Apr 15, 8:59 AM Trump en route to courthouse
Former President Trump is en route to the courthouse in lower Manhattan for this morning’s proceedings.
The former president left for the the courthouse from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan.
Apr 15, 7:26 AM Court may start with hearing on Trump testifying
Court this morning may start with a hearing over what prosecutors can ask Trump during cross-examination should he take the stand later in the trial.
The judge would hear arguments from both the people and the defense. The proceedings would then move into jury selection later in the morning.
Prosecutors have indicated they would want to cross-examine Trump on approximately “thirteen different court determinations,” including the recent civil finding that he sexually abused columnist E. Jean Carroll, the criminal conviction of the Trump Organization last year, the finding that he committed a decade of business fraud, and the dissolution of his charity, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The hearing — known as a Sandoval hearing — is standard practice before jury selection and typically occurs when a defendant signals a willingness to testify.
In a filing last month, Trump’s lawyers requested a Sandoval hearing to limit the scope of Trump’s potential cross examination, if he opted to testify.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
Apr 15, 7:06 AM Jury selection set to begin
Former President Trump will leave his Trump Tower apartment in Midtown Manhattan this morning and travel down to lower Manhattan for the first day of jury selection in his criminal hush money trial.
The proceedings come after Trump unsuccessfully tried three times last week to delay the start of the trial through the filing of appeals.
As a defendant in a criminal case, the former president will be required to be in court for the entire trial, which is expected to take six to eight weeks.
Succession star Sarah Snook and singer/actress Nicole Scherzinger were among the big winners at the 2024 Olivier Awards held Sunday, April 14 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Snook took home the Best Actress trophy for her performance in the Sydney Theatre Company’s version of the Oscar Wilde play The Picture of Dorian Gray. Scherzinger won for Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as Norma Desmond in the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Sunset Boulevard. The complete list of winners can be found at the London Theatre website …
Micheal B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler, his director on a number of films, including Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, are at it again in an as yet untitled supernatural thriller, according to Deadline. While plot details haven’t been revealed, Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw shared a photo from the set of the film on Instagram, captioned, “Get ready.” The film is slated for a March 7, 2025 release …
Veteran character actor Ron Thompson, best known for his roles as Detective Nopke in the 1970s TV series Baretta and in Ralph Bakshi‘s animated film, American Pop, died Saturday, April 13, in Los Angeles. His friend, Professor Rel Dowdell of Hampton University, confirmed the news, according to Deadline. A cause of death for the 83-year-old was not given. Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson, per the outlet …
A crane works on the debris of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 29, 2024 in Baltimore. — Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
(BALTIMORE) — The FBI is investigating whether there was any criminal wrongdoing in the crash that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The probe will look at whether the crew left port with the knowledge something could be wrong with the ship, according to a source.
On Monday morning, agents from the FBI were aboard the ship, according to the Justice Department.
“The FBI is present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court authorized law enforcement activity,” the FBI Baltimore said in a statement.
The FBI did not offer further comment.
“Federal agents today are conducting a court-approved search of the Dali,” according to a DOJ spokesperson. “We have no further comment at this time.”
The container ship Dali struck one of the piers on the Key Bridge early on the morning of March 26, causing the bridge to collapse and killing six construction workers who were filling potholes on the span. Two other workers survived the incident.
No one on the cargo ship was injured in the collision, though several containers fell into the channel.
President Joe Biden, who visited the collapse site on April 5, has pledged to fully support Baltimore’s rebuilding efforts. He said during his visit its his “intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstruction of that bridge.”
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, are seen in undated photos released on March 31, 2024, by the Texas County Sheriff’s Department. — Texas County Sheriff’s Department
(GUYMON, Okla.) — Police recovered two dead bodies in rural Texas amid the investigation into the disappearance of two mothers from Kansas who went missing in Oklahoma, authorities announced Sunday.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the Texas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on X that the bodies will be “transported to the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner to determine identification and cause and manner of death.”
Authorities have not identified the deceased.
Moms Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, both from Hugoton, Kansas, have been missing since March 30. The last known information about the missing women is that they were driving in Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children for a birthday party in Kansas.
Authorities later found their vehicle abandoned in rural Oklahoma, near the Kansas border.
On Saturday, Oklahoma police announced four people were arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree in connection with Butler and Kelley’s disappearance.
The four individuals are Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Tifany Machel Adams, 54; Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44. All four remained in custody on Sunday night.
ABC News wasn’t immediately able to locate a legal representative for those charged.
ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.
Isaiah Campbell/U.S. Marine Corps via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — In a significant revelation, the U.S. military has for the first time publicly named the suicide bomber behind the catastrophic attack at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic final days of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The identification was part of findings from a supplemental review ordered by U.S. Central Command to build on the military’s initial investigation by taking into account information and claims that have since surfaced. The review also found that members of a Marine scout sniper platoon at the airport who believed they had the bomber in their crosshairs were mistaken, and they would not have been able to prevent the attack.
In a recent briefing with reporters about the review, U.S. officials identified Abdul Rahman al-Logari as the terrorist responsible for killing 13 American service members and some 170 Afghans when on Aug. 26 he detonated a suicide vest laden with 20 pounds of military-grade explosives. The blast sent a mass of 5-millimeter ball bearings ripping through the densely-packed crowd near the airport’s Abbey Gate.
Al-Logari was a member of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province group, or ISIS-K, since 2016, according to a member of the review team from the Army.
At one point he was detained by coalition forces and held in custody, according to the review official. But al-Logari was one of the many prisoners released by the Taliban as its fighters swept to take control of the country from Afghan security forces — mostly without a fight — in the days just before the bombing, a second review team member said.
ISIS-K took credit for the carnage at Abbey Gate shortly after the attack, praising al-Logari for committing the atrocity.
U.S. intelligence compared a photo of the alleged bomber posted by ISIS-K and photos of al-Logari taken during his time in coalition custody, using facial analysis to determine it was the same person, according to the official.
The U.S. intelligence community went on to conclude al-Logari was indeed the suicide bomber, according to the first Army review team member.
“Over the last two years following the bombing, multiple intelligence agencies have also assessed the bomber identity as al-Logari,” the Army official said.
Though the bomber had been released from prison by the Taliban shorty before the attack, ISIS-K would have been able to carry out the bombing either way, the second Army official said.
“They had multiple bombers that were available,” the official said. “And this supports the conclusion that the attack at Abbey Gate was not preventable at the tactical level.”
GOP congress members have repeatedly raised the possibility the bombing could have been prevented in their attacks on the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal, largely based on testimony from former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a member of one of the sniper teams providing overwatch near Abbey Gate.
In a March 2023 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Vargas-Andrews claimed his team had a suspicious man matching a description of the suspected Abbey Gate suicide bomber in his sights before the deadly explosion on Aug. 26. He said they were denied permission to fire and prevent the blast, which claimed two of his own limbs.
The top U.S. general in the Middle East during the withdrawal, now-retired Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, told lawmakers of the same committee last month that he was not aware of any intelligence alerts given to U.S. forces at the time matching the description given by Vargas-Andrews.
Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills accused McKenzie of calling the Marine’s integrity into question, asking, “Do you want to face him and tell him that before him now?”
“I don’t want to face him and tell him that. I want to say that the battlefield is a very complex place. There were a lot of threats that were floating around out there that day. I honor his service. I regret he was injured,” McKenzie responded.
The supplemental review team likewise found that the man spotted by the sniper teams did not match descriptions given by any intelligence reports, adding that no specific individual was identified as the bomber by intelligence before the attack. The reviewers concluded the Marines were errantly going off of a description that conflated some pieces of an intelligence report on one man with elements of an informal “spot report” describing a different suspicious individual seen by other troops near the airport perimeter.
They honed in on a “bald man in black” who didn’t precisely match any actual be-on-the-lookout reports at the time, according to the review. Even authentic description reports of suspicious individuals were often vague enough to have matched any number of people in the crowd, according to the review.
Furthermore, the review team compared a photo taken by the sniper team of the man they believed could have been the bomber with photos of al-Logari, and determined with great confidence that they were not the same person.
The first Army review official said that al-Logari did not linger in the crowd, but detonated his vest just after arriving at Abbey Gate. This makes it very unlikely even the trained observers of the Marine sniper teams could have picked him out of the masses in time, especially since there was no description of the terrorist before the attack, according to the official.
“I must reiterate by saying that service members were vigilant in their duties,” the official said. “Yet, the intelligence available lacked targetable data to gain positive identification of the bomber prior to the attack. The suspicious person identified by a sniper team was not the Abbey Gate bomber.”
The military plans to release a redacted version of the full 1,200-page supplemental report to the public at an unspecified date, an Army official said.
