Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter made a massive debut Friday on streaming services.
While Bey has said that Cowboy Carter is a Beyoncé album, not a country album, the records it’s set are being counted as though it’s a country release.
Cowboy Carter has become Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day so far in 2024, and the streaming platform says that’s the first time this year a country album has taken that title.
Meanwhile, on Amazon Music, Cowboy Carter earned Bey more first-day streams than any of her previous albums, and the most first-day streams for a country album by a female artist.
In addition, a few of the artists who contributed to the album — directly and indirectly — have weighed in about being a part of the project.
Nancy Sinatra, whose classic song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” is sampled on the song “Ya Ya,” wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “To have a little piece of one of my records in a @Beyonce song is very meaningful to me because I love her. She represents what is great about today’s music and I’m delighted to be a tiny part of it. This may be the best sample of “Boots” yet! And the beat goes on…”
And “Escapism” singer RAYE, the British singer/songwriter who’ll be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend, posted about co-writing the song “Riiverdance” for the album.
“What an honour it is to being able to contribute my small piece to this beautiful album, and to THE @beyonce who continues to inspire all of us,” she wrote.
Ezra Miller has apparently been recast in the hit animated series Invincible. The embattled actor, whose legal troubles made headlines but didn’t prevent him from starring in the box office dud The Flash, formerly played District Attorney Sinclair on the Prime Video series. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, veteran voice over actor Eric Bauza — Warner Bros.’ official voice of Bugs Bunny — now has the part, as seen in the new season’s credits …
Following their Best Director and Best Picture wins for Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan and his producing partner wife, Emma Thomas, will receive knighthood and damehood by the U.K. government in recognition of their contribution to film. The pair, who have four children — Flora, Oliver, Rory and Magnus — run Syncopy, the company behind Oppenheimer, as well as acclaimed movies like Tenet, Dunkirk and Inception, among others …
The werewolf thriller Wolf Man, starring Poor Things‘ Christopher Abbott, has been bumped from an October 25, 2024, release to January 17, 2025, Variety says. Leigh Whannell, who directed a 2020 version of another Universal horror property, Invisible Man, wrote and directed the new thriller, about a family man trying to keep his loved ones safe from a fanged terror …
(NEW YORK) — Rebel Wilson is getting candid about her weight loss journey.
During her interview with The Sunday Times, the Pitch Perfect star shared she has tried weight loss drug Ozempic as one of the methods to help maintain her size.
Discussing the medication, which use has skyrocketed in popularity over the past year, Wilson told the outlet, “Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good.”
Noting that she is no longer using the drug, the Australian actress explained her decision to slim down came after her fertility doctor shared it would help increase her chance of success at in-vitro fertilization.
“Basically no one apart from my mom wanted me to lose weight,” Wilson said. “People thought I’d lose my pigeonhole in my career, playing the fat funny character, and they wanted me to continue in that.”
Ozempic is one of a class of drugs called GLP-1 RAs that help people produce insulin and lower the amount of sugar in the blood. The drugs work by slowing down movement of food through the stomach and curbing appetite, thereby causing weight loss for some.
Ozempic’s active ingredient is semaglutide, it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, and can be prescribed off-label for weight loss, as is allowed by the FDA. The same medication is approved under the name Wegovy and is approved to treat Obesity or weight loss for someone who has a comorbidity like high blood pressure.
Wilson has shared previously that she transformed her life after committing to a “year of health” in 2020.
At the time, Wilson said she had also committed to working on her mental health in addition to her physical health.
“I’m like, ‘I need to do a really holistic approach this time,'” the actress said during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in November 2020. “I think what I mainly suffered from was emotional eating and dealing with the stress of becoming famous internationally … There is a lot of stress that comes with it and I guess my way of dealing with it was eating doughnuts.”
Earlier this year, Wilson shared in an Instagram post that she recently gained 30 pounds, noting that she has been busy working on new movies and a new memoir, which has led to stress.
“Working really hard has meant that, coz of all the stress, I’ve gained 14kg’s (30 pounds)! It makes me feel bad about myself…it shouldn’t…but it does,” Wilson wrote alongside a short video and photo of herself. “I’m really proud of the work I’ve been doing on new movies and my memoir, it’s just been a LOT and I’ve lost focus on my healthy lifestyle.”
Wilson’s relatable struggle with regaining some of the weight that she lost seemed to resonate with her followers on Instagram, where her post has received over 150,000 likes, and supportive comments.
Wilson later updated her post at the time to thank her followers for their support, writing, “Update: I woke up this morning and read all your comments – they bring a tear to my eye. Thanks everyone!”
(TEXAS COUNTY, Okla.) — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said it is looking into the “suspicious disappearance” of two women in Texas County.
The women, Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling together to pick up children when they went missing, the bureau said in a statement.
“They never made it to the pickup location,” a law enforcement advisory said. “Their car was located abandoned on the side of the road.”
Their vehicle was found near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in Texas County, the bureau’s statement said.
The Texas County Sheriff’s Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other agencies are aiding the investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Police in Nashville, Tennessee, said they are searching for a man, Anton Rucker, 46, who is suspected of a shooting during an Easter brunch.
One man was killed and five others were hurt “non-critically” in Sunday’s shooting, authorities said. Police later identified the man who died as Allen Beachem, 33.
Around 3 p.m. ET an altercation occurred between two men while brunch was being served at Roasted in Nashville, Don Aaron, the public relations director for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said at a media briefing Sunday night.
As the altercation escalated, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots, Aaron said. He added that authorities believe the deceased was the other party involved in the altercation with the alleged gunman. Only the alleged shooter brandished a weapon.
One of the injured suffered a graze wound, though it was not clear if the person had been shot or became injured by scraping against something.
A total of eight people were transported from the scene, including the decedent.
Authorities have no information that the two men knew each other.
Police released photos of the suspect on X (formerly known as Twitter) Sunday, and asked people to call the authorities if they have any information.
Detectives are currently working to “determine a motive” for the suspected gunman opening fire at a restaurant on Garfield St.
“Shooting occurred at 3 p.m. Gunman fled in this Mercedes GLS 450. Know him? 615-862-8600,” read a post on the Metropolitan Nashville Police’s X page.
BREAKING: Detectives are working to determine the motive for this gunman opening fire during Sunday brunch at Roasted on Garfield St. 1 man killed, several others hurt, non-critically. Shooting occurred at 3 p.m. Gunman fled in this Mercedes GLS 450. Know him? 615-862-8600. pic.twitter.com/bwJrCjwmhf
At Sunday night’s press briefing, Aaron said police believe they have identified the alleged gunman but were not releasing his name at that time. Rucker’s name and photograph were later released in a statement on social media.
Barnaby Dunning appears on “Good Morning America” on April 1, 2024. — ABC News
(BREUIL-CERVINIA, Italy) — A skier is speaking out after surviving a terrifying chair lift ride at an Italian ski resort during high wind conditions that picked up to over 60 miles per hour.
Barnaby Dunning, an experienced skier, told ABC News’ Zohreen Shah there were at least a couple of times he didn’t think he and his friend Stephanie would make it through the unsettling ordeal last Thursday in Breuil-Cervinia.
“I never even knew chair lifts could rotate the way that they were rotating,” Dunning said of being violently swung around on a chair lift at Cervino Ski Paradise.
Dunning said he and his friend had both noticed a major weather change while they were riding the ski lift.
“This wind had kicked up and was getting quite strong. You couldn’t really see much in front of you,” Dunning recalled.
Dunning said he thought the ski lift could take the two of them to safety but wind conditions had reached up to 70 miles per hour at the time they were on the chair lift, a ride that lasted 40 minutes.
“There were like, multiple moments of total panic and fear,” Dunning said.
“It’s literally just like you’re in a washing machine, I guess,” he added. “You’re just getting thrown around all over the place.”
Other ski resortgoers captured video clips of the chair lift at the resort being tossed around by the violent wind conditions.
Dunning said he and his friend were blasted repeatedly with sheets of snow and held on for life.
“Three different times, literally, my butt is hanging out and there’s nothing underneath me,” Dunning said.
In a statement, Cervino Ski Paradise said “the weather conditions changed suddenly and unexpectedly” and lift access was “immediately closed” but there were still “users on the seats, who were taken to the station … unharmed.”
After their harrowing ordeal, Dunning said other skiers should trust their instincts if something doesn’t feel right.
“When you’re skiing, you trust the lift operators … I felt that they just let the lift keep on going at a time when it was really far too dangerous,” Dunning said.
Dunning said he was still grateful for the lift rider operators. Despite the scary experience, he ended up returning to hit the slopes again on Friday.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for a bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on August 11, 2023 in New York City. — Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Former crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried told ABC News in an exclusive interview that he is remorseful for his actions that last week resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for fraud.
“It’s most of what I think about each day,” he said.
Bankman-Fried’s sentence capped off a 17-month saga that began in November 2022 when FTX, a global cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded and served as CEO, imploded, resulting in a $8 billion loss for its customers. Bankman-Fried resigned amid the company’s fall and the new ownership filed for bankruptcy. Prosecutors said he stole from FTX customers and used the money for political contributions, investments and personal gain. Last fall, he was convicted of seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, which led to Thursday’s sentencing.
Speaking exclusively to ABC News via email throughout the weekend from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Bankman-Fried said FTX’s insolvency was the result of several “bad decisions” he made in 2022.
“I never thought that what I was doing was illegal. But I tried to hold myself to a high standard, and I certainly didn’t meet that standard,” he said.
During his sentencing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Bankman-Fried committed perjury in his testimony and was “often evasive.” The judge also said that the defendant’s remarks never conveyed “a word of remorse for the commission of terrible crimes.”
Bankman-Fried said Sunday that “of course” he is remorseful.
“I’ve heard and seen the despair, frustration and sense of betrayal from thousands of customers; they deserve to be paid in full, at current price,” he said.
“That could and should have happened in November 2022, and it could and should happen today. It’s excruciating to see them waiting, day after day,” he said.
He added that he “felt the pain” from co-workers as he “threw away what they poured their lives into” and from the charities he supported “as their funding turned into nothing but reputational damage.”
“I’m haunted, every day, by what was lost. I never intended to hurt anyone or take anyone’s money. But I was the CEO of FTX, I was responsible for what happened to the company, and when you’re responsible it doesn’t matter why it goes bad. I’d give anything to be able to help repair even part of the damage. I’m doing what I can from prison, but it’s deeply frustrating not to be able to do more,” he said.
In his statement to the court Thursday, Bankman-Fried, 32, said that had he or another FTX employee remained in place as CEO, customers would have been “paid back long ago.” He blamed the company’s decision to not restart the FTX exchange, which he said could have potentially led to long-term value.
“There are and always have been plenty of assets to repay customers, lenders, and investors in full, at current prices or prices at the time,” he said.
In a court filing last year, Bankman-Fried accused Sullivan & Cromwell, the law firm representing FTX’s new ownership, of working with prosecutors and said he had a right to see the FTX documents the company shared with prosecutors. For that reason, Bankman-Fried suggested on Sunday he was not given a fair trial.
“At the root, SullCrom’s role in the prosecution, the one-sided media frenzy they incited, and the defense’s inability to get in critical evidence at trial, infected the whole process,” he said.
Sullivan & Cromwell did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Bankman-Fried also said his defense team plans to appeal later this year based on certain trial testimony that he said, “greatly misstated what actually happened” and the fact that his defense was “not allowed to introduce crucial evidence or put on important witnesses.” He did not offer specifics, explaining he did not want to impact his defense team’s legal strategy.
Following his Thursday sentencing, Bankman-Fried said he, “lost everything I had to lose.”
“I’d give anything to be out there, trying to make a positive difference in the world, but I know that’s not going to happen. I can’t help from prison,” he said in court.
A view of a partial solar eclipse seen, on October 25, 2022 in New Delhi, India. — (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — North America’s April 2024 total solar eclipse will cast a historic shadow across parts of the U.S., but even in the path of totality, weather conditions could cloud your view.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and, for a short time, completely blocks the face of the sun, according to NASA. The path of totality is how the agency refers to the specific locations on Earth that fall in the center of the moon’s shadow.
On Monday, April 8, the total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada, according to NASA. The agency reports another total solar eclipse will not return to North America for 20 years, making this natural phenomenon a must-see event.
“You want to avoid any type of cloud, if you can,” Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” told ABC News of eclipse day.
“Let’s say it’s on a sunny day with some puffy cumulus clouds around. All you need is for one of those clouds to be in front of the sun and you’ve missed the total eclipse. So, you’re really looking for a place with as few clouds as possible,” Espenak said.
In the US, the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
Espenak suggests that viewing the eclipse in the southern parts of the US will yield the best chances for clear skies.
“The further south you are, the better the long-term weather prospects are probably going to be,” Espenak said. “But we really can’t tell on eclipse day because I’ve seen satellite maps over the past 20 years of data taken during April 8. And every place along the eclipse path is clear on some days and cloudy on others. More frequently, it’s clear in the southern states versus the northern.”
The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) created a U.S. Climate Normals-based interactive map to show the average heat index, temperature, dewpoint, wind chill and obscuration levels across the path of totality in the U.S.
Based on the map’s data, the top three areas with the highest likelihood of clear skies are:
Texas
Oklahoma
Southeast Missouri
While it’s still too early to provide specific cloud cover forecasts for April 8, meteorologists can look at past weather data and climatology to provide general guidance on what specific locations can typically expect this time of year.
In early April, for locations along the path of totality, average cloud coverage during the afternoon hours typically increases the farther north and east you go.
Average cloud coverage on April 8, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
Dallas, Texas: 54% mostly cloudy or overcast, 46% clear to partly cloudy skies
Little Rock, Arkansas: 51% mostly cloudy or overcast, 49% clear to partly cloudy skies
Indianapolis, Indiana: 66% mostly cloudy or overcast, 34% clear to partly cloudy skies
Buffalo, New York: 67% mostly cloudy or overcast, 33% clear to partly cloudy skies
“I think seeing a total eclipse is something that should be on everybody’s bucket list and this April is just a golden opportunity,” Espenak said, noting that eclipse viewing is not just for scientists and astronomers, but for everyone.
“It’s an incredible event that will be something that people will remember for their entire lives,” Espenak continued. They’ll be telling their grandchildren about the total eclipse they saw in April of 2024, if they managed to get into the path of totality and have some good weather.”
“So I wish everybody fair skies next April,” Espenak said.
In this booking photo released by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Chad Daybell is shown. — Ada County Sheriff’s Office
(BOISE, Idaho) –Chad Daybell, the husband of Lori Vallow, is set to go on trial in Idaho in the murders of his wife’s two children, nearly a year after she was convicted of the same crime in a so-called doomsday plot.
His triple-murder trial is scheduled to start on Monday in Ada County with jury selection. It is expected to last around nine weeks, court records show.
Daybell and Vallow were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for the 2019 deaths of her children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16. Their remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Chad Daybell in June 2020 following a monthslong search, police said.
The complaint alleges that Daybell, 55, “did endorse and espouse religious beliefs for the purpose of encouraging and/or justifying” the homicides of the two children.
Vallow and Daybell were both charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Chad Daybell’s former wife, Tamara Daybell, who died Oct. 19, 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married in Hawaii. Vallow was found guilty of all charges in her trial.
Daybell was also charged with his former wife’s murder and with two counts of insurance fraud related to life insurance policies he had on her for which he was the beneficiary, prosecutors said.
Daybell pleaded not guilty to his charges. He faces the death sentence if convicted of murder.
“At this point, we’re ready to go forward and he wants to tell his story,” Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, told ABC Boise affiliate KIVI in an interview ahead of the trial.
“I’ve had three years and 10 months to go through all the evidence, to sort of look at what I want to present to the jury, and I’m looking forward to my opportunity to do that,” Prior told the station.
It is unclear if Vallow will testify at Daybell’s trial. Neither testified in her trial, and her lawyers rested their case without calling any witnesses.
Prior told KIVI “it’s always possible” that anyone who is connected to a case could be called, but stressed: “I’m not telling you I am or the state or anybody is.”
Daybell’s case will be presided over by the same judge in Vallow’s trial, Judge Steve Boyce.
Boyce sentenced Vallow to life in prison without parole for the murders of the two children. The judge had granted the defense’s motion to dismiss the death penalty in her case before her trial began.
In handing down the sentence in July 2023, Boyse said Vallow suffers from mental health issues, adding, “Something radically changed in you that led you to where you are today.”
A mother killing her children is the most “unimaginable type of murder,” he said.
The judge said he didn’t think she’s shown any remorse for the crimes or for those who searched for her children while they were missing.
Vallow, 50, denied murdering her children, saying in court at her sentencing: “Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happened here. … No one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen. Fatal side effects from medications happen.”
Her attorney filed a notice of appeal in the case last year.
Daybell, the author of many religious fiction books, is Vallow’s fifth husband. The couple both reportedly adhered to a doomsday ideology, with Vallow at one point claiming she was “a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s second coming in July 2020” and didn’t want anything to do with her family “because she had a more important mission to carry out,” according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
Friends have said Vallow’s 13-year marriage to her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, started to deteriorate after she became a fan of Daybell’s books, and the two separated in 2019. Their blended family had included Tylee from her third marriage and Charles Vallow’s nephew J.J., whom they adopted.
Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, in 2019 during a confrontation at her Arizona home. Her brother told police he shot his brother-in-law in self-defense. Police were investigating the claims when Cox himself died months later.
Vallow faces charges alleging she killed Charles Vallow and plotted to kill the ex-husband of her niece. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree premeditated murder.
In an aerial view, cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
(BALTIMORE) — A cargo ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, causing a near-total collapse of the span and halting vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore.
Six construction workers are believed to have fallen from the collapsing bridge into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River below. The bodies of two of the victims have been recovered so far, while four remain missing and are presumed dead, officials said.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 01, 6:19 AM Mayor warns of heavy rain on Monday
Baltimore was expecting heavy rain on Monday morning, adding to potential delays for commuters already “expecting delays” because of the bridge collapse, the mayor said.
“Baltimore — we know we’re already expecting delays due to the ongoing situation with the Key Bridge Collapse,” Mayor Brandon M. Scott said on social media.
He added, “With the added complication of this expected weather, please allow for extra time during your commutes and be patient for your fellow Baltimoreans!”
The National Weather Service, which is publishing hour-by-hour forecasts for the area near the Key Bridge response, said Monday morning will bring winds gusts up to 15 mph and an about 92% chance of precipitation, which may taper off after about 9 a.m.
Mar 31, 9:23 PM Capt. of the Port of Baltimore is preparing to open a ‘temporary alternate channel’ in the vicinity of the Key Bridge
The Captain of the Port of Baltimore (COTP) is preparing to establish a temporary alternate channel on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge for commercially essential vessels.
“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” said Capt. David O’Connell, federal on-scene coordinator, Key Bridge Response 2024. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”
This action is part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. The temporary channel will be marked with government lighted aids to navigate and will have a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 96 feet.
The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels and the marine environment. No vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without obtaining permission from the COTP or a designated representative.
The COTP will issue a Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16. Mariners are requested to monitor VHF channel 16 for the latest information.
Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the COTP or a designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or a designated representative.
Mar 31, 5:41 PM 2,600 Carnival cruise passengers rerouted from Baltimore arrive in Virginia
The first of multiple Carnival cruise ships rerouted from Baltimore due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge arrived at a port in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday
About 2,600 guests aboard the Carnival Legend returned from a cruise to the Bahamas, getting off the ship in Norfolk. The passengers boarded 70 buses and were driven four hours back to Baltimore, where many left their cars parked.
“When we left Baltimore, we had to go under that bridge,” passenger Viktoriia Aldred told ABC affiliate station WVEC in Norfolk. “The bridge looked amazing and you go under the bridge and you’re like ‘wow.'”
Baltimore native Michael Lukoski told WVEC he heard the news of the bridge collapse while on the cruise to the Bahamas.
“When I got the news Tuesday morning … you couldn’t believe it,” said Lukoski. adding that when he first heard of the bridge collapse “it was like, ‘no way.'”
Mar 31, 4:52 PM 200-ton piece of collapsed Key Bridge removed
A 200-ton piece of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was removed Sunday from the vast debris field of twisted metal and concrete clogging entry to the Port of Baltimore, officials said.
Tons more wreckage as well as the crippled container ship Dali that crashed into the span and collapsed it still needs to be cleared, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told ABC News Sunday.
“We’re talking about huge pieces,” Moore said of the debris crews are cutting up and preparing to remove from the waterway. “I mean, just sitting on the Dali, you’re looking at 3,000 or 4,000 tons of steel sitting on top of the ship.”
The operation to clean up the disaster site and reopen the channel began on Saturday and continued throughout Sunday, officials said.
Moore told ABC News a timeline hasn’t been set on when the channel will be reopened, echoing a statement from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Additionally, crews conducted a “grounding survey” on Sunday to “determine how hard the ground around the Dali is to inform the strategy for pulling it off,” officials told ABC News.
