Travis Barker attends the Tribeca Festival for the North America premiere of ‘Travis Barker: Louder than Fear’ in New York, NY on June 13th 2026. (Disney/Stephanie Augello)
Say it is so: a new blink-182 album is in the works.
“I’m working on the blink album this year,” Barker says.
The most recent blink-182 album is 2023’s ONE MORE TIME…, which marked the return of vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge following a seven-year absence from the band. A deluxe edition was released in 2024.
Vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus told People in 2025 that he planned to start writing new blink-182 material that summer.
Meanwhile, a new documentary about Barker, Louder than Fear, is set to premiere on Disney+ and Hulu on Aug. 13.
Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool is shown partially filled on Aug. 5, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was partially refilled on Friday to flush out what the National Park Service said were clogged pipes that supply water to the monument, marking the latest twist in the Trump administration’s plagued renovation project.
NPS wrote in a sign posted outside the Reflecting Pool that more than half of the 58 supply ports were “deemed nonfunctioning” due to buildup and needed to be cleared.
The posting blamed the clogged lines on “years of neglect by previous administrations,” echoing attempts by President Donald Trump to pin the Reflecting Pool’s ongoing troubles on his predecessors.
Leaks and cracks in the piping have long afflicted the pool, which was constructed in the 1920s.
President Barack Obama undertook a $35 million renovation in the 2010s, installing a treatment plant to purify water piped in from the Tidal Basin, but it did not eliminate the leaks from both the pipes and between the slabs of the pool itself.
President Trump has long fixated on the leaking pipes installed during the Obama renovation. When he announced the renovation project in April, he said the pool was “filthy dirty” and had “leaked like a sieve for many years.” The administration’s spring renovation, however, was limited to repainting the bottom of the pool and installing a new filtration system, leaving the pipes untouched.
Issues have plagued Trump’s $16 million renovation project since it was unveiled earlier this summer. In mid-June, algae blooms turned the pool a murky green and the newly-installed liner appeared to peel off.
Trump has attributed the problems to vandalism. But charges brought against several visitors accused of damaging the pool have not held up in court.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who originally brought the charges, moved to drop four of the cases last week, saying publicly that evidence indicated the damage was caused by a flawed renovation, not intentional sabotage.
Pirro explained her decision to dismiss the most high-profile charge — a felony indictment against former Olympian David Hearn — in a revelatory 20-page filing last Friday, calling the renovation “hasty” and “botched.” She said she brought the case before she was provided internal Department of Interior documents proving that concerns about the peeling pool liner predated the alleged vandalism.
The public about-face drew Trump’s ire, who continues to attribute the damage to vandalism, and led to questions about Pirro’s future as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, Hearn is seeking to dismiss the case with prejudice to ensure charges cannot be revived against him. His lawyers have not ruled out further legal action of their own.
The pool, which remains fenced off and empty alongside the sides, was drained for repairs in mid-July. Trump claimed at the time that the repairs would “fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals” and promised it would be “refilled and put back into service soon.”
The National Park Service posting warned on Friday that the “flushing may temporarily discolor the water as buildup in the pipes is cleaned out.” The Department of Interior provided a similar explanation when algae first discolored the pool, saying it was residual growth from reactivated supply lines.
The cast of ‘Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story.’ (Disney)
Another Descendants movie is on the way.
Disney Channel and Disney+ announced a brand-new spinoff movie set in the Descendants franchise. The film, called Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story, has been greenlit and goes into production this month.
This new film centers on the descendants of classic Disney sidekicks.
“Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes,” according to an official description. “When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together — without heroes, without parents — using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it’s too late.”
The film’s main cast includes Dior Goodjohn as Jennie, the daughter of Genie from Aladdin; Momona Tamada as Zara, the daughter of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove; Jacob Rodriguez as Kronk Jr., the son of Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove; Eva Fossaceca Smedley as Meri, the daughter of Merryweather from SleepingBeauty; and Harry Jones as Lou, the son of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.
Also part of the cast are Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong and Kyra Wong as the Potts siblings from Beauty and the Beast. Only Murders in the Building director Jude Weng is helming the film that was written by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher.
“One of the things that has always made Descendants so special is the way it invites audiences to experience familiar Disney stories through an entirely new perspective,” Ayo Davis, president, Disney Kids & Family, said. “With Hidden Heroes, we’re finally putting the sidekicks center stage, because they’ve always been an essential part of Disney’s greatest adventures. It’s a fun, surprising new chapter that expands the Descendants universe with all the music, dance and heart fans love and expect from the franchise.”
FLO has released their sophomore album, Therapy at the Club, along with a music video for the track “Cry Ugly.” The trio said the album is “super personal” for them, adding, “For us, the club is more than just a night out, it’s like therapy. I mean, where else do you feel more understood than in a girls bathroom on a night out…that’s the vibe!”
Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck has dropped a new solo album called Dragon’s Breath. “Dragon’s Breath was designed to bring the culture and the true hip-hop experience of beats and rhymes back to the listener,” Deck says. “It is also a testament to the OG’s [sic] and the legacy artists who have been told to hang up the gloves. Inspectah Deck is still spitting fire 30-years later.”
Ravyn Lenae is out with her third studio album, Blue Island. The track list features Dominic Fike on “Reputation” and Doechii on “Babygirl.”
North West, the 13-year-old daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, has released the music video for her song “Aishite.” The song’s title translates from Japanese to “love me.” It’s a single off her debut EP, N0rth4evr, released in May.
Pooh Shiesty debuted a new surprise album,All Eyes on Shiest, featuring the bonus track “MANE” with GloRilla and “FDO.” Fans who purchase on iTunes will get an exclusive extra bonus track: the seven-minute freestyle “Contraband 2.5.”
It’s the moment that dance music fans have been waiting for: Madonna and Kylie Minogue have teamed up for a record. “Love Sensation (Afterhours Mix)” puts the two divas together on a new version of a song from Madonna’s current album, Confessions II. The two debuted the song live at World Pride Amsterdam on Aug. 1. The original version has already hit #1 on dance radio.
Audrey Nuna, the singing voice of HUNTR/X’s Mira in KPop Demon Hunters, has dropped a solo single called “superHuman.” Audrey says in a statement, “I wrote this song in a time in my life where a lot was changing very quickly, and I felt more perceived by the world than I ever had before.” She adds, “I wanted to quietly remind myself and others to stay human, stay open, to flow like water through all of the changes & that being more human will always be a superpower if we allow it.”
“Boston” singer Stella Lefty has released “Lean In, Kiss Me,” a new track from her upcoming debut, Long Way Home, due Aug. 21.
Carly Rae Jepsen has released another new track from her upcoming album, Day and Night: “Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor.” She says it was inspired by seeing the ABBA hologram show Voyage in London and wanting to write “a perfect pop melody.” The album’s due Sept. 18.
“If the World Was Ending” singer JP Saxe has teamed up with brother and sister-fronted pop group Lawrence for “Feel Like That,” a song from Lawrence’s upcoming EP, Office Party. JP says in a statement, “It’s about how terrifying it is to feel like you don’t have the capacity to be overwhelmed by love anymore. very creepy stuff. I’m so happy Lawrence and I get to be scared together.”
Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson of Heart perform onstage during the GRAMMY Hall of Fame Gala 2026 at The Beverly Hilton on May 08, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
It’s been 10 years since Heart put out a new album, but the drought is coming to an end: Nancy Wilson tells Gold Derby that recording on a new album is complete — and it’s just one of several projects coming from the band.
“The Heart album is almost finished up now … the recording’s all done,” says Wilson. “It’s really, really strong. I think it’s going to be great. We wrote a bunch of new songs and recorded down in Nashville with the players that we just played the last tour with. … [T]he album was pretty much recorded live.”
Nancy adds, “I’m really happy. It really feels like a Heart record.” She says a world tour will follow, as well as a Heart documentary and the long-in-the-works Heart biopic, which has yet to be cast. The Heart documentary, Nancy says, will be about the band, unlike her sister Ann Wilson’s recent documentary. In My Voice, in which Nancy did not appear.
“We were waiting for that to get done before we proceeded with the larger one — put the Heart train back on track for next year,” Nancy notes. “Hopefully ‘27 and ’28 will be the year for Heart world domination, basically.”
Nancy also says she and Ann feel “super-reconnected now,” especially after Ann’s recent cancer diagnosis. “I think she actually beat it,” says Nancy, who notes that the health scare made her realize that music is “what we were born to do, and do together.”
“It’s what we’ve always done together, and it’s second nature,” she adds. “So, getting back into that with Ann one-on-one was extremely meaningful and really fulfilling for me. … It made me extremely happy to make this album.”
Gavin Adcock’s ‘The Day I Hang It Up’ (Warner Records Nashville)
Gavin Adcock’s got a song for the “Workin’ Man” — and a video, too.
It’s something the “Wannabe” hitmaker knows well, since he was raised on a cattle farm in Watkinsville, Georgia.
“This song is for working people. The kind of people who put in long hours, take pride in what they do and make time for the people they love,” Gavin says. “My fans live that life. They work hard all week and come to our shows ready to have a good time.”
“It’s also about knowing what you deserve,” he adds. “If somebody isn’t treating you right, there’s someone else out there who will. There’s nothing like having a good, hardworking person by your side.”
“Workin’ Man” is the latest preview of Gavin’s third studio album in three years, The Day I Hang It Up, which comes out Oct. 2.
An Instagram request for fan submissions for the music video netted nearly 4,000 clips, with 500 or so featured in the finished product. You can catch the “Workin’ Man” premiere Friday at 5 p.m. CT, appropriately right at the end of the work week.
Justice Smith headshot (Photo Credit: Jonny Marlow); Charlie Gillespie headshot (Photo Credit: Brindi Tremblay)
A couple of new faces have been drafted for season 2 of Heated Rivalry.
Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith are joining the cast of the Crave/HBO Max hockey romance as Troy Barrett and Harris Drover, respectively.
Both are fan-favorite characters featured in the Rachel Reid Game Changers universe on which the series is based. In her book Role Model, Troy is a hockey player new to the Ottawa Centaurs and looking to rehab his image, while Harris is the team’s social media manager.
“From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen. Justice and Charlie do exactly that,” read a statement from producers Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady. “They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams will reprise their roles as Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander. Production on season 2 begins in Canada this month, with the season expected to premiere in spring 2027.
The late Sen. Lindsey Graham on April 27, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate on Friday approved a long-awaited Russia and Iran sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 86-11.
Sen. Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister who is currently filling his seat in the chamber and running for a full six-year term this November, gaveled down the vote.
The package would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and other countries that support Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions target Russian political officials and oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and the Russian shadow fleet, according to a release from a bipartisan group of senators who unveiled the legislation.
This bill still needs to head to the House of Representatives, which is currently on recess until the end of the month.
House Speaker Mike Johnson previously stated he supports sanctioning Russia, but it’s unclear whether the bill will have the support it needs in the lower chamber.
Graham, who died suddenly last month at the age of 71, was a champion of the bill.
A foreign policy hawk, Graham was one of the Republican conference’s most outspoken Ukraine allies and had a strong relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham had made his 10th visit to Ukraine shortly before his death.
Zelenskyy attended Graham’s funeral services in Washington, D.C., and was on Capitol Hill last week when the Senate first advanced the Russia sanctions bill, celebrating it as important pressure on Russia.
“It’s not only about money, how to stop how to finance this war, but it’s also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people,” Zelenskyy said at the time.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) walks out of the Senate Chambers during a vote in the U.S. Capitol Building on July 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Friday he will vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Department of Justice, likely clearing the way for Blanche to be narrowly confirmed.
All eyes were on Cassidy after two other Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced their opposition to President Donald Trump’s nominee.
Cassidy, in a speech on the Senate floor, said that he is supporting Blanche because he sees him as more favorable than potential alternatives.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this. But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general, who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche,” the senator said. “This puts at risk the progress made fighting violent crime, human and drug trafficking and fraud. And this does not serve the American people well.”
Cassidy, who is leaving office in January after losing to a Republican primary challenger and who has clashed with Trump several times in recent months, appeared to grow emotional as he stated his case.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche and very specific circumstances. All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche. I’ll be criticized for this vote. What’s new?” Cassidy said, taking a long pause and choking up before he continued. “But people of Louisiana can be assured that I work hard to understand the issue, and to make the right decision.”
The Senate has not yet agreed when they will hold a full vote on Blanche’s nomination.
While Murkowski said she would “oppose” Blanche’s nomination, it remains unclear whether she will cast a “no” vote or use a procedural pairing arrangement with absent Sen. Mitch McConnell that would allow her not to vote while maintaining the balance of the Senate.
Murkowski said in a statement released Friday morning that she had “numerous constructive meetings” with Blanche and described him as “decent and capable.” She also praised his efforts to learn about Alaska and said that, as acting attorney general, he had made “several noteworthy decisions” that would benefit the state and the nation.
“Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination,” Murkowski said in a statement, citing concerns about what she described as the politicization and “weaponization” of the Justice Department.
“The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it,” Murkowski said.
Among the issues she cited were the handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, what she called “sweeping immunity protections” granted to the president, his family and their businesses, statements made to anti-abortion groups, and what she described as the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. senators.
“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski added. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”
Earlier this week, Collins said in a statement that she would vote no on Blanche’s nomination.
“While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political,” Collins said in a statement. “Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation.”
