Admat for Gov’t Mule’s Island Exodus 16 (Courtesy of Gov’t Mule)
After having to postpone their Island Exodus 16 this year due to hurricane damage, Gov’t Mule has announced dates for the rescheduled festival, happening in 2027.
Island Exodus 16 will now take place Jan. 17-21, 2027, at Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay in Trelawny, Jamaica.
The lineup for the 2027 edition will be exactly the same as the planned lineup for 2026. It will include three two-set shows from Gov’t Mule, with guitarist John Scofield sitting in with the band as a special guest. It will also feature Mule frontman Warren Haynes headlining a special afternoon solo show.
Other artists on the bill include moe. and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country doing two shows each.
The festival will include a whole host of events, including a Q&A with Haynes, a cornhole tournament, yoga, beach tie-dye and more.
Presale for previous Island Exodus attendees opens March 30, with reservations open to the general public April 1 at 10 a.m. ET.
Gov’t Mule launched the annual Island Exodus back in 2010. The 2025 festival also featured three two-set beachfront concerts from Gov’t Mule, plus a headlining afternoon solo set from Haynes. Other artists on the bill included Drive-By Truckers, Karina Rykman, Big Sugar and Ron Holloway.
Muse has announced a new album called The Wow! Signal.
The milestone 10th studio effort from the “Supermassive Black Hole” rockers drops June 26. It’s the follow-up to 2022’s Will of the People.
Along with the album news, Muse has premiered a new song called “Be with You,” which they’d been teasing over the last week. You can watch the “Be with You” video on YouTube.
The Wow! Signal also includes the 2025 single “Unravelling.” Here’s the full track list: “The Dark Forest” “Nightshift Superstar” “Shimmering Scars” “Cryogen” “Be With You” “Hexagons” “The Sickness in You & I” “Unravelling” “Hush” “Space Debris”
Olivia Rodrigo performs at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Los Angeles, Nov. 8, 2025 (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Olivia Rodrigo’s third album is coming, and just as fans predicted, it’s full of love songs — but it’s not that simple.
Liv previewed three tracks for British Vogue and later clarified that they’re “sad love songs,” adding, “I realised all my favourite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them.”
The magazine reports that the songs are “instantly transporting, cinematic and … intimate.” The first is about finding the man of your dreams — Olivia says, “The person that the song is about is great.”
The second song is about how much you miss your other half when they’re not around. Olivia says it was inspired by something Miranda said to Steve on Sex and the City: “Whenever something funny happens, I always want to tell you about it.”
The third song, Olivia says, is about how love won’t fix all your problems. As she tells the magazine, “[T]he second I’m in a really great relationship, [I think that] I’m gonna start feeling good about myself and this stuff is going to fall into place, but it just doesn’t work like that.”
“[It’s] what I think being in love feels like,” Olivia says of the song. “You’re getting to the core of all of your issues: how you feel about yourself, your insecurities, what makes you joyful. It feels like the most raw form of you, which is so scary and terrifying and uncomfortable, sometimes, but beautiful at times.”
Olivia’s best friend Madison Hu has heard “most” of the album and tells the magazine it’s “honest,” adding, “I’ve always been very in awe of how willing to spill to the world she is with her music.”
So far, there’s no release date or title for the album.
Wyclef Jean performs at ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025′ (Disney/Christopher Willard)
Wyclef Jean is giving fans a first listen at music from his upcoming project, Quantum Leap. He’s teamed with The Paley Museum for an event titled An Exclusive Evening with Wyclef Jean: Quantum Leap, during which he’ll play unreleased music, share the inspiration behind the album, look back on his musical journey, and discuss music and AI.
“Wyclef Jean is a true innovator, whose incredible sound and artistry have left an indelible mark on music and culture,” Paley Center of Media President and CEO Maureen J. Reidy said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome him to The Paley Museum, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to be the first to host this exclusive preview of Quantum Leap.”
The event will take place April 28 at 6:30 p.m. ET at The Paley Museum in Midtown Manhattan. A presale is now underway for Paley President’s Circle, Partner and Patron Circle Members, the last of whom will get to meet Wyclef during a special VIP reception. Tickets then go on sale to the general public on Saturday at noon ET.
As for Quantum Leap,it will feature seven albums with seven tracks each, centered on a genre that molded Wyclef into the musician he is today. The first, Black Moses, is a hip-hop project set to arrive on April 24. Subsequent projects will be released on the last Friday of each month, leading to the 30th anniversary of his debut album, The Carnival, which arrived on June 24, 1997.
His group The Fugees are celebrating 30 years of their The Score album this year.
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has announced a new book called In My Darkest Hour.
The memoir, due out Sept. 8, finds Mustaine reflecting on his battle with throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2019.
“One of most harrowing experiences of my adult life has been my seven-year journey through cancer treatment and onward into remission,” Mustaine says in a statement.
“This story is considerably more than just go to the doctor, get diagnosed, get treatment and hopefully I live happily ever after,” he continues. “This was a journey of me saving myself, staying alive, keeping my family together, and continuing to make music through it all.”
Mustaine previously wrote the books Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir and Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece.
Megadeth, meanwhile, just released their self-titled final album in January, which they’ll support on a multiyear farewell tour.
Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Riley Green make up the first round of artists confirmed to perform at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards.
In 2026, the show returns to its longtime home in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena. It’ll also be back in its traditional time slot on May 17, when it streams live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET.
Lainey will deliver the world premiere performance of her new track, “Can’t Sit Still,” while Riley’s set to do his current hit, “Change My Mind.”
Tickets for the ACM Awards and its accompanying events are on sale now. Look for more performers to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz attend the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ at TCL Chinese Theatre on Dec. 16, 2024, in Hollywood, California. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
The full cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has been revealed.
Ben Schwartz, who has voiced Sonic in all three of the Paramount Pictures franchise’s previous films, made the official casting announcement in an Instagram post on Thursday celebrating exactly one year until the release of the film.
Schwartz first confirmed that Jim Carrey will return as the evil Dr. Robotnik, before noting that franchise staples James Marsden and Tika Sumpter will also return as Tom and Maddie Wachowski.
“One year to go til Sonic 4. Jim is back and look who else is coming to play,” Schwartz captioned his post.
Newly announced to join the cast are Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry and Nick Offerman. The latter previously starred with Schwartz in the beloved sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Also returning are Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Knuckles, Shadow and Tails. Lee Majdoub will also be back as Agent Stone.
Kristen Bell was previously announced to join the franchise as the voice of Amy Rose.
While a plot for the fourth film has yet to be unveiled, it will be directed by Jeff Fowler, who also helmed the previous three films in the franchise. It is scheduled for release on March 19, 2027.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth provides updates on military operations in Iran during a press briefing at the Pentagon on March 19, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the Pentagon will be asking Congress for more money to cover the Iran war, saying he wants to ensure current and future costs are covered “above and beyond.”
A senior administration official confirmed that a $200 billion request was sent from the Pentagon to the White House on Wednesday. The Washington Post first reported the request.
It was not clear whether the White House had formally submitted the request to Congress as of Thursday morning or what kind of reception it would have among lawmakers, who remain deeply divided on President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran.
The conflict began Feb. 28 after negotiations on its nuclear and ballistic missile program failed, and the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes. In its third week, the U.S. says it’s destroyed more than 7,800 military targets, 120 Iranian ships and 11 submarines.
Pentagon officials told a group of senators in a closed-door briefing earlier this month that the war in Iran cost at least $11.3 billion in its first six days.
When asked about the $200 billion request, Hegseth didn’t confirm the total, saying that the number “could move.”
“As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move. Obviously it takes, it takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said in a news conference Thursday morning. “So we’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition is — everything’s refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond.”
Wartime supplementals are used to ensure the military remains ready to handle other potential conflicts and to replenish stockpiles spent on the ongoing mission.
Asked about the $200 billion request on Thursday, Trump said “we’re asking for a lot of reasons beyond even what we’re talking about in Iran.”
“So we’re in very good shape, but we want to be in the best shape. The best shape we’ve ever been in,” Trump said.
House leadership has not received a formal defense supplemental request from the Trump administration, according to a source familiar with the details.
Asked about the amount, Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress has a commitment to “adequately fund defense.”
“I’m sure it’s not a random number, so we’ll look at that,” Johnson said Thursday morning. “But obviously it’s a dangerous time in the world, and we have to adequately fund defense, and we have a commitment to do that.”
As of Wednesday night, several Senate appropriators, including Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, said they had not yet seen the request.
Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations committee, said she had not seen the funding request, and would need details to be provided.
“We have not seen that request, and I will tell you that this administration needs to tell Congress definitely what they’re doing and how long this is going to take. There is no goal here, and we’re not going to write them a blank check,” Murray said.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, told reporters on Thursday morning that to her knowledge the Pentagon has not made a request to Congress.
“What we have is a number that we have heard the White House presented to the Pentagon. So far as I know it has not been presented to us in Congress. So it needs to not only be presented, the amount, but also the rationale behind it,” Murkowski said.
The money that has so far been spent to fund operations in Iran comes out of Pentagon funds already allocated by Congress. Congress has not yet approved any additional funding for the war with Iran.
The funding request also indicates plans for a longer war — after Trump has previously said the war would last four to five weeks. The president has also brushed off that timeline, saying “whatever it takes.”
ABC News’ Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
The Alabama Supreme Court in Montgomery, Alabama, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (Andi Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) — The former Alabama Supreme Court justice who wrote the controversial ruling that temporarily halted in vitro fertilization services two years ago is running for state attorney general — and a group of conservative IVF parents is banding together to try to stop him.
Jay Mitchell wrote the majority opinion in a ruling that classified frozen embryos as people, prompting three of the state’s largest IVF treatment providers to halt care out of fear of wrongful death lawsuits when handling embryos.
“Unborn children are ‘children’ … without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics,” Mitchell wrote in the majority ruling in 2024.
The decision led to widespread public outcry and an effort at the Alabama statehouse to pass a bill protecting IVF treatments. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill shortly after the legislature passed it.
In the aftermath of the ruling, a group of parents who relied on in vitro fertilization to build their families created “Alabama Families for IVF,” a conservative grassroots coalition. The group is now airing ads against Mitchell in the state, voiced by Annie Hensler, who became a mother through IVF, though they have not yet endorsed a specific candidate.
“The attorney general’s office is a very powerful position, and we cannot have someone in that position that has this kind of judgment,” Katelanne Fadalla, an IVF parent who chairs the group, told ABC News.
Alabama’s attorney general would be responsible for enforcing state laws, including those related to reproductive health.
“We cannot risk having someone in office with this much influence over Alabama legislation who has already demonstrated that they cannot think through the consequences of the words that they write,” she added.
In a statement to ABC, Mitchell said, “I support IVF. My opinion protected IVF families and upheld Alabama law, but woke liberals and my political opponents continue to push lies about this case because they know I will fearlessly advance President Trump’s agenda as Alabama’s next Attorney General.”
Fadalla said she was preparing for her first consultation about IVF when news of the ruling broke in 2024.
“It was absolutely devastating,” she said.
“The opinion that came out of the Supreme Court from Jay Mitchell was not only extremely disruptive, but it was devastating to families across the state of Alabama during a time when all we are trying to do is grow our families,” Fadalla said.
In an ad airing across the state, the group accuses Mitchell of going against President Donald Trump, who declared his support for IVF after the 2024 ruling and called on the state legislature “to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama.”
“We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder — you know that. That includes — and you saw this was a big deal over the last few days — that includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America,” Trump said during the 2024 presidential campaign shortly after the ruling.
Mitchell has defended his record, describing himself as a “rock-solid conservative and warrior for the Trump agenda.”
“Jay shares the incredible commitment Alabamians have to faith, family and freedom, and his legal record proves that he is ready and willing to defend those values in court,” his campaign states on its website.
Three candidates are running in the Republican primary for Alabama attorney general, which will take place on May 19.
Black Veil Brides have announced a new album called Vindicate.
The band’s seventh studio effort, and first since 2021’s The Phantom Tomorrow, is due out May 8.
“This record is rooted in the feelings of revenge and vindication,” says frontman Andy Biersack in a statement. “These are emotions that can either push us forward or hold us back. There’s a duality to them. They can fuel growth, drive ambition, and help us rise above what’s tried to break us, but they can also become destructive if we let them consume us.”
The Vindicate title track is out now alongside a NSFW video, which you can watch on YouTube.
Vindicate also includes the previously released songs “Certainty,” “Bleeders” and “Hallelujah.”
Black Veil Brides will launch a U.S. tour in April. From Ashes to New will also be on the bill.
Here’s the Vindicate track list: “Invocation to the Muse” “Vindicate” “Certainty” “Bleeders” “Hallelujah” “Cut” “Alive” “Purgatory” “Revenger” “Sorrow” “Grace” “Ave Maria” “Woe & Pain” “Eschaton”
