Kem and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds are touring together in the spring, with Sherri Shepherd as the host.
The Full Circle tour kicks off March 30 in Petersburg, Virginia, and is scheduled through a May 15 show in Oakland, California. The trek will stop in a total of 26 cities, including Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.
“I’m excited to join @musicbykem with host @sherrieshepherd on the #FullCircleTour this March!,” Babyface commented on Instagram. “Presale starts this Wednesday, January 26 at 10 a.m. local time at Babyfacemusic.com with code BABYFACE. General on sale begins this Friday, January 28 at 10 a.m. local time.”
The 11-time Grammy winner’s Instagram announcement also features a comical video of Sherri talking on the phone with a friend, saying, “Girl, Kem and Babyface are going on tour. Oh, we are going to make it a night, ladies night, girls night, find-a-man night. OK, get dressed, we going out!”
Britney Spears is giving an update on her Hawaiian vacation with fiance Sam Asghari.
Captioning an Instagram video of herself sunbathing in a bikini, the singer reveals she’s dealing with a “small” stomach bug that she compares to the nausea she experienced when she was pregnant.
“[I]t’s the nausea that is the worst,” Britney writes. “It’s like I can’t wake up so I go to the gym trying to wake my system up !!! It’s like clock work … I break my first sweat then I go to the bathroom and throw up.”
Britney says she pushes through until it goes away, but notes that “this has been going on for a month.” She then takes aims at the paparazzi.
“I wake up and my body is so little yet the war dog media hiding outside my room put me on defense just like they always have,” she writes. “so if you’re outside my room trying to get another cheap shot of me … please go f*** yourself and leave me alone !!!! I should be able to run around naked if I choose to … Have a good day folks !!!”
She adds that although the paps are “horrible,” Maui is “absolutely pure magic.”
If you have trouble deciphering Britney’s lengthy Instagram captions, one TikTok user is going viral for being Britney’s “Southern translator.” Kimberly Thomas reads the captions with a Southern accent to help fans better understand the Louisiana pop star’s meaning.
Kid Rock is mad at Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci on his new song, “We the People.”
The chorus for the track features a chant of “Let’s Go Brandon,” a conservative code for hurling an expletive at the President. Rock is much less subtle when it comes to Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor, simply exclaiming, “F*** Fauci” after the line “Wear your mask/ Take your pills/ Now a whole generation’s mentally ill.”
“We the People” is out now via digital outlets, along with two other new Kid songs, “Rockin'” and “The Last Dance.”
Last year, Rock released a track called “Don’t Tell Me How to Live,” on which he takes aim at “snowflakes” and “millennials.”
(NEW YORK) — Police in New York City have released new video of the suspect wanted for shooting an 11-month-old girl in the face in the Bronx.
A reward has now climbed to $10,000, police said.
The shooting took place at about 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 while the baby was in a parked car with her mother outside a grocery store, waiting for the father who was inside the store, police said.
A man chasing another man fired two shots, hitting the baby in the face, police said.
The NYPD said the suspect fled in a gray Nissan.
The baby girl, Catherine, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition and turned 1 days later. Her current condition isn’t clear.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark addressed the gunman in an interview with ABC New York station WABC last week, saying, “you’re not going to get away with it. … We’re going to find you eventually, because we’re not going to stop looking.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 800-577-TIPS.
(BALTIMORE) — The city of Baltimore is in mourning after three firefighters were killed when they responded to a fire and became trapped inside.
Lt. Paul Butrim, firefighter Kelsey Sadler and firefighter Kenny Lacayo died while battling a blaze at a vacant row-home Monday morning.
The house partially collapsed, trapping them inside, along with a fourth firefighter, John McMaster, who survived and is in critical but stable condition.
Lt. Butrim was a 16-year veteran of the department. Sadler spent 15 years with the department and Lacayo was with the department for seven years.
“This is a gut-wrenching tragedy for our city, the Baltimore City Fire Department, and most importantly the families of our firefighters,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. “My heart is with the firefighters, their families, and the entire Baltimore City Fire Department who put the lives and safety of others before their own wellbeing each and every day. I ask that all of Baltimore keep them in our prayers during this extremely difficult time.”
Baltimore Fire Chief Niles Ford said, “From this moment, we will honor those we lost today, for their bravery, their courage, their love for helping others and the respect they had for the Baltimore City Fire Department.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered flags lowered to half-staff.
Law enforcement and sports teams in Baltimore are also offering their condolences.
Kevin Kane/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October, The Go-Go’s had planned to ring in the New Year with a series of five West Coast shows in late December and early January, but those concerts were postponed after someone associated with the band tested positive for COVID-19.
Now, the veteran all-female group has announced new dates for the postponed run of gigs, most of which will take place at different venues than those lined up for the originally scheduled shows.
The new trek kicks off with a March 24 show in San Francisco at The Masonic, where the original series of concerts was supposed to have launched on December 28. The Go-Go’s then will play on March 25 in Reno, Nevada, at the Grand Theatre; March 27 in Temecula, California, at the Pechanga Theatre; March 28 in Anaheim, California, at the House of Blues; and March 31 in San Diego at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
In addition, a special hometown show in Los Angeles will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for the new concerts will go on sale to the general public this Friday, January 28, at 10 a.m. PT, while Go-Go’s fan club and local pre-sales will be available starting on Thursday, January 27, at 10 a.m. PT. Visit GoGos.com/shows for more details.
“We are very pleased to be starting our west coast tour in just a few short weeks,” the group says in a statement. “Because every other band is also looking for venues, we’ve had to alter our routing a little, but we hope our fans will be as happy and excited to see us as we are to see them! Lots of love from The Go-Go’s!”
Following sexual assault allegations made against him late last year — allegations he strenuously denied — actor Chris Noth was cut from the …And Just Like That finale, and lost his role on CBS’ The Equalizer.
His former co-star Queen Latifahjust broke her silence over the situation on People magazine’s People (the TV Show), about what will happen to Noth’s former CIA agent William Bishop on the show.
“It’s still surreal,” Latifah told Julie Moran. “It is such a dicey, delicate situation that requires a great deal of respect.”
Of the controversy, the actress and recording artist said only, “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.”
As for the CBS series, Latifah said, “Chris’ character’s obviously a big part of the show and it was amazing chemistry, amazing chemistry. And my feeling is justice has to prevail regardless. I just want the right things to be done, you know?”
She added, “We are figuring out what we want to do creatively on the show and how we’re going to deal with that character.”
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 868,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 63.4% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 25, 4:40 pm
Weekly reported cases set new record at more than 21 million
Over 21 million new weekly cases were reported across the globe — the most recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization.
The U.S. (4,215, 852 new cases — a 24% decrease from the previous week) reported the most, followed by France (2,443,821 new cases — a 21% increase).
The U.S. also recorded 10,795 deaths — the most of any nation.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Jan 25, 4:25 pm
US hospital admissions drop 8% even as 13 states see surges
Nearly 20,000 Americans with COVID-19 are being admitted to hospitals each day — an 8% drop over the last week, according to federal data.
But 13 states saw COVID-19-related hospital admission rates jump by at least 10%: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Emergency department visits for diagnosed COVID-19 cases declined nearly 24% over the last two weeks, according to federal data.
While the U.S. case rate is steadily falling — down by 15% in the last week to an average of 664,000 new cases — case rates still remain higher than any other point of the pandemic, according to federal data.
Wisconsin is leading the nation in new cases per capita, followed by Rhode Island, Utah and South Carolina.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 25, 12:18 pm
Elton John tests positive, Dallas concerts postponed
Elton John has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to postpone his concerts on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, according to a statement from the venue.
“Elton is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is experiencing only mild symptoms,” the statement said. “Fans should hold on to their tickets as they will be honored at the rescheduled dates to be announced soon.”
Jan 25, 12:02 pm
Florida governor vows to ‘fight back’ against FDA’s ‘reckless’ decision
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to “fight back” against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “reckless” decision to limit the use of two monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 that were found to be ineffective against the now-dominant omicron variant.
“This is wrong what they are doing, and we have many people now who are very concerned because they were going to go in and get it today or tomorrow,” DeSantis said during a press conference Tuesday.
While the governor acknowledged that the treatments are less effective against omicron, he claimed that people in Florida have seen their COVID-19 symptoms clear up in the last month after receiving the treatments. DeSantis, however, did not offer data to support that claim.
“We’re going to fight back against this,” he told reporters.
When asked whether he plans to take legal action against the federal government, DeSantis said: “I don’t know. We’re going to see what we can do.”
With omicron accounting for more than 99% of COVID-19 infections nationwide, the FDA on Monday revised its authorizations for two of the main monoclonal antibody treatments that have been widely used across the country — one made by Eli Lilly and the other by Regeneron. The FDA said both treatments are no longer authorized for use in any U.S. state, territory or jurisdiction and should not be used for treatment against COVID-19. In the future, the treatments could still be used to help patients who become sick with other variants, according to the FDA.
Following the FDA’s decision, Florida health officials announced that monoclonal antibody treatment sites would be shut down across the state. More than 2,000 appointments for the treatments were canceled statewide on Tuesday alone, according to the governor’s office.
“Unfortunately, as a result of this abrupt decision made by the federal government, all monoclonal antibody state sites will be closed until further notice,” the Florida Department of Health said in a statement late Monday. “Florida disagrees with the decision that blocks access to any available treatments in absence of clinical evidence. To date, such clinical evidence has not been provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie and Sasha Pezenik
Jan 25, 10:43 am
Kentucky governor’s son tests positive as state’s cases skyrocket
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s son has tested positive for COVID-19 as cases in the state skyrocket.
“My son is generally asymptomatic, we believe because he is vaccinated and boosted,” Beshear said Monday.
The governor and the rest of his family tested negative on Monday, according to Beshear’s office.
Kentucky reported 81,473 cases for the week ending on Sunday — a record high.
Hospitalizations are also approaching a record high, his office said.
Jan 25, 9:18 am
WHO warns of rising cases of omicron sub-variant
The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over rising cases of a new omicron sub-variant.
In an updated post to its website on Monday, the WHO said the new sub-variant, called BA.2, is a descendant of omicron, the now-dominant, highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus. Unlike omicron, BA.2 is currently not considered a “variant of concern.” But because it is spreading in many countries, the WHO is asking governments and scientists across the globe to monitor the situation and study the new sub-variant, as many have already been doing.
As of last Friday, BA.2 had already been detected in at least 40 countries, including the United States. It has already spread quickly in Denmark, where early reports indicate it doesn’t appear to be deadlier than its parent variant. The sub-variant is now also spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom.
While BA.2 is a descendent of omicron, it has slightly different mutations. Omicron has several sub-variants, as does the previously dominant, highly transmissible delta variant.
-ABC News’ Sony Salzman
Jan 25, 6:45 am
Pfizer, BioNTech announce clinical studies for omicron-based vaccine
Pfizer and BioNTech said on Tuesday they have initiated clinical studies to evaluate an omicron-based vaccine for adults.
The trials will evaluate the “safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity” of the omicron-based vaccine for healthy adults between 18 and 55 years old, the companies said. About 1,400 participants will receive one of three combinations of the companies’ current vaccine and the omicron-based vaccine.
“While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization with Omicron, we recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address Omicron and new variants in the future,” said Kathrin U. Jansen, Ph.D., senior vice president and head of vaccine research & development at Pfizer, said in a statement.
The companies said 615 participants will receive a dose of the omicron booster after two doses of the current vaccine. Another 600 participants will receive a dose of the omicron booster after three doses of the current vaccine. The final 205 participants, who have not been vaccinated, will receive three doses of the omicron vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they expected to have initial findings in the first half of 2022. ABC News has also learned Moderna is expected to start similar human trials of an omicron-specific vaccine within the coming days.
-ABC News’ Eric Strauss
Jan 25, 6:34 am
London police probe Downing Street lockdown parties
London police said Tuesday they are investigating parties that allegedly took place at British Prime Minister Boris Johnon’s official residence and executive office while England was under strict lockdown because of COVID-19.
In a statement before the London Assembly, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced the investigation into “a number of events” at 10 Downing Street.
“The fact that we are now investigating does not, of course, mean that fixed penalty notices will necessarily be issued in every instance and to every person involved,” Dick said. “We will not be giving a running commentary on our current investigations.”
Johnson is facing growing anger and calls for his resignation over claims he and his staff flouted COVID-19 restrictions imposed by his government. In the latest allegation, ITV News reported that the prime minister attended a surprise birthday party held for him at his office during the first lockdown in June 2020 and later hosted friends in his apartment upstairs that evening. At that time, people in England were barred from meeting more than one individual outside their household.
A spokesperson for Johnson’s office called the claim “totally untrue,” telling ITV News in a statement that, “in line with the rules at the time, the prime minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening.”
Earlier this month, Johnson acknowledged for the first time that he went to a garden party at 10 Downing Street during the first lockdown in May 2020. While he didn’t explicitly admit that he had broken any rules, the prime minister apologized and said he had considered the garden party to be a work event to thank his staff for their efforts during the pandemic.
It was unclear which events London’s Metropolitan Police Service is investigating.
Jan 25, 5:42 am
Crisis standards of care activated in southern Idaho
Crisis standards of care have been adopted in much of southern Idaho, as hospitals grapple with a surge in COVID-19 patients.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, citing severe staffing and blood supply shortages, activated crisis standards of care on Monday for the southwest, central and south central public health districts, which encompass 18 counties including the Boise, Nampa and Twin Falls metropolitan areas. Crisis standards of care provide legal and ethical guidelines for how health care providers should allocate scarce, life-saving resources, such as ventilators and intensive care unit beds, during an overwhelming public health emergency.
“The highly contagious Omicron variant has thrown us a curve ball,” Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said in a statement Monday. “Once again, the situation in our hospitals and health systems is dire — we don’t have enough resources to adequately treat patients.”
It was the second time amid the coronavirus pandemic that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has activated crisis standards of care. Health care rationing was authorized in northern Idaho last September before being extended to the entire state 10 days later. The guidelines were fully deactivated by the end of December.
The latest activation came in response to a request from Saint Alphonsus Health System, which has hospitals in southwestern Idaho as well as eastern Oregon. Jeppesen convened Idaho’s crisis standards of care activation advisory committee last Friday, and the committee recommended that the guidelines be activated statewide. Jeppesen decided to only make the designation for southern Idaho, but said other parts of the state will likely be added if current COVID-19 trends continue.
Jeppesen urged residents to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 and to wear high-quality face masks in public places.
“Omicron is so much more contagious than previous variants, and even though a lower percentage of cases are ending up in the hospital, the record number of cases is still putting strain on our healthcare system,” he said.
Jan 24, 4:05 pm
Pediatric cases sky-high but hospitalizations show decline
More than 1.1 million children tested positive for COVID-19 last week — nearly five times the rate of the peak of last winters’ surge, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
A total of 10.6 million children have tested positive since the onset of the pandemic. A fifth of those children — over 2 million kids — tested positive in just the last two weeks, according to the two organizations.
Pediatric cases in the Northeast are seeing a dramatic drop but new cases in the West, South and the Midwest are still surging.
But there is positive news: COVID-19-related hospitalizations among children fell this week for the first time in one month.
More than 28.4 million eligible children remain unvaccinated.
Queen Latifah says it is “surreal” that Chris Noth will no longer appear on The Equalizer following sexual assault allegations against him.
“It is such a dicey, delicate situation that requires a great deal of respect,” Latifah told People. “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.” Noth starred as ex-CIA agent William Bishop who was an old friend of Robyn McCall, portrayed by Latifah.
“Chris’ character’s obviously a big part of the show, and it was amazing chemistry, amazing chemistry,” the Emmy winner added. “And my feeling is justice has to prevail, regardless. I just want the right things to be done, you know?
In other news, Meagan Good tells xoNecole.com that divorcing Devon Franklin is “the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.” After nine years of marriage, the Harlem TV series star and the preacher announced their divorce in December.
“Still grieving, still hurt,” Good added. “It’s going to be a long time, but at the end of the day it has made God, even more, my lover and even more my husband, and even brought our relationship to new depths and new heights so I’m in gratitude for that.”
Finally, Deadline reports that Netflix has won a bidding war for Lee Daniels‘ untitled new film. The Empire TV series co-creator sold his true horror story for $65 million. The film will reunite Daniels and Andra Day, who starred in his 2021 movie, The United States vs. Billie Holiday. The singer earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for the title role.
Day will reportedly play a mother living in Indiana who believes her child has become demonically possessed. The new project will also star Octavia Spencer, Aunjanue Ellis from King Richard, and Glenn Close.
(NEW YORK) — A second NYPD officer has died after being shot at a domestic violence call in Harlem this weekend.
Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, who died Tuesday, is “3 times a hero,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell tweeted. “For choosing a life of service. For sacrificing his life to protect others. For giving life even in death through organ donation.”
Mora was shot while responding to a 911 call Friday night from a woman who was in a dispute with her son. She said her son was in a back bedroom, and when the officers approached the bedroom, the door swung open and the suspect fired, police said.
Mora’s partner, officer Jason Rivera, 22, was struck first at the scene and died from his injuries.
A third officer, 27-year-old Sumit Sulan, opened fire on the suspect, LaShawn McNeil.
McNeil, 47, later died from his injuries.
Mora and Rivera are among five NYPD officers who have been shot this month, the commissioner said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, on Monday unveiled a new strategy to combat violent crime.
“New Yorkers feel as if a sea of violence is engulfing our city,” Adams said. “But as your mayor, I promise you I will not let this happen. We will not surrender our city to the violent feud. We won’t go back to the bad old days.”
