Season two of Freeform’s Motherland: Fort Salem is coming to a close, but not before things get a little crazy. Sheryl Lee Ralph, who reprises her role as President Kelly Wade in the show’s final two episodes, tells ABC Audio that she just couldn’t help but return to the series.
“First of all, I love playing the President of the United States — the 45th president of the Unites States in an alternative world,” she says enthusiastically. “A world where the feminine power is strong and reigning all across the country.”
“How do you say ‘no’ to something like that?” she asks rhetorically. “And, I’m a woman of color! I love it.”
Thanking screenwriter Eliot Laurence for “choosing her for this role,” Ralph adds that the timing of receiving it was interesting because at the time she was “working hard” for now-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ralph explains that her role as the POTUS in Motherland: Fort Salem continues to intertwine with her real life, even today, as she’s currently running to become the SAG-AFTRA LA Local Vice President.
“So, it’s like ‘wow,’ President Kelly Wade has an incredible impact on my life,” she expresses.
As for what’s next for her character in the show, Ralph reminds fans that General Alder used a puppet spell on President Kelly Wade, before teasing “you never know what happens in a mind meld” and “you never know how things will end up.”
“Sometimes the most powerful person never lets you know what their power is, never — until it bites you in the behind and you have to find out for yourself,” she says. “I have a funny feeling it’s going to get deep and it’s gonna get crazy!” (ABC AUDIO 1-ON-1)
Watch Motherland: Fort Salem Tuesdays on Freeform at 10pm and the next day on Hulu.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s president fled the country over the weekend and the Taliban seized control of the presidential palace there, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
As the crisis intensifies, with images from Kabul showing Afghans storming the airport tarmac and climbing onto military planes after the U.S. assumed control of the airport, President Joe Biden cut his time at Camp David short and headed back to the White House to address the nation Monday afternoon.
The Pentagon said that 6,000 U.S. troops would soon be in the country’s capital as the military races to evacuate diplomats and civilians from an increasingly chaotic Kabul. Despite criticism, the Biden administration is sticking by its decision to withdraw troops from the country by Aug. 31, ending America’s longest war.
Here are some key developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 17, 6:39 am
US ambassador to Afghanistan says he has not fled
Ross Wilson, acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said he is still in Kabul despite media reports that he had fled as the country descended into chaos.
Wilson took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to address the “false reports,” saying he remains in Afghanistan’s capital “working hard to help [thousands] of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans.”
“Our commitment to the Afghan people endures,” Wilson tweeted.
Aug 17, 6:23 am
Taliban declares ‘amnesty,’ urges women to join government
The Taliban on Tuesday declared an “amnesty” for all in Afghanistan and encouraged women to join their government.
“The Islamic Emirate doesn’t want women to be victims,” Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said on Afghan state television, using the group’s phrase “Islamic Emirate” to refer to the country of Afghanistan. “They should be in the government structure according to Shariah law.”
“The structure of government is not fully clear,” he added, “but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership, and all sides should join.”
There are fears that the militants will seek revenge on those who worked for the toppled Afghan government or foreign nations, such as the United States. There are also concerns for the future of girls and women under the Taliban’s government, which stripped them of nearly all their rights when it previously ruled Afghanistan.
Aug 17, 5:41 am
Former Afghan interpreters for US speak out: ‘It’s a nightmare’
Some former Afghan interpreters for the U.S. government are speaking out while they watch in fear from afar as the Taliban seizes control of their country.
Ismail Khan, a former interpreter for American troops in Afghanistan who worked with the U.S. Army as a translator from 2006 to 2012, described the situation as chaotic and dire.
“It’s a nightmare,” Khan told San Francisco ABC station KGO in an interview on Monday. “We never thought it would come to this.”
Khan, who is now the special immigrant visa ambassador for Seattle-based nationwide nonprofit No One Left Behind, said that any Afghans who have worked for or helped the U.S. government are at risk of being killed by the Taliban — and it’s not just interpreters.
“Cooks, cleaners, there are security guards, there are mechanics, there are laundry guys,” he explained. “There are a lot of people that worked with U.S. forces, and not only their lives but their family’s lives are also in danger.”
“People are going to die,” he added. “They (the Taliban) are going door-to-door to slaughter those who raised their hand and wanted to help.”
Khan believes there are more than 60,000 Afghans who need to be evacuated “right now,” but the Biden administration has only approved visas for a few thousand.
“They’re begging for help,” he said. “We should stand up and do something about it. It’s a matter of life and death.”
Another former interpreter, Muhammad, who withheld his last name for fear of retribution, said his wife and five children are still in Kabul. Muhammad worked as an interpreter for the U.S. embassy there until moving to Philadelphia in 2019. He and his family returned to Afghanistan’s capital this summer to visit relatives.
Muhammad went back to the United States last week while his family stayed behind, after receiving assurances from his contacts at the U.S. embassy that his wife and children would be safely evacuated. Now, they can’t get out.
“I cannot live without my family,” Muhammad told Philadelphia ABC station WPVI in an interview on Monday. “They are concerned, they are scared, but they have no option.”
Aug 16, 10:53 pm
Former President Bush calls on America to help Afghan refugees
Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush released a statement late Monday night calling on America and its allies to aid the people of Afghanistan as the Taliban has taken over the country.
They said the Biden administration has the authority to help now.
“The Afghans now at the greatest risk are the same ones who have been on the forefront of progress inside their nation. President Biden has promised to evacuate these Afghans, along with American citizens and our allies,” they said in a statement. “The United States government has the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises. And we have the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay. Our most stalwart allies, along with private NGOs, are ready to help.”
Despite the sudden collapse of the Afghan government, the Bush’s said they remain hopeful for the country and its people.
“In times like these, it can be hard to remain optimistic. Laura and I will steadfastly remain so. Like our country, Afghanistan is also made up of resilient, vibrant people,” their statement said. “Nearly 65 percent of the population is under twenty-five years old. The choices they will make for opportunity, education, and liberty will also determine Afghanistan’s future.”
Aug 16, 8:11 pm
Details about C-17 flight mobbed by thousands at Kabul airport
In a dramatic video, hundreds of Afghan civilians surrounded a U.S. C-17 military transport aircraft as it taxied on the runway at Kabul’s airport.
A U.S. defense official said these were not special visa applicants, but people who had breached the runway from the civilian side of the airport.
According to the official, the C-17 had landed with cargo and as the landing crew attempted to unload, it was rushed by hundreds of Afghan civilians. The aircrew decided it was not safe to unload and began taxiing to fly away to safety.
(NEW YORK) — Federal officials have declared a shortage in Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country that serves tens of millions of residents in the West and northern Mexico, amid a historic decades long “mega-drought” in the region.
The Bureau of Reclamation announced the first-ever water shortage for the lower Colorado River basin on Monday, which will prompt a reduction in water releases to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico in 2022 to make sure there is enough water in the reservoir to keep generating power and provide water for essential uses.
Lake Mead will be under a Tier 1 shortage, meaning that starting next year, Arizona will receive about 18% less water from the Colorado River than in a typical year. Nevada’s water allowance will be reduced by about 7%, and Mexico’s by about 5%, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. States, local agencies, tribes and water users will negotiate which users see the most reductions.
In Arizona, for example, farmers will bear the brunt of the reductions, while cities and one tribe will see small reductions under the state’s drought contingency plan, though some have also made voluntary efforts to reduce water use.
The impacts of the water cuts to Central Arizona farmers will be serious and representatives from the irrigation districts anticipate as much as 30% of the farmland in Pinal County could be left unplanted next year, Kevin Moran, senior director of the Colorado River Program for the Environmental Defense Fund, told ABC News.
He said that it will be crucial for states and water users to continue to work together to adapt and conserve as much of the watersheds out west as possible to prepare for worsening conditions in the future.
“I think it’s a wake up call for everyone that we need to start planning for the river that scientists tell us we’re probably going to have not the one we remember or might wish for,” he said.
The reservoir hit its lowest water levels in history this summer, the bureau announced in June. The Colorado River system currently has only 40% of the amount of water it can store, down from 49% last year.
The lowering water levels in several reservoirs in the West have been exacerbated by severe drought, meaning less snowpack to feed into rivers, streams and lakes in areas surrounding the mountains. And what little runoff there is from snow in the spring is immediately sopped up by the arid soil before it can reach important bodies of water.
After 22 years of drought conditions, the water levels at the Hoover and Glen Canyon Dam reservoirs hit the lowest water levels since they were filled, Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo told reporters in a press briefing Monday.
“We are seeing the effects of climate change in the Colorado River Basin through extended drought, extreme temperatures, expansive wildfires, and in some places flooding and landslides, and now is the time to take action to respond to them,” Trujillo said.
The Bureau of Reclamation, states, tribes, and water users have been planning for drought conditions to become more severe and created contingency plans on who would have their water allowance reduced first. In addition to helping farmers and other water users voluntarily reduce water use.
Levels of Lake Mead are projected to hit a level that could require additional cuts in July 2023. State officials said they will have to make difficult decisions to adapt to more limited water resources going into the future and that states will need to work together to come up with innovative solutions, according to the new analysis released by the Bureau of Reclamation.
“Today’s Colorado River hydrology is not the same hydrology this basin knew a century ago. Every community, every sector, every industry that uses Colorado River water must do more to conserve and protect this critical water resource upon which 40 million Americans depend,” said John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, called the declaration and projections a “serious turn of events” but not a crisis, saying the state and stakeholders can make changes to limit water usage into the future.
“The challenge before us, to help protect the lake further and to protect 1020 elevation will be daunting, but we can and will address these issues, and be successful together in partnership,” he said.
But the conditions have worsened faster than expected, prompting the shortage declaration this year and possibly more reductions and actions in the future if drought conditions continue.
“The announcement today is a recognition that the hydrology that was planned for years ago but we hoped we would never see, is here,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Touton.
Moran said the shortage declaration shows the river is “ground zero” for climate change in the US.
“We’re seeing the impact of climate change and the interconnected crises of drought, wildfires and extreme heat, and we need to adapt on an accelerated basis to those impacts,” he told ABC News.
Moran added that he thinks the world is at a point of “accelerated climate change” that is forcing them to “grapple with the health of the hydrologic system and what it can actually sustain.”
“We’re having to face that in ways we have, we have been able to avoid, at least in significant ways until now,” he added.
But Moran said the Bureau of Reclamation and water users were able to come together to plan for this water shortage, adding that “failure is not an option” going forward.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
A collection of artwork created by late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek will go on display starting September 1 exclusively at all nine Wentworth Galleries, which are located in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Ocasek’s pieces also will be available for purchase.
“Art is a way to release tension and to organize my thoughts,” the singer, guitarist and songwriter once explained. “It’s something I do while pondering an outcome. The drawings start with a shape and explode from there.”
Ric’s art was partly influenced and inspired by late pop-art legend Andy Warhol, who directed the music video for The Cars’ 1984 hit “Hello Again.”
Discussing Warhol’s work, Ocasek said that “his stuff I loved not only because it looked amazing, but it was different than everyone else’s and had an idea behind it.”
You can check out examples of Ric’s paintings and drawings at WentworthGallery.com.
“When I saw Ric’s art for the first time, I was struck with the emotion it captured,” notes Wentworth Gallery president Christian O’Mahony. “You can sense a part of Ric in the art. It really gives a snapshot into the mind of an artistic genius. I am honored to showcase and sell his art in my galleries.”
Ocasek died of natural causes on September 15, 2019. He was 75.
Here’s the full list of Wentworth Gallery locations:
Florida
Boca Raton — Town Center Mall, 6000 Glades Rd.
Fort Lauderdale — 819 E. Las Olas Blvd.
Hollywood — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5804 Seminole Way
Georgia
Atlanta — Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE
Lee Daniels‘ latest TV series, The Ms. Pat Show, premiered August 12 on BET+, and the Empire creator says he is proud after years of struggling to make the sitcom happen.
“Years before, we tried to find the right writer, right visionary for it, trying fight studios and networks that wanted to do it, but were afraid to do it because it was too black and was too real,” Daniels said during a TV Critics Association panel Tuesday, according to Deadline. “We have never seen a voice like this on television…it was worth the fight — years of fighting.”
The Oscar-nominated director adds that he did not lose faith in the show after it was dropped in 2016 by Fox, and dropped by Hulu in 2019.
The Ms. Pat Show is based on the life of series star Patricia Williams, who overcame her criminal past to become a successful comedian. She portrays a married mother of four living in her real-life hometown of Plainfield, Indiana, in a suburban white neighborhood.
“I’m just proud to be out front and a different type of mom where I don’t have to be chopping up vegetables,” Williams said during the TCA event. “I’m a convicted felon and you get to see a side of a mom Hollywood doesn’t really want you to see, other than on Cops.”
Many of today’s top artists have been open about the fact that they’re dealing with anxiety, depression or the pressure from social media. Iggy Azalea is now suggesting a solution: That artists’ record labels should provide them with mental health resources.
“I REALLY WISH record labels would all agree to make it mandatory to hire at least ONE psychologist per label,” the Australian rapper tweeted on Monday. “Almost EVERY artist in recent times has expressed struggling with the level of hate & pressure. Sports teams do it for their athletes, why not music labels?”
“Also yes it may seem like ‘But there’s so many labels!’ There’s actually only about 4 guys running the entire music business,” Iggy explained. “So it would be pretty easy to hold them accountable and make them implement a change across their businesses.”
She specifically mentioned the head of Universal Music Group, Lucian Grainge, and the head of Sony Music Entertainment, Rob Stringer, as two of those “guys” who could make that change.
“Between these two guys that’s literally like 85% coverage across the labels. See what I’m saying?” Iggy went on to write. “It’s not hard to actually do this. Why won’t they do it?”
“A weekly mental health check in being normalized would take away the fear factor of having to approach often older people in power positions for help which can feel like exposing a weakness,” Iggy explained. She added, “trust me, I lived it.”
When a fan suggested that even if offered, artists wouldn’t use the resource, Iggy disagreed.
“As an artist who knows a lot of artists and has had this conversation in studios a million times, I can confidently say If they had built in access it would be utilized,” she declared.
I REALLY WISH record labels would all agree to make it mandatory to hire at least ONE
psychologist per label.
Almost EVERY artist in recent times has expressed struggling with the level of hate & pressure.
Sports teams do it for their athletes, why not music labels?
Actress Selma Blair had a reason to smile at discovery+’s Television Critics Association panel for her upcoming documentary Introducing Selma Blair: Her multiple sclerosis is in remission.
“My prognosis is great,” the former Cruel Intentions star said. “Stem cell [treatments] put me in remission. It took about a year after stem cell for the inflammation and lesions to really go down.”
Blair, 49, had undergone chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant to essentially “reboot” her nervous system, she explained.
The actress also said that she’s been feeling much better of late, but didn’t want to rush to make headlines. “I was reluctant to talk about it because I felt this need to be more healed and more fixed,” she noted.
“I’ve accrued a lifetime of some baggage in the brain that still needs a little sorting out or accepting,” the actress continued. “That took me a minute to get to that acceptance.”
Blair added, “I have really felt unwell and misunderstood for so long that it’s just me.”
Selma revealed her diagnosis in 2018, later telling ABC News’ Robin Roberts that she felt “relief” after she finally learned why she’d been suffering years of crippling pain and other physical symptoms.
“I was really struggling with, ‘How am I gonna get by in life?'” she told Robin. “And [being] not taken seriously by doctors, just, ‘Single mother, you’re exhausted, financial burden, blah, blah, blah.’ And so when I got the diagnosis I cried with some relief. Like, ‘Oh, good, I’ll be able to do something.'”
Introducing Selma Blair, which profiles the actress’ life with MS and her struggles with her treatment, opens in theaters October 15 and starts streaming on discovery+ on October 21.
(CAPE SAN BLAS, Fla.) — Tropical storm Fred made landfall near Cape San Blas, along the Florida Panhandle, on Monday afternoon with winds near 65 mph.
One foot of rain is possible in the Florida Panhandle. Fred then is forecast to barrel north through Alabama and Georgia, delivering up to 10 inches of rain.
The flash flood threat will stretch to Atlanta and could even reach Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., by Wednesday.
President Joe Biden warned last week that the hurricane-prone states also are ones with surging COVID-19 cases.
“Let me be clear. If you’re in a state where hurricanes often strike, a vital part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now. Everything is more complicated if you’re not vaccinated and a hurricane or natural disaster hits. If you wind up having to evacuate, if you wind up having to stay in a shelter, you don’t want to add COVID-19 to the list of dangers that you’re going to be confronting,” Biden said at a briefing alongside Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.
Fred isn’t the only storm moving through the Atlantic Ocean.
Tropical depression Grace is targeting Haiti, where residents are dealing with a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake this weekend that killed nearly 1,300 people.
Gusty winds and heavy rain are expected in Haiti Monday and Jamaica on Tuesday.
And a new tropical depression formed near Bermuda on Monday morning that could become Tropical Storm Henri later in the day.
A tropical depression near Bermuda could cause high waves and rip currents along the East Coast of the U.S.
Henri is expected to circle around Bermuda, where a tropical storm watch is in effect. Henri’s only impact on the U.S. could be high waves and rip currents along the East Coast.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation represents over 100 pro stars, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. Now Hova hopes to expand his sports influence by opening a sportsbook in New York.
The billionaire mogul is partnering with the Fanatics sports merchandise company to bring mobile sports betting to the Empire State next year, according to Page Six.
Last week, Roc Nation became an investor in Fanatics, and together, they’re creating the Fanatics Betting and Betting company. The firm is now bidding for a sportsbook license, and their competition includes FanDuel, DraftKings, Bally’s, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook.
In addition to representing professional athletes, Roc Nation partnered last year with the NFL as a consultant on the league’s major music events, including the Super Bowl halftime show. Roc Nation artist Shakira performed with Jennifer Lopez at halftime of the 2020 championship game on February 2 in Miami.
The debut episode, now on YouTube, is a tie-in to Alessia’s new song, “Shapeshifter,” which includes the lyric, “Don’t know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday.”
In the clip, Alessia plays the host, Gianna Vitali, a gum-chewing cynic with a New York accent who starts the show by announcing, “All of you sent in your love advice questions, I’m gonna answer them. Am I single? Yes. Am I in any way qualified? No. Let’s get started.”
When one question asks if she believes in finding “The One,” Alessia admits she doesn’t believe in love at all but thinks there are multiple people out there for you so “try ‘em all.”
She also gives her advice on whether opposites attract, what red flags to look for, if someone who broke your heart deserves to have a song written about them, and more.
Episode two of Get Him Back or Get Him Back will be out next week.
