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Sarah J. Maas unveils titles, covers for next books in ‘ACOTAR’ series

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Sarah J. Maas has revealed the titles and covers for the next two novels in her A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

The bestselling author took to Instagram on Monday to reveal the books will be titled A Court of Splintered Harmony and A Court of Forgotten Melody.

Her post featuring the book cover for A Court of Splintered Harmony was captioned, “What was broken will be remade.”

Maas’ post for A Court of Forgotten Melody included the caption, “What was lost will be reclaimed.”

A Court of Splintered Harmony will be released on Oct. 27, 2026, while A Court of Forgotten Melody will be released on Jan. 12, 2027.

Digital billboards displayed across Los Angeles, Denver and New York City also helped announce the news on Monday.

In March, Maas told Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper that her popular ACOTAR series will continue with books six and seven.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said at the time. “It’s something that took me a long time to write, just because there were enough things going on in my life that I had to sort through.”

She didn’t reveal much about the upcoming novels, but talked about her writing process, saying, “The story that was finally ready to come out of me was big. Really, really big. And as I started writing this in like this Montana energy vortex, it came out of me in a way that surprised me.”

She went on, “By the time I got to the end of the part one, it was, like, 400 pages long. But what I was writing felt right. That was the story that needed to be told.”

What resulted was 1,000 pages of storytelling, she said. Because of this, she’s decided to release the next part of the ACOTAR series in three parts.

She added, “I’ve never told a story this way. This is how it wants to come out. Why do I have to be held back by the realities of the glue that we need to hold the pages or just like placement on a shelf?”

The author introduced the first ACOTAR book to the world in May 2015. It follows 19-year-old huntress Feyre, who is taken to a magical land by a beast-like creature called Tamlin, described as a lethal, immortal faerie.

“Her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae,” a book synopsis said.

A Court of Mist and Fury was released in 2016 followed by A Court of Wings and Ruin in 2017 and A Court of Frost and Starlight in 2018.

A Court of Silver Flames was released in February 2021.

Maas’ announcement was also a part of the author’s rebrand of her digital presence, with her previous social media posts removed on Instagram and her website transformed into a darkened landing page.

Trump scales back US-South Korea drills, cites ‘very good’ ties with Kim Jong Un

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, citing his “very good” relationship with North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

“Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” he said.

Trump said the exercises send “inappropriate and hostile” signals to North Korea, a country he says has been “unthreatening and respectful” towards America during his presidency.

The annual U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield began on Monday. An official from the South Korean Ministry of Defense told ABC News that the military exercise now underway “will be carried on as planned.”

South Korea is a longtime U.S. ally and hosts roughly 28,500 American troops. The U.S. presence on the peninsula has traditionally been intended to prevent a resumption of cross-border hostilities, with the Korean War of 1950-1953 having never officially ended.

In 2006, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon and has since been expanding its atomic weapons stockpile — despite international condemnation and sanctions led by successive U.S. administrations — alongside a ballistic missile research program which has produced munitions capable of reaching the continental U.S.

In recent decades, the U.S. presence in South Korea has also become an important point of leverage in the strategic contest between Washington and Beijing, the latter having long served as Pyongyang’s prime patron.

Trump’s announcement came after North Korea on Friday threatened a strong response against the U.S. and South Korea in response to the planned drills.

In his post to social media, Trump also cited South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. military effort against — and “denuclearization” of — Iran, though said the issue was “somewhat unrelated (?)” to his decision to scale back the U.S.-South Korean drills.

In response to Trump’s statement, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ABC News it hoped the “friendly relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will lead to meaningful dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang and pave the way for discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

“The South Korean government has actively participated from the outset in international discussions aimed at securing a ceasefire in Iran and restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry added.

Trump has long lauded his relationship with Kim, though the president’s first term began with an extended period of tensions that saw Trump repeatedly refer to Kim as “little rocket man” and threaten Pyongyang with “fire and fury.”

But the discord gave way to a detente that saw Trump and Kim meet in person three times in 2018 and 2019 — first in Singapore, then in Vietnam and later in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

But despite seemingly improved ties and the in-person meetings, Trump failed to achieve his stated goal of North Korean denuclearization.

Since talks with Trump broke down in 2019, Pyongyang has maintained a steady rhythm of ballistic missile tests. Earlier this month and with the U.S.-South Korea military drills approaching, North Korea conducted two ballistic missile launches in quick succession.

Recent years have also seen North Korea pull closer to both Russia and Iran, putting Pyongyang in opposition to the U.S. and its allies in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow-Pyongyang ties have reached an “unprecedented level of comprehensive strategic partnership.”

ABC News’ Joohee Cho and Hakyung Kate Lee contributed to this report.

Trump-linked crypto venture World Liberty Trust granted bank status in unprecedented move for president

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A Trump-appointed national bank regulator granted a wing of the Trump family’s crypto business conditional approval to establish a bank charter, opening the door for larger clients and potentially heightened profits.

The decision marks the first time in U.S. history that a company owned by the sitting president’s family has been granted bank status, as Democratic lawmakers express concerns over potential conflicts of interest.

In a letter published Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Co., an organization that is 38% owned by “an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members,” according to its website, the ability to issue stablecoin cryptocurrency tied to the U.S. dollar.

World Liberty Financial, the listed sponsor of the conditionally approved trust, has previously relied on a third-party crypto company, BitGo, to provide a stable digital currency. Friday’s approval allows the Trump family’s business to cut out the middleman and provide the service directly.

Digital currencies, like Bitcoin, are historically volatile and therefore less appealing for entities making large transactions.

Crypto tied to more stable values, like the U.S. dollar or the price of gold, can be more attractive to big spenders and can be “marketed for use as a means of making payments, transmitting money, or storing value,” according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The decision allows the Trump-linked business to act as a bank, issuing digital currency to clients for transactions. Clients would exchange the U.S. dollar for the stablecoin, with profits going directly to the Trump family’s crypto business.

The president’s family has seen extensive profit from World Liberty Financial, securing around $5 billion in the company’s first days after going public, according to the token’s value at the time, with major investments from individuals and foreign nations continuing to fuel the company’s value.

Trump himself has made more than $1.4 billion in business revenue from his family’s crypto ventures, according to his released financial disclosures.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly has maintained that the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public,” and said that no conflict of interest exists in part because the president’s assets are held in a blind trust managed by his children. Typically, a blind trust would operate with an independent trustee.

“President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children,” Kelly said. “There are no conflicts of interest.”

State-backed Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX invested another $2 billion in the company in May 2025, promising to use the Trump family’s USD1 stablecoin in large transactions with crypto exchange company Binance.

The deal later came under scrutiny when the Trump administration then agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite prior administration concerns that they may make their way to China.

“We thank MGX and Binance for their trust in us, and I think it’s only the beginning,” World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff said after announcing the deal, alongside the president’s son Eric Trump at a crypto convention in Dubai.

Witkoff is the son of the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged the OCC to halt approval of Trump-linked business ventures, writing a letter to the comptroller in January. As an executive branch office, the president has ultimate authority over the OCC, though the office considers itself independent.

“For the first time in history, the president of the United States would be in charge of overseeing his own financial company,” Warren wrote.

Following the OCC’s preliminary approval, Warren described the decision as the “most brazen act of self-dealing our financial system has ever seen.”

“I’m introducing a bill to stop this kind of unprecedented corruption,” Warren said in a post on social media.

“The Comptroller and staff acted consistently with their statutory duties and ethical obligations with respect to the Application,” the OCC wrote Friday. “OCC staff reviewed this Application in accordance with the agency’s established policies and procedures.”

The charter application will not be fully approved until some conditions are met, including increasing the company’s capital, the OCC said.

Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘Lost Weekend’ dubbed ‘absolute triumph’ by Taylor Swift

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Phoebe Bridgers’ new album, Lost Weekend, earned a coveted Best New Music distinction from Pitchfork, but it’s also received a glowing review from perhaps an even more impressive source: Taylor Swift.

The pop superstar and 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee shared her thoughts on Lost Weekend Monday in an Instagram Story celebrating Bridgers’ 32nd birthday.

“It’s [Bridgers’] birthday but she gave us a gift,” Swift wrote. “Haven’t been able to stop listening.”

“This album is an absolute triumph in every way,” the “Shake It Off” singer continued. “To write about grief with such vulnerability and detail, and to trust the listener with this much honesty.”

You may recall that Bridgers opened for select dates on Swift’s massive Eras Tour.

Bridgers will launch a sold-out arena tour in support of Lost Weekend in September.

‘I Can’t’ anymore: Another week, another Ella Langley record

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Ella Langley and Morgan Wallen top Billboard Country Airplay for the second week in a row with “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” marking another milestone for the ACM female artist of the year.

It’s Ella’s third #1 from her sophomore album, following “Be Her” and the mega-hit “Choosin’ Texas.” That makes Dandelion only the 13th album by a woman to do so since the 1990 launch of the chart.

Kelsea Ballerini is the most recent woman to do so, sending “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs” and “Peter Pan” to the pinnacle in 2015-16 with her debut album, The First Time.

Wynonna, Deana Carter and Jo Dee Messina have matched the feat, while Shania Twain has two albums with three number ones and Carrie Underwood has three. Sugarland and Lady A are also included in the tally, since they have female members.

Taylor Swift returns to social media to wish pal a happy birthday

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Taylor Swift has emerged from her social media hiatus with happy birthday wishes for a pal.

In 2021 Taylor sang with Phoebe Bridgers on “Nothing New,” one of the “vault tracks” on Red (Taylor’s Version). In 2023, she declared The Record, the album that Phoebe made with her indie-rock supergroup boygenius, to be “genuinely a masterpiece.” And later that year, she tapped Phoebe to open for her on the Eras Tour.

So on Monday, which is Phoebe’s birthday, Taylor posted an Instagram Story linking to Phoebe’s new album, Lost Weekend. “It’s her birthday but she gave us a gift – Haven’t been able to stop listening,” Taylor wrote.

“This album is an absolute triumph in every way. To write about grief with such vulnerability and details, and to trust the listener with this much honesty,” she continued, adding the “heart hands” and “crying” emojis. “Happy Bday @phoebebridgers I love you!!”

Taylor, of course, has been a bit busy lately, which explains her absence on social media. There was that whole “getting married in Madison Square Garden” last month, but for the past few days she’s also been in London, where she was attending a friend’s wedding.

Rock the Bells Festival 2026 to feature performances by LL Cool J, SWV, Lil’ Kim and more

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The Rock the Bells Festival is making a return in November, with a lineup that will close out Hip-Hop History Month.

LL Cool J, SWV, Lil’ Kim and Method Man & Redman are set to perform at the event, which will also feature a set curated by D-Nice, with help from LeToya Luckett, David Banner and The LOX.

Signup for presale access is now open at rockthebellsfestival.com; the presale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET and ends Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.

The theme for this year’s event is Home for the Holidays.

“Hip-Hop has shaped the world for more than five decades, and Rock The Bells exists to honor the people who made that history and keep the culture moving upward,” Rock the Bells founder LL Cool J said in a statement. “There’s something special about seeing artists and fans from different generations come together under one roof. Bringing that energy back to Newark over Thanksgiving weekend feels right. We’re going to celebrate music, show love to the community, and close out Hip-Hop History Month together.”

Ozzfest confirms return at England’s Villa Park in 2027

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Ozzfest will officially be making its return in the hometown of its late namesake, Ozzy Osbourne.

The famed heavy metal festival, which has been dormant for nearly eight years, is confirmed to take place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, in 2027.

A post to the Ozzfest Instagram teases “more info on everything coming soon!”

Following Ozzy’s death in July 2025, his widow, Sharon Osbourne, started teasing the return of Ozzfest, which was last held in 2018. During a March episode of the Osbournes Podcast, Sharon said that she hoped for the festival to be held in Birmingham in 2027, followed by a return to the U.S.

Ozzy performed at Villa Park during 2025’s massive Back to the Beginning concert, which marked his final live performance before his death just over two weeks later.

Frankie Valli shoots down reports of his retirement

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Legendary singer Frankie Valli is denying reports of his retirement.

The 92-year-old has addressed the rumors on social media after his brother, Bobby Valli, wrote on Facebook that the “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” singer was retiring after a long, illustrious career.

In a post on Instagram, Frankie simply wrote, “In spite of what you might have heard, I am not retired.”

Bobby’s initial post came after Frankie canceled his tour back in May due to health issues. At the time Frankie wrote on social media, “I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health.”

After Frankie’s retirement denial, Bobby followed up with a post of his own acknowledging his mistake.

“TO ALL THE MEDIA, THAT IS TRYING TO MAKE THIS A EARTH SHATTERING CONTROVERSY! I MISUNDERSTOOD,” he wrote. “YES, I MADE A MISTAKE. HE IS NOT RETIRING. I WISH HIM A SPEEDY RECOVERY TO CONTINUE HIS LEGACY & ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER! IF I MISLEAD OR OFFENDED ANYONE ONCE AGAIN I APOLOGIZE. GOD BLESS.”

’10 Things I Hate About You’ musical headed to Broadway in 2027

August 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

It’s not too good to be true, we can’t take our eyes off of this 10 Things I Hate About You musical announcement.

A musical adaptation of the beloved film 10 Things I Hate About You is headed to Broadway in 2027. It will start preview performances on Aug. 17, 2027, in a yet-to-be announced theater. The production’s cast and additional creative team members will also be announced at a later date.

“Class begins one year from today. See you August 17, 2027 on Broadway,” the production’s official Instagram captioned an announcement post.

Lena Dunham wrote the musical’s book alongside Jessica Huang. Music and lyrics are by Carly Rae Jepsen and Ethan Gruska. The show’s music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements are by Tom Kitt. It will be directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.

This new musical “takes us back to the halls of Padua High. Amid the crushes, cliques, and teenage angst, two sisters set out to define themselves on their own terms. This rebellious new musical is about growing up, discovering yourself, and refusing to live by others’ expectations,” according to its official logline.

10 Things I Hate About You is a teenage high school take on William Shakespeare’s classic The Taming of the Shrew. The 1999 film starred Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Larisa Oleynik. One of its most-famous scenes finds Ledger’s Patrick Verona descending the high school’s bleachers as he sings a cover of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” to woo Stiles’ Kat Stratford.

This production marks Dunham’s Broadway creative team debut. Jepsen previously performed as the titular princess in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella back in 2014.

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