‘The Pitt’ season 2 finale gets theatrical release

‘The Pitt’ season 2 finale gets theatrical release
‘The Pitt’ season 2 finale gets theatrical release
Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby in season 2 of ‘The Pitt.’ (Warrick Page/HBO Max)

The Pitt is headed to movie theaters.

Fans of the Emmy-winning TV series will be able to watch its season 2 finale on the big screen. HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures have teamed with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema for advance theatrical screenings of the episode.

In a press release, HBO Max said this season 2 finale theatrical release is set “to honor the dedication and impact of healthcare professionals across the country.”

These screenings will take place on April 13 at select Alamo Drafthouse locations in the U.S. All health care workers, either active or retired, are being encouraged to reserve their seat with the purchase of a $10 food and beverage voucher.

Additionally, every person who attends the screenings will receive what HBO Max is calling “special The Pitt giveaways.”

New episodes of The Pitt stream Thursdays on HBO Max. The season 2 finale will be available for everyone to watch on the streaming service on April 16.

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Hear new song from AWOLNATION side project The Barbarians of California, ‘Vanilla Latte’

Hear new song from AWOLNATION side project The Barbarians of California, ‘Vanilla Latte’
Hear new song from AWOLNATION side project The Barbarians of California, ‘Vanilla Latte’
“Vanilla Latte” single artwork. (Villains for Good/Two Twenty Five Music)

The Barbarians of California, AWOLNATION frontman Aaron Bruno’s hardcore side project, has released a new song called “Vanilla Latte.”

“For ‘Vanilla Latte,’ we dip back into our thrashy side with the usual dose of sarcasm and irreverence,” says fellow Barbarian Eric Stenman in a statement.

You can watch the “Vanilla Latte” video, which was filmed during the 2026 ShipRocked concert cruise, streaming now on YouTube.

“Vanilla Latte” follows the January single “Bomb to a Knife Fight.” The debut Barbarians album, And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth, was released in 2024.

The Barbarians of California will launch a tour in May. Their live schedule includes dates opening for Guns N’ Roses.

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Trump touts Iran talks with hardline leader Mohammad Ghalibaf, but says ‘we know where he lives’

Trump touts Iran talks with hardline leader Mohammad Ghalibaf, but says ‘we know where he lives’
Trump touts Iran talks with hardline leader Mohammad Ghalibaf, but says ‘we know where he lives’
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after departing Air Force One at Miami International Airport on March 27, 2026, in Miami, Florida. President Trump is traveling to speak at a summit in Miami Beach and then onto Palm Beach for the weekend. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — In a wide-ranging telephone conversation with ABC News, President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed “we have complete regime change now” in Iran and said his administration is carrying out negotiations now with Iranian leaders who are “more moderate” and “much more reasonable.”

While the administration has been relatively silent on the people involved on the Iranian side of the negotiations, Trump said his administration is speaking to the country’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Ghalibaf has been taunting the president on social media, but Trump said the new leadership is better than what Iran had before.

“Now we have a different group of people, and they are in control, but they’re much more moderate and, I think, much more reasonable,” he said.

Ghalibaf is known as a hardliner closely tied to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On Sunday, he posted a statement on X chiding Trump over his messaging during the conflict, insinuating that the president was trying to manipulate the market.

“Heads-up: Pre-market so-called ‘news’ or ‘Truth’ is often just a setup for profit-taking. Basically, it’s a reverse indicator,” he said. “Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long. See something tomorrow? You know the drill.”

Trump brushed off Ghalibaf’s comments.

“I think if you notice, he’s toned it down a lot. He’s much better,” he said.

Trump, however, also offered what appeared to be a threat pointed directly at Ghalibaf.

“We know where he lives. Let’s put it that way,” he said.

Trump suggested that the soaring stock market before the war made it “a good time to do it.”

“The oil prices are going to go down. The stock market is going to go up. We had 50,000 [Dow Jones Industrial average] and we had 7,000 on the S&P. And I said, well, ‘I guess this is a good time to do it.'”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped by over 3,000 points and the S&P has dropped by nearly 500 points since the war began.

Global oil prices hovered around $117 a barrel on Tuesday, which amounted to a more than 50% price leap from pre-war levels.

Trump said that he’s negotiating on seizing Iran’s oil but didn’t provide further details.

The president was also coy about any military planning for Cuba, which he has also threatened over the last couple of weeks.

“I assume, in an orderly fashion, you’ve got to kind of finish up whatever you do in Iran first,” he said.

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Music notes: KATSEYE, Noah Kahan and more

Music notes: KATSEYE, Noah Kahan and more
Music notes: KATSEYE, Noah Kahan and more

When KATSEYE appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February, they teased their new music by drinking tea with their pinkies up. Now, it’s clear what they were talking about, as they’ve announced their new single, “PINKY UP,” will arrive April 9 at 9 p.m. PT, alongside the music video. The group has posted a schedule of teasers and photos starting Thursday and leading to the release.

Noah Kahan will guest star on the digital series Celebrity Substitute on Wednesday, and he’ll teach a New York City elementary school class the “art of storytelling.” In a teaser for the episode, “Mr. Noah” asks the kids, “Am I chopped?” When they all say yes, he continues, “Am I unc?” to which they respond no. One girl then pipes up and says, “You look like Jesus!” Noah responds, “Well, Jesus is watching you today, so let’s be on our best behavior!” 

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to Katy Perry. The good news is she’ll be having shows all summer long. The bad news is that you’ll have to go to Europe to see her. On Instagram, she posted a long list of all the festivals she’ll be playing in the coming months, captioning it, “READY FOR A HOT N HYDRATED EUROSUMMER.” Her first gig is June 18 in Spain, and her last is July 25 in Switzerland. In between, she’ll perform everywhere from Portugal and Germany to France, Italy, Malta and Belgium.

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New Hampshire governor and her security detail help after fiery crash at toll plaza: Police

New Hampshire governor and her security detail help after fiery crash at toll plaza: Police
New Hampshire governor and her security detail help after fiery crash at toll plaza: Police
A burning car is seen following a crash at the Bedford Toll Plaza in Bedford, New Hampshire, March 31, 2026. (New Hampshire State Police)

(NEW HAMPSHIRE) — New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte and her security detail were among those who assisted in a fiery crash at a New Hampshire toll plaza on Tuesday — with a state trooper on her detail and two other bystanders helping pull the driver from the burning vehicle, according to state police.

The “dangerous” collision occurred at the Bedford Toll Plaza on the Everett Turnpike shortly before noon, according to New Hampshire State Police Director Col. Mark Hall.

The vehicle, a 2026 Lucid electric vehicle, “immediately became engulfed in flames,” Hall said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The governor and her security detail came upon the accident just after the vehicle crashed into the toll plaza, Hall said. A New Hampshire state trooper assigned to her detail and two other bystanders helped pull the male driver — the lone occupant — out of the burning vehicle through the window, according to Hall.

Hall said he is not identifying the trooper due to the nature of the assignment.

“It is a veteran trooper, and certainly their actions were heroic in what they did — without hesitation, put themselves in danger to render aid to somebody that clearly was in need of it,” Hall said.

The governor and other witnesses also provided assistance at the scene, according to Hall.

“The governor did get out of the vehicle and tried to assist in any way that she could,” Hall said, adding he believed she tried to get a fire extinguisher from a vehicle to help put the fire out.

The driver was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Photos released by police showed the burning vehicle and firefighters at the scene.

The northbound lanes of the turnpike remain closed in the wake of the crash, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is assessing the damage to the toll plaza from the collision and fire, Hall said.

The crash remains under investigation.

ABC News has reached out to the governor’s office for comment and did not immediately receive a response.

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Journey frontman Arnel Pineda almost bailed on band’s Final Frontier farewell tour

Journey frontman Arnel Pineda almost bailed on band’s Final Frontier farewell tour
Journey frontman Arnel Pineda almost bailed on band’s Final Frontier farewell tour
Arnel Pineda of Journey performs at TD Coliseum on March 09, 2026 in Hamilton, Ontario. (Photo by Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images)

Journey is currently on their Final Frontier farewell tour, but it sounds like it almost didn’t happen.

A new article in Rolling Stone looks behind the scenes of the tour, featuring interviews with Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain and singer Arnel Pineda prior to the kickoff. It delves into the contentious relationship between Cain and Schon, and also reveals that Pineda originally didn’t want to do the tour.

Pineda’s reluctance had to do with the state of his voice and how his body handles cold weather, along with personal issues, including a contentious divorce, which was big news in his native Philippines.

“Back in 2024, I said to them, ‘If you’re planning to do a farewell tour, you better tell me, because my issues and my personal problems are getting more intense, and I don’t know if I want to go with you,’” he tells the mag.

But Pineda says the band booked the tour anyway, and he wasn’t happy. When he emailed them about it, he didn’t hear back. He was so upset he actually told them he wanted to retire, but he still got no answer.

When asked about Pineda’s feelings about the tour, Schon said “it’s been very confusing” and acknowledged Pineda sent messages about not knowing if he could do it. “But we all signed contracts, OK?” Schon says. “So, honestly, I’m signed up for the next two years. I’m ready for it.” He added, “I hope that he feels better about things.”

The interview ends with the first full-band rehearsal for the tour, with the writer noting Pineda sounded “stellar the entire time.” When asked if he was happy to be there, Pineda responded “60 percent,” adding, “The other 40 percent of me is still there in the Philippines.”

Journey’s tour hits Austin, Texas, on Tuesday.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Federal judge orders halt to White House ballroom construction

Federal judge orders halt to White House ballroom construction
Federal judge orders halt to White House ballroom construction

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking further construction of the White House ballroom.

Judge Richard Leon wrote that President Donald Trump can’t build the ballroom without authorization from Congress, and that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

 

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On reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tries to shift responsibility away from US

On reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tries to shift responsibility away from US
On reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tries to shift responsibility away from US
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, March 30, 2026, in Washington. Alex Wong/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — As oil and gas prices soar amid Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump and his top officials now appear to be suggesting it’s not the U.S.’s problem to solve.

Trump on Tuesday again lashed out at allies for not getting involved in the conflict, and told them: “Go get your own oil!”

“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” the president wrote in a post on his social media platform.

“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” Trump added.

Trump reiterated that sentiment in a phone call with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl later Tuesday.

“I’m going to let the countries that want to buy oil, they can — they can police it themselves. Why should I do it for them? They weren’t there for me,” Trump told ABC’s Karl of the Strait of Hormuz.

The statements appear to be a far cry from Trump’s threat to Iran from just days ago. On March 21, he wrote on social media that if Iran didn’t “FULLY OPEN” the strait in 48 hours, the U.S. would hit the country’s power plants. That deadline was extended twice after Trump said that negotiations were ongoing.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday echoed Trump in calling on countries around the world to “be prepared to step up.”

“It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well,” Hegseth said, referring to the United Kingdom’s naval forces.

“President Trump’s been willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address this threat of Iran,” Hegseth said. “It’s not just our problem set going forward, even though we have done the lion’s share of preparation to ensure that that strait will be open, which is an outcome the president has been very clear on.”

Prior to the war, more than 100 ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz each day, according to data from U.N. Trade and Development. Now, just a handful of ships are estimated to be passing through on a daily basis amid Tehran’s chokehold.

The result has been a record monthly spike in oil and gas prices. In the U.S., the average cost of a gallon of gas topped $4 on Tuesday for the first time since August 2022.

Yet, Trump administration officials have notably declined to list reopening the strait as a key objective of Operation Epic Fury.

“The objectives of Operation Epic Fury are as follows: destroying the Iranian navy; destroying their ballistic missiles; dismantling their defense industrial infrastructure that produces those weapons that have long threatened the United States and our allies; and then, of course, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Monday’s press briefing.

Leavitt was pressed by a reporter whether Trump can declare victory over Iran if passage through the strait remains as hampered as it is now.

“The full reopening of the strait is something the administration is working towards, but the core objectives of the operation have been clearly defined for the American people by the commander in chief,” Leavitt replied.

Trump has said he long predicted Iran would use the strait as a weapon, and that he knew oil prices would go up if the U.S. attacked Iran. He has faced criticism for not vocalizing a clear strategy for reopening the waterway, where roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply is caught in the crosshairs of the conflict.

Trump earlier this month issued a public request to U.S partners in Europe and Asia to help the U.S. secure the strait. Those countries largely rebuffed his call to send warships and other kinds of assistance. Some made clear this is not their war, while others have said they would get involved in the strait — but only once hostilities end.

The cold shoulder prompted Trump to change his tune and declare, “We don’t need any help, actually.”

Trump then ramped up threats to attack Tehran’s power and desalination plants if Iran doesn’t reopen the strait.

“If for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!),” Trump posted Monday.

Trump has paused attacks on Iran until April 6 citing ongoing negotiations with new Iranian leadership, though Tehran has publicly denied any direct talks and has pushed back on a 15-point peace plan presented by the U.S. through intermediaries.

Amid his renewed call on Tuesday for other nations to step up, Trump told CBS News he is not “yet” pulling U.S. assets from the Strait of Hormuz, but “at some point I will.”

Later, in an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he believed the strait would “automatically open” when the U.S. exits the conflict.

“I don’t think about it, to be honest,” Trump told the New York Post. “My sole function was to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. When we leave, the strait will automatically open.”

ABC News’ Emily Chang contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Barry Manilow ‘tried to write like’ Billie Eilish for new album, but failed: ‘Where is the chorus?’

Barry Manilow ‘tried to write like’ Billie Eilish for new album, but failed: ‘Where is the chorus?’
Barry Manilow ‘tried to write like’ Billie Eilish for new album, but failed: ‘Where is the chorus?’
Barry Manilow, ‘What A Time.’ (STILETTO Entertainment)

Barry Manilow may be 83 years old, but he’s aware of what’s going on in today’s music — and he just doesn’t get it. He even tried to write songs like one of today’s biggest pop stars, but couldn’t pull it off.

Speaking to The Times of London, Barry, who’s going to release what he says is his final album in June, said, “The truth is that for this record I really studied what’s going on out there — artists like Billie Eilish.”

He explained, “I tried to write like her but I just couldn’t because I’m used to verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, ending — but pop music now just sounds like run-on sentences. Where is the chorus? Hook?”

“Song after song is like that, so I went back to what I know and people will either think I haven’t listened to pop radio in 40 years or they’ll say, ‘Thank God! Something to hang my ears on!’” he added.

Asked to address why he thinks pop music doesn’t sound like it used to, Barry offered this explanation: “I don’t mean this negatively, but it feels like songs now are not written by bona fide musicians.”

“They feel written by young people, who know a couple of chords, and some new songs are really good,” he continued. “But the stars of pop nowadays are studio engineers and the last thing you pay attention to in a modern record are the lyrics or melody. The rhythm and grooves are delicious. But songwriters? I don’t think they’re there any more.”

Barry’s new album, What a Time, is out June 5. It features his most recent hit, “Once Before I Go.”

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Nashville notes: Breland’s ‘Truck’ song + Clint Black’s book tour

Nashville notes: Breland’s ‘Truck’ song + Clint Black’s book tour
Nashville notes: Breland’s ‘Truck’ song + Clint Black’s book tour

Breland’s new single, “In My Truck,” is out now. It samples 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and is his first new solo track since 2024’s “Icing.” 

Mitchell Tenpenny and Meghan Patrick revealed they’re expecting their first child, a daughter, on social media Tuesday. 

Clint Black kicks off his Killin’ Time: My Life and Music book tour May 17 in Bay Shore, New York, and wraps May 23 in Nashville. His autobiography arrives May 19. 

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