Whitesnake’s David Coverdale announces retirement

Whitesnake’s David Coverdale announces retirement
Whitesnake’s David Coverdale announces retirement
David Coverdale from Whitesnake performs outside the Vikingship arena on June 02, 2022 in Hamar, Norway. (Photo by Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)

David Coverdale, who found fame with Whitesnake and Deep Purple, has announced his retirement from music.

In a video posted to Whitesnake’s YouTube account, the 74-year-old rocker reveals that “after 50 years-plus of an incredible journey” he’s decided to call it quits.

“The last few years has been very evident to me that it’s time really for me to hang up my rock ‘n’ roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans,” he says in the video. “It’s time for me to call it a day.”

“I love you dearly. I thank everyone who’s assisted and supported me on this incredible journey — all the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family,” he adds. “It’s amazing, but it really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement.” He adds, “And I hope you can appreciate that. Once again, I love you with all my heart. Fare thee well.”

The clip ends with a montage of photos and video from Coverdale’s career with Whitesnake, set to the band’s song “Fare Thee Well,” which appeared on their 2011 album, Forevermore, which was reissued in September. 

Coverdale had his biggest success in the ’80s, thanks to the Whitesnake songs “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love.” They released their last album, Flesh & Blood, in 2019.

Coverdale was also the frontman for Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, and released the album Coverdale-Page in 1993 with Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page. He also had a solo career, releasing his final solo album, Into The Light, in 2000.

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Lady Gaga comments on Grammy-nominated albums: ‘I forget this has been just one single year’

Lady Gaga comments on Grammy-nominated albums: ‘I forget this has been just one single year’
Lady Gaga comments on Grammy-nominated albums: ‘I forget this has been just one single year’
Lady Gaga ‘Mayhem’ (Interscope Records)

Lady Gaga hasn’t directly commented on the seven Grammy nominations she received for her albums Mayhem and Harlequin on Nov. 7, but a new Instagram post Thursday she seems to have written in reaction to the recognition.

“MAYHEM is my personal chaos … produced with a desire to embolden my own voice as a musician,” she wrote. “I’ve spoken a lot about MAYHEM being a collection of gothic dreams and in a way Lady Gaga was my first one. She has always been an expression of my human reality. What does it sound like to feel like you’re drifting far away from yourself, what does it sound like to re-enter your body?”

“And Harlequin…it feels like much more than a year ago,” Gaga continued, referring to the album inspired by her film Joker: Folie à Deux. “It’s an album about empowerment and refusing to be minimized or left out in the cold.”

“These arrangements are my first new steps since Tony [Bennett] died,” she continued. “I’m so proud of Harlequin and how it prepared me for the most incredible year of MAYHEM. Sometimes I forget this has been just one single year.” Harlequin has been nominated for best traditional pop album.

Summing up, Gaga noted, “Somehow through my relationship and my deep love for my fans I really accepted that I can do it all as long as I am the one who is creating the storm instead of the one just standing in the center of it. … I’ll be fine. Because it’s my dream and no one else’s. I’ll decide for myself how this ends.”

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Jim Avila, former longtime ABC News senior correspondent, dies at 70

Jim Avila, former longtime ABC News senior correspondent, dies at 70
Jim Avila, former longtime ABC News senior correspondent, dies at 70
ABC News Correspondent Jim Avila. Randy Sager/ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Jim Avila, a former longtime ABC News senior correspondent, whose investigative journalism earned him several of the most prestigious awards in broadcast news, has died. He was 70.

His death after a long illness was announced internally by ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic. 

“Jim was a gifted journalist and a generous colleague,” Karamehmedovic said in an email to staff.

Avila had also a been 20/20 correspondent based in Los Angeles before departing from the network in 2021. He specialized in politics, justice, law and consumer investigations.

“As the Senior Law and Justice Correspondent, he has covered every major trial from Jerry Sandusky and Penn State to Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and countless others,” according to his ABC News official biography. “He led reports on immigration, making several trips to the southern border to document stories of immigrants, and also covered the death of Freddie Gray and civil unrest in Baltimore.”

He covered the White House from 2012 to 2016, during President Barack Obama’s second term.

“He won the prestigious Merriman Award from the White House Correspondents Association for breaking the news that the United States and Cuba had reopened diplomatic relations,” the biography said.

He earned numerous awards, including two National Emmy Awards and five Edward R. Murrow Awards, the biography said. His work also won him the prestigious Cine Golden Eagle Award, the Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting and five Chicago-area Emmy Awards in the category of Spot News.

“In 1999, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists honored him with reporter of the year,” the biography said. “In addition, he garnered three Peter Lisagor Awards from the Headline Club of Chicago, winning for his coverage of the Peru drug wars and the death of Mayor Harold Washington, and was named Best Reporter of 1989.”

He was a named a 2019 honoree by National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Hall of Fame.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Avila’s correct age.

Avila was most recently a senior investigative reporter at KGTV, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, where he continued “covering a wide range of stories with depth and fairness,” Karamehmedovic said.

Even after his health challenges began, Avila “continued to contribute to journalism through opinion writing and local reporting, sharing his experience and deep curiosity to tell the stories that mattered most to his community and viewers,” the email said.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan, and we thank him for his many contributions and unwavering commitment to seeking out the truth,” Karamehmedovic said.

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Trump briefed on updated military options in Venezuela

Trump briefed on updated military options in Venezuela
Trump briefed on updated military options in Venezuela
In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), operates in the North Sea on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Alice Husted/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has been briefed on updated options for potential military operations in Venezuela, including a strike on land, ABC News has confirmed. 

The briefing on Wednesday followed the arrival of the USS Gerald Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations north of the Caribbean Sea. The carrier is accompanied by some 60 aircraft, including F-18 fighter jets, that dramatically increases the military’s firepower in the region and boost the number of troops in Latin American to 15,000. 

Sources cautioned that the briefing itself was not an indication that an attack was imminent.

Trump has been weighing his options for weeks, which experts say could range from no action to air strikes on seaports, airports and military facilities. Another option, considered less likely, could be sending in a team of special operations forces to apprehend or kill Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his senior advisers. 

The latest briefing at the White House was conducted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in Canada at a G7 summit of foreign ministers, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were not present.

The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the briefing, which was first reported by CBS News.

Any strike against Venezuela is seen as particularly risky. Trump has called for Maduro to step down, accusing him of encouraging drug trafficking and illegal migration to the United States. But the sudden departure of Maduro could also create a power vacuum that risks further instability. 

It’s also not clear whether the administration would be legally justified to force out Maduro. Late last month, senators were briefed on a secret list of targets inside Venezuela developed by the Pentagon. But lawmakers said they were told the administration’s current legal analysis only applied to the ongoing boat strikes and did not make the case for a direct strike against Venezuela.

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Alex Van Halen releasing Van Halen anthology

Alex Van Halen releasing Van Halen anthology
Alex Van Halen releasing Van Halen anthology
Drummer Alex Van Halen of Van Halen performs at Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL (Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Corbis via Getty Images)

After releasing his memoir in 2024, Alex Van Halen is getting ready to release another book, which will surely excite Van Halen fans.

The rocker revealed on Instagram that he has been working with Genesis Publications on an official Van Halen anthology, which he describes as “a visual and written journey told through my perspective.”

He adds that the book, which he personally curated, is a “celebration of the music, the moments, and the legacy we built together.”

The book’s description notes that it will include iconic Van Halen photography, as well as rare and never-before-seen images from Alex’s private archives, covering the years 1978 to 1984. It will also include tour memorabilia, press materials, correspondence and more.

The book will be released as a signed, limited-edition box set, with those interested urged to sign up for updates.

Alex released his memoir, Brothers, in October 2024, which he described as a love letter to his late brother, guitar great Eddie Van Halen. The audio book included a previously unreleased song, “Unfinished,” which was described as the last piece of music Alex wrote with Eddie.

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Rian Johnson series ‘Poker Face’ canceled at Peacock

Rian Johnson series ‘Poker Face’ canceled at Peacock
Rian Johnson series ‘Poker Face’ canceled at Peacock
Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in ‘Poker Face’ season 2. (Sarah Shatz/Peacock)

Poker Face is ending at Peacock.

The mystery series from creator Rian Johnson will not return for season 3 at the streaming service, ABC Audio has learned.

Even still, all may not be lost for the show. Deadline reports that Johnson has plans to shop the show to other distributors for two additional seasons. There will be one major difference, however.

In this new iteration of the series, Natasha Lyonne would not return to the lead role of Charlie Cale. Instead, Peter Dinklage would take on the role of the sleuth who has the superpower to tell who is lying to them.

While she would be exiting the series as star, Lyonne plans to remain an executive producer.

“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” Johnson and Lyonne told Deadline. “We love our Poker Face and this is the perfect way to keep it rolling. Give us a beat and we may just see Charlie Cale again down that open highway.”

When Poker Face season 2 premiered back in May, it launched as a top-five title across all of streaming based on minutes viewed. It debuted as the #2 original streaming show based on average audience during the week of May 5. 

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Mamdani calls Democratic governors for advice on issues, dealing with Trump: Sources

Mamdani calls Democratic governors for advice on issues, dealing with Trump: Sources
Mamdani calls Democratic governors for advice on issues, dealing with Trump: Sources
New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani serves meals during a Veteran’s Day event at Volunteers of America – Commonwealth Veterans’ Residence on Nov. 11, 2025, in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor-elect, has spoken with several Democratic governors — seeking their insight for how to navigate certain aspects of governing and best deal with President Donald Trump, several sources familiar with the conversations confirmed to ABC News.

Mamdani has spoken to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently, the sources said — with conversations happening as recently as this week. All of the governors has clashed with the president.

Mamdani and Pritzker discussed how to approach Trump, Pritzker’s experience with the president’s effort to send troops into Chicago and how to prepare should a similar incursion happen in New York City.

Trump has claimed Democratic-run cities, such as New York and Chicago, are in “bad shape,” and has threatened to “straighten them out, one by one.” On his social media platform Tuesday evening, Trump said his administration will “ramp up” efforts to crack down on crime in Chicago.

Trump has said that Pritzker, who has pushed back against Trump’s efforts, “should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” as he and Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson oppose Trump’s push to deploy the National Guard. 

“Come and get me,” Pritzker fired back on ABC’s This Week last month, responding to Trump.

Pritzker also played a major role in assisting Texas state Democrats in their attempt to blunt Republicans’ first crack at redrawing congressional maps mid-decade.

Mamdani and Pritzker also discussed their commitments to centering affordability, according to the sources familiar with the conversation.

In his conversation with Moore on election night, Mamdani applauded Moore’s work cutting red tape and discussed innovations in government. The two also discussed how to stand up to Trump, sources familiar with the discussion said.

Moore has previously praised Mamdani’s campaign narrative around affordability, saying it mirrors parts of his own agenda in Maryland. Prior to the government re-opening, Moore announced the release of $62 million to ensure full November SNAP benefits for Marylanders and singled Trump and his administration out for leaving his residents in the cold. 

“But no state can fill the enormous gap created by Donald Trump and his administration,” Moore said in a statement.

Trump has criticized Moore, saying in a post on his social media platform earlier this year that his “record on Crime is a very bad one.”

Axios was first to report the calls with Pritzker and Moore.

Mamdani’s call with Shapiro occurred before last week’s election.

Shapiro told Semafor that he had a “healthy dialogue” with Mamdani and cleared the air regarding their differences after Shapiro in July criticized Mamdani’s campaign, saying it left “far too much space for extremists.”

Campaign sources familiar with the discussion said Shapiro and Mamdani also talked about the importance of permitting reform and reconstructing Interstate 87, a major national thoroughfare that runs through New York.

Shapiro has been critical of the White House’s handling of the government shutdown, particularly on reimplementing SNAP benefits in his state. 

Trump called Shapiro “highly overrated” in a social media post.

Mamdani has said he plans to keep working the phones.

In an interview with NBC 4 New York, Mamdani said he’ll reach out the White House ahead of taking office “because this is a relationship that will be critical to the success of this city.” 

A day after the election, Trump, after calling Mamdani a “communist” — a label Mamdani, who identifies as a Democratic socialist, has rejected — said he is willing to help Mamdani “a little bit, maybe.” 

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Nashville notes: Luke Bryan & Ella Langley’s Christmas collab + Cole Swindell’s ‘Heaven’ video

Nashville notes: Luke Bryan & Ella Langley’s Christmas collab + Cole Swindell’s ‘Heaven’ video
Nashville notes: Luke Bryan & Ella Langley’s Christmas collab + Cole Swindell’s ‘Heaven’ video

Luke Bryan and Ella Langley have teamed up for a new collaboration on the Christmas classic “Winter Wonderland,” which drops at midnight.

Brad Paisley discussed his new holiday album, Snow Globe, and singing the national anthem at the World Series on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Wednesday. You can check out his appearance on YouTube

Cole Swindell‘s new lyric video for “Make Heaven Crowded” is out now.


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Melissa Etheridge’s Rock Jam gala raises over $1 million for research to treat opioid use disorder

Melissa Etheridge’s Rock Jam gala raises over  million for research to treat opioid use disorder
Melissa Etheridge’s Rock Jam gala raises over $1 million for research to treat opioid use disorder
Melissa Etheridge performs at Arizona Financial Theatre on October 12, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by John Medina/Getty Images)

Melissa Etheridge helped raise over $1 million for her Etheridge Foundation at the nonprofit’s inaugural Rock Jam fundraiser, which featured performances by Etheridge, co-host Hugh Jackman and country star Ashley McBryde.

The gala event took place Oct. 30 at VEA in Newport Beach, California, with the money funding research and development of plant-based and psychedelic medicines in the treatment of opioid use disorder.

“Raising a million dollars for our foundation’s work is just incredible,” said Etheridge, whose son Beckett died from OUD in 2020. “I want to thank everyone who stepped up to make it happen – the innovation needed in treating opioid use disorder has never been more important. This was an amazing night that I will never forget.”

Those in attendance were treated to Etheridge’s performances of “Come To My Window” and a new song, “Call You,” while Jackman, who stars with Kate Hudson as half of a Neil Diamond cover band in the upcoming movie Song Sung Blue, performed Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline.” Etheridge, Jackman and McBryde also performed “A Million Dreams,” from Jackman’s 2017 movie musical The Greatest Showman.

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Peter Frampton to release new music in 2026

Peter Frampton to release new music in 2026
Peter Frampton to release new music in 2026
Peter Frampton at 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction/(Disney/Jenny Anderson)

Sounds like we may be getting some new music from Peter Frampton soon.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s music update came courtesy of Sheryl Crow, who posted a photo of herself with Frampton in the studio on Instagram.

“Got to work with one of my heroes today,” she wrote in the caption. “Y’all better get ready… @mrpeterframpton played me a couple of new songs that will be out early next year… Mind Blown.”

And Frampton was appreciative of the compliment.

“Thank you Sheryl !! Great day having you sing with me on one of my new songs,” he commented on the post. “You sound so good, …as always.”

This isn’t the first time Crow and Frampton have worked together. Frampton came out to perform with Crow during her 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, something Frampton believes helped pave the way for his induction in 2024.

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