Cover art for PJ Morton’s ‘Mutual’ (Morton Records / SRG-ILS Group)
This week is a good one for PJ Morton fans. He’s released a new song titled “Mutual” and is set to release another, “Mercy,” on Friday.
“Mutual” marks his first release of 2026; it’s a song that “[sets] the table with the perfect sound for a Saturday night: R&B,” according to a press release. “Mercy,” on the other hand, is a track “rooted in the music that has equally shaped his life, journey and story: Gospel.”
“I took some time last year to get inspired about new solo music,” PJ Morton says in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate enough to create in so many different spaces. This year I want to explore all of those fully with no limits.”
Both singles were produced by PJ and recorded at the historic Studio In The Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana, which he owns, operates and is working to preserve.
Justin Moore’s ‘This Is My Dirt’ (Blue Highway Records)
Justin Moore manages to top both major Country Airplay charts this week, as “Time’s Ticking” rises to #1 on the Mediabase tally, as well as the previously reported Billboard ranking.
“It’s beyond exciting, and humbling, to celebrate our 14th number 1 with ‘Time’s Ticking,'” Justin says. “I was proud of the song when we wrote it. I’m thrilled to see it resonate with so many people out there to this extent.”
“Thank you to my entire team, fans and country radio for continuing the support of our music,” he continues. “We are excited for what’s next with new music and being out doing a tour with my buddy Riley Green. Cheers, and here’s to number 15!”
Justin kicks off Riley’s Cowboy As It Gets Tour April 16 in Southaven, Mississippi.
He’ll also host the sixth annual Justin Moore St. Jude Golf Classic April 19-20 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Julia Wolf opens for mgk at Utilita Arena Birmingham on March 10, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Katja Ogrin/Redferns)
Julia Wolf has announced a U.S. tour.
The headlining run, dubbed the Deep End tour, launches Sept. 17 in Austin, Texas, and concludes Oct. 25 in Los Angeles. It will then head to the U.K. and Europe.
“I’m so excited to finally be able to come back to North America, the UK, and Europe to do my own headline tour!” Wolf says in a statement. “I can’t wait to have a room full of people singing my songs and to play some new ones for everyone as well!”
Presales begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Wolf’s website, GirlsinPurgatory.com.
Wolf previously opened for mgk. Her 2024 single “In My Room” is currently charting on the Billboard Alternative Airplay tally.
(NEW YORK) — American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 31, has been released by her abductors, according to the Iraqi militia group Hezbollah Brigades.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — As his self-imposed Tuesday night deadline for Iran to make a deal or face massive U.S. attacks draws closer, President Donald Trump’s threatening rhetoric is becoming increasingly ominous, with a seemingly apocalyptic warning that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran doesn’t agree to his demands.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
At the same time, continuing a series of mixed messages, Trump said “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen” now that the U.S. is dealing with “different, smarter, and less radicalized” leaders in Iran.
“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World,” the president wrote.
Trump’s issued an ultimatum to Iran to make a peace deal that includes reopening the critical Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. ET, or face bombardment of its critical infrastructure — including all its bridges, power plants and desalination facilities.
Trump first threatened to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure on March 21, saying the sites would be hit in 48 hours if no deal was made. He’s backed away and extended the deadline several times, citing what he described as successful talks.
But the past few days, he’s ratcheted up his threats. On Sunday, he told ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott that “we’re blowing up the entire country” if no agreement was reached.
On Monday, he told reporters in the White House briefing room that “the entire country could be taken out in one night” and the U.S. had plans that could wipe out Iran’s power plants and bridges, sending it back to the “stone ages,” within four hours.
In the background, negotiations were taking place between the U.S. and Iran via mediators like Pakistan.
According to a U.S. official and another person close to the ongoing talks, mediators are attempting broker a 45-day ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran ahead of Trump’s Tuesday deadline. Iran signaled it would not accept the mediators’ proposal on Monday, responding instead with its own 10-point plan, which a U.S. official described as maximalist.
“We are dealing with them. I think it’s going well,” Trump said on Monday, adding that Vice President JD Vance and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff was involved in the negotiations.
“I think it’s going fine but we’ll have to see,” the president said.
Oscillating between threats of major attacks and talks of diplomacy, Trump was asked on Monday if the war was winding down or escalating.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell you,” he told reporters. “It depends what they do. This is a critical period.”
The New York Times and others reported on Tuesday that Iran told Pakistan it was no longer engaging in ceasefire talks. ABC News has not confirmed the report.
The White House, responding to the reports, told ABC News that the “only the president knows where things stand.”
“The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Tehran has vowed a “regret-inducing” response should the U.S. wipe out its energy infrastructure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday told neighboring Gulf countries it will no longer show “restraint” in selecting regional targets for retaliation.
Iran’s deputy minister of sports and youth, Alireza Rahimi, invited people to form human chains around the country’s electricity power plants in a video message published on Monday, according to the government’s Telegram channel.
In the U.S., Trump’s increasingly grave threats have prompted some rare Republican pushback.
Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, said he hopes Trump’s latest comments are “bluster.”
“I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure … We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them,” Johnson said on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast.
Some experts have warned that possible attacks on civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime and violate international law.
“I’m not worried about it,” Trump said on Monday. “You know what’s a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon. Allowing a sick country with demented leadership have a nuclear weapon, that’s a war crime.”
ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian, Shannon Kingston and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
A24 has shared the trailer for its upcoming romantic comedy film from director Olivia Wilde.
The Invite is Wilde’s third directorial effort after her films Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling. It is based on director Cesc Gay’s Spanish-language film Sentimental. Will McCormack and Rashida Jones wrote its screenplay.
In addition to directing, Wilde stars alongside Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz.
The movie follows married couple Joe (Rogen) and Angela (Wilde), who invite their upstairs neighbors Hawk (Norton) and Pina (Cruz) over for dinner, “where everything that could go wrong goes wrong,” according to an official description from the studio.
“Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?” the film’s official synopsis reads.
The trailer finds Joe and Angela preparing to host Hawk and Pina for dinner before the other couple arrives.
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you about,” Joe says, to which Pina responds, “We also have something we wanted to talk to you about.”
“We feel a very strong connection with you guys,” Pina continues, as a rendition of Anita Ward’s song “Ring My Bell” plays.
The Invite arrives in select theaters on June 26 and everywhere in July.
That’s the title of the first single from her eagerly anticipated new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, and it’s coming April 17. Olivia announced the news on Instagram, along with a photo of herself blowing a pink bubblegum bubble and wearing a shirt with “drop dead” embroidered on the collar. You can presave and preorder the song now, including on “chewing gum” pink vinyl, CD and cassette.
The album, Olivia’s third, is out June 12. Since she announced it, she’s been posting photos of pink padlocks with her initials on them affixed to various bridges and fences in cities including Paris, London, LA and Hoboken, New Jersey. Fans believe these are hints as to where she’ll eventually be touring.
While we wait for more info from Olivia, you can amuse yourself with her online album cover generator, where you can replace the words “sad,” “girl” and “in love” with your own words and create a personalized version of the album cover.
Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and Kacey Musgraves have been added to the performance lineup as the 61st ACM Awards return to the traditional Sunday time slot on May 17.
Kacey will do a song from her upcoming sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere, which drops May 1. The Academy of Country Music didn’t reveal what Miranda or LBT will sing. They join previously announced performers Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Riley Green.
The Academy of Country Music also revealed we’re just days away from learning this year’s nominations, which come out on Thursday.
In 2026 the ACMs return to their previous home at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, streaming live May 17 on Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees (Courtesy Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees will be announced during the April 13 episode of American Idol, and fans will no doubt want to see if the nominees they supported in the online fan vote have managed to get in.
After more than 9 million votes were cast, the act that ended up on top of the leaderboard is R&B group New Edition, who scored just over 1 million of those votes. In 2023, New Edition inducted The Spinners into the Hall and performed in their honor.
Coming in at #2 is Phil Collins, who is already in the Hall as a member of Genesis. The drummer, singer, songwriter, producer and actor, who has sold over 100 million records as a solo artist, received close to 901,000 votes.
Pink came in at #3 with over 850,000 votes, while Shakira was #4 with 738,000 votes. The late Luther Vandross was just behind Shakira at #5, with just under 733,000 votes.
Australian rockers INXS were #6, followed by British group Sade at #7. The top seven vote-getters were highlighted on the leaderboard because all actual voting members were each allowed to vote for seven acts.
However, it’s worth noting that the act that comes in at #1 on the fan vote isn’t guaranteed induction. That’s because all the fan votes together are tallied as one single ballot, joining the 1,200 ballots submitted by the actual voting members of the Hall of Fame.
As for the rest of this year’s nominees, here’s how they stacked up: 8. Wu-Tang Clan 9. Billy Idol 10. Mariah Carey 11. Lauryn Hill 12. Iron Maiden 13. Melissa Etheridge 14. The Black Crowes 15. Oasis 16. Joy Division + New Order 17. Jeff Buckley
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Ron Johnson broke with President Donald Trump on his threats to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, saying in a podcast, “I hope and pray” he is “using this as bluster.”
“I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure … We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them,” Johnson, a Trump ally who rarely breaks with the president, said on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast out on Monday.
Johnson’s comments came after Trump has threatened to bomb bridges and power plants, which would be devastating for Iranian civilians. Some experts have warned that such actions could violate international law; many Democrats are saying it amounts to war crimes.
Trump has said that he will target those bridges and power plants in Iran if they don’t open up the critical Strait of Hormuz — giving Iran a deadline of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday to act.
Other lawmakers reacted to Trump’s social media post on Tuesday, hours ahead of his self-imposed deadline, in which he threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” although he said “I don’t want that to happen.”
This comes on the heels of an Easter Sunday social media post where Trump threatened “Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz weren’t opened up.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, called President Trump an “extremely sick person” for threatening that a “whole civilization will die tonight.”
“Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is,” Schumer said in a post on X.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also called on Republicans to act.
“Congress must immediately end this reckless war of choice in Iran before Donald Trump plunges us into World War III. It’s time for every single Republican to put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness. Enough,” Jeffries said in a statement posted on X.
ABC News has reached out to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson for comment.
Several House Democrats are calling on Congress to act as the war — now in its sixth week — continues.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, of Washington, called Trump’s threat “outrageous, dangerous, and unhinged.”
“Trump’s illegal war in Iran has already led to enormous death and destruction, including a school bombing that killed over 100 children. Congress must immediately act to rein him in before more people die,” Jayapal wrote in a post on X.
Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, of Illinois, said in a statement on X that Trump’s threat amounts to “mass murder” and that he is “urging every Cabinet Member and Republican leadership to call the President IMMEDIATELY.”
“The Iranian people do not deserve this,” Quigley wrote.
Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, of California, slammed Trump’s rhetoric, saying, “Threatening the annihilation of an entire civilization is dangerous beyond words, and hearing it from the person commanding our military should alarm every American.”
“This language is completely unacceptable from any president, let alone one who started this war without authorization from Congress and has no plan for what comes next,” Levin wrote.
Other conservative voices are breaking with Trump over his Iran threats.
Conservative broadcaster Tucker Carlson offered scathing criticism of the president, blasting his recent threats toward Iran and specifically Trump’s profanity-laden threat to Iran on Easter Sunday.
“It is really the most real thing this president has ever done, and also the most revealing on every level. It is vile on every level,” Carlson said of Trump’s Sunday post during “The Tucker Carlson Show” on Monday.
Carlson scolded the president directly, saying, “how dare you speak that way,” adding that Trump’s post was a “mockery of Christianity.”
Trump fired back at Carlson in a social media post on Tuesday morning, calling him a “low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on.”
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin, Lauren Peller, Nicholas Kerr and Will Steakin contributed to this report.
