Durand Bernarr attends the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 12, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
The lineup for the 15th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York has been revealed, and Ledisi, Durand Bernarr and Big Freedia have been tapped as performers.
They are slated to take the stage during the monthlong event, which runs from June 1 to July 1. Ledisi will perform on June 10 at a location to be determined, while Durand will play two shows June 18 at the Blue Note Jazz Club. That same night, Mario will entertain fans with a show at Sony Hall, where Big Freedia will turn up on June 24.
Other musicians featured on the lineup are Destin Conrad, Slum Village ft. Chris Rob and Arrested Development, among others.
Tickets, the calendar and more information are available at bluenotejazz.com.
The Hollywood Bowl version of the event will take place June 13-14, with Arsenio Hall serving as host, and Patti LaBelle and Wyclef Jean among the night’s performers.
Olivia Rodrigo attends the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction (Disney/Michael J. Le Brecht II)
Olivia Rodrigo’s musical collaborator Dan Nigro posted a photo on Instagram not too long ago showing himself passed out on a couch with Olivia sitting next to him. The caption read, “Finishing records….” Now, her official fan site appears to be hinting that said records may actually be on the way.
Livie’s HQ, Olivia’s official fan account, wrote on X Friday, “#OliviaIsComing.” The account followed it up with a video showing a purple wall featuring a new “OR” logo painted on it, along with the entire side of a building painted purple with the same “OR” logo. The account also retweeted several fan photos and videos of the same wall.
Earlier this month, when Olivia was in Paris for Fashion Week, WWD posted a video of her being asked about speculation surrounding the title of her next album. She replied, “Oh, you think I’m going to give that away right now? No, no, no. I’m keeping that close to the chest.”
Olivia hasn’t released a new studio album since 2023’s GUTS.
Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel following reports of an active shooter on March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Police continue to investigate as emergency personnel remained on the scene. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
(WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich.) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on people to “lower the temperature” and call out antisemitism following Thursday’s attack on a Detroit-area synagogue that she said on Friday “could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook” had it not been for security.
And while the governor and other leaders said law enforcement is trying to comb through more evidence about the incident, more information is coming to light about the man who was killed by security guards after he rammed his truck into the temple.
Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said that 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who lived in his city, had “lost several members of his own family … in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.”
Baydoun joined other leaders in condemning the attack, which took place as children were inside the temple.
“This tragedy comes at a time when communities everywhere are confronting rising hate and senseless violence. No matter where violence occurs, whether in West Bloomfield or anywhere around in the world, harm against innocent people is something we must all stand firmly against,” he said.
“The tensions we see across the world too often find their way into our own neighborhoods, reminding us how deeply connected our shared safety is,” the mayor added.
The suspect was armed with a rifle, and the truck contained fireworks and an unidentified chemical agent that ignited soon after the crash, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
No staff or students inside the synagogue were hurt, and the synagogue noted that all 140 students as well as staff, teachers and security all returned home, Whitmer told reporters Friday morning.
The sheriff’s office said one synagogue security guard was hit by the suspect’s truck in the incident and was “knocked unconscious” but was expected to be okay.
Whitmer said she was angry at the situation and said the Jewish community has been on heightened alert because of the rise in antisemitic attacks, threats and rhetoric since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The Anti-Defamation League found that there were 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the United States in 2024, a 344% increase over the past five years.
“People like the person who attacked this community yesterday get fulminated by rhetoric that they see online and they see on television and hear on the radio. It radicalizes them,” Whitmer said.
Synagogues and other Jewish centers across the country increased their security following the attack in Michigan, according to several police departments including the NYPD.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and given the overall heightened threat environment, we’re continuing to deploy high-visibility patrols to Jewish religious and cultural institutions in the city,” the NYPD said in a statement.
The governor reiterated that there were children under a year old inside the synagogue during the incident.
“My friend Brian said this could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook. Let’s not lose sight of that,” Whitmer said.
“This is not a political debate, this is targeting babies who are Jewish. This is antisemitism at its absolute worst,” she added.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as they tour the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion headquarters renovation project, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A top federal judge in Washington on Friday blocked Justice Department subpoenas to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors after determining the government “produced essentially zero evidence” to support a criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, according to an unsealed court opinion.
“There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will,” U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said in his opinion.
“A mountain of evidence suggests that the Government served these subpoenas on the Board to pressure its Chair into voting for lower interest rates or resigning. On the other side of the scale, the Government has produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime; indeed, its justifications are so thin and unsubstantiated that the Court can only conclude that they are pretextual,” the judge added.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro blasted Boasberg as an activist judge and has pledged to appeal the ruling.
The Justice Department’s probe centered on Powell’s testimony to Congress last year about cost overruns in a multi-billion-dollar office renovation project.
Powell rebuked the investigation in a video message in January as a politically motivated effort to influence the Fed’s interest rate policy.
The Justice Department’s move was met with heavy criticism from the Hill especially from key Republicans who stressed the importance of the Fed’s independence.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, warned Pirro’s office against attempting to appeal Boasberg’s ruling.
“This ruling confirms just how weak and frivolous the criminal investigation of Chairman Powell is and it is nothing more than a failed attack on Fed independence. We all know how this is going to end and the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office should save itself further embarrassment and move on,” Tillis said in an X post Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Sunday marks 50 years since KISS released their fourth studio album, Destroyer, and to celebrate the occasion the band has released a new line of products and merchandise.
The Destroyer anniversary collection includes a metallic gold and purple fire vinyl pressing of the album, which will ship March 27, as well as a limited purple liquid-filled vinyl edition, which will be released May 1.
In addition, there’s a Destroyer jacket, featuring an embroidered KISS logo, plus a pullover sweatshirt, raglan sleeved shirt and belt buckle, along with a T-shirt with the Destroyer cover, available only to members of the KISS Army.
Released March 15, 1976, Destroyer featured future KISS classics “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “God of Thunder” and the ballad “Beth,” which became their first top-10 single. The album peaked at #11 on the Billboard Album chart, making it the third consecutive KISS record to make the top 40.
Within a year, Destroyer was certified Platinum by the RIAA, making it the band’s first Platinum record; it was eventually certified double Platinum.
Harry Styles, ‘Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally’ (Columbia Records)
Sing all the time. Top the charts, occasionally.
Harry Styles’ return has secured him a chart double in his native U.K. His new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., has debuted at #1 on the album chart, while his new single “American Girls” debuts at #1 on the Official Singles Chart.
According to MusicWeek, Harry’s album sold just over 183,000 units, giving him the biggest opening week for a male solo artist in the U.K. since Ed Sheeran’s album Divide came out in 2017. It was also the biggest first-week sales for any British act since Coldplay’s Moon Music and the biggest first week for any artist, period, since Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl last October.
Kiss All The Time… is Harry’s third #1 solo album in the U.K. In 2022, he also scored a chart double with his album Harry’s House and single “As It Was.”
As for “American Girls,” it’s Harry’s fourth U.K. #1 solo single after “Aperture,” “Sign of the Times” and “As It Was.”
We’ll find out Sunday if Harry’s album has also topped the Billboard 200 album chart.
Jeremy Renner and Hugh Dillon behind the scenes of ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ season 5. (Jeremy Parsons/Paramount+)
Production has started on the fifth and final season of Mayor of Kingstown.
Paramount+ announced that cameras have started rolling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the hit drama series, which stars Jeremy Renner and Edie Falco.
Also returning for the final season are Laura Benanti, Hugh Dillon, Taylor Handley, Tobi Bamtefa, Derek Webster, Necar Zadegan, Nichole Galicia and Lennie James.
Joining the show for the fifth season is David Morse, who will play Russell Hardy, a seasoned FBI agent sent to Kingstown.
“In the wake of Tracy’s murder and the vengeance visited upon Callahan by Mike (Renner) and Kyle (Handley), FBI agent Russell Hardy (Morse) arrives in Kingstown searching for the ‘fugitive’ Callahan. A true lawman, Agent Hardy threatens to unearth all of Mike’s sins and secrets, and disrupt Kingstown’s tenuous balance of power,” according to the official season 5 synopsis.
This final season will consist of eight episodes. Taylor Sheridan co-created Mayor of Kingstown with Dillon. Dave Erickson serves as its showrunner.
Bailey Zimmerman’s new collaboration with Brandon Lake, “Just Believe,” is out now. The two surprised fans last Sunday night by debuting the song during Brandon’s show in Detroit. It’s the first new music from Bailey since Different Night Same Rodeo came out in August.
Tucker Wetmore’s turning his attention to warmer weather with his new track, “Sunburn,” which is out now. Meanwhile, his current hit, “Brunette,” just spent three weeks in a row atop the U.K. Radio Country Airplay chart.
Jo Dee Messina’s first studio album in more than a decade, Bridges, is set to arrive sometime this summer, featuring its first single, “Some Bridges.”
One week after Ashley Cooke surprised fans with the ace sessions on YouTube, there’s now an EP of the same name to match.
The six-song all-acoustic set includes four tracks from 2025’s ace: “baby blues,” “talk about,” “excuses” and her current hit, “the hell you are.” It adds the new composition “olive juice,” as well as a cover of LeAnn Rimes’ 2000 hit from Coyote Ugly, “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.”
While lots of eyes are watching for Riley Green’s debut on the new CBS show Marshals, Ashley surprised fans by showing up first on the March 8 episode. During her cameo she performed “next to you,” from her debut album, shot in the dark, in a scene set in a bar.
Honoree Chase Infiniti speaks onstage during the 2026 ‘ESSENCE’ Black Women In Hollywood Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 12, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
Chase Infiniti was one of several women honored at Essence‘s Black Women in Hollywood event Thursday. While accepting her rising star award, the actress, who played Willa in One Battle After Another, shared how helpful Black women have been on her Hollywood journey.
“I’ve only had two projects released so far, but on both of those sets, I had the honor of working alongside incredible Black women,” Chase said, as per The Hollywood Reporter. “From the very start of my [One Battle After Another casting,] which lasted for over six months, I was able to go through that process with the incredible Regina Hall, and she gave me her time and advice and cared for me from the start before the role of Willa was even mine. She encouraged me to find my own voice as Willa and was there for me anytime I needed her. The last six months have been filled with many firsts, but having Teyana [Taylor] and Regina by my side through all made it so much sweeter.”
Chase also acknowledged Ruth Negga, with whom she worked on Presumed Innocent and who continues to be a “constant force in my life.”
“My career, though it’s just starting, has been marked by the generosity and mentorship of other Black women who paved the path for me,” she said, according to THR. “And I feel grateful and honored to be here today, but more than anything, extremely grateful to have been welcomed into this community.”
Other women honored during Black Women in Hollywood, which was hosted by Marsai Martin, were Kerry Washington, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and some of the cast and crew members of Sinners. There were also musical performances by Tyrese, who performed “Sweet Lady,” and Mya, who closed the event with a rendition of “Unbreakable.”
