Serpent from Eden features Menza’s longtime friend, guitarist John “Gumby” Goodwin, who was searching through some old tapes when he uncovered unreleased material Menza had recorded.
“To his amazement, he discovered he had enough tracks, from so many recording sessions, to create an entire new album with Menza playing drums on every song,” a press release reads.
The Serpent from Eden album will also feature contributions from former Megadeth members David Ellefson and Chris Poland.
Menza drummed in Megadeth from 1989 to 1998, and played on albums including 1990’s Rust in Peace and 1992’s Countdown to Extinction. He died in 2016 at age 51.
Paul Banks of Interpol performs live on stage during a concert at the Tempodrom on October 23, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Jakubaszek/Redferns)
Interpol has new music in the works.
The “Evil” band says in an Instagram post, “We are pleased to announce that we have new music coming soon!”
“We are very excited about it and look forward to sharing it with you,” the post adds.
Interpol has also announced a new fill-in drummer for Sam Fogarino, who’s been absent from the band’s live lineup since undergoing cervical spine surgery in 2023. Urian Hackney, who’s played with Iggy Pop and The Armed, will man the kit for Interpol’s upcoming tour, which launches Saturday in Miami.
“Look him up,” Interpol says of Hackney. “He’s amazing.”
Interpol adds that Fogarino plays on and co-wrote their upcoming album, but is “still not available to join us on tour for the time being.”
The most recent Interpol album is 2022’s The Other Side of Make-Believe.
: Neil Sedaka performs live on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Little/Redferns)
The death of singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka has prompted his fans to revisit his music.
Billboardreports that in the four days following Sedaka’s Feb. 27 death at the age of 86, there was a 708% increase in streams of his tunes. His catalog clocked a total of 2.4 million on-demand U.S. streams.
The song getting the biggest boost was his classic “Laughter in the Rain,” which was a #1 hit for Sedaka. There were 515,000 streams in the days following Sedaka’s death, or an increase of 505%. That was followed by “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” also a #1 hit, which had 307,000 streams for an increase of 453%.
Sedaka was the co-writer on the Captain and Tennille hit “Love Will Keep Us Together.” Although their version of the song saw a 15% bump in streams, his recording of the track nabbed 55,000 streams for an increase of 1,811%.
Angela Bassett attends the 8th Annual American Black Film Festival Honors at SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills on February 16, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brianna Bryson/FilmMagic)
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Library is hosting a centennial gala, during which Angela Bassett and Solange Knowles will be honored. The April 30 event will celebrate the renowned research library’s 100th anniversary.
Bassett and Knowles are two of five people being recognized for outstanding achievements in their respective fields. The other honorees are novelist and short-story writer Edwidge Danticat, historian and professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Delroy Lindo is among the honorary co-chairs for the gala, which also includes Sherry B. Bronfman and Audra McDonald. The committee includes members Colman Domingo, Ava Duvernay and Bevy Smith.
According to the library’s website, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has been “devoted to the research, preservation and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diasporic, and African experiences” for 100 years.
The centennial gala, to be held at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, is one of the many ways the milestone is being celebrated. More events will be posted on the Schomburg website.
Willa Gray Akins, Thomas Rhett, Ada James Akins and Lauren Akins attend the 53rd annual CMA Awards at the Music City Center on November 13, 2019 in Nashville. (John Shearer/WireImage)
How are Thomas Rhett and family adjusting to life after the birth of their son in late February? TR’s posted an Instagram carousel that will give you a clue.
The first slide is video of his wife, Lauren Akins, napping on the couch. She’s holding a sleeping Brave Elijah Akins, who was born Feb. 27. There’s also footage of TR holding the little one, with an emphasis on the adorable baby sounds he’s making while sleeping this time.
You’ll also catch a glimpse of some of Brave’s sisters, along with video of TR drying one of the girl’s hair. In another photo, he holds the children’s book How to Catch a Unicorn.
“We’ll be here,” he captioned the home-centric post.
TR’s older children, Willa Gray Akins, Ada James Akins, Lennon Love Akins and Lillie Carolina Akins, range in age from 10 to 4.
Dee Snider of Twisted Sister performs at the Bret Michaels Parti-Gras 2024 at PNC Bank Arts Center on August 30, 2024 in Holmdel, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider is setting the record straight about his health and how he feels about former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach taking over lead singer duties on select Twisted Sister shows this year.
In early February Snider pulled out of the band’s planned reunion tour due to health issues. But in new posts on X he reassured fans that he’s doing OK.
“Been waiting for the dust to settle…but it hasn’t,” he started off his string of posts.
“For a retired 71 yr old I’m great. But I’ve only got so much tread left on these tires,” he wrote. “I decided to use it for the rest of my journey…and not burn them up on stage trying to prove I’m as good as I ever was. I can live with that choice. I would’ve been a shadow of my former self out there anyway.”
In another post, he continued, “The story of my retirement for health reasons ran wild! I’m not dying. (No, not never!) Just can’t do the things I used to do. I’m cool with it. I have a great life!”
He then shared his thoughts on Bach joining Twisted Sister, writing, “And I totally approve of @sebastianbach stepping in for me. He’s a true fan & will honor what I did with every show!”
On Tuesday, Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda announced that Bach would be fronting the band on select dates this fall. So far they haven’t announced when those shows will take place.
Anne Hathaway in A24’s ‘Mother Mary’ (Credit: Frederic Batier)
Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff and The 1975 drummer George Daniel are co-writers on a new song called “Burial,” sung by Anne Hathaway for the upcoming movie Mother Mary, in which the Oscar-winning actress plays a pop star.
Hathaway is also a credited writer on the track, along with Charli xcx, who’s married to Daniel.
You can hear “Burial” in a 30-second trailer for the Mother Mary soundtrack, which is due out April 17. The movie hits theaters that same day.
Vogue previously described Mother Mary as “a sort of Gaga–Taylor Swift hybrid” who “has fled her tour and sought out the old friend who helped craft her all-consuming public persona in the first place.” That friend, played by Michaela Coel, is a fashion designer who Mother Mary wants to design a dress for her.
According to Vogue, none of the songs had been written by the time shooting started, leaving Hathaway to play a pop star without knowing what the pop star’s music sounded like. The magazine describes the film as “deeply weird.”
A woman and child walk by a damaged building, struck days earlier, during the U.S.Israeli military campaign on March 4, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As the U.S.-Israeli military escalation with Iran continues, children may be experiencing devastating consequences of being caught in a conflict zone. Dozens of children and adolescents have been killed, many of whom were attending school at the time, according to the Iranian education ministry.
Doctors and humanitarian aid workers told ABC News that millions of children in the region are at risk of physical and mental health repercussions.
They add that it’s important children have as much structure as possible to keep a sense of stability in their lives.
“Every war is a war on children,” Ahmad Alhendawi, regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe at Save the Children, told ABC News. “They are not the reason why the war started, but they are the ones who pay the highest prices. Their childhood simply gets disrupted.”
Mental health effects
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of the humanitarian organization MedGlobal, told ABC News that the mental and emotional toll on children in conflict zones is a “huge problem.”
“Children are some of the most vulnerable sectors of the community because they need to feel that they are supported, they need it to feel that there is safety and shelter and supporting communities and they need normalcy,” he said.
Sahloul said that when children are caught in conflict zones, a sense of stability and routine is essential.
This includes going to school consistently, having playgrounds available so they can play, regular family meals and a place to sleep at night.
When any of these are disrupted, it can affect children’s mental health, causing anxiety, hyperactivity, withdrawal or feelings of sadness, according to Sahloul.
He added, “The trauma that [children] incur from violence and from what they see on TV, and of course the direct witnessing of bombs and missiles and its impact on their communities and neighbors and families, all of this will cause a lot of mental health trauma that manifests itself based on the age of the child.”
Studies of past conflicts have shown the effects of living in war-torn areas.
At least 10% of those who experience traumatic events in armed conflict will have serious mental health problems and another 10% “will develop behavior that will hinder their ability to function effectively,” according to the World Health Organization in a review of research findings.
Mental health impacts can be exacerbated when locales that are supposed to be safe spaces come under attack, Sahloul said.
Over the weekend, Shajare Tayyiba Elementary School, an all-girls elementary school in Minab located in southern Iran was hit by airstrikes, according to Iranian officials.
Iran has blamed the U.S. and Israel for the strike on the school, but Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have denied any connection. Top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have insisted the U.S. does not target civilian infrastructure.
“That adds, of course, to the trauma,” Sahloul said. “These are areas that should be considered safe and when people die in school or in a hospital or in the market, I think that adds to the trauma.”
Physical effects on children
There are physical risks for children that come with living in conflict zones, such as breathing in smoke and ash from fires and blasts that can affect the nose and lungs.
Children may also be seriously injured during air strikes, resulting in disability such as the loss of limb, sight or cognitive capacity.
“The physical impact on children is much more significant because there are fears for their development,” Alhendawi said.
Sahloul added that because children’s bodies are often smaller, shorter and thinner than those of adults, they are more likely to be hurt by projectiles such as bullets or shrapnel.
In children, severe bleeding can lead to shock, he said. Children are also more prone to amputation because of the smaller size of their limbs and they’re more prone to burns because their skin is thinner than adults’ skin.
Sahloul said that mental health trauma in children can have effects on their physical health. Research has shown a significant association between physical health problems and clinical mental health symptoms.
“So [mental health symptoms] can lead to depressed immunity to fight infection,” he said. “It can lead to malnutrition. It can lead to stunted growth.”
Health experts noted adults may also experience similar physical and mental health effects in conflict zones and may benefit from similar interventions.
How to help
Experts told ABC News it’s important to make sure that children are provided structure as much as possible while living in war zones to help with their development and well-being. Additionally, when possible, they said it important to create child-friendly spaces that allow children to learn, play and receive psychosocial support.
Alhendawi said Save the Children is not currently operating in Iran but is stationed in nine surrounding countries and is prepared to provide full shelter and basic services for a population that may be displaced.
Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow attend the ‘Iron Man 3’ photocall at The Dorchester on April 17, 2013, in London, England. (Mike Marsland/Getty Images)
Even more stars have been announced as presenters at the 98th Oscars.
Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal and Gwyneth Paltrow will take to the Oscars stage to present awards at this year’s ceremony, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.
They join the previously announced presenters Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani and Maya Rudolph.
Also presenting are Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña, who will all return to the awards ceremony after winning Oscars last year.
The producers for the Oscars will continue announcing the talent who will present at the show throughout the coming week, they announced.
Conan O’Brien will host the awards ceremony for the second time, while Raj Kapoor serves as executive producer and showrunner and Katy Mullan executive produces.
The Oscars will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2026 in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Thursday said Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin will replace Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary.
Trump made the announcement on social media Thursday afternoon saying he was “pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026.”
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland,'” Trump said in the post.
The news that the Oklahoma senator would take over Noem’s job came after several sources told ABC News that Trump had called Republicans and top allies asking if he should fire her.
The president had privately expressed deep frustration over Noem’s testimony during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, those sources with direct knowledge of the conversations said.
The sources said the president was upset with a particular moment during the hearing when Republican Sen. John Kennedy questioned Noem about a taxpayer-funded $220 million ad campaign. Noem repeatedly suggested the president was aware of the campaign and signed off on it.
A senior administration officials tells ABC News that the president did not sign off on a $220 million ad campaign.
“Absolutely not,” the senior administration official said.
Kennedy told reporters Thursday that Trump even called him about it.
“I’m not going to speak for him. You folks know him. You can ask him yourselves, but his, I want to put it this way, his recollection and her recollection are different,” Kennedy said.
Tuesday’s hearing was just the latest in several incidents that have sparked concern among Trump administration officials and some Republicans on Capitol Hill, sources tell ABC News.
Just days ago, Noem and her top adviser Corey Lewandowski made the decision to temporarily suspend TSA Precheck amid the partial government shutdown — which later had to be reversed after the White House stepped in, according to sources.
Noem has faced criticism in recent weeks over her handling of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal law enforcement. She was removed from leading operations in the state following the scrutiny, and Border Czar Tom Homan was sent in to take over.
During a Cabinet meeting in January, the president did not call on Noem to speak.
