Sting is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his fifth studio album, Mercury Falling, with a just-released expanded edition of the album.
The digital-only Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) includes the original album along with 19 tracks, several of which were previously unavailable on digital services. The bonus material includes various B-sides and remixes, the song “Moonlight” from the 1995 film Sabrina and three live recordings: “You Still Touch Me,” “Lithium Sunset” and The Police classic “Message in a Bottle.”
Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) is now available via digital outlets.
Released March 4, 1996, Mercury Falling peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 and included such singles as “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot” and “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying.”
The album went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and was nominated for a Grammy for best pop vocal album. “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot” also earned Sting a Grammy nod for best male pop vocal performance.
Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey star in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ season 1. (Steffan Hill/HBO)
Westeros is getting a few new faces.
Lucy Boynton, Babou Ceesay and Peter Mullan have joined the season 2 cast of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
HBO made the announcement to its official Game of Thrones social media accounts on Wednesday.
“Every journey needs new companions,” the post’s caption reads.
Boynton will play Lady Rohanne, Ceesay takes on the role of Ser Bennis and Mullan will play Ser Eustace Osgrey.
The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiered on Jan. 18 and finished its run on Feb. 22. It consisted of six half-hour episodes about the adventures of an unexpected duo and is based on the novellas by George R.R. Martin.
“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” according to the show’s official logline. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
The show takes place 72 years after House of the Dragon and 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg.
Signage outside the US Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department is proposing a new policy that would seek to limit the ability of state bar associations to launch ethics probes into DOJ attorneys, according to a new document posted Wednesday in the Federal Register.
The proposal, which comes amid growing scrutiny of the department’s attorneys and whether they’re complying with ethical obligations in enforcing the Trump administration’s agenda, would seek to empower Attorney General Pam Bondi to request that state bar investigations be suspended pending a DOJ review of any originating complaint.
In the event the state bar authorities “refuse” to suspend their investigations, the proposal says, the Justice Department “shall take appropriate action to prevent the bar disciplinary authorities from interfering.”
It’s not immediately clear what “appropriate action” the department could take to influence state-level proceedings, and the proposed rule does not elaborate further.
The proposal argues that the bar complaint and investigation process has been “weaponized” by political activists in recent years to ensnare officials across DOJ’s ranks into costly and time-consuming proceedings.
“This unprecedented weaponization of the State bar complaint process risks chilling the zealous advocacy by Department attorneys on behalf of the United States, its agencies, and its officers,” the proposed rule said. “That chilling effect, in turn, would interfere with the broad statutory authority of the Attorney General to manage and supervise Department attorneys.”
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco at the 2025 Oscars (Disney/Gavin Bond)
Selena Gomez has shared a treasure trove of throwback photos and videos in a photo dump on her Instagram Story, including unseen pics from her wedding and a snap with her BFF Taylor Swift.
One photo shows Selena wearing the high-necked sleeveless Ralph Lauren gown she later debuted in a first-look photo. It’s not clear whether she’s laughing or crying.
“First fitting of one of my dresses,” she captioned the image, adding a crying happy tears emoji.
Another photo captures a laughing Selena in her reception dress alongside her husband, Benny Blanco. The couple are seated on chairs being lifted up by wedding guests, with Benny holding a piece of fabric. The moment highlights a beloved Jewish wedding tradition in which the bride and groom are hoisted in chairs by the guests while each holds one end of a cloth — usually a napkin — as they’re lifted up and down.
The dump also includes a photo of Selena “fangirling” while posing with How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor, as well as a picture of her and Taylor Swift eating a red, white and blue ice pop. According to People, the latter was taken at Taylor’s 2023 Fourth of July party.
Meanwhile, on the new episode of Benny’s podcast Friends Keep Secrets, Selena revealed that she hopes to have four children because of a scene in the movie The Family Stone where Diane Keaton’s character is surrounded by her children at the dinner table. “It has always made me feel so good inside that I said, ‘One day when I’m her age, I want to see that dinner table,'” Selena shared.
She added, “Whatever happens happens. If we’re only able to have one, none, I don’t know … but my dream for sure was that scene where they’re all at the dinner table.”
The title of the new Carly Pearce/Riley Green duet is out, along with more sultry pictures from what appears to be a spicy video shoot.
Carly’s latest social media post reveals the cover of “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay,” along with its March 13 arrival date.
The cover of the track shows Carly in the same white negligee as previous photos, locked in an embrace with Riley, who’s wearing a white T-shirt, looking like he’s about to kiss her. A shot from the video offers a similar pose.
Carly first started hinting at the collab Feb. 23, as she cleared her Instagram and posted a solo photo in the negligee. A March 4 video showed a man running his hand down her leg while she was holding a glass of wine, along with a snippet where Carly sings “Baby isn’t doing this the definition of insane.”
The next day brought the first video of the pair together, with Riley adding harmony to the line Carly previously released.
“If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” will be the latest preview of Carly’s upcoming fifth studio album, following “Church Girl” and her current radio single, “Dream Come True.”
State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, speaks during a Texas primary election night event at Emo’s Austin in Austin, Texas, US, early on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Primary voting began on Tuesday in Texas, Arkansas and North Carolina, marking the beginning of the 2026 midterm elections, which are expected to be seen in part as referenda on the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Here are a few key takeaways from the early voting.
Texas GOP Senate primary heads for a runoff
The heated Republican Senate primary heads to a runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, as neither secured over 50% of the vote Tuesday evening.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, who was also running in the race, conceded Tuesday evening and did not endorse Paxton or Cornyn.
With Trump not endorsing in the race, Paxton attempted to paint Cornyn as not aligned with the President and said that Cornyn “stabbed [Trump] in the back by trying to derail his presidential campaigns.”
“No one can name [one] accomplishment [of Cornyn’s],” Paxton said Tuesday night. “The people of Texas deserve better. That’s the message we’re taking into the runoff.”
Cornyn continued his attacks on Paxton Tuesday night, calling him a “shameless candidate” and saying there’s too much at stake in this year’s election for him to be elected to the Senate.
“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years, there is simply too much at stake in this midterm election for our state and for our country, the final two years of … President Trump’s agenda hangs in the balance,” Cornyn said.
Talarico defeats Crockett
On Tuesday morning, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett conceded to State Rep. James Talarico, the 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former teacher in the contested Texas Democratic Senate primary, giving hope to national Democrats about the possibility of flipping the state blue.
“This morning I called James and congratulated him on becoming the Senate nominee. Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” Crockett said in a statement. “This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot.”
Talarico will face off against whoever wins May’s runoff election in the state’s Senate GOP primary between Cornyn and Paxton — a race that Trump has still yet to endorse a candidate in and is expected to become uglier in the lead up to the runoff.
The last time a Democrat won a Senate race in Texas was in 1988.
Talarico told his supporters early Wednesday morning at his election party that he was confident in the movement they had built.
“Tonight, our campaign is shocking the nation. We are still waiting for an official call, but we are confident in this movement we’ve built together. Every vote must be counted, every voice must be heard,” Talarico said. “We are not we are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it’s working. “
The Trump factor
And in some down-ballot races, Trump’s endorsement continues to carry weight.
Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw became the first GOP incumbent to lose a primary this cycle when he was defeated by hardline conservative state Rep. Steve Toth, in a race that focused on which candidate aligned with Trump the most.
Trump did not endorse either candidate in the race, which left Crenshaw as the only House Republican in Texas running for re-election without the President’s support.
At multiple points during his time in Congress, Crenshaw found himself at odds with Trump, including over the President’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
In North Carolina, a Senate seat Democrats hope to flip, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley each won their primaries handily and will face off in one of the most-watched Senate races this cycle.
Whatley, who was endorsed by Trump, embraced the President and said he would stand with him if elected to the U.S. Senate during his victory speech Tuesday night.
“I will stand with President Trump to finish the job, secure the border permanently and ensure that illegal aliens are swiftly deported,” Whatley said later on his victory remarks.
Billy Morrison “Becoming” single artwork. (LG | ZOID | Virgin Music Group)
Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison has announced a new solo album featuring a whole bunch of guests.
The record, titled Hollow, is due out in August and includes contributions from Godsmack frontman Sully Erna, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Marilyn Manson, Dexter Holland of The Offspring, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, Billy Idol’s Steve Stevens and rappers Chuck D, B-Real and DMC.
The first single is called “Becoming” and will feature Erna and Bettencourt. It’ll premiere on March 27.
“The guests on this record are at the core of the collaborative spirit that I try to put in the center of these records,” Morrison says in a statement. “Every single person I worked with stepped up, brought their A game and helped me produce an album that crosses genres, features some really diverse songwriting, and yet has a truly cohesive, and powerful sound.”
He adds, “Ultimately, I am just grateful to everyone involved for allowing me to do this again.”
Hollow follows Morrison’s 2024 effort, The Morrison Project, which includes the Ozzy Osbourne collaboration “Crack Cocaine.”
‘Romanticize the Dive’ album artwork. (Metric Music International/Thirty Tigers)
Metric has released a new song called “Time Is a Bomb,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, Romanticize the Dive.
“Say what you want about the wellness boom, I think it’s a natural response to the unrelenting awareness we have of our mortality,” frontwoman Emily Haines says in a statement. “The powerless feeling of wanting to hold on and make time stop while simultaneously doing everything you can to max out your fleeting vitality – this song expresses that inner tension.”
“I love my life and I’m truly amazed that I made it to my happily ever after, but I don’t want to spend the time I have left obsessing over personal consequences, being boring and hiding from fun,” she continues. “I don’t expect to be jumping off speaker stacks or crowd surfing like I used to, but it’s still too soon to say never.”
Romanticize the Dive, the follow-up to 2023’s Formentera II, is due out April 24. It also includes the single “Victim of Luck.”
Harry Styles, ‘Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally’ (Columbia Records)
We now have details on the pop-up shops Harry Styles is opening worldwide to promote his new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.
The New York and LA stores will be open on March 6, the day the album arrives, from midnight to 2 a.m. local time and then from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time. American Express® Card Members have access from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time and will get a complimentary gift with any purchase, plus exclusive merch and a dedicated checkout line.
The stores will then open on March 7, 9 and 12 at various times, with Amex members getting an hour’s worth of early access each day. All other locations will be open March 6, 7 and 8 at different times. You can get full details at Harry’s website.
Crewnecks, tees, hoodies, towels, hats, polos, baby tees, slipmats, clocks, socks, mugs, totes and more are among the specially-designed items available at the stores.
Here are the North American addresses for the pop-up shops:
Arizona: Mini Social 7116 E 5th Ave, Scottsdale, AZ Atlanta: Cam Kirk Studio 112 Krog St NE D125, Atlanta, GA Chicago: 1731 North Damen Ave, Chicago, IL Houston: 2415 Taft Street, Houston, TX Los Angeles: 8483 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA Miami: 2300 North Miami Ave, Miami, FL New York: 106 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY Seattle: 501 E Pine Street, Seattle, WA Toronto: 938 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense, during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Monday, March 2, 2026. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. submarine on Tuesday sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, the first time since WWII the U.S. has sunk an enemy combatant ship by torpedo.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
