Shakira performs during a concert March 1, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Lucía Flores/ObturadorMX/Getty Images)
Music superstar Shakira was acquitted of tax fraud in a new ruling released Monday by Spain’s national court.
The court ordered Spanish authorities to repay Shakira more than $60 million from the yearslong legal battle.
The ruling was based on an appeal from Shakira’s legal team, which argued the Grammy winner was not a full-time resident of Spain in 2011 and therefore did not owe taxes to the government for that year.
The court ruled that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain that year, not the minimum 183 days required under Spanish law to pay income taxes. The court also said the tax agency failed to prove that Shakira “maintained her center of economic interests in Spain, or that she had family ties with residents in the country.”
Spain’s Ministry of Justice said Monday it plans to appeal the court’s ruling, which was issued in April and announced publicly Monday.
Shakira applauded the court for what she described as a ruling that “set the record straight.”
“After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family’s well-being, the National High Court has finally set the record straight,” Shakira said in a statement to ABC News Monday.
“There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true.”
Shakira moved to Miami in 2023, one year after she and her boyfriend of more than a decade, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, ended their relationship. Piqué is the father of Shakira’s two sons.
Brian Kelley & Tyler Hubbard at the 2025 CMA Awards (John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA)
The fences seem to be mostly mended along the Florida Georgia Line, and now there’s talk of returning to the road in 2027.
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley hadn’t played a show together since August 2022 when they reconnected at the CMA Awards in November. By March, they were back together to play “You Make It Easy” at Country Radio Seminar to honor Jason Aldean.
Now, an official FGL reunion could be on the horizon.
“We have been toying around and flirting with the idea of playing a handful of shows next year,” Tyler told Entertainment Tonight at the ACMs. “That gets us both excited, but right now we’re trying to be patient with it, trying to enjoy this kind of like honeymoon phase.”
After the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards, Tyler revealed he and his wife, Hayley Hubbard, were headed to Florida to visit Brian and his wife, Brittney Kelley.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public via Getty Images)
(HARTFORD, Conn.) — Former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to the February 27, 2026 fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones.
The charge and evidence supporting it was laid out in the Connecticut state inspector general’s report, which was released on Monday, and comes after Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam announced in March that he had terminated Magnano amid a probe into the incident after viewing the police body camera footage. The body camera footage has not been released publicly.
ABC News has reached out to the Hartford Police Department and Magnano’s attorney for comment.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
Alex Murdaugh is found guilty on all counts for the murder of his wife and son at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Alex Murdaugh is suing the former court clerk who served during his double murder trial in South Carolina, alleging she denied him a fair trial before an impartial jury, his attorneys announced days after the state’s top court overturned his murder convictions.
Murdaugh’s wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and younger son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family’s hunting estate in 2021.
Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of murdering them following a six-week trial, with jurors deliberating for nearly three hours before reaching a guilty verdict.
Last week, the five-member South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Murdaugh must have a new trial, citing the “breathtaking and disgraceful effort” of former Colleton County clerk Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill to “undermine the jury process.”
“With the South Carolina Supreme Court’s ruling, it has been adjudged as a matter of state law that she deprived Alex of his constitutional rights, deprived him of a right to a fair trial, and as a result we’ve got to do it all over again, which nobody wants to do,” Murdaugh’s attorney, Jim Griffin, said during a press briefing on Monday announcing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is seeking at least $600,000, Griffin said. The civil complaint notes that Murdaugh spent $600,000 on his trial defense, according to the filing.
“The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that Ms. Hill’s actions — motivated by her own desire to profit from the trial — caused these funds to be lost,” the filing stated.
Griffin said they are seeking “accountability” with the lawsuit.
“Now, let me be clear. Alex Murdaugh owes a lot of people a lot of money. None of this money that is recovered will go to him personally,” he said. “The purpose of this lawsuit is to hold Becky Hill accountable for what she did.”
ABC News has reached out to Hill’s attorney for comment.
In its opinion filed last Wednesday, the state supreme court stated that Hill “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility and his defense, thus triggering the presumption of prejudice, which the State was unable to rebut.”
“As noted at the outset, Hill’s shocking jury interference was accomplished outside the presence and knowledge of the outstanding trial judge and superbly competent and professional counsel for the State and the defense,” it continued.
In the murder trial, prosecutors made the case that Murdaugh, who comes from a legacy of prominent attorneys in the Lowcountry region, killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and distract from his financial wrongdoings, while the defense argued that police ignored the possibility that anyone else could have killed them.
Murdaugh’s defense claimed that Hill influenced the verdict through remarks heard by some jurors during the trial, including in one instance to watch Murdaugh’s body language during his testimony, according to court filings.
Murdaugh has continued to deny having anything to do with the deaths of his wife and son.
Following the decision, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office will “aggressively” seek to retry Murdaugh for the murders “as soon as possible” — possibly by the end of this year.
Hill resigned as the Colleton County clerk of court in March 2024, amid the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s investigation into allegations she may have abused her government position for financial gain.
Her book, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” was ultimately pulled from publication over accusations of plagiarism.
She pleaded guilty in December 2025 to obstruction of justice, perjury and misconduct in office for showing photographs that were sealed court evidence to a reporter during the trial and then later lying about doing so on the stand during a hearing related to Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial. She was sentenced to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service.
The charges did not allege any jury tampering, and she denied any tampering with the jury during her testimony.
Murdaugh was also convicted on several financial crimes following the murder trial and is serving a 27-year sentence on state charges and a 40-year sentence on federal charges related to those crimes.
In its opinion, the state supreme court found that the trial court acted within its discretion in admitting some evidence of the financial crimes, which supported the state’s theory of motive, though it noted that the evidence could have been presented in a “fraction” of the time. If admitted on retrial, the evidence must be presented “efficiently,” the opinion stated.
‘Power Ballad (Music From The Motion Picture)’ (Republic Records)
In the new movie Power Ballad, Paul Rudd plays Rick Power, a wedding singer, and Nick Jonas plays Danny Wilson, a boy band star who’s trying to go solo. As you might expect, the movie’s soundtrack features some performances by Nick — but there are many more by Paul.
Power Ballad (Music From The Motion Picture) arrives May 29 and includes all the songs you see Paul sing in the movie while he’s fronting his wedding band, The Bride & Groove. They range from ’80s pop favorites like Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” and Hall & Oates’ “Maneater,” to rockers like Thin Lizzy’s “Boys Are Back in Town” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69.”
The centerpiece of the album is “How to Write a Song Without You,” the track that sets the movie’s plot in motion. When Paul and Danny spend a night jamming, Paul plays him the song, which he wrote years ago. Danny then steals the song and uses it to launch his solo career, passing it off as his own. The soundtrack features two versions of the song, one sung by Nick and one sung by Paul, plus another “radio version.”
In addition, the album includes Nick and Paul singing several original songs created specifically for the movie, which you see their characters writing or singing during the course of the film. Those original songs, including “How to Write a Song Without You,” were co-written by director John Carney and Gary Clark. Gary was in a band in the ’80s that scored a global hit with a song called “Mary’s Prayer.” The name of that band? Danny Wilson.
Here’s the track listing: “How to Write a Song Without You (Radio Version)” “Celebration” “Summer of ‘69” “The Power of Love” “Finishing Line” “Fun Won’t Matter” “Boys Are Back In Town” “I Wish” “Don’t Look Down” “Spectacular” “Satellite” “How to Write a Song Without You (Nick Jonas Version)” “Message In A Bottle” “1984” “Maneater” “How to Write a Song Without You (Paul Rudd Version)” “Dublin To L.A.”
The badge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen at the immigration court at the Ted Weiss Federal Building, May 12, 2026 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Minnesota prosecutors on Monday announced charges against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the nonfatal shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis earlier this year.
The federal agent, Christian Castro, was charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, according to the Hennepin County attorney.
“Mr. Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of the home, knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no threat to him or anyone else,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said during a news conference Monday.
According to Moriarty, the bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg, passed through a closet and lodged in the wall of a child’s bedroom. She added that Castro was not under any physical threat when he opened fire and that claims from government officials that he had been struck with a shovel or broom were false.
“There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes in this state or any other,” Moriarty said. “A violent crime did occur that night, but it was Mr. Castro who committed it.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
According to the criminal complaint, the confrontation began when Castro and other ICE agents chased a man who was delivering food for DoorDash back to his house.
The complaint states that security footage shows that Castro tackled the driver after he jumped out of his car and was running toward his home, which he shared with Sosa-Celis. Another resident then separated the two men and was able to get inside the house with the driver.
According to the complaint, video evidence shows Castro then fired a single gunshot through the closed front door and hit Sosa-Celis in the right leg.
Four adults and two children were inside the home at the time of the gunfire, the complaint states. Following the shooting, ICE agents deployed tear gas, breached the residence, and took the occupants into custody.
Police cordon off an area close to the Islamic Center of San Diego after reports of an active shooter on Monday, May 18, 2026. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
(SAN DIEGO) — The San Diego Police Department said the threat “has been neutralized” after reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Photos show children being evacuated from the area.
“Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said earlier on social media.
The center says it is the largest mosque in San Diego County.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Healthcare workers receive training on administering the Ebola vaccine in a study carried out with the support of the World Health Organization as part of the fight against the Ebola virus in Kampala, Uganda on February 14, 2025. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Monday that at least one American working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for Ebola.
Dr. Satish K. Pillai, incident manager for the CDC’s Ebola response, told reporters that the individual developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday.
Pillai added that the patient and six other high-risk contacts are being moved to Germany for care and stressed that the risk to the U.S. general public remains low.
“Given the previous experience for caring for Ebola patients, coupled with the flight times being significantly shorter, this allows us to get these persons to points of care quickly,” Pillai said.
Pillai said the CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center through its country offices in the DRC and in Uganda, and is deploying technical experts that have been requested from Atlanta headquarters.
The CDC said earlier Monday that it is preparing to restrict entry for travelers arriving from parts of central Africa where an Ebola outbreak has been declared, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
Non-U.S. passport holders will face entry restrictions if they have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.
The move is being carried out under Title 42 of the Public Health Services Act, which allows the CDC director to suspend entry of individuals into the U.S. to protect public health.
The order will be in effect for 30 days and does not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
The CDC said it is also coordinating with airlines, international partners and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers with possible Ebola exposure as well as enhancing measures like contact tracing, laboratory testing capacity and hospital readiness nationwide.
On Sunday, the CDC said in a statement that a “small number of Americans” are directly affected by an Ebola outbreak occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The CDC is working with other U.S. agencies to coordinate the safe withdrawal of the Americans,” the CDC said. The agency did not confirm the number of people affected, the type of exposure or whether any individuals had experienced symptoms.
“We don’t discuss or comment on individual dispositions,” Pillai said Sunday. “It is a highly dynamic situation, and at this point, what I would say is, we continue to assess, we will continue to keep you posted as we learn more.”
On Saturday, the World Health Organization said in a statement that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda constituted a “public health emergency of international concern.”
As of Sunday, there were 10 confirmed Ebola cases and 336 suspected cases in the DRC. There had been 88 suspected deaths in the DRC, as well as two confirmed cases and one confirmed death in Uganda from people who had traveled to the DRC.
Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and does not spread through casual contact or air.
“CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks,” CDC acting director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on a call with reporters on Friday. “It is a large outbreak, and we were just informed yesterday about it.”
He added, “We’re absolutely committed to making sure that they can get resources as they need. We have helped with other Ebola outbreaks in the past … we have lots of hard-earned lessons. The key thing here is to know that we are absolutely involved.”
This is the DRC’s 17th outbreak of Ebola since the disease emerged in the 1970s, according to the WHO.
This strain of Ebola is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no therapeutics or vaccines, the WHO said.
The WHO has declared international public health emergencies over previous Ebola outbreaks as well as COVID-19 and mpox.
Honoree Janet Jackson, recipient of the Icon Award, attends the 2025 American Music Awards at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on May 26, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/WireImage)
Janet Jackson has given fans a glimpse of her 60th birthday celebration. She posted an Instagram Reel from the festivities and thanked those who wished her well on her special day.
In the clip, Janet — wearing a “Sixtylicious” birthday sash — greeted loved ones, including sister LaToya Jackson, gathered both in a decorated yard and house before they show off their dance moves. She’s later seen blowing out the candles of her cake and amid a group of friends who make a toast in her honor.
“We are so blessed to be able to celebrate who God made you and called you to be,” choreographer Laurieann Gibson said. “Live, live live unconditionally and free.”
Janet responded to the love and celebration in her caption. “I’m so grateful for the outpouring of love today. You have all made my 60th so special,” she wrote. “Every single post, tribute, and wish touches my heart. I thank God for every additional day of life and for putting each of you in it. Wishing you all returned blessings & I look forward to seeing you soon,” she added, before concluding with,“I love you.”
Ella Langley performs at The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena May 17, 2026 in Las Vegas. (Rich Polk/Dick Clark Productions)
It seems like week after week, people keep on “Choosin'” to listen to Ella Langley.
The Alabama singer’s “Choosin’ Texas” is now #1 for a 10th week on the Billboard Hot 100. Out of the 67 years the chart has existed, only 4% of #1 hits ever stay on top that long.
It’s even rarer for country songs to accomplish this, although in recent years it has become more common: Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was #1 for 19 weeks and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” spent 16 weeks on top.
Ella is also at #2 with her song “Be Her,” which she performed at the ACM Awards on Sunday night. She also won seven trophies, the most by any artist in a single year.
On the Country Airplay chart, “Be Her” is #4, while “Choosin’ Texas” has slipped to fifth position.
