Cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ (Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings)
Israeli-born musician Suki Lahav, whose violin work is heard on Bruce Springsteen’s iconic Born to Run track “Jungleland,” has died at the age of 74.
Her death was confirmed by her son, musician Yonatan Albalak, in a post on Facebook.
“She wrote songs that touched people’s hearts,” he wrote. “She was a special woman, smart, pure in heart and loving life. She was the best mom I could ever ask for.”
The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music also announced her death, noting “she contributed to the early sound of Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough era.”
“Lahav went on to become a major figure in Israeli music and literature, leaving behind a lasting legacy as both a songwriter and poet,” the post added.
Tzruya “Suki” Lahav came to America from Israel in 1971 with her husband, recording engineer Louis Lahav, who worked with Springsteen on his early albums Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. She began working with The Boss in the mid-’70s and briefly joined The E Street Band. Her appearance on “Jungleland” was her most notable contribution to Springsteen’s music, with her violin solo opening the song.
A burning car is seen following a crash at the Bedford Toll Plaza in Bedford, New Hampshire, March 31, 2026. (New Hampshire State Police)
(NEW HAMPSHIRE) — Voice actor and comedian Eugene Mirman thanked the “heroic people” who came to his aid after he was involved in a fiery crash at a New Hampshire toll plaza earlier this week.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte and her security detail came upon Tuesday’s collision — with a state trooper on her detail and two other bystanders helping pull the trapped driver from the burning vehicle, according to state police.
Mirman, 51, of “Bob’s Burgers” fame, was seriously injured in the crash.
“I am extraordinarily thankful to the heroic people that pulled me from the car and to the warm, kind and talented staff at the hospital that cared for me and got me on the mend!” Mirman said in a post on social media on Friday. “I am thankful beyond words to be here and doing relatively alright, all things considered.”
Mirman was in a “very scary car accident” and is “grateful to be on the mend,” his agent, Jay Gassner, said in a statement following the crash.
The “dangerous” collision occurred at the Bedford Toll Plaza on the F.E. Everett Turnpike shortly before noon Tuesday, according to New Hampshire State Police Director Col. Mark Hall.
The vehicle, a 2026 Lucid Gravity electric vehicle, “immediately became engulfed in flames,” Hall said during a press briefing on Tuesday. Multiple people called 911 to report the fiery crash, and that “someone in the vehicle appeared to be trapped,” police said.
The governor and her security detail came upon the accident just after the vehicle crashed into the toll plaza, as police units were responding, police said. A New Hampshire state trooper assigned to her detail and two other bystanders helped Mirman — the lone occupant — out of the burning vehicle through the window, according to Hall.
Hall said he is not identifying the trooper due to the nature of the assignment.
“It is a veteran trooper, and certainly their actions were heroic in what they did — without hesitation, put themselves in danger to render aid to somebody that clearly was in need of it,” Hall said.
“I’m proud of the State Trooper and the bystanders who saved a life at the scene of yesterday’s crash in Bedford,” Ayotte said in a statement. “It’s an example of the great work first responders do each day to keep New Hampshire safe and how Granite Staters always step up to help someone in need.”
The governor and other witnesses also provided assistance at the scene, according to Hall.
“The governor did get out of the vehicle and tried to assist in any way that she could,” Hall said, adding he believed she tried to get a fire extinguisher from a vehicle to help put the fire out.
Mirman was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Photos released by police showed the burning vehicle and firefighters at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation.
Mirman plays 11-year-old Gene Belcher on the hit TV show “Bob’s Burgers,” which premiered in 2011.
Cardi B performs in concert on March 28, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a 2-K initiative, in which he’ll provide free, universal child care for 2-year-olds in New York City. He’s on a search for the person who can come up with the best jingle for it, and he’s teamed with Cardi B for a contest in which she’ll help select the finalists.
Video of Mamdani asking Cardi for her assistance was posted to the NYC Mayor’s Office social media Friday and later reposted to her Instagram Story.
“Can you believe that?” Cardi says in the clip. “We have a 34-year-old mayor! I feel like I’m a kid, and you’re, like, running New York,” she continues, before Mamdani poses a question about child care.
“Cardi, what do you think of free child care?” he asks. The mother of four responds, “I feel like free child care is very important. Sometimes us women, we can’t really go forward because we don’t have nobody to help us take care of our kids.”
“This fall we’re starting to deliver universal 2-K, which is just like pre-K, just like 3-K, but 2-K for 2-year-olds. Free child care, 2,000 seats in the fall, and there’s gonna be seats in the Bronx starting it up. … Enrollment actually starts in June,” Mamdani says.
He then asks Cardi if she would help judge a competition to find the best jingle, and she replies yes.
“The mayor’s going to help you! And I’m gonna judge, and he’s going to give because he’s the one with the funds,” she clarifies. New Yorkers will vote for the lucky winner.
The deadline for submissions is April 17; rules and guidelines can be found online. The winner’s jingle will be the theme song for Mamdani’s 2-K initiative; it will also play on the radio.
President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The White House, in its budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, is asking Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense — a record-breaking military spending request as the U.S. remains in its fifth week of war with Iran.
That is a $445 billion, or a 42% increase from the 2026 total level, according to the White House. Non-defense spending would be then be reduced by $73 billion, or 10%, according to the budget released by the White House on Friday.
Major targets of the proposed spending cuts are environmental programs across many federal agencies, including canceling more than $15 billion in Department of Energy grants related to clean energy.
The White House budget also continues the Department of Education’s “path to elimination,” proposes cuts to agriculture spending by 19% and proposes slashing the Internal Revenue Service’s budget by $1.4 billion.
“The 2027 Budget builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government,” Office of Budget and Management Director Russ Vought wrote in the request to Congress.
President Donald Trump’s budget request, which is largely a wishlist sent to Congress in order to signal the administration’s priorities, lists “reducing violent crime and protecting national security” along with “protecting the homeland and removing dangerous illegal aliens” as the other two spending priorities for the upcoming year.
The budget proposes more than $19 billion for federal law enforcement — a 15% increase from 2026. The budget maintains “critical funding” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement next year, equal to the 2026 level, including $2.2 billion to maintain 41,500 immigration detention beds.
The White House said that an investment in defense and Department of Homeland Security would be, in part, achieved through budget reconciliation.
The reconciliation process comes with a key advantage of not being subject to a filibuster. This means legislation can be passed with a simple majority vote in the Senate and that Republicans wouldn’t necessarily need Democratic support, signaling an attempt from the White House to avoid Democratic demands for non-defense increases.
“Reconciliation funding in 2027 will enable DHS to fully implement the President’s immigration enforcement initiatives, finish construction of the border wall on the Southwest border, procure advanced border security technology, and continue the largest recapitalization investment in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard,” according to the White House.
(L-R) Yoonchae, Megan, Lara Raj, Manon, Sophia, and Daniela of KATSEYE attend the 68th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
KATSEYE’s Manon Bannerman has given fans an update after she was noticeably absent from the group’s music video teaser for their new song, “Pinky Up.”
Back in February, the group’s record labels announced Manon would be “taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing,” but some fans were still upset to see her missing from the video.
Manon shared a statement on Weverse DMs, writing that she’s been having “positive conversations” with the labels HYBE and Geffen Records.
“Thank you so much for all the love and support you’ve been sending my way,” she wrote, according to Forbes. “I’m really grateful for the patience and kindness everyone has shown during this time. HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me.”
KATSEYE’s new song, “Pinky Up,” and its video drop April 9 at 9 p.m. PT.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Paul Simon during Thursday’s April 2, 2026 show. (Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
Paul Simon broke out a classic tune for his latest appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was a guest on the late night talker Thursday night, where he performed “Something So Right” from his 1973 album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.
The choice of song was a request of Colbert, who, during the interview segment of the episode, showed a clip of Simon accepting a $20 bribe from an audience member to perform the song “Kodachrome” at a 2025 Los Angeles concert.
“I was just wondering if me and my friend Mr. Jackson here could entice you into doing ‘Something So Right,’” said Colbert, pulling out a $20 bill. Simon replied, “Oh, I’m doing that anyway. You keep it,” joking that since Cobert’s show has been canceled he’ll need the cash.
Colbert also asked Simon to name his “Mount Rushmore” of American lyricists, with Simon noting there’s a “long list.” The first name he mentioned was Chuck Berry, explaining “he taught my whole generation.” He also named Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder, as well as Joni Mitchell, although she is actually Canadian.
Paul Simon is set to launch a European leg of his A Quiet Celebration Tour on April 9 in Prague. He’ll then bring the tour back to the U.S. June 4 in Palo Alto, California. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulSimon.com.
(LONDON) — An American fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran, according to three U.S. officials. Search and rescue operations are currently underway, the officials said.
President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The White House, in their budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, is asking Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense — a record-breaking military spending request as the U.S. remains in its fifth week of war with Iran.
That is a $445 billion, or a 42% increase from the 2026 total level, according to the White House. Non-defense spending is reduced by $73 billion, or 10%, according to the budget released by the White House on Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Sting has dropped a new EP dedicated to his 2000 single “Desert Rose.”
Desert Rose Reimagined includes three new mixes and three extended mixes of the song, including a reimagined version by Middle Eastern-American duo Tamer Malki and Rami Abousabe, who are also known as Bedouin. There are also remixes from African artist and producer Zakes Bantwini and DJ/producer Darque.
Desert Rose Reimagined is now available via digital outlets.
“Desert Rose” was the second single off Sting’s sixth solo album, Brand New Day. The original version featured Algerian raï singer Cheb Mami and peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100; it was Sting’s last top-40 hit.
Released in September 1999, Brand New Day hit #9 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and sold over 3.5 million copies in the U.S.
Sting will return to the U.S. for a new leg of his Sting 3.0 tour on May 6 in Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at Sting.com.
Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney perform during the 68th GRAMMY Awards Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons, Jan. 31, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Dan + Shay have dropped the song they call “the most important release of our career so far.”
“Say So” has a theme of suicide prevention, and as perVariety, it was inspired by the death of the duo’s friend Ben Vaughn, a music industry executive who took his own life in 2025. “As we were talking about Ben, we were just like, ‘Man, I wish we would’ve known. I wish we could have reminded him that there’s always somebody on the other line,'” Dan Smyers tells Variety.
While the duo is best known for their love songs, Shay Mooney tells the outlet, “We felt like with [our forthcoming album] project in particular, we needed to come with this song first. We live in a crazy world right now. Obviously in the first verse it touches on Ben’s story, and it is very heavy, but I think that the rest of this song really offers hope to people.”
Adding that both he and Dan have benefited from therapy, Shay notes, “Talking about these things can oftentimes prevent somebody from getting to that point where they do feel hopeless. It isn’t just for people who are already at their wit’s end.”
In the song, the duo sings, “I’ll be there every time you call/ Pick you up every time you fall/ If you’re going through hell, you’re not alone/ If you need somebody, say so.”
On Instagram, the duo writes, “We are beyond proud of this song and hope it becomes a hit (manifesting), but someday when we look back, we will define its ‘success’ not by the amount of sales + streams, but by the amount of people it helped.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health challenge or thoughts of suicide – free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.
