Mariah Carey performs during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Mariah Carey gave una performance fantastico during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy on Friday.
Wearing a sparkly white and silver dress and matching floor-length feather boa, Mariah stood onstage in the middle of San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan, Italy, and sang the beloved Italian song “Volare.” The song, recorded by Domenico Modugno, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958.
It marked the first time she’s sung in Italian, which is likely why she appeared to be focusing on a teleprompter.
At the end of that track, she broke into one of her patented “whistle tones,” before segueing into her song “Nothing Is Impossible” from her 2025 album, Here For It All.
The Winter Olympic Games will stream on NBC and Peacock.
Sir Elton John departs the Royal Courts of Justice on March 27, 2023 in London, England after attending a hearing in a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the ‘Daily Mail.’ (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Elton John testified via video in a U.K. court on Friday about a British newspaper’s “abhorrent” “invasion” of his and his family’s privacy.
Elton and his husband, David Furnish, are among several notable people, including Prince Harry and Elizabeth Hurley, who are suing The Daily Mail for writing articles about them based on “unlawful information gathering.” The newspaper’s publisher has denied any wrongdoing.
Specifically, Elton and David have identified 10 articles written about them between 2000 and 2015 that feature information they claim was obtained by tapping their phones, hiring private investigators and illegally obtaining medical records.
Elton wrote in his witness statement, “From a personal level, I have found The Mail’s deliberate invasion into my medical health and medical details surrounding the birth of our son Zachary abhorrent and outside even the most basic standards of human decency.”
Elton went on to write, “David and I have now seen documents proving that The Mail were digging into me during times when I was in hospital and because I was in hospital. We have also seen documents proving their intense digging into and around the birth of our first son Zachary.”
“We do not believe there could be any legitimate ways that they discovered details about our egg donor, embryos and questions of paternity. Those were among the most confidential matters in our lives at the time,” he added in the statement.
Elton wrote, “It has been truly sickening for David and me to see the disclosure in our case, with Zachary as a target when he was just born, with David and me as targets, with me as a target when I was sick and unwell.”
According to the U.K. paper The Independent, the trial is due to conclude in March.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, April 20, 2025, in Windsor, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — While the latest release of Epstein files has touched off another round of controversy in the U.S., it has ignited a veritable firestorm in Europe, where the new tranche of emails, text messages, videos on photographs released by the Department of Justice has painted a far more comprehensive picture of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with members of the global elite.
And while a mention in the files does not immediately imply wrongdoing, last week’s data dump has led to a chorus of high-profile figures explaining, and in many cases apologizing for, their connection to Epstein. Reputations have been tarnished, in some cases irrevocably.
These latest files show the range and depth of Epstein’s extraordinary reach into the upper echelons of society. Among the new names from the European elite are Norway’s crown princess and the Slovak national security adviser.
For now, the repercussions are being felt the most acutely in the U.K., where a prince of the realm has lost his title and his home, a senior member of the governing Labour party has lost his position in the House of Lords, a police investigation has been launched into misconduct in public office, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer — whose name has not appeared in the released files — is now fighting for his political survival.
The recently published files have laid bare the extent of Epstein’s contact with the former Prince Andrew and former British Ambassador Peter Mandelson — touching off a crisis at both the heart of the government and the monarchy.
“The scandal seems to matter more here, with graver consequences, because it strikes at the monarchy, the British establishment and the political elite. It’s not just about the behavior of one disgraced man,” Robert Jobson, royal author and ABC royal contributor told ABC News.
There are difficult questions for the monarchy to face, Jobson said, “If senior royal family members and courtiers knew about Epstein’s activities and did nothing” and if they “chose to protect the monarchy at the expense of vulnerable young women.”
“If they did not know, then the institution they oversee is not merely flawed but dangerously incompetent. Neither explanation is excusable,” Jobson said.
Buckingham Palace’s most recent statement on the matter, which came on Oct. 25, announced the stripping of Andrew’s titles and said, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
In rare public hecklings, both the king and queen have been asked whether they will help with the Epstein investigation. Neither responded. It is extremely unusual for them to be approached in this way, and royals very rarely respond to such questions.
The only senior royal to address these latest revelations has been Prince Edward, who responded to a reporter’s question by emphasizing his support for the victims, saying, “I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this? A lot of victims in this.”
“The central issue in the Epstein scandal has never been Andrew alone,” Jobson said. “It is the question the Palace has spent more than a decade avoiding: What did the late queen and King Charles know? And when did they know it?”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was stripped of all his titles last October after some of his email exchanges with Epstein were leaked to the press. He vacated his home at Royal Lodge on Monday, and will now live on the King’s privately owned Sandringham Estate.
The scandal, which has hounded the royal family for decades, erupted after one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, accused Mountbatten-Windsor of sexual assault. In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor, who has always denied any wrongdoing, settled a civil suit with Giuffre.
“The Queen personally funded Andrew’s legal defense. She later allowed him to walk beside her at the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in 2022, a move widely interpreted as an attempt at rehabilitation. It has now backfired, blown up in the King’s face,” Jobson told ABC News.
Mountbatten-Windsor, then Prince Andrew, told the BBC’s Emily Maitlis that he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2010, shortly after Epstein completed his sentence for solicitation of a minor in Florida — but last week the Department of Justice released emails between the two dating from 2011 and correspondence between his team and Epstein as recently as 2017.
“The press is piling on me in the states.. nothing to do. just want to make sure you’re ok,” Epstein wrote to Andrew on Feb 28, 2011.
“I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me!” Andrew replied to Epstein. “It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it!…keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
In another exchange, Epstein sent Mountbatten-Windsor a message encouraging him to have dinner with a friend, about whom he said, “She 26, russian, clevere [sic] beautiful, trustworthy.”
Mountbatten-Windsor replied he would be “delighted.”
Last week, following the emails’ release, a second woman came forward to accuse Epstein of trafficking her to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor, according to the BBC. Her lawyer, Brad Edwards told the BBC, “We’re talking about at least one woman who was sent by Jeffrey Epstein over to Prince Andrew. And she even had, after a night with Prince Andrew, a tour of Buckingham Palace.”
Thames Valley Police released a statement saying, “We are aware of reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes. We are assessing the information in line with our established procedures.”
Buckingham Palace has not commented on any of the latest revelations, telling ABC News that they no longer represent Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The former prince has yet to publicly comment on these latest documents.
“The scandal is not defined only by what Prince Andrew may have done,” Jobson said. “It is defined by what the institution chose to conceal. And that question has still not been answered.”
Peter Mandelson
While the monarchy has been trying to contain the damage, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been fending off criticism for his appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as the British ambassador to the U.S. in 2024.
“I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never been anywhere near government,” Starmer told the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” by the British press, Mandelson has long been a controversial figure and many questioned Starmer’s choice of ambassador at the time — but the prime minister maintains he did not know “the depth and the darkness” of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein.
He apologized twice on Thursday for his misjudgment, telling reporters, “The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us can barely comprehend, and they’ve had to relive it again and again.”
“They have seen accountability delayed and too often denied,” Starmer said. “To them, I want to say this: I am sorry. Sorry for what was done to you. Sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”
The prime minister told the press that Mandelson had downplayed his friendship with Epstein, saying, “He portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew, and when that became clear, and it was not true, I sacked him. Such deceit is incompatible with public service.”
Mandelson was removed from his post as British ambassador last September, following the release by the U.S. House Oversight Committee of Epstein’s so-called “Birthday Book,” in which Mandelson referred to Epstein as his “best pal”.
The emails released last Friday show that Epstein and the former ambassador and government minister communicated for years, including after Epstein had pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida in 2008. The exchanges between the pair have led police to launch an investigation into potential misconduct in office.
On May 9, 2010, while Epstein was still on probation in Florida, he emailed Mandelson to say that “sources tell” him about an imminent 500 billion euro bailout. A person whose identity is redacted replied that the bailout will “be announced tonight.” The person says later that they are “just leaving No10”, presumably referring to the prime minister’s residence at Number 10 Downing Street.
The European Union announced a 500 billion Euro fund to stabilize the Euro that day.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday that it had “received a number of reports into alleged misconduct in public office including a referral from the UK Government” and that “the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office offences.”
The statement does not mention the Mandelson, 72, by name.
On Friday the Metropolitan Police announced they were searching two properties in connection with the investigation.
Bank statements also appeared in the recently released documents which appear to show Epstein transferred as much as $75,000 to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004.
Mandelson submitted his resignation to the Labour Party on Monday, writing in his resignation letter, “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.”
The Speaker for the House of Lords in Parliament also announced that Mandelson had submitted his resignation from the chamber.
“Britain has dethroned a prince, forced Mandelson to resign, & lost confidence in Starmer because @RepThomasMassie & I forced the release of the Epstein files,” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna posted on X Friday. “What is America doing to hold the Epstein class accountable?”
As Koe Wetzel gives fans a taste of his next chapter of music, he says his new track, “Time Goes On,” is “one of my favorites of the record.”
“We wrote this as an acknowledgment of how quickly life moves, whether you embrace the changes that come with it or not,” he adds.
“I could have done a lot of things right/ I could have done a lot of things wrong/ Could be pouring concrete on a West Texas street/ But I’m writing this song,” he sings. “Crazy how the years go fast/ Crazy how the hours feel long/ Even through the mistakes and the can’t get through this/ Time goes on/ The time goes on.”
Koe’s 2024 album, 9 Lives, featured his five-week #1, “High Road” with Jessie Murph, which was the most-played song of 2025, according to Mediabase.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing in the Oval Office of the White House on February 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump shared on his social media platform late Thursday night a video that included a racist animation of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama depicted with the bodies of apes.
After backlash, the White House at about noon Friday said the post had been taken down from the president’s page.
The roughly minutelong video, shared by Trump at 11:44 p.m. ET on Thursday, largely focused on debunked claims about the 2020 election.
At the end of the video, the Obamas’ faces appear abruptly and without explanation for seconds with the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” playing over it. The video then ends back on similar imagery of the conspiracy video footage.
The Obamas had no comment when ABC News reached out to their representatives for a response.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when first asked for comment early Friday, had said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Though later Friday afternoon, a White House official told ABC News that a “staffer erroneously made the post.”
The video reposted by Trump overnight included only imagery of the Obamas.
The meme video referenced by Leavitt was shared in October by the Hardin County Republican Party of Kentucky on Facebook, which led the chairman to issue an apology and deleted the post after swift backlash noting the long history of racist tropes depicting Black people as apes or monkeys — a tool of slave traders and segregationists to dehumanize them.
Trump’s overnight repost was condemned by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, some of whom had called for it to be taken down and for the president to apologize.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black leader of a party in Congress, wrote on X: “President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country. Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”
“Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry,” Jeffries wrote.
Republican Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate and also the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, posted on X: “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker wrote in a post: “This is totally unacceptable. The president should take it down and apologize.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, wrote in a post: “Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, envious man.”
Neil Young performs onstage at Light Up the Blues 7 Concert Celebrating Autism Speaks’ 20th Anniversary at The Greek Theatre on April 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Neil Young and his band The Chrome Hearts were supposed to launch a tour of Europe and the U.K. in June, but he’s just canceled all his shows.
“I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time,” he wrote on his Neil Young Archives website. “Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to let you down, but this is not the time.”
He added, “I do love playing LIVE and being with you and the Chrome Hearts.” He signed the note, “LOVE Neil be well.”
Young’s tour was supposed to kick off June 19 in Manchester, England, with Elvis Costello & The Imposters on select dates. The trek included headlining and festival appearances, with stops in France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, The Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland before wrapping July 16 in Italy.
Young and The Chrome Hearts launched their first tour together in June 2025, with dates in Europe, the U.K. and North America, including a headlining spot at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival.
Illenium ‘Odyssey’ album artwork. (Republic Records)
Bring Me the Horizon is featured on a new song from DJ Illenium.
The track is called “Slave to the Rithm” and appears on the new Illenium album, Odyssey, out now.
“That thing is fully psychotic,” Illenium tellsBillboard of the track. “I haven’t made a song that aggressive ever.”
Odyssey also includes collaborations with Bastille, Kid Cudi, Ellie Goulding and Ryan Tedder.
Bring Me the Horizon, meanwhile, is preparing to launch a North American tour in April. They’re also releasing a new concert film, L.I.V.E. in São Paulo (Live Immersive Virtual Experiment), which will screen in theaters on March 25 and March 28.
Normani attends the NORMANI exclusively on SHEIN launch party at The Fleur Room on December 09, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for SHEIN)
Normani‘s latest update might be the “Dopamine” her fans needed.
The singer, one of the cover stars of the 2026 edition of SI Swimwear, spoke to the publication about new music, which she confirmed is “in the works.”
“I am excited about it. You know, I pay attention to my fans. I might not be the best when it comes to social media, and I’ve made that vow to myself that I am going to be better at that—not only for myself, but also for the people who support me and my fans—but I pay close attention, and I see their responses,” she says. “I see what they want and what their desires are for me. I’m taking it back to my roots a little bit as well.”
This go-round, Normani says she’s “more motivated and inspired than ever.”
“I’ve been going through so many major life transitions that I’m really, really excited for, and I see so much beauty in [them], and I’m just enjoying the journey and the process,” Normani tells SI Swimwear. “And so, for me, the sky really is the limit.”
Though she has a list in mind for potential features, Normani says her dream collaboration would be with Beyoncé.
“She has been such an influential part of why I ended up falling in love with music, and not just music itself, but also entertainment. Just the grace that she carries, the poise that she carries, her ability to continue to be innovative for decades and decades. … She is her standard,” Normani says.
“And for her to be a Black woman, you know, that makes it even more special for me,” she notes. “Like, if she can do it, then a Black girl like me can also do it, and hopefully continue to pave the way for Black women for generations to come.”
Nick Jonas‘ new solo album, Sunday Best, is out now, and he’s also released a video for his single “Gut Punch.” His co-star in the video is a puppet, but not the kind that makes you smile.
“Gut Punch” is about how Nick’s self-doubt and self-criticism make him miserable. In the clip, puppet Jick Nonas represents Nick’s inner dialogue, going everywhere with him and saying disruptive things like, “Let’s go over a new list of things to be anxious about,” “We need to make sure you’re overthinking enough” and “Stop being so introverted.”
Finally, after a disastrous therapy session, Nick confronts the puppet and shouts at him, “You need to be nicer to me!”
“No,” the puppet replies. “YOU need to be nicer to you.” In an “a-ha” moment, Nick realizes he’s the one who’s been sabotaging himself. He smiles and starts dancing in the rain with the puppet.
Nick appeared onLate Night with Seth MeyersThursdayto promote the album. He revealed that his daughter Malti Chopra Jonas‘ favorite Jonas Brothers song is “Love Me to Heaven,” and her favorite song on Sunday Best is the one he wrote about her: “Princesses.”
Gavin Adcock’s “Colorblind” (Warner Records Nashville)
Gavin Adcock‘s first new music of 2026 is leaving him “Colorblind.”
“‘Colorblind’ is just the beginning of a whole lotta music I’ve been working on for y’all,” he says. “It’s about losing someone you shoulda cared more for, and not realizing how much color she brought to your life.”
The new song comes as Gavin heads for Super Bowl 60 in San Francisco, playing Friday night’s Madden Bowl.
Two songs from Gavin’s latest album, Own Worst Enemy, are on the Madden NFL 26 soundtrack. The record also boasts his debut country hit, “Never Call Again.”
It’s a busy year ahead for Gavin, who will play 16 dates on Morgan Wallen‘s Still the Problem Tour starting in April, in addition to his own shows.
