Burbank police caption: Sergio Fraire has been arrested and booked for murder and attempted murder in Burbank, California, according to police. (Burbank PD)
(BURBANK, Calif.) — A man is in custody for allegedly stabbing a woman to death and stabbing and wounding her daughter, according to authorities in Los Angeles County, California.
Officers responded around 6 a.m. Monday, to a house in Burbank where they found two women suffering from stab wounds, Burbank police said.
The mother, 59-year-old Arti Varma, who taught first-grade in Burbank, died at the hospital, police said.
Her 25-year-old daughter was hospitalized in stable condition, police said. Authorities did not release the daughter’s name, but a neighbor identified her as Meera Varma, a nationally recognized mental health activist, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC.
Detectives identified 30-year-old Sergio Fraire as a person of interest, and on Monday night, officers served a search warrant at a Burbank home where he was believed to be staying, police said.
Fraire was apprehended and arrested for murder and attempted murder, police said.
“The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims remains under investigation, as does the motive,” police said in a statement on Tuesday.
Authorities noted that “evidence related to the crime was recovered,” but they did not elaborate on the potential evidence.
Morgan Wallen (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Morgan Wallen’s planning to give $1.2 million to his alma mater to revamp its baseball field, according to ABC’s Knoxville affiliate, WATE.
The 2011 graduate of Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee, was on the baseball team when it made it to the national championship in 2010. In 2025, the school renamed the field after the “Don’t We” hitmaker.
The money would be used to transform Morgan Wallen Field into a “versatile, state-of-the-art multi-use athletic field,” with plans to build a softball hitting and pitching facility on campus, as well.
Morgan’s previously made donations to the band program, basketball, Gibbs Youth Sports and Jefferson City Little League.
Next up, the Knox County Commission just needs to approve the donation from the Morgan Wallen Foundation at its upcoming April meeting.
Patti Smith performs the album ‘Horses’ live on stage during the 50th Anniversary Tour at Paramount Theatre on November 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images)
Patti Smith is one of the many artists booked to play the 2026 CBGB Festival, taking place Sept. 26 in Brooklyn, New York.
The lineup also includes Morrissey, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Buzzcocks, Bikini Kill and Violet Grohl.
Presales begin Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit CBGBFest.com.
The CBGB Festival, now in its second year, is named after the iconic New York City punk club, which helped launch the careers of such artists as Smith, the Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads. Smith performed at CBGB’s closing night concert on Oct. 15, 2006.
The inaugural 2025 edition featured Jack White and Iggy Pop.
Mariah Carey is seen on April 18, 2026 in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
While her fans may be upset about it, Mariah Carey seems unbothered by the fact that she failed to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on her third attempt.
When TMZ cameras caught up with Mariah in New York City on Monday, she said “no” when asked if she cared about the honor. When the TMZ reporter said it was nice that Mariah wasn’t upset, and pointed out that she’s won many other awards in her career, Mariah replied, “Yeah, who cares? Like, give it to somebody else. Fantastic.”
When asked what’s next, Mariah snarked, “What’s next? Can I rest a minute?” But when asked when she starts preparing for Christmas, Mariah said, “Soon. Christmas is going on, yes.”
During the conversation with TMZ, Mariah also commented on the fact that she’s selling her iconic New York City apartment featured in MTV Cribs. Asked if she plans to buy another place in Manhattan, she said, “No, it’s just outside the city.”
Lady Gaga speaks during the Spotify: Little Monster Press Conference in New York City. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Spotify)
Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber are among the winners of this year’s Webby Awards, which honor “excellence on the Internet.”
The Webbys hand out literally dozens of awards recognizing multiple corners of the online and digital worlds, and there are two categories for each award: the People’s Voice, which is fan-voted, and the “official” award, voted on by International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.
For example, in the category of music video, general video & film, Sabrina’s video for “Tears” won the People’s Voice Award, which is fan-voted, while Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “luther” video won the “official” Webby Award, which was voted on by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.
Justin’s livestream on Twitch won the official Webby Award for creator launch or drop, creator business, while KATSEYE’s “Better in Denim” ad for GAP won the People’s Voice award for fashion, beauty & lifestyle, branded entertainment.
Lady Gaga’s Monster Press Conference, which she did with Spotify to launch her album Mayhem, won in both categories for events & livestreams, social campaigns.
Winners will be honored at a New York City ceremony on May 11, hosted by The Daily Show correspondent Josh Johnson.
‘Location Lost’ album artwork. (Failure Records/Arduous Records/Virgin Music Group)
Failure has released a new song called “The Rising Skyline” featuring Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams.
Williams has been a longtime Failure fan, having covered their song “Stuck on You” on Paramore’s 2006 Summer Tic EP. She also appears in the 2025 Failure documentary, Every Time You Lose Your Mind.
“Failure doesn’t do a lot of collaborations, but my friendship with Hayley, and her long standing support of the band, turned this song into a very satisfying duet,” says Failure frontman Ken Andrews. “It’s probably the most delicate song we’ve ever done and her vocal approach really brought that out.”
You can watch the video for “The Rising Skyline” on YouTube.
“The Rising Skyline” will appear on Failure’s upcoming album, Location Lost, due out Friday. Failure has also announced a U.S. fall tour in support of Location Lost, spanning from Sept. 30 in San Francisco to Oct. 30 in Los Angeles.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit FailureBand.com.
Williams, meanwhile, is currently touring the U.S. in support of her 2025 solo album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.
Singer David Byrne (C), founding member of The Talking Heads, performs on the Outdoor Stage during weekend 2, day 2 of Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 18, 2026 in Indio, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)
David Byrne has added some more North American dates to his Who Is The Sky? tour.
The latest additions include an Aug. 27 show in San Diego, followed by two nights, Aug. 28 and 29, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. He’s also added a Sept. 17 show in Saratoga, New York, and a Sept. 19 concert at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York.
Byrne’s also announced a string of August dates in Asia, with the tour stopping in Singapore, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
He next brings the show to Phoenix on Tuesday. He’s also headed over to Europe and the U.K. starting June 7 in Dublin, Ireland.
A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at DavidByrne.com.
Byrne launched the tour in September 2025 in support of his new solo album, Who Is The Sky?, which was released the same month. It is his first solo release since 2018’s American Utopia.
The Department of Justice logo is displayed on May 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Southern Poverty Law Center is facing an investigation and potential criminal charges by the Justice Department, apparently stemming from its past use of paid informants, the organization’s interim CEO said in a statement Tuesday.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
“For 55 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive,” SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair said in the statement.
“We are therefore unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration. They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,” the statement said.
Fair did not elaborate in the statement on how the SPLC was alerted to the DOJ inquiry, though he said, “the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups.”
Fair, in the statement, outlined the organization’s history in explaining why the SPLC for years used informants to infiltrate far-right and domestic extremist groups, and denied any criminal wrongdoing on the part of the SPLC.
He also sought to frame the criminal inquiry as a continuation of the Trump Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on groups opposed to the administration’s policies.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Kevin Warsh, former governor of the US Federal Reserve, during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring meetings on Friday, April 25, 2025. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s selection to chair the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, testified in a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday as his nomination faces bipartisan opposition centered on a federal criminal investigation into the central bank’s current leader.
The probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, which focuses on alleged false testimony to Congress about an office renovation, threatens to derail or delay Warsh’s nomination.
Powell, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, has rebuked the probe as a politically motivated effort to influence interest-rate policy.
In his opening remarks, Warsh voiced support for the independence of the Fed in its role setting interest rates. He used the term “monetary policy” to describe the central bank’s task of adjusting benchmark borrowing costs.
“Monetary policy independence is essential. Monetary policymakers must act in the nation’s interest,” said Warsh, a former Fed official.
Still, Warsh defended the right of public officials, including presidents, to voice their views on interest-rate policy, saying such comments do not infringe on Fed independence.
“Central bankers must be strong enough to listen to a diversity of views from all corners,” Warsh said.
Warsh said he welcomes collaboration with the White House and Congress on “non-monetary matters that are part of the Fed’s remit,” such as banking regulation.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the committee, responded directly to Warsh’s defense of a president’s right to criticize the Fed, saying the federal investigation of Powell amounts to a pressure campaign that extends beyond public criticism of Fed policies.
“You said it’s perfectly fine for elected officials to state their views on interest rates. But that’s not what Donald Trump is doing,” Warren said, addressing Warsh.
The investigation of Powell, Warren added, is “designed to threaten all the members of the Fed to do Trump’s bidding.”
Warsh may become Trump’s “sock puppet” atop the Fed, Warren said.
By contrast, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, praised Warsh, saying the Fed nominee would focus Fed policy on economic stewardship. During the tenure of President Joe Biden, Scott claimed, the Fed shifted some of its attention to the implications of issues like climate change.
“An independent Federal Reserve is essential to achieving its mission. That independence must be protected,” Scott said.
“Kevin Warsh is battle-tested and brings the necessary experience,” Scott added.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a potentially decisive vote on the committee, says he will not move to advance Warsh’s nomination until the Department of Justice resolves its unprecedented investigation into Powell.
Powell’s term as Fed chair ends on May 15, but he said last month he would stay in the position until Warsh is confirmed. For his part, Trump told Fox Business last week he would fire Powell if the current Fed chair attempts to remain in office past the end of his term.
Warsh, who previously worked on Wall Street and in the President George W. Bush administration, brings experience in finance and policymaking.
He is currently a fellow at a conservative think tank called the Hoover Institution, which is based at Stanford University. He also works as a partner at the Duquesne Family Office, an investment firm founded by billionaire and former hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller.
In 2006, Bush appointed Warsh to serve on the Fed’s Board of Governors, a top policymaking body that helps set the level of interest rates, where he served until 2011. His tenure overlapped with the 2008 financial crisis, during which he helped manage the central bank’s response under then-Chair Ben Bernanke.
The nomination of Warsh arrives at a delicate moment for the Fed, as it grapples with a challenging combination of elevated inflation and sluggish hiring. An interest-rate hike could help ease inflation but risks a further cooldown of the labor market, while a rate cut may boost hiring but threatens higher inflation.
During his term as a Fed governor in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Warsh gained a reputation as an interest-rate “hawk,” meaning he generally preferred higher interest rates as a means of ensuring low and stable inflation.
In recent months, however, Warsh has voiced support for lower interest rates, rebuking the Fed’s concern about inflation risk posed by a flurry of new tariffs issued last year.
Those remarks came before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, however, which sent inflation soaring last month.
The rapid acceleration of price increases could complicate interest rate policy at the Fed, which may be reluctant to lower borrowing costs as inflation climbs.
‘Reign in Blood’ album artwork. (American Recordings)
Slayer has announced a pair of U.S. concerts celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band’s beloved 1986 album, Reign in Blood.
The shows will take place Sept. 4 in Shakopee, Minnesota, and Nov. 13 in Los Angeles, and will both feature full-album performances of Reign in Blood.
The bill for Shakopee will also include Down, Suicidal Tendencies and Hatebreed, while openers for the LA show are Cannibal Corpse, Cavalera and Crowbar.
Presales begin Tuesday at noon local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
Reign in Blood, Slayer’s third album, is considered a seminal release in the thrash metal canon and spawned the classic track “Raining Blood.”
Slayer previously announced headlining sets at the 2026 Rocklahoma and Sick New World Texas festivals, which are also billed as Reign in Blood performances.
Slayer concluded what they called their final tour in 2019. They reunited in 2024 and have since played a number of one-off shows.
