Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson reflects on band’s success in upcoming book

Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson reflects on band’s success in upcoming book
Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson reflects on band’s success in upcoming book
Earth Wind and Fire perform, in concert at Arena Monterrey on November 27, 2025, in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Medios y Media/Getty Images)

Earth, Wind & Fire‘s story will be told from the perspective of group member Ralph Johnson. He’s set to release a book titled Rhythm & Fire: A Life in Harmony with Earth, Wind & Fire about the band’s journey, including their rise to fame, music industry challenges and the goal to continue to grow to greater heights.

The book will also include a foreword from Questlove, as well as 30 exclusive cover photographs.

“Bringing Rhythm & Fire to the fans who have supported me for so long is really meaningful to me,” Ralph, who has been playing drums for the band since the early ’70s, tells People. “I can’t wait to share my journey growing up in L.A., and the pursuit of a dream that would one day place me at the Kennedy Center with Earth, Wind & Fire.”

Rhythm & Fire: A Life in Harmony with Earth, Wind & Fire will arrive on May 26. 

Questlove’s EWF documentary will premiere on HBO in 2026.

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Report: Meryl Streep to play Joni Mitchell in biopic

Report: Meryl Streep to play Joni Mitchell in biopic
Report: Meryl Streep to play Joni Mitchell in biopic
Joni Mitchell at The 68th Annual Grammy Awards, (Photo by Phil McCarten/CBS via Getty Images)/ Meryl Streep attends the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s The Albies. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The Clooney Foundation For Justice )

Although there has been no official announcement, Clive Davis appeared to confirm rumors that Meryl Streep has been cast to play Joni Mitchell in the upcoming biopic on the singer, penned by Mitchell’s good friend, writer/director Cameron Crowe.

According to Rolling Stone, the music exec spilled the beans during his annual pre-Grammy party Saturday in Los Angeles. While introducing Mitchell to the audience, he mentioned that Streep would portray in Crowe’s film.

Crowe also seemed to confirm the news to the mag. When asked to comment on the casting news, Crowe told Rolling Stone to refer to Davis’ announcement. Streep’s rep declined to comment on Davis’ statement, while Mitchell’s rep did not respond to the mag’s request for a comment.

In March 2023, it was announced that Crowe was planning to write and direct a biopic on Mitchell, a project he had been working on with her for two years. In July of 2024, rumors surfaced that Streep would be playing the singer in her later years.

Crowe offered an update on the long-in-the-works Mitchell film in October 2025, telling Variety, “We’re gonna do it next year.” When asked about the casting at the time, he said there’s “nothing I can confirm,” adding, “I’m just grateful that people are talking about it and that I get to tell the story.”

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‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother missing in Arizona, evidence of crime at home: Sheriff

‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother missing in Arizona, evidence of crime at home: Sheriff
‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother missing in Arizona, evidence of crime at home: Sheriff
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department announced on Sunday that a woman missing in Arizona is the mother of “Today Show” host Savannah Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department)

(NEW YORK) — There is evidence of a crime at the home of the missing 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, according to authorities in Arizona.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen in the Catalina Foothills area on Saturday night, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. She was reported missing on Sunday around noon, authorities said.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators processed her home on Sunday and “saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” and that it is considered a crime scene.

“She did not leave on her own, we know that,” Nanos said.

Nancy Guthrie is described as having some physical ailments and limited mobility, but does not have cognitive issues, her family said, according to the sheriff.

She takes medication that if she doesn’t have in 24 hours, “it could be fatal,” Nanos said Monday.

“So we make a plea to anyone that knows anything about this, who has seen something, heard something, to contact us, call 911,” he said, urging residents to check any home security cameras.

The search and rescue effort for Nancy Guthrie, which was conducted late into Sunday night “to no avail,” has ended for the time being, Nanos said.

“Right now, we don’t see this as a search mission, as much as we do a crime scene,” he said.

There’s no indication at this time that the public is in danger, the sheriff said.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night by family members, when her children brought her home around 9:45 p.m. local time, according to Nanos. The following morning, her family got a call from their mother’s church saying she wasn’t there, he said.

“The family went to the house. I’m thinking they spent some time looking for her themselves before they called us,” he said.

An NBCUniversal spokesperson confirmed early on Monday that Nancy Guthrie is missing and said the family is “working closely with local law enforcement.”

“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” Savannah Guthrie said in a statement read by Craig Melvin on the “Today” show on Monday. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom.”

“We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900,” the statement continued.

ABC News’ Cecilie Larcher contributed to this report.

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Ella Langley scatters ‘Dandelion’ seeds on headlining tour

Ella Langley scatters ‘Dandelion’ seeds on headlining tour
Ella Langley scatters ‘Dandelion’ seeds on headlining tour
Ella Langley’s The Dandelion Tour (Courtesy Ella Langley/Sony)

Ella Langley‘s sophomore album, Dandelion, will be out April 10, and she’s planning a tour to match.

“You know we had to take this record on the road… So excited to announce The Dandelion Tour!” she wrote on Instagram. “Also, bringing some of my favorite people along, you won’t wanna miss this.”

Kameron Marlowe, Dylan Marlowe, Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose and Laci Kaye Booth will open the 16-date run, which kicks off May 7 in Toledo, Ohio.

St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Austin are just some of the spots The Dandelion Tour will hit before it wraps Aug. 15 in Fort Worth.

You can register now for presales, which start Thursday, before tickets go on sale to the public Friday. 

It will be a busy 2026 for Ella, who also has dates on Eric Church‘s Free the Machine Tour and Morgan Wallen‘s Still the Problem Tour.

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Stadium season: Noah Kahan announces The Great Divide Tour

Stadium season: Noah Kahan announces The Great Divide Tour
Stadium season: Noah Kahan announces The Great Divide Tour
Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide Tour (Courtesy Live Nation)

After dropping a new single on Friday and a video on Sunday night, Noah Kahan has now released dates for a summer stadium tour.

Noah’s The Great Divide Tour, named after his upcoming album of the same name, kicks off June 11 in Orlando, Florida, and will visit stadiums across North America, including Boston’s Fenway Park, LA’s Rose Bowl Stadium, New York’s Citi Field, Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Toronto’s Rogers Stadium. It’s currently set to wrap up Aug. 30 in Seattle.

Gigi Perez will open all dates. So far, Boston is the only city with two shows scheduled, reflecting its status as a sort-of hometown stop for the Vermont-born artist. 

Fans can sign up for a presale at Ticketmaster, kicking off Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. local time. The general onsale begins Feb. 12 at 12 pm. local time via Noah’s website.

The Great Divide will arrive April 24. The music video for the title track premiered during the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Fans can visit Priceless.com/NoahKahan to learn more about VIP experiences available through his partnership with Mastercard.

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Peter Gabriel releases ‘Put the Bucket Down’ from upcoming album ‘o/i’

Peter Gabriel releases ‘Put the Bucket Down’ from upcoming album ‘o/i’
Peter Gabriel releases ‘Put the Bucket Down’ from upcoming album ‘o/i’
Cover of Peter Gabriel single “Put the Bucket Down.” Artwork by Tomás Saraceno (Real World Music Ltd / Sony Music Publishing/Peter Gabriel Ltd.)

Peter Gabriel is out with a new song.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer released the track “Put the Bucket Down” on Sunday to coincide with the latest full moon. The tune is the second song he’s released from his upcoming album o/i, the follow up to 2023’s i/o.

According to a press release, the song “conjures dream-like imagery of mind reading, thought reading and thought writing – all of which are possible through the brain/computer interface.”

“As a side project, I am working on a show with the brain as the central core and there are a number of songs, some on i/o and some on oi that will be part of that,” says Gabriel. “This is one of those and it’s a point in the narrative where we can both read and write thoughts and the person singing is not sure whether he has his own thoughts or not. Is he inside his own mind or inside someone else’s?”

“Put the Bucket Down” is available now via digital outlets.

As he did with i/o, Gabriel plans to release a new song from the album with each full moon of the year. The entire album will be released by the end of 2026, along with Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes handled by Tchad Blake and Mark “Spike” Stent, respectively.

The Tchad Blake Dark-Side Mix of the song is expected to be released later this month.

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On This Day, Feb. 2, 2025: The Beatles win a Grammy for ‘Now and Then’

On This Day, Feb. 2, 2025: The Beatles win a Grammy for ‘Now and Then’
On This Day, Feb. 2, 2025: The Beatles win a Grammy for ‘Now and Then’

On This Day, Feb. 2, 2025…

The Beatles won the Grammy for best rock performance for “Now and Then.” Neither Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr, the two surviving members of the band, were on hand to accept the award.

It was The Beatles’ first Grammy win since 1997, when the group won for The Beatles Anthology and the single “Free As A Bird.” “Now and Then” was also nominated for record of the year, but it lost to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Released in November 2024, “Now and Then,” promoted as The Beatles’ “final song,” featured vocals John Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s. His wife, Yoko Ono, gave the three-song demo to McCartney, Starr and George Harrison in 1994. They then used it to create “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” which appeared on The Beatles Anthology project in the mid ’90s.

For “Now and Then,” new technology developed by director Peter Jackson helped extract Lennon’s vocals from the demo’s final track. Paul and Ringo completed the song in 2022 using guitar parts Harrison recorded in 1995. 

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‘The greatest of all time’: Watch trailer for Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’

‘The greatest of all time’: Watch trailer for Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’
‘The greatest of all time’: Watch trailer for Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’
‘Michael’ (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

A new trailer for a Michael Jackson biopic shows the late legend’s transformation from child star to King of Pop.

The trailer begins with scenes of Michael — played by Jaafar Jackson, MJ’s real-life nephew — psyching himself up in the studio, telling himself, “You’re the greatest of all time,” intercut with footage of him headlining a massive stadium concert.

It then flashes back to Colman Domingo as Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, giving his sons — the future Jackson Five — an ultimatum: “Y’all wanna work in a steel mill like me for the rest of your days? Y’all willin’ to fight for it?”

We see Michael as a child dancing and singing with his brothers before emerging as a solo star with Off The Wall. Conflict arises when his domineering father plans an international Jacksons tour, saying he wants to “capitalize on Michael’s success.”

“I love my family, but I just want to do my own thing,” Michael says. “I just have all these ideas in my head. I just gotta get them out.”

The rest of the trailer shows Michael’s rise to global stardom through a montage of iconic moments, including the “Beat It” and “Thriller” music videos and his moonwalk during the Motown 25 TV special. We also see him with Bubbles the chimp and alongside his mother, Katherine Jackson, who tells him, “I knew you were different the moment you were born.”

“I believe that music can change the world — spread love, joy, and peace,” Michael says in a closing voiceover. “That is what I want the world to feel. Magic.”

Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and also starring Nia Long and Miles Teller, arrives in theaters April 24.

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White House faces questions over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm

White House faces questions over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm
White House faces questions over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm
Donald Trump Jr., co-founder of World Liberty Financial, during the Token2049 conference in Singapore, on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The crypto conference runs through Oct. 2. (Photographer: Suhaimi Abdullah/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial, sold a $500 million stake to a member of the Emirati royal family shortly before his inauguration last January, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, sparking concerns over a potential conflict of interest. 

According to the Journal, which reviewed undisclosed corporate documents, a firm associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal who operates an enormous state investment fund, purchased a 49% stake in World Liberty, which is co-owned by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his family, just four days before the Trump administration swept into office.

Months later, the Trump administration agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite the prior administration’s concern that they may fall into the hands of the Chinese.

David Wachsman, a spokesperson for World Liberty Financial, acknowledged the existence of the deal in a statement to ABC News, but insisted that “neither President Trump nor Steve Witkoff had any involvement whatsoever in this transaction” and that “any claim that this deal had anything to do with the Administration’s actions on chips is 100% false.”

“We made the deal in question because we strongly believe that it was what was best for our company as we continue to grow. The idea that, when raising capital, a privately-held American company should be held to some unique standard that no other similar company would be held is both ridiculous and un-American,” the statement continued.

David Warrington, the White House counsel, told ABC News in a statement that “the President has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities,” and that “President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious.”

But the Journal’s report adds yet another wrinkle to the U.S. decision to sell highly coveted advanced chips to the Emiratis.

As ABC News previously reported, shortly before the chips deal was announced, a UAE-backed investment firm called MGX announced last May that it would use a digital token minted by World Liberty Financial to finance a $2 billion investment in a crypto exchange Binance, a major boon for the firm.

Shiekh Tahnoon, who is the brother of the UAE’s president, also serves as MGX’s chairman. 

The Biden administration declined to provide the UAE with the chips, which power some of the most sophisticated weapons on the planet, for fear they might be redirected into China. 

Peter Wildeford, the head of policy at the AI Policy Network, a nonpartisan advocacy group, warned that could close the U.S.’s advantage in the AI race and compromise American security. 

“If China gets their hands on these chips at scale, they would be able to launch cyberattacks against the U.S., they could build autonomous weapons that could find and sink our Navy ships — they could close the military technology gap that’s currently keeping us safe,” he said. 

World Liberty has emerged as perhaps the most lucrative of the Trump family’s various business ventures, either in cryptocurrency or real estate. ABC News reported last year that the Trump family secured a roughly $5 billion windfall when trading of World Liberty’s digital token opened. 

According to the Journal, Shiekh Tahnoon agreed to pay half of his investment in World Liberty up front. Based on the ownership structure of the company at the time, that meant a payment of as much as $187 million into the Trump family’s coffers on the eve of his return to office. 

Ethics experts said the concept of a foreign government official secretly directing hundreds of millions of dollars to a company owned in part by the president has no known precedent — and raises a host of ethical and national security concerns.

“Maybe the President would have reached the same decision over the transfer of high techn [chips] to UAE if he wasn’t also getting money from them,” said Robert Weissman, the co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen. “But we’ve got no way to know that, and we do know there was a lot of opposition inside the government to do exactly what he has OK’d.”

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly maintained that the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public,” and said that no conflict of interest exists in part because the president’s assets are held in a blind trust managed by his children. Typically, a blind trust would operate with an independent trustee.

“President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children,” Kelly added. “There are no conflicts of interest.”

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congressional Democrats leapt at new details in the report, characterizing the transaction as further evidence of alleged pay-for-play. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., alleged “mind blowing corruption,” in a post to X.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a statement calling the deal “corruption, plain and simple.”

“Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., claimed in a post to X.

Shortly before the chips deal was announced last May, a UAE-backed investment firm called MGX said it would use a digital token minted by World Liberty Financial to finance a $2 billion investment in a crypto exchange Binance. Tahnoon also serves as MGX’s chairman.

MGX is also one of the few companies with a major ownership stake in the new TikTok U.S. joint venture, with a 15% stake in the new entity.

ABC News’ Selina Wang contributed to this report.

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Hundreds of parents ask Roblox board to stop attempts to force lawsuits out of the public eye

Hundreds of parents ask Roblox board to stop attempts to force lawsuits out of the public eye
Hundreds of parents ask Roblox board to stop attempts to force lawsuits out of the public eye
A child is seen playing a game on the Roblox platform on November 19, 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — A group of 800 parents — including those who have already filed suit and those who have retained lawyers with the intent to sue –sent a letter to the board of directors of Roblox demanding the gaming company stop attempts to keep lawsuits out of the public eye.

Roblox, launched in 2006, has been at the center of recent controversy, with some parents alleging that the platform has been used to help facilitate child sexual exploitation and grooming. 

The company is facing over 100 lawsuits that were recently consolidated, with one law firm telling ABC News that it is investigating thousands of child sexual exploitation and abuse claims.

Roblox had nearly 83 million average daily active users in 2024, according to its financial reports. It reported $3.6 billion in revenue that year.

Pat Huyett, one of the attorneys representing families in the lawsuits, said Roblox’s legal strategy has been to file motions to compel arbitration — a private, out-of-court process where claims are settled confidentially by a third party.

“They are confidential, they’re secretive,” Huyett said. “Anything that happens in those arbitration proceedings does not become public, so Roblox’s conduct can’t be scrutinized by the public.”

In the letter sent Sunday night, the parents asked the board to “stop the improper and shameful attempts to force these vulnerable, sexually abused and exploited children into secret arbitration proceedings.” 

The letter includes signatures from parents in Washington, California, Florida and Texas who allege their children were targeted by predators.

“These children deserve their day in court,” the parents wrote.

The company has consistently responded to the lawsuits and allegations by stating that protecting children is a priority and announcing investments in safety measures, including artificial intelligence age verification. 

According to Roblox, inappropriate content is against the rules and standards of the game. The company says it uses thousands of human moderators and artificial intelligence tools to police content.

“We are deeply troubled by any allegations about harms to children online and are committed to setting the industry standard for safety,” a spokesperson for Roblox previously told ABC News. “To protect our users, we have rigorous, industry-leading policies, including limiting chat for younger users and employing advanced filters designed to block the sharing of personal information. Roblox also does not allow users to share images or videos. We also collaborate closely with law enforcement.”

A separate group of 150 parents sent a similar letter to Discord, a communication platform that families allege predators use to communicate with minors after meeting them on Roblox. 

Roblox and Discord did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Discord previously told ABC News the company is “committed to safety” and said it requires all users to be 13 to use their platform. 

“We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet,” the spokesperson previously said. 

The letter from the parents contains accounts from parents about their children’s experience, including a Washington state teenager allegedly coerced into sending explicit images and a minor in California who was allegedly groomed on the platform and later died by suicide. 

Families from Florida and Texas also described experiences involving extortion, self-harm and physical assault.

The push from parents follows a ruling from a judge in November that rejected Roblox’s attempt to force a child exploitation case into arbitration. In the order, the California judge cited the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA), which prohibits forced arbitration in cases of sexual abuse. Roblox has appealed the order.

In the letter sent on Sunday, the parents argued that while Roblox claims to prioritize “community before company,” it is simultaneously “attempting to silence abused and exploited children in secret arbitration.”

“By trying to force sexually abused and exploited children to tell their stories only in private, confidential proceedings, Roblox seeks to protect predators and itself, not its users,” the letter states.

Huyett told ABC News, “The families really just want to heal … but on the other hand, they want accountability.”

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