(BOWDOIN, Maine) — Three drivers were shot on a Maine interstate on Tuesday shortly after four people were found dead in a nearby home in what police are calling connected incidents.
A person of interest has been detained, Maine State Police said, adding that there’s no threat to the public.
Four people were first found dead inside a home in Bowdoin, and a short time later, around 10:30 a.m., three people were shot while driving south on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth, police said.
The interstate victims have been hospitalized. One person is in critical condition, police said.
The cause and manner of death for the four people found dead in Bowdoin have not yet been determined, according to police.
(NEW YORK) — The family of Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for four years on espionage charges, said Monday he feels “abandoned” by the U.S. and that “his resilience is shaken” in the wake of Russia’s arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been charged with espionage.
Whelan, 53, a businessman and former U.S. Marine, was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage in 2020. The U.S. has declared him and Gershkovich, who is on trial in Russia, “wrongfully detained.”
Since Whelan’s arrest, Russia detained and released two Americans who were also declared “wrongfully detained” -WNBA player Brittney Griner and former Marine Trevor Reed.
In a Friday phone call with his parents, Paul Whelan said “he feels as though the U.S. government has abandoned him,” according to his brother David.
David Whelan spoke more with ABC News Live Monday about the situation.
ABC NEWS LIVE: First, I just want to ask you, when we talk about his resilience being shaken. What do you mean by that? Tell us what kind of emotional state that Paul is in.
DAVID WHELAN: I think from the very start of his detention back in 2018, he has tried to maintain hope and he has certain things that he does every day to create a routine and to keep a mental positivity. And I think that the latest detention of an American by the Kremlin has shaken that. So…he’s not only less hopeful, but I think really concerned that he may be going back through a process that has happened a number of times now, where an American is brought home because of concessions the U.S. government makes. But Paul doesn’t come home.
ABC NEWS LIVE: Are you and your family planning on interacting differently at this point with the State Department?
WHELAN: I think we are. Elizabeth [Whelan, Paul and David’s sister] is going to take a bit of a pause on her meetings with them. I think she’s finding that there aren’t fruitful outcomes to the discussions that they’ve been having. We don’t get the sense that there are creative strategies being brought to bear on Paul’s case. And frankly, the family of a wrongful detainee has limited resources. We take days off from work. We pay to travel to Washington, D.C., to do advocacy. There’s a cost, and I think we’ve decided that for now, we need to hold off until we can see better progress.
ABC NEWS LIVE: Why do you think that Paul doesn’t get the attention like Brittney Griner, Trevor Reed and now Evan Gershkovich?
WHELAN: It’s hard to know. The special presidential envoy for hostage affairs last week said that he didn’t know why Paul’s case was harder, [and] why the Russian government wasn’t letting him go. And I think even the people in the State Department know it’s hard for us to understand. It’s really too bad. I think that there was an opportunity to bring him home in 2020 and the U.S. government decided not to do that, and then since then, it’s just become very difficult. And I think it’s not going to get easier with a second American charged with espionage by the Kremlin.
ABC NEWS LIVE: Have you and your family discussed what your next steps might be? I know that you said that your sister is now saying that she’s going to maybe slow down that communication with the State Department. But now, going forward, is there another strategy?
WHELAN: There isn’t for our family. I mean, a lot of it is hoping and waiting and trying to keep Paul’s spirits up so that he can survive as long as he can. Unfortunately, he may have to survive for 16 years, the entirety of the sentence, and we hope that that’s not the case. We want to keep our parents’ spirits up as well, because, of course, they get disappointed when they hear Paul becoming despondent on the phone.
So, I think we will just continue to try and focus on what we have to do, which is to support Paul and to support our parents. But it would be ideal if the State Department would also engage and put the pressure on that they have said that they would do and try and bring Paul home.
ABC NEWS LIVE: You mentioned the potential for him potentially having to serve out that 16 years. Is there a part of you that’s given up hope?
WHELAN: No. I mean, I think you always have to keep some hope. But it would be impossible to continue either as a family member or as Paul if you gave up hope. I think that’s why we see some wrongful detainees attempt suicide when they’re in detention or being held hostage. And fortunately, Paul hasn’t gotten to that point. So, we will try and keep him as mentally healthy and physically healthy as we can until he’s able to come back.
Jethro Tull is hitting the road this summer. Ian Anderson and the band just announced dates for their The Seven Decades Tour, which hits such cities as Cincinnati, San Diego, Boston and New York.
The tour is set to kick off August 18 in Highland Park, Illinois, wrapping November 4 in Albany, New York.
Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at jethrotull.com.
The news comes as Jethro Tull are getting ready to release their 23rd studio album, RökFlöte, which drops Friday, April 21.
Tina Turner was known for putting on dazzling performances — and most of the time she’d do so while showing off her famous set of legs, which were once rumored to be insured for millions of dollars. But it turns out, Tina had a very practical reason for always baring those famous pins.
“Sometimes I think I’m as famous for my legs as much as my voice,” she tells The Sun. “I only had my legs on show so much as it made it much easier to dance … And then it became part of my style.”
And believe it or not, those legs also helped boost Turner’s self-image. She explains, “When I was younger I never felt confident about any part of my body, but with all the attention my legs received, I realized they must be OK!”
Johnny Marr has announced a new photo book titled Marr’s Guitars.
As you can probably guess from the title, Marr’s Guitars features photographs of the instruments the Smiths guitarist has played throughout his career.
“The book is a collection of amazing photographs taken by my friend [Pat Graham] in his own unique style and documents my life and career through the stories of over a hundred of my guitars,” Marr says. “I think a lot of people will love it.”
Marr’s Guitars is due out October 17.
Marr released a new solo album, Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4, in 2022.
A new documentary about the Chicago blues scene is set to hit digital platforms this summer, featuring interviews with Keith Richards, Bob Dylan and more.
Born in Chicago, narrated by Dan Aykroyd and executive produced by Jim Belushi and Elliot Roberts, delves into the Chicago music scene of the ’60s using a mix of archival footage and interviews. In addition to Dylan and Richards, the movie features appearances by Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Bob Weir, Steve Miller, Charlie Musselwhite and more.
Born in Chicago has already screened at several festivals. It is also set to be shown at the upcoming New York City Independent Film Festival, as well as the Washington DC International Film Festival and the 2023 Chicago Blues Festival. It will hit all digital platforms on August 1.
Lionel Richie is booked to perform at the Coronation Concert being held May 7 in the U.K. in honor of King Charles officially being crowned, as previously reported. But Lionel says he got more than just an invitation to perform: He also got a personal request from the king for a specific song.
Speaking to E! News, Lionel revealed that Charles asked him to play a certain song, which he’ll make part of his performance. “And the answer is yes, I will do it,” Lionel said. “We will not reveal [it] because it’s completely enveloped in secrecy. So, all I can tell you is I’m very happy to be there.”
Lionel, who’s been involved with Charles’ The Prince’s Trust charity for many years, also shared some of the things he’s learned about royal protocol over the years.
“Be prepared, just be sure to just say sir and ma’am—forget everything else,” he advised. “Just remember sir and ma’am, and you kind of walk your way through.”
Lionel says he’s bullish on the future of the British monarchy now that Charles is on the throne, noting, “I’m looking forward to see what he’s going to bring to the table, and I can tell you right now, he’s gonna change it up a little bit.”
L-R: Lorre and Sheen in 2009 – MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images
Nearly 12 years after his infamous tiger blood-spilling, Violent Torpedo of Truth-launching flameout, Charlie Sheen has apparently made up with his former Two and a Half Men producer Chuck Lorre.
While HBO refused to comment to ABC Audio, there are reports that Lorre, the target of many of Sheen’s tirades at the time, has tapped Sheen to join How to Be a Bookie in a recurring role.
The comedy series stars comedian/actor Sebastian Maniscalco and will run on HBO’s newly rebranded screening service Max.
Sheen, once the highest paid actor on TV thanks to Two and a Half Men, was fired in 2011 over his behavior at the time, and the show continued with Ashton Kutcher joining the cast until the show ended in 2015.
Back in 2021, a now-sober Sheen looked back with “regret” at his behavior, and the media circus it became. He called it “desperately juvenile” and the result of “drugs or the residual effects of drugs,” adding, “it was also an ocean of stress and a volcano of disdain.”
Lil Wayne and Jay-Z come together for a track on Swizz Beatz‘s upcoming EP. The producer teased the track on Monday alongside a black-and-white clip featuring some race car driving, snowboarding, biking and more.
“SWIZZ X WAYNE X HOV THIS S*** RIGHT HERE DROP 4/21 off my new EP,” Swizz captioned the video. “Life begins at the end of your comfort Zone Let’s Go! Happy Monday! Updated EP track list coming soon!!!!! It’s on…..”
Swizz’s EP HH50 Vol. 2 also drops on Friday, April 21. Though there may be changes, the original track list boasts features from Jadakiss, Benny The Butcher, Scar Lip, Fivio Foreign, Bandmanrill, Lil Durk, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and more.
After cleaning up at the Grammys and the BRIT Awards, Harry Styles is poised to do the same at this year’s Ivor Novello Awards, also known as The Ivors.
The awards, which have been handed out since 1956, are the most prestigious music honor in the United Kingdom. They celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting, and are peer awards, voted on by other British and Irish songwriters and composers.
Harry and his collaborator Kid Harpoon are the leading nominees with three nods. They’re collectively up for Songwriter of the Year, while their global hit “As It Was” is nominated for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work. That latter category is for the song that’s been heard the most in broadcast, online and general performances in the past year.
Also nominated in the Most Performed Work category is Ed Sheeran‘s “Bad Habits,” which won last year. He’s the first person ever to have their song nominated for a second year after a win.
In addition, Ed’s hit “Shivers” is included in that category, as is “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals and, 37 years after it was originally nominated for Best Contemporary Song, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush.
And speaking of Best Contemporary Song, Raye and 070Shake‘s hit “Escapism” is nominated in that category this year.
The Ivors will be handed out at a London ceremony May 18.
