Taylor Swift was spotted out in New York City for the first time since news broke of her split from Joe Alwyn. According to the New York Post, Taylor was seen out to dinner at the Manhattan restaurant Via Carota with her friend and producer Jack Antonoff and his fiancée, Margaret Qualley.
And speaking of the newly single Taylor: if she’s looking for a baby daddy, Nick Cannon has offered his services. The father of 12 told Howard Sternhe’s “all in”when asked if he’d be up for Taylor being his next baby mama. Nick praised Taylor for being an “amazing songwriter” who “has been so vulnerable and open with all of her music since she was a young girl.”
And apparently singing and songwriting aren’t the only things Taylor is good at. In an interview with InStyle,Gigi Hadid reveals Taylor is “an exceptional cook,” sharing, “She also makes a really good bolognese sauce and a really good chili that I love.”
Ed Sheeran gave one subway busker the surprise of his life. A video posted to the subwaycreatures Instagram account, and later shared on Ed’s Insta Story, shows Sheeran popping out from behind a pole in a subway station and surprising subway singer MikeYung as he was singing Ed’s current single, “Eyes Closed.” “You just made my day,” Mike says in the clip, with Ed telling him how much he loved him.
BTS will celebrate their 10th anniversary with an immersive fan experience opening in Los Angeles in May. BTS EXHIBITION: Proof, which debuted last year in South Korea, will open at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Fans interested in checking it out can register for a chance to get tickets from now until April 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Arnold Schwarzenegger takes it to the streets, literally, in a new Instagram video. The action movie icon and former governor of California apparently had it with a local pothole and took it upon himself to fix it.
In the video, he and some friends can be seen pouring and shoveling hot asphalt into the giant gap in the street.
A grateful passerby stopped her car and exclaimed, “Arnold! Oh, man!” before thanking him.
“You have to do it yourself,” Schwarzenegger responded. “This is crazy: Three weeks I’ve been waiting for this hole to be closed.”
The star captioned the video, “Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it. I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go.”
Arnold won praise from many of his followers, including his former True Lies co-star Tia Carrere, who commented, “Haha Leave it to Arnold,” adding an applause emoji.
Incidentally, before he found big-screen stardom, Arnold worked in construction and as a bricklayer in California. Hauling concrete and stone was the perfect side hustle for him and the pro bodybuilders with whom he worked, including his late friend Franco Columbu, who later had a cameo as another killer cyborg in 1984’s The Terminator.
Metro Boomin‘s “Too Many Nights” now has a music video. The visual dropped Monday, featuring the producer at a party with neon floors, and at a strip club with guests Future and Don Toliver. Don showcases his dance moves alongside A$AP Rocky, who makes a cameo. Young Thug also gets a subtle shoutout via a screenshot of a T-shirt with the word “free” under his image.
“Too Many Nights” with Future and Don Toliver appears on Metro’s Heroes & Villains, which also features now-Platinum song “Creepin” with The Weeknd and 21 Savage; the remix features Diddy.
Metro is set to bring some stars with him onstage when he performs at Coachella on April 14 and April 21.
Alabama has announced the first round of performers for the 2023 June Jam. The lineup includes Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, The Oak Ridge Boys, Exile, Mark Wills and Neal McCoy, with a special appearance from Randy Travis. It will take place on June 3 in Fort Payne, Alabama. Get tickets at Ticketmaster.
Country newcomer Lauren Watkins has signed a record deal with Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters. Her debut seven-track EP, IntroducingLauren Watkins, drops April 21. Fans will get an earlier preview of the project with two songs, “Shirley Temple” and “Camel Blues,” arriving Friday, April 14.
Sony Music Nashville’s Karley Scott Collins has released a brand new track, “Brain On Love.” Out now, the singer says she was inspired to pen the song after “reading an article about how scientists had proven that the chemical reactions your brain has when you’re falling in love are virtually identical to the ones people have on drugs.”
Gaga’s “Bloody Mary,” originally released on her 2011 album, Born This Way, went viral on TikTok thanks to the hit Netflix series Wednesday, and now it’s a huge radio hit.
Just to remind you, the song itself isn’t actually in Wednesday — in the show, star Jenna Ortegadoes her now-famous dance to the 1981 song “Goo Goo Muck” by the psychobilly band The Cramps. But fans replaced that song with a sped-up version of “Blood Mary” when they recreated the dance and it took off.
Coming full circle, the sped-up version was then used in a promo for the second season of Wednesday.
Amazingly, Gaga hasn’t had a solo top 10 on the Pop Airplay chart since November 2013 with “Applause.” Since then, her only trip to the top 10 has been with “Rain on Me,” her collaboration with Ariana Grande, which reached number 10 in July 2020.
Solo and with other artists, Gaga has reached the top 10 on Pop Airplay 14 times, starting with 2009’s “Let’s Dance.” Other songs that have been in the top 10 on that chart for her over the years include “Poker Face,” “Bad Romance,” “Born This Way,” “You and I” and “Telephone.”
Cameo, which allows people to send video messages to family and friends from their favorite stars for a fee, is responding to Paul Rudd‘s get-well gag on pal Jeremy Renner in the best possible way.
As seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night, Rudd had sent a recuperating Renner a gag Cameo, telling “Jerry” he hopes he feels better after “getting in a fight with a snowblower, apparently.”
Rudd also recommended “Jerry” just “let the snow melt” next time, instead of risking his life aboard the more than 14,000-pound vehicle that crushed him in the near-fatal accident.
But Cameo is now allowing fans to follow suit and wish the Avengers star well on his road to recovery following his accident via its Cameo Collage. The free tool lets friends collaborate on a Cameo video to send to whomever they wish — and now they can reach out and touch Renner, virtually. Just head over to this site to upload pictures or a personal message to the star.
Incidentally, many fans who have already contributed have taken Rudd’s lead and are referring to the Hawkeye star as Jerry.
As Renner’s pal Chris Evans lamented as Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron, “That’s not going away anytime soon.”
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday made his first public comments on the leak of what appear to be top secret intelligence documents from the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies
Austin, appearing at a news conference alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, said he was first briefed on the apparent leaks on April 6.
Since then, Austin said, he’s met with senior department leaders daily and referred the matter to the Justice Department, which has opened a criminal investigation.
“Now, I can’t say much more while the Justice Department’s investigation is ongoing. But we take this very seriously,” Austin said. “And we will continue to work closely with our outstanding allies and partners. And nothing will ever stop us from keeping America secure.”
The content of some of the documents appears to be U.S. intelligence about the war in Ukraine and in other parts of the world, including U.S. concerns that Ukraine’s expected spring counteroffensive will make only modest gains.
The disclosure has raised diplomatic issues as it appears that U.S. intelligence has been spying not only on its adversaries, but on allies and partners.
Austin was asked about damage caused by the leak and whether it amounted to an “intelligence failure” given some documents appear to have been posted online several months ago.
He responded that the leaked documents the Pentagon is aware of date from Feb. 28 and March 1. He said he doesn’t know if there were documents online before then.
“Again, we will continue to investigate in and try to determine the full scope of the activity,” Austin said. He added the U.S. will “turn over every rock until we find the source of this, and the extent of it.”
Blinken said the U.S. will work to reassure allies and partners “about our own commitment to safeguarding intelligence.”
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday provided limited comments on the leak of what appear to be top secret intelligence documents from the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies
Austin, appearing at a press conference alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, said he was first briefed on the apparent leaks on April 6.
Since then, Austin said he’s met with senior department leaders daily and referred the matter to the Department of Justice, which opened a criminal investigation.
“Now, I can’t say much more while the Justice Department’s investigation is ongoing. But we take this very seriously,” Austin said. “And we will continue to work closely with our outstanding allies and partners. And nothing will ever stop us from keeping America secure.”
The content of some of the documents appears to be U.S. intelligence about the war in Ukraine and in other parts of the world. And the disclosure has raised diplomatic issues as it appears that U.S. intelligence has been spying not only on its adversaries, but on allies and partners.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
(NEW YORK) — The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States shows “no signs of slowing,” new federal data shows.
A total of 2.53 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were recorded in 2021, according to a new report published Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That’s a 5.8% increase from the 2.39 million cases reported in 2020 and a 7% increase from five years ago when 2.37 million STIs were recorded in 2017.
While certain STIs did not reach pre-pandemic levels, others — such as syphilis — are recording the highest numbers seen in more than 70 years.
A total of 176,713 syphilis cases — for all stages of the infection — were recorded in 2021, the highest since the 217,558 cases reported in 1950 and a 32% increase from the 133,954 recorded the previous year, the report said.
The report also found that cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs when a baby is born with the infection after the mother passed it on during pregnancy, rose by 32% from 2,148 to more than 2,800. This resulted in 220 stillbirths and infant deaths in 2021, the agency said.
Meanwhile, gonorrhea rates increased 4% from 206.5 per 100,000 to 214.8 per 100,000. Rates of chlamydia — which make up the majority of STIs — also rose by about 4% from 481.3 per 100,000 to 500 per 100,000.
However, unlike gonorrhea and syphilis, reported cases of chlamydia did not return to pre-pandemic levels, the CDC said.
However, the CDC cautioned that because the disease is typically asymptomatic, these decreases were more likely due to COVID-19-related disruptions than to drops in infections.
According to the CDC, STIs fell rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in March and April 2020, during shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders.
This is due to reduced screenings because many health care clinics either closed or had limited in-person appointments in the early days of the pandemic, limited resources due to programs shifting to help combat COVID-19 and social distancing measures limiting sexual behaviors and activity.
In response, the federal health agency is calling for more action from health care and public health experts with a focus on STI prevention and innovation efforts.
This includes rebuilding and expanding local public health services to offer STI testing and treatments, making these testing and treatment options more accessible and advancing research to prevent STIs through vaccines or post-exposure prophylaxis.
“The U.S. STI epidemic shows no signs of slowing,” said Dr. Leandro Mena, director of the CDC’s division of STD prevention, in a statement. “The reasons for the ongoing increases are multifaceted — and so are the solutions. For the first time in decades, we’re seeing promising new STI interventions on the horizon, but these alone will not solve this epidemic.”
The statement continued, “It will take many of us working together to effectively use new and existing tools, to increase access to quality sexual healthcare services for more people, and to encourage ongoing innovation and prioritization of STI prevention and treatment in this country.”
(NEW YORK) — Federal officials are proposing a plan to cut water allotments to states dependent on the Colorado River system to combat dwindling water levels on one of the country’s most important bodies of water.
The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation released a draft environmental impact statement on Tuesday that details revisions in the operations of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, which could potentially evenly cut water allotment for water delivered to California, Arizona and Nevada by as much as one-quarter in order to prevent the Colorado River depleting reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.
It proposed three possible scenarios.
The first of three possible scenarios involves no federal intervention and would rely on the seven states that take water from the Colorado River to come to a deal to prevent deadpool levels that would threaten power production, something they have so far failed to do.
The second option concerns the amount of water released from Glen Canyon Dam, which would be reduced based on water rights. This would mean fewer cuts for California, which has the most senior water rights, and more severe cuts for Arizona and Nevada.
The third scenario would entail water cuts spread evenly by the same percentage across all states, which could prompt legal challenges from states like California with more senior water rights but could avoid worse consequences for states like Arizona and Nevada and tribal communities that could struggle under larger cuts.
The alternatives presented in the draft on Tuesday analyze measures that may be taken to protect system operations in the face of “unprecedented hydrologic conditions” while providing equitable water allocations to Lower Basin communities that rely on the Colorado River System, according to a statement by the Bureau of Reclamation.
The Colorado River Basin supplies drinking water to 40 million people in the U.S., as well as two states in Mexico, fuels hydropower resources in eight states and remains a crucial resource for 30 Tribal Nations as well as agriculture communities across the West, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
“Failure is not an option,” Interior Department Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said in a statement. “Recognizing the severity of the worsening drought, the Biden-Harris administration is bringing every tool and every resource to bear through the President’s Investing in America agenda to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System now and into the future.”
The proposal comes after a decadeslong megadrought has reduced water levels in the Colorado River and Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the two largest reservoirs in the world — to record-low levels.
Water levels in June 2022 at Lake Mead were dangerously low to hitting “dead pool” status, which is below the surface elevation needed to generate power.
The first-ever water shortage was declared for Lake Mead in August 2021, which prompted a reduction in water releases to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico in 2022.
Atmospheric river events have inundated the West with an excess of precipitation — much of which did not cross over the Sierra Nevada mountain range. However, once the snowpack starts to melt, water levels along the Colorado River system will be slightly replenished.
The West cannot rely on one good year of moisture to combat the effects of a drought plaguing the region for nearly two decades, federal officials said.
“Drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin have been two decades in the making,” Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a statement. “To meet this moment, we must continue to work together, through a commitment to protecting the river, leading with science and a shared understanding that unprecedented conditions require new solutions.”
Last week, the Biden Administration announced a $15.4 billion investment to enhance the West’s resilience to drought, which will include reducing water demand, maximizing water resources and protecting the communities along the Colorado River Basin.
“The Colorado River Basin provides water for more than 40 million Americans, fuels hydropower resources in eight states, supports agriculture and agricultural communities across the West, and is a crucial resource for 30 Tribal Nations,” the White House said in a press release on Thursday. “Despite recent heavy rain and snow, the historic 23-year drought has led to record low water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead.”
