Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa are set to appear on Lucinda Williams‘ new album, Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart, which drops June 30.
The pair are featured on the just-released single “New York Comeback,” along with a second song, “Rock n Roll Heart.” The album also features tributes to Tom Petty with the song “Stolen Moments,” and the Replacements’ co-founder Bob Stinson on the song “Hum’s Liquor.”
Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart is Lucinda’s first new album since having a stroke in November. In addition to Springsteen and Scialfa, it features guest appearances by Jesse Malin, the Replacements’ Tommy Stinson, Angel Olsen, Margo Price and more.
It looks like DreamWorks took Eddie Murphy up on that phone call: Just months after Murphy said he’d say yes to another Shrek film “in two seconds,” Variety reports new projects in that universe are moving ahead.
The trade chatted with Chris Meledandri, founder of the animation studio Illumination and a creative partner to DreamWorks Animation, and he says he’s pushing to bring back the original Shrek gang, including Murphy as Donkey, Mike Myers as Shrek and Cameron Diaz‘s Princess Fiona for a fifth film.
“We anticipate the cast coming back,” the exec noted. “Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return.”
As reported, Murphy’s January comments to Etalk also included him expressing, “I love Donkey. They did Puss in Boots movies. I was like, ‘They should have done a Donkey movie.’ Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey.”
He went on to say, “DreamWorks, if y’all wanna do it, just call me, I’m ready.”
Turns out Meledandri saw that interview, too, and was “thrilled.” He tells Variety, “It’s evidence of his strong enthusiasm for a role that he so brilliantly inhabited and really created alongside the artists at DreamWorks. I found that comment to be very exciting.”
The upcoming reality show Family Legacy, featuring the offspring of some major pop and rock stars, now has a trailer.
The five-episode series, hosted by Quincy Brown, son of R&B singer Al B. Sure!, focuses on the children of artists like Van Halen, Brandy, Boyz II Men, Melissa Etheridge and members of TLC, NSYNC and Backstreet Boys.
In the trailer, you can see Baylee Littrell, son on Backstreet’s Brian Littrell; Briahna Fatone, daughter of NSYNC’s Joey Fatone; and Bailey Jean Cypher, daughter of Melissa Etheridge, along with the children of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., Diddy, late Linkin Park rocker Chester Bennington and more.
In the trailer, Baylee says, “My first crib was on a tour bus,” while Bailey Jean says, “I was the OG lesbian baby.” Briahna notes, “Me and my dad are super close — he’s here right now.”
Lauryn Hill‘s classic solo album turns 25 this year, and it appears she has more than one celebration in store. In posts shared on her socials Monday, the Fugees singer announced she’ll be honoring The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill with a special show.
“I’ll be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ at @Wolf_Trap on June 9th,” Lauryn tweeted. The venue is located in Washington, D.C., with tickets available on wolftrap.org.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill dropped in August 1998, featuring singles “Doo Wop (That Thing),” “Everything Is Everything,” “Lost Ones,” “Ex-Factor,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and more. It debuted on top of the Billboard 200 chart, was ranked in numerous best-album lists and won five awards at the 41st annual Grammys.
Lauryn will also celebrate her album’s milestone anniversary at this year’s Essence Festival.
(GENEVA) — A new report published Monday by the World Health Organization found that a large number of adults — nearly 1 in 6 worldwide — are affected by infertility in their lifetime.
The WHO said that the new finding emphasizes the “urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care,” according to a press release.
The organization also reported that the new estimates found there is “limited variation” in the prevalence of infertility between regions and that rates are comparable among all countries and income levels.
Previous research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 1 in 5 women in the United States, ages 15 to 49 years old with no prior births, are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying, which is considered infertility.
Both men and women can contribute to infertility.
Infertility expert Dr. Asima Ahmad is the chief medical officer and co-founder of Carrot Fertility. She said the new WHO report did not surprise her and that the number may be actually higher than reported.
“Previously, it was reported that 1 in 8 people experience infertility, but I have always thought that the true number was higher,” Ahmad told ABC News, adding that the WHO study only reported on female-male relationships with unprotected intercourse for one year without pregnancy, and that when same-sex couples, single-intending parents, or other individuals are factored in, the number of those seeking and needing fertility care is much higher.
She also stressed the importance of noting that while the “prevalence” of infertility is similar among countries, studying access to care in those countries is far more important.
“It’s also important to note that fertility care can be complex in many parts of the world,” she said. “Different countries and regions have varying laws and regulations around fertility care, which can make it even more complicated for individuals to access the treatments they need.”
Newly announced 2023 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker will be performing at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on June 3 and 4.
“The Ryman is the Mother Church of Country Music,” Tanya says. “It’s my favorite place in the World to play! But this time it’s not just one show…it’s Two!! I’m more than excited to be performing June 3 and 4. And I bet they’ll be a few surprises!! Tanya Mother Tucker is coming to the Mother Church and I can’t wait!!!”
Tickets for both shows go on sale Friday, April 7, at 10 a.m. CT on Tanya’s website, with a presale starting April 5 at 10 a.m. CT.
The “Delta Dawn” hitmaker will be announcing more tour dates soon.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump has arrived at a New York City courthouse for an arraignment after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.
He is the first former U.S. president to be indicted. Although the document remains sealed, sources familiar told ABC News that Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 04, 1:35 PM EDT
Trump surrenders
Former President Donald Trump has surrendered at court in lower Manhattan for arraignment on criminal charges.
He traveled in a black SUV with his Secret Service detail. His two lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, were in another SUV.
The motorcade passed a man holding a sign reading, “No one is above the law.”
Although the document remains sealed, sources familiar told ABC News that Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies.
Still cameras will be permitted inside the courtroom to take photos before the hearing begins, but Judge Juan Merchan has barred video cameras from the proceedings.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to address the media after Trump’s arraignment.
Apr 04, 1:09 PM EDT
Trump en route to courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has left Trump Tower and is now in a motorcade to a lower Manhattan courthouse to be arraigned.
Apr 04, 12:49 PM EDT
George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene outside courthouse
Protesters from both sides are gathering outside at Collect Pond Park, some with flags reading “Trump or Death.” Hundreds of people are inside the barricaded park, with pro-Trump supporters outnumbering the anti-Trump protesters and competing voices trading barbs and shouts.
Republican Reps. George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the 50 to 60 Trump supporters at the scene.
Greene spoke outside the courthouse calling Trump’s indictment “election interference.”
She accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of being a “tool for Democrats” to “hijack the 2024 presidential election.”
“Every single American should be concerned. They’re coming after President Trump today, they will come after you tomorrow. President Trump did nothing wrong,” she said.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who was also outside the courthouse, pushed back, shouting at Greene, “She should not be here.”
The streets surrounding the New York Criminal Court are largely blocked off. A robust police presence is busily shepherding onlookers past a row of television cameras.
Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., plan to attend Trump’s Tuesday night speech at Mar-a-Lago, aides told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Lauren Peller, Will Steakin and Jay O’Brien
Apr 04, 12:13 PM EDT
Trump spends morning working phones, speaking to aides and allies: Sources
Former President Donald Trump spent Monday night and Tuesday morning huddled with his legal team at Trump Tower preparing for his arraignment, sources told ABC News.
Trump was up early Tuesday morning working the phones and speaking to aides and allies ahead of his Tuesday afternoon arraignment, sources said.
Trump is expected to enter his not guilty plea himself, not through his lawyers, sources said. Trump’s legal team has still not seen the indictment or been informed of the charges, according to sources, who told ABC News the legal team expects to see it just minutes before the arraignment begins.
One person described Trump as “upbeat” and “relatively excited.” Another person said Trump is “not angry” and is resigned to the fact that this day has finally come.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Apr 04, 11:21 AM EDT
Trump slams judge ahead of arraignment
Former President Donald Trump lashed out at the judge expected to preside over his arraignment in a Tuesday morning post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump attacked the judge and his family, without naming them, claiming they are known Trump haters, and claiming a potential trial would not be fair.
The former president has repeatedly gone after the judge and the Manhattan district attorney on social media in the days leading up to Tuesday’s arraignment.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 11:02 AM EDT
George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene outside courthouse
Former President Donald Trump isn’t expected in lower Manhattan for another few hours, but the circus outside the courthouse is well underway.
Protesters from both sides are gathering outside at Collect Pond Park, some with flags reading “Trump or Death.”
Republican Reps. George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the 50 to 60 Trump supporters at the scene.
The streets surrounding the New York Criminal Court are largely blocked off. A robust police presence is busily shepherding onlookers past a row of television cameras.
Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., plan to attend Trump’s Tuesday night speech at Mar-a-Lago, aides told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Will Steakin and Jay O’Brien
Apr 04, 7:36 AM EDT
‘There will be no guilty plea,’ Trump’s lawyer says
Just hours before Donald Trump was expected to turn himself in to New York City authorities to face criminal charges, his lawyer Joe Tacopina insisted Friday that the former president will not be pleading guilty.
“Really, there’s a lot of mystery here because we’re doing something that’s never been done before,” Tacopina told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“One thing I can assure you as I sit here today is there will be no guilty plea in this case,” he added. “That is one thing I can guarantee you.”
Tacopina said Trump won’t be put in handcuffs but “he’ll be processed the way anyone else would be, to a degree — again, with Secret Service involvement.”
“I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long — 20, 30 minutes,” he said. “And then we’ll appear before a judge, you know, deal with a couple issues right off the bat and it won’t be a long day in court.”
That’s when authorities will unseal Trump’s indictment, revealing the exact charges against him.
“They have not shared it with us, won’t share it with us until it’s unsealed,” Tacopina said. “But we know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment.”
Trump’s defense team plans to make “a lot of motions” once they see the indictment, according to Tacopina.
“I don’t think this case is going to see a jury. I think it’s going to go away on papers,” he said. “I think there’s a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.”
When asked about speculation that the judge might impose a gag order, Tacopina said there was “no indication” of that.
“It can’t happen in this case,” he added. “The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning. Hard to put a gag order when he’s going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.”
After court, Trump plans to travel back to Palm Beach, Florida, where he will make a statement at his Mar-a-Lago estate, according to Tacopina.
Trump’s attorney talks how he will fight criminal charges
Following Donald Trump’s unprecedented indictment by a Manhattan grand jury last Thursday, the former president begins the first steps in the criminal justice process.
Trump surrenders to authorities
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it has been in contact with Trump’s lawyers to arrange his surrender to authorities in order to begin criminal proceedings.
Trump, a Florida resident, traveled to New York City on Monday and spent the night at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan before his arraignment in lower Manhattan on Tuesday. The former president must adhere to the court’s deadline and be processed by authorities before heading to court for the unsealing of the indictment.
Trump is processed by authorities
Processing typically involves being fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot, but experts say those may not occur in Trump’s case because the former president is not a flight risk. Similarly, Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina told ABC News last Friday that the former “president will not be put in handcuffs.”
It is also unlikely that Trump will be publicly transported to the courtroom by police, according to Cheryl Bader, an associate clinical professor of law at Fordham University in New York City.
“With white-collar crime, we see that a lot of [suspects] have the privilege of being able to turn themselves in instead of being arrested and put in handcuffs,” Bader told ABC News during a recent interview.
Trump appears in court, makes plea
During the court appearance, which typically takes place in a courtroom without cameras in New York state, the former president will be read his charges and ordered to make a plea. Trump and his lawyers have indicated they intend to fight the indictment in court.
Following his plea, the judge will have the right to remand Trump on bail or release him on his own recognizance before adjourning for a future date. Bader said that judges rarely order suspects in white-collar crimes to be held in jail before their trial, and she expected that the judge will release Trump after the hearing.
In some cases, especially if the suspect is a flight risk, a judge may place restrictions on the suspect such as holding onto their passport, but Bader said it is unclear if the judge will go that far.
Judge hears motions, sets next court date
Following the judge’s order, Trump’s lawyers will have the opportunity to review the indictment charges and make motions regarding the case, including seeking to have the charges dismissed or evidence suppressed, or requesting a change of venue.
Several pre-trial hearings and motions are expected in the case, as Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly made claims that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation is a political attack, according to Bader.
“I’m sure the case is going to be very litigated and take a lot of time to wind its way through the system,” Bader told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Ivan Pereira and Will Steakin
Apr 03, 10:16 PM EDT
Judge issues decision on cameras in court Tuesday
Judge Juan Merchan will allow five pool still photographers to snap for several minutes before the arraignment formally starts, according to a decision issued Monday night.
No video cameras will be allowed, though Judge Merchan conceded, “That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges.”
The judge said he needed to balance other interests.
No electronic devices will be allowed in either the main or overflow courtrooms, the judge ruled.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Apr 03, 4:25 PM EDT
Trump arrives at Trump Tower
Former President Donald Trump has arrived at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan where he’ll spend the night Monday before his arraignment in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Trump briefly waved as he departed his motorcade and walked into the side entrance of the building on 56th Street Monday afternoon.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 03, 3:41 PM EDT
Biden says he has faith in legal system, not worried about unrest
President Joe Biden said Monday he has faith in the legal system as he made his most extensive comments yet on former President Donald Trump’s indictment.
While touring a manufacturing facility in Minnesota, a reporter asked Biden if he was worried about unrest, and the president replied, “No. I have faith in the New York Police Department.”
Asked if he has faith in the legal system at this point, the president responded, “Yes.”
On Friday, in an exchange with reporters outside the White House, Biden repeatedly declined to comment on the indictment.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Apr 03, 3:37 PM EDT
Trump lands in New York City
Former President Donald Trump has just touched down in New York, ahead of his arraignment Tuesday.
Trump’s plane landed at LaGuardia Airport, and is now expected to head to Trump Tower.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 03, 1:50 PM EDT
Trump opposes cameras in court
Former President Donald Trump on Monday opposed the presence of cameras in the courtroom for his Tuesday arraignment.
“It will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence,” Trump’s attorney Susan Necheles said.
A coalition of news organizations, including ABC News, has filed motions with the court, seeking access to cover and record the hearing Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to take a position on the matter.
Judge Juan Merchan has not yet ruled.
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
Apr 03, 1:18 PM EDT
Trump expands legal team with top white-collar defense attorney
Former President Donald Trump is expanding his legal team, hiring a former federal prosecutor and white-collar defense attorney to lead his defense ahead of Tuesday’s arraignment, sources said.
Todd Blanche, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, recently resigned from his law firm to take on this new role, according to sources. Blanche has represented high-profile clients like Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, and Igor Fruman, an ex-associate to Rudy Giuliani.
Blanche is expected to travel with Trump from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan to the courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, the sources said. Blanche didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
-ABC News’ John Santucci and Katherine Faulders
Apr 03, 1:00 PM EDT
Trump en route to New York
Former President Donald Trump has departed Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport bound for New York City.
Dozens of Trump supporters lined the streets to cheer the former president on as his motorcade headed to the airport.
Some wore shirts saying, “Trump did nothing wrong.”
“People want to support [Trump] because, basically, they see him as an underdog at this point, and which he is,” Whit Taylor told ABC News as he watched the motorcade. “He’s being harassed and pushed around by people who are just haters. I mean that’s the bottom line — they just hate people.”
Trump is expected to stay in Manhattan Monday night before appearing in court for an arraignment on Tuesday.
Apr 03, 12:38 PM EDT
No specific credible threat in NYC, mayor says
As New York City gears up for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said “there has been no specific credible threat.”
“All New Yorkers should go on with their regular activities” on Tuesday, Adams said at a news conference Monday, adding that New Yorkers should expect “some disruptions,” including traffic and street closures.
New Yorkers may also see an additional police presence, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. She encouraged people to use mass transit when possible.
Sewell said any protests should be peaceful and orderly.
The mayor warned that violence and vandalism won’t be tolerated, and said anyone caught participating in violence will be arrested.
Adams called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who said she’s planning to come to New York to support Trump, urging her and others to “be on your best behavior.”
Apr 03, 6:32 AM EDT
Poll shows plurality of the public supports Trump indictment
A plurality of Americans think former President Donald Trump should have been charged by a Manhattan grand jury with a history-making indictment.
According to the poll, 45% think Trump should have been charged with a crime in this case, whereas 32% don’t think so and 23% say they don’t know.
Democrats are, unsurprisingly, rallying behind the grand jury’s decision.
Almost nine in 10 Democrats (88%) think Trump should have been charged in the investigation by the Manhattan D.A., which has been probing a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels who alleges the two had an affair. Trump has long denied these claims.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Apr 03, 6:01 AM EDT
‘I just don’t know what to expect to see,’ Trump’s lawyer says
Donald Trump’s lawyer doesn’t know what to expect when the former president is arraigned on Tuesday in New York City given the historic nature of Trump’s indictment, he said on Sunday.
“This is unprecedented. I don’t know. I’ve done a million arraignments in that courthouse with celebrities and whatnot. But this is a whole different thing. We have Secret Service involved. I understand they’re closing the courthouse for the afternoon. I just don’t know what to expect to see,” Joe Tacopina told ABC This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it’s, at the end of the day, a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say ‘not guilty,’ we set schedules to file motions and whatnot or discovery, and we move forward and get out of there,” Tacopina said.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Apr 03, 5:26 AM EDT
Trump expected to travel to New York on Monday
Former President Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday at the earliest, the sources said, on what is expected to be around two dozen counts – including felonies.
The exact charges are unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci
Apr 02, 11:09 AM EDT
Trump to speak at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night
Following his expected arraignment on Tuesday in New York City, former President Donald Trump announced he would speak that evening from Mar-a-Lago.
The former president is slated to give remarks at 8:15 p.m., according to a press release.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 02, 10:33 AM EDT
America split on Trump indictment: Poll
While 45% of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should face charges in an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, 32% say he shouldn’t have been indicted, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Another 23% of American say they don’t know whether the nation’s 45th president should face charges.
While the charges have not been announced, a Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump had been hearing evidence in a $130,000 hush money payment Trump allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair. Trump has denied the allegations.
The poll showed a split in opinions along party lines. While 88% of Democrats said Trump should face charges, 62%, of Republicans said the former president should not have been charged while 16% said he should be charged, and the remainder was uncertain.
About 47% of Americans polled say the charges are politically motivated, echoing the sentiment from top GOP figures. About 79% of Republicans hold that view.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Mar 31, 6:08 PM EDT
Why Trump indictment might hinge on a ‘novel legal theory’
As legal experts speculate on what charges lay inside the sealed indictment ahead of former President Donald Trump’s expected surrender on Tuesday afternoon, many predict that prosecutors could try out a new legal theory to justify bringing the charges.
“This could be a novel legal theory,” said Kate Shaw, a law professor at Cardozo and ABC News contributor, speculating on what charges the public could see against Trump while stressing it’s unknown until the indictment is unsealed.
-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
Mar 31, 5:31 PM EDT
Trump faces around 2 dozen counts, including felonies, sources say
Former President Donald Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies, sources familiar with the sealed indictment told ABC News.
The exact charges remain unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court on Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
Mar 31, 4:51 PM EDT
Senate sergeant at arms warns of potential demonstration activity
The Senate sergeant at arms is warning of potential demonstration activity related to the indictment of former President Donald Trump.
“While law enforcement is not tracking any specific, credible threats against the Capitol or state offices, there is potential for demonstration activity,” an email obtained by ABC News said.
Capitol Police “is working with law enforcement partners, so you may observe a greater law enforcement presence on Capitol Hill,” the email said, adding that there could be “nationwide impacts to Senate state offices.”
The Capitol Police declined to comment and the sergeant at arms didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
Mar 31, 12:56 PM EDT
Ivanka Trump speaks out
Former President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, reacted to the indictment on Instagram Friday, writing, “I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both.”
She added, “I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.”
Mar 31, 12:30 PM EDT
How DA could use hush money payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal to bolster Trump case
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also investigating a $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who, like Stormy Daniels, claimed to have had an affair with Donald Trump.
The former president has denied having an affair with either woman and has called the investigation a witch hunt.
McDougal was paid for the rights to her story in August 2016 by American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer, which did not publish it, a practice known as catch and kill.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, has said he recorded Trump discussing reimbursement to American Media for the payment to McDougal, but the payment was never made.
Trump has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment but in a 2018 interview with Fox News, he claimed he wasn’t aware of any payment made to AMI to facilitate the alleged hush agreement.
Mar 31, 12:27 PM EDT
Judge signs order allowing DA to publicly acknowledge indictment
Judge Juan Merchan has signed this order allowing the Manhattan district attorney’s office to publicly acknowledge the indictment.
The People v Donald J Trump. This is the order allowing the DA to publicly acknowledge the indictment pic.twitter.com/leg9vDascr
Machine Gun Kelly is headlining the inaugural Kelce Jam, a new festival created and hosted by Kansas City Chiefs football star Travis Kelce.
The event takes place April 28 in Kansas City, and tickets go on sale Friday, April 7.
As Kelce tells Billboard, he and Kelly go way back — they actually lived down the street from each other while growing up in Cleveland.
“It’s been amazing to see a hometown hero selling out stadiums,” Kelce says. “So for me, MGK was a no-brainer and I personally drafted some of my favorite artists in the world alongside him.”
Other artists on the Kelce Jam lineup include rappers Rick Ross and Tech N9ne, and DJ duo Loud Luxury.
The Recording Academy is bringing together congressional leaders and music makers for its annual Grammys on the Hill Awards. According to a release, Washington’s premier annual celebration of music and advocacy will honor those who’ve ushered the fight for creators’ rights, including one of this year’s recipients, Pharrell Williams.
“I’m very grateful to be honored at this year’s GRAMMYs on the Hill among some incredible other honorees who have done tremendous advocacy work for others,” Pharrell said in a statement. “It’s important that we show up for each other and support one another to ensure that we can keep creating.”
Williams’ commitment to protecting creators’ rights and philanthropy include founding his Black Ambition and YELLOW organizations and working with former Virginia Gov. RalphNortham to make Juneteenth a paid holiday. He’ll be honored during the awards show on April 26, as will U.S. Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer and Sen. Bill Cassidy.
(LONDON) — A Russian prison monitor says he has visited Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in the Moscow jail where he is being held after being seized on spying charges last week.
Alexey Melnikov, who heads the Public Oversight Commission, told ABC News he visited Gershkovich in Lefortovo prison late Sunday evening and spoke for around 45 minutes with the American reporter, who he said was in good spirits.
“On the whole he was in a cheerful mood, you could say. We even joked a little,” Melnikov told ABC News, saying he thought it was perhaps a “self-defense reaction,” which can be quite common for people who are detained.
“He behaved himself entirely normally. He wasn’t in a depressed state, he was quite cheerful.”
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, arrested Gershkovich last Wednesday, while he was on a reporting trip 800 miles from Moscow in Yekaterinburg, and accused him of collecting classified information on behalf of the United States. The Wall Street Journal has “vehemently” denied the charges and most experts believe Russia has taken Gershkovich as a hostage amid tensions with the United States.
The U.S. government, as well as dozens of leading international news organisations have called the charges false and demanded Russia immediately release Gershkovich, who faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Gershkovich, 31, is currently awaiting trial in Lefortovo, a former KGB prison known for holding high-profile prisoners. He pleaded not guilty in a closed court hearing on Thursday, where his lawyer and media were not allowed in.
Russia has not permitted U.S. diplomats or Gershkovich’s lawyer to visit him since his arrest. WSJ Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said on Sunday no one from the newspaper or the U.S. government had been able to communicate with Gershkovich, but she said she was hopeful his lawyer would be able to this week.
Melnikov, whose commission is authorised by Russian law to inspect prison conditions, said that Gershkovich’s detention in Lefortovo so far followed standard practice and said he had not complained of any mistreatment by guards.
He said Gershkovich was currently alone in a two-man cell during a “quarantine” period, but that once he had tested negative for coronavirus he might receive a cellmate this week. According to Melnikov, the cell has a TV with 20-30 Russian channels, a radio and a kettle. He was being fed soup and porridge, Melnikov said, and was permitted to shower once a week.
“He can watch TV, he can read. He can listen to the radio. He has walks,” Melnikov said. Gershkovich should also be allowed to write and receive letters, he said, as long as they are written in Russian.
Gershkovich had joked that it was a pity the television didn’t have the sports channel, Match TV premier, because there was a soccer match Sunday he would have liked to watch, Melnikov said.
He said, Gershkovich is currently reading Life and Fate, the classic novel by Soviet war reporter Vasily Grossman describing the battle between Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany during World War II.
Gershkovich told him the jail “corresponded to his expectations,” Melnikov said.
Melnikov said his commission is strictly limited to discussing prison conditions and so was unable to ask Gershkovich about the charges against him.
Lefortovo is exceptionally strict, Melnikov said, which meant it can be isolating but that it lacked the chaotic violence common in other Russian jails. Unsanctioned communication with the outside world is impossible, he said.
Melnikov is secretary of the Public Oversight Commission, which is a semi-state body set up to monitor conditions in jails. He is also a member of the Russian presidential human rights council, which has been criticised as toothless and stacked with Kremlin loyalists.
Melnikov said when he visited on Sunday Gershkovich’s lawyer had not been granted access to him.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Sunday to demand Gershkovich’s immediate release, calling his detention unacceptable.
Blinken also called for the release of Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine imprisoned by Russia since 2018 on espionage charges the U.S. and his family say are false.
Experts believe Gershkovich’s case resembles Whelan’s and those of other Americans seized by the Kremlin in recent years as bargaining chips, including WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Trevor Reed. Griner and Reed were released in separate prisoner swaps over the past 12 months, in exchange for Russians held in U.S. prisons.
Griner over the weekend called for Gershkovich’s release and urged her supporters to “encourage the administration to continue to use every tool possible to bring Evan and all Americans home.”
“Our hearts are filled with great concern for Evan Gershkovitch [sic] and his family,” Griner wrote in a statement on Instagram, also expressing gratitude for the “Biden administration’s deep commitment to rescue Americans.”
Gershkovich, whose parents are Jewish emigres from the Soviet Union who moved to the U.S. in 1979, grew up speaking Russian in Princeton, New Jersey. He has worked in Russia since 2017, writing for Agence France-Presse and the Moscow Times, before joining the WSJ just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“He said he felt privileged to be able to report from inside the country when many of our Russian colleagues and friends had to flee,” Pjotr Sauer, a Guardian correspondent covering Russia and close friend of Gershkovich wrote in an op-ed this week.
“For years, Evan did everything he could to tell the story of modern Russia. It is now our turn to keep the light shining on him. I want to have my friend back.”
