Shortly after its release last year, Taylor Swift‘s Midnights set a record when 10 of the album’s songs occupied the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Now that she’s kicked off her Eras Tour, she’s monopolizing the Billboard 200 album chart.
Billboard notes that for the first time in her career, Taylor has seven albums in the top 40 of the Billboard 200 at the same time. She’s the second artist since 1963 to achieve this and, notably, she’s the first one who’s still alive. Seven of Whitney Houston‘s albums charted in the top 40 following her death in 2012.
Taylor’s Midnights is currently at number three on the Billboard 200. That’s followed by Lover at #13, folklore at #14, 1989 at #19, Red (Taylor’s Version) at #22, Reputation at #26 and evermore at #31.
Taylor is performing songs from all seven of those albums and more on her Eras Tour, which kicked off earlier this month. The Eras Tour is a three-hour extravaganza that includes more than 40 songs. The next show is Friday in Arlington, Texas.
Billboard also notes that if you look farther down the chart, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is at #52, while Speak Now is at #69.
Earlier this year, Taylor actually had 10 of her albums on the Billboard 200, but this latest achievement is notable because of how many are in the top 40.
Atlantic Recording Company, A Warner Music Group Company
March 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin’s iconic album Houses of the Holy, the band’s fifth studio album and the first to not feature an eponymous title.
Houses of the Holy featured such Zeppelin classics as “The Song Remains the Same,” “The Rain Song” and “Dancing Days.” Interestingly, the record’s title track didn’t make the album and later appeared on 1975’s Physical Graffiti.
“The sound of it is so much more interesting than any other Zeppelin album because they had more time to play around with it,” Jason Hanley, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s VP of education and visitor engagement, tells ABC Audio about Houses of the Holy. “It was their moment to push those boundaries a little bit.”
Hanley notes that Zeppelin “always sort of diverted people’s expectations in a way.”
“If (1971’s) Led Zeppelin IV became the blueprint of what Zeppelin could sound like, Houses of the Holy is a different record and it takes it in a new direction,” Hanley says. “They just kept upping the ante each time.”
Houses of the Holy went on to be a huge success for Led Zeppelin and was certified Diamond by the RIAA for over 10 million albums sold. In addition, it has made several lists as one of the greatest albums of all time.
“This album was their moment to experiment, and have fun and do something different. And because of that it’s become one of the great iconic records of rock ‘n’ roll,” Hanley says.
Zach Shallcross‘ journey as The Bachelor concluded on Monday night with an engagement to Kaitlyn “Kaity” Biggar, a 27-year-old ER nurse from Austin, Texas.
“I can no longer say I’m falling in love with you, because, Kaity Lane, I am so in love with you. You are my world,” Zach, 26, declared. “The love I feel for you is something I could’ve never imagined and something I thought a lot of my life I would never be able to deserve. I love you so much. I love you with all my heart. You’re the face I want to wake up to every morning. I want to go through life with you and only you. Kaity, I want to be with you forever…You’re the only one I want in my life… Kaity, will you marry me?”
“Absolutely,” she replied.
Zach is the first Bachelor lead to get down on one knee since Peter Weber proposed to Hannah Ann Sluss during the show’s 25th season in 2020.
The episode also featured one of the most gut-wrenching breakups in Bachelor history, when Zach confessed to Gabi that “knowing you and falling in love with you has made me a better man, but…”
“I don’t want to hear it,” a tearful Gabi said repeatedly as Zach tried to finish his thought, adding, “You’ve known,” in response to his denials that he was “stringing her along.”
“That was so humiliating. I was strung along,” she added in an emotional confessional. “I put myself out there, yet again, and I’m not good enough.”
As for the happy couple, they plan on moving in together in Kaity’s hometown of Austin this summer and they revealed that they plan to tie the knot in 2025.
The Bachelorette season 20, featuring Charity Lawson, premieres Monday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
(NEW YORK) — The people of Moore, Oklahoma, may be used to rebuilding.
About 800 homes in the Oklahoma City suburb were destroyed or damaged in 1999 by a powerful F5 tornado, with wind speed peaking near 300 miles per hour. They rebuilt.
Four years later, Moore was hit by an F4, destroying about 500 homes. They rebuilt again.
In 2013, the community was hit a third time by an F5 tornado that wrecked about 1,100 homes.
After the three costliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history and dozens of deaths, Moore rebuilt differently, quietly rolling out a new building code in 2014.
The following year, the town was hit again by a less powerful F3 tornado.
“Some of the same homes that were rebuilt, using the new code, were hit, and they did not receive the amount of damage that a non-fortified home received,” said Elizabeth Weitman, Moore’s community development director. “So we know it works. Why other cities aren’t doing this?”
As small towns across the Mississippi Delta recover after a weekend of deadly tornadoes, community leaders face the challenge of rebuilding. For towns like Rolling Fork, Mississippi, rebuilding efforts are expected to be extensive, with homes left as a path of timber piles, insulation, and plastic siding.
Community leaders in towns like Moore and Joplin, Missouri — which suffered devastating tornadoes in 2013 and 2011, respectively — described their rebuilding as a time-sensitive balancing act straddled by multiple conflicting desires.
A chief part of that balancing act is cost. Mandating large-scale construction changes to improve storm resiliency can price out residents from rebuilding, especially in poorer communities.
Moore town officials said they believe they’ve struck that balance with their updated 2014 building code — including continuous plywood bracing, wind-resistant garage doors and framing anchors — which they say has improved the town’s resiliency for future tornadoes. The low-cost, adding roughly $3,000 for new construction, of their 12 code changes has made the shift towards resilient construction accessible for local residents, especially those with insurance to cover construction costs.
“I think it’s really important to understand what Moore Oklahoma has done; they are probably the shining example of what can happen after a really awful event,” said Ian Giammanco, lead research meteorologist for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
Rolling Fork uses a building code from 1999, meaning even modern buildings may lack newer construction techniques that would improve their ability to weather storms, according to Giammanco.
Though it’s unlikely that any building could withstand the kind of winds that Rolling Fork encountered Friday night, Giammanco stresses that building codes fundamentally changed in the 2000s.
Beginning in the 1980s, scientists and engineers began to understand better how wind impacts buildings; by the early 2000s, building codes began to reflect the new understanding, Giammanco said. Improved anchor bolts could more firmly connect a building’s walls to its foundation, while improved bracing latched a roof to its supporting walls.
Don Davis, vice president of the Building Owners & Managers Association, said the impact of modern building codes is evident in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes.
“You’ll find pockets of entire communities that are newer and were built up to the most recent building code, and you will find that they’re still fully intact and survived, with very little damage, if any, at all,” he said. “And if you compare that to some of the structures that were much older, right next to them, those buildings were blown away, there was nothing left.”
Despite the impact of these code changes, many towns still rely on outdated codes, including Rolling Fork, according to Giammanco.
Some communities also have to grapple with the question of cost. After a deadly tornado killed 161 people in Joplin, the city decided against mandating “hardened ” safe rooms to new constructions to improve survivability.
“I had a call from an elderly citizen who said just adding that $5,000 to her cost, [she] would not be able to rebuild,” said Joplin’s director of planning and development, Troy Bolander.
Joplin emerged stronger after the storm because it communicated with and encouraged community members to rebuild, according to Bolander and Public Information Officer Lynn Iliff Onstot.
Bolander said that town leadership embraced low-cost solutions that improved resiliency, such as requiring hurricane clips that better fasten roofs to walls, as well as reinforcing concrete foundations — changes that roughly cost $2,000.
“What we try to do is [find the] balance where you can increase resiliency, but not make it cost prohibitive for somebody to rebuild,” he said.
While both Joplin and Moore have been success stories by rebuilding after their tragic tornadoes and even growing their populations, officials warned that residents can face severe financial barriers to rebuilding.
“Only those who have access to insurance and education really are going to return to normal, or do better,” said Chauncia Willis, the president of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management.
A 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office noted that federal disaster aid is “fragmented across more than 30 federal entities,” making it harder for vulnerable communities to navigate federal programs successfully. The challenges low-income residents face in securing aid “leads to a longer recovery time, if they recover at all,” Willis said.
“Recovery does not happen for everyone … many people are driven into further poverty after a disaster,” she said.
In an interview with ABC News, Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said he would confidently approach the challenge of rebuilding his town from the rubble, noting that assistance from the federal government would be a key to rebuilding, especially for uninsured residents.
“We’re starting with ground zero to build this community back,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Chi White Sox 6, Chi Cubs 6
LA Angels 5, LA Dodgers 4
Arizona 7, Cleveland 6
Oakland 12, San Francisco 6
Atlanta 6, Boston 1
St. Louis 8, Baltimore 2
Philadelphia 5, Toronto 2
San Diego 4, Seattle 2
Minnesota 8, Pittsburgh 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City 4, Texas 4
Houston 3, Sugar Land 1
NY Yankees 8, Tampa Bay 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado 12, Milwaukee 8
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Dallas 127, Indiana 104
Milwaukee 126, Detroit 117
New York 137, Houston 115
Phoenix 117, Utah 103
Denver 116, Philadelphia 111
Minnesota 119, Sacramento 115
New Orleans 124, Portland 90
LA Clippers 124, Chicago 112
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Ottawa 5, Florida 2
Montreal 4, Buffalo 3
NY Islanders 5, New Jersey 1
Minnesota 5, Seattle 1
Colorado 5, Anaheim 1
Edmonton 5, Arizona 4
(ACCRA, Ghana) — During her first full day in Accra, Ghana on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris met with the nation’s president, raising human rights issues and growing competition from China in the region during their bilateral meeting.
Currently being discussed in Ghana’s parliament is the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Value” — a bill that would imprison those that identify as LGBTQ and criminalizes advocacy for LGBTQ rights.
Harris said on Monday that she discussed human rights with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo but did not specifically comment on the anti-LGBTQ bill before parliament.
During a joint news conference, Harris was asked about the Biden administration’s commitment to calling out any foreign government that advanced anti-gay legislation or violates human rights.
While Harris did not directly address the bill, she said “I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting the freedom and supporting the fighting for equality among all people, and that all people be treated equally. I will also say that this is an issue that we consider, and I consider to be a human rights issue, and that will not change.”
President Nana Akufo-Addo repeatedly refused to say what he would do if the bill passed — saying he would wait to see what his parliament does.
In addition to Ghana, Harris will visit Tanzania and Zambia this week — two countries that have anti-LGBTQ laws.
Harris, whose trip is seen as a U.S. effort to counter growing Chinese influence on the continent, also announced the U.S. will provide $100 million to support stabilization in the region.
Additionally, Harris was asked what guarantee she could make to Ghanaians that the U.S. is more committed to their future with China, and what it says about U.S.-Ghana relations.
“The president and I had a conversation on this very topic,” Harris said. “But the conversation was not about China as much as it is about the enduring and important direct relationship that the United States has with Ghana and with African nations.”
President Akufo-Addo brushed off the attention given to China’s presence in Africa.
“It may be an obsession in America. But there is no such obsession here,” Akufo-Addo said.
Akufo-Addo called out former President Donald Trump for never visiting the continent and said that he hopes President Joe Biden would make it.
The $100 million to support stabilization will go to Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Togo.
On the economy, Harris said “I recognize the challenges that Ghana is facing, especially in the wake of a global pandemic and the disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
“We must work together as an international community to ease the debt burden that is facing far too many countries,” Harris said.
Later on Monday, Harris visited Vibrate Space, a community recording studio, with actors Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
“Your reputation collectively, all of the artists, everything that you have done, is an international reputation,” Harris told a group of Ghanaian artists, including Baaba J and Ansah Live.
Elba said he said he thinks this trip is going to be “significant” to Black Americans in the United States.
“When we think about Africa and we think about African Americans, and we think about Ghana, Ghana has been for the last four or five years a sort of a meeting point for African Americans and the Diaspora to come around Christmas time, the holiday time, and reconnect with whatever roots they think they have in Africa,” Elba said.
He was optimistic that the vice president was also here to bridge gaps between Ghana and investments in the country — calling it an “active step in the right direction.”
Harris travels to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Wednesday afternoon, and then departs Tanzania for Lusaka, the Zambian capital, on Friday. She is scheduled to meet with the presidents of both countries.
(NEW YORK) — You added your destination on your weather app. Your out-of-office notification is on. Chargers — check.
But one thing you didn’t prepare for on your trip? An unexpected medical issue, possibly brought on by a red-eye flight that worked too well or the friends you’re visiting forgetting to tell you they have a new puppy — and you’re allergic!
ABC News asked doctors about must-have medications and products for travel that can relieve some of the pain and stress. Here’s what they had to say.
For your eyes
To look your best on vacation, you may need eye drops that get the red out from that overnight flight and lack of sleep. Dr. Alison Watson, an oculoplastic surgeon in Philadelphia at Wills Eye Hospital, recommends redness relief eye drops that contain low-dose brimonidine as the active ingredient. She says over-the-counter redness relief drops that don’t have brimonidine are not safe for regular use and can “make your eyes more dry over time or actually cause rebound redness.” Anyone having side-effects like burning or itching or having to use redness relief drops for long periods of time should check with a health care provider.
Also, petroleum jelly, commonly referred to as Vaseline, is “the perfect thing to throw in” and “can be safely used around the eyes as a moisturizer,” Watson said.
Watson said petroleum jelly can even double as a makeup remover, even for waterproof makeup. “Just put a thin layer [of Vaseline] right over top. It works especially well for mascara … and you can then wipe it off if you have a cotton wipe or tissue and your makeup will come right off.”
Another product to pack is an eye cream that contains vitamin C and caffeine. “Vitamin C is really brightening and then caffeine works to reduce puffiness,” Watson said. Caffeine constricts small blood vessels to help with redness and vitamin C is an antioxidant that can protect the skin from damage. “So if you’re having later nights than usual or diet changes, it can sort of help keep you looking your best in a pinch on vacation when you’re changing your typical routine,” she said.
Watson’s final travel tip is to “have fun out there,” but not without sun protection for your eyelids, including sunglasses. She says to look for “shimmer eyeshadows that have SPF built in so you can use it as your makeup and also to protect your eyelids from the sun.”
For your allergies
Environmental allergens can trigger your body to release a chemical called histamine, which when overproduced causes congestion, cough and a runny nose.
“Symptoms you weren’t experiencing in New York in February might be in full bloom in sunny Florida,” said Dr. Manav Segal, an allergist and immunologist at Chestnut Hill Allergy and Asthma Associates in Philadelphia.
If a stuffy nose is your main symptom, Segal said over-the-counter nasal steroids such as fluticasone, triamcinolone or mometasone “can be dosed when you need them.”
If you have asthma and it’s aggravated while on a trip, albuterol is not an over-the-counter medication, but is a rescue inhaler that you should talk to your doctor about having with you when you travel.
If your allergies have “nothing to do with the season and everything to do with … cats and dogs,” Segal said safe, effective allergy medications such as loratadine, cetirizine and fexofenadine are available over-the-counter.
The FDA allows for certain medications to be sold without a prescription. but still warns, “You should never misuse OTC medicines by taking them longer or in higher doses than the label recommends. Symptoms that persist are a clear signal it’s time to see a doctor.”
Consider an EpiPen …
With new foods and a new environment, allergic reactions are possible so doctors recommend packing an antihistamine like oral benadryl.
A general rule of thumb is if you have just one symptom, then you can try an antihistamine for relief. But if the reaction involves two symptoms or body systems, using an EpiPen is safest.
“So there’s hives, plus vomiting, or swelling, or any difficulty breathing like wheezing, coughing, then I start to worry that this is a reaction that’s going throughout the whole body and is a little bit more severe,” said Dr. Katie Lockwood, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
If you experience swelling that compromises your breathing or shortness of breath, administer an EpiPen immediately and call 911.
Getting an EpiPen requires first getting a prescription from your doctor.
Lockwood also said if you or your child has “a risk of a food allergy, or a venom allergy, like a bee sting allergy, and or have had anaphylaxis in the past, you should always travel with your EpiPen, because there might not be one available when you need it and they can be lifesaving.” Allergists recommend carrying two doses, as the reaction may reoccur.
Doctors say it’s always safer to err on the side of caution and give an EpiPen if you’re worried about an allergic reaction than to not give it. But if you end up using the EpiPen, you need to seek medical attention promptly afterward.
… and Insect Repellent
Insect repellant is also important to pack — and to apply after you’ve put on SPF 30+ sunscreen — when headed to locations where bugs and mosquitos are active. The most commonly available insect repellents contain the active ingredient DEET. The higher the concentration, the longer it will last. In infants at least 2 months old and children, DEET concentrations should not exceed 30%. Concentrations over 50% may last longer but provided no added benefit and those higher concentrations can be irritating to your skin. Other safe insect repellents are ones that contain picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Inevitably, bugs seem to find a way to evade clothing and even bug spray barriers. When that happens, you want to have a topical steroid on hand to apply directly on the bug bites if they are causing itching or swelling.
A good over-the-counter, anti-itch cream to pack is hydrocortisone 1%. However, if you are prone to exaggerated reactions after bug bites or have a history of eczema, you may want to talk to your dermatologist doctor about having stronger topical steroids on hand and make sure you know how to safely use them.
Be Prepared
Doctors suggest bringing a three- to five-day extra supply of all your prescription medicines.
If you’re traveling, if you just pack enough for the vacation days and your return flight gets delayed, or there’s a terrible snowstorm and you can’t leave, you don’t want to be left without your medication,” said Dr. Nathalie May, associate professor of medicine at Drexel University.
Hopefully, your medication travel bag is untouched and it’s ready for your next trip, but don’t forget to check expiration dates before your next getaway.
Mark Abdelmalek, M.D., is an ABC News investigative reporter and medical contributor, and a Mohs Surgeon in Philadelphia at Dermatology of Philadelphia.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The six victims of a fatal shooting at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, have been identified by law enforcement officials.
Three children and three staff members were killed at the Covenant School, a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade, on Monday morning.
The Metro Nashville Police Department identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; William Kinney, 9; Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Katherine Koonce, 60
Koonce was the head of the Covenant School, according to police.
Cynthia Peak, 61
Peak was a substitute teacher, according to investigators.
Mike Hill, 61
Hill was a custodian, investigators said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Florence + the Machine is helping you exercise in virtual reality.
The VR fitness app Supernatural has announced a new series of workouts soundtracked by the music of Florence Welch and company, including “Dog Days Are Over” and “Ship to Wreck.”
Meanwhile, Florence + the Machine recently released a cover of No Doubt‘s “Just a Girl” for the new season of Showtime’s Yellowjackets series. The band’s most recent album is last May’s Dance Fever.
Robert Trujillo is singing on a Metallica record for the first time.
Speaking with the band’s online So What!publication, the bassist reveals that his vocals are featured on the song “You Must Burn!”, a track off the upcoming ‘Tallica album 72 Seasons.
“When I joined Metallica, I’d never sung in my whole life, so the fact that I can now support a backup vocal is pretty cool,” Trujillo shares. “For the first time in my life, I get to sing on a Metallica record and support James [Hetfield]. I’m very proud of that.”
Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003 in place of Jason Newsted. His recruitment is memorably featured in the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster.
72 Seasons is due out April 14. It’s the third album Metallica’s recorded with Trujillo — or fourth if you count the 2011 Lou Reed collaboration Lulu — following 2008’s Death Magnetic and 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.
