Sweetie attends the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History on November 03, 2025, in New York City.. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
Saweetie has been tapped to perform at an event by a league of dancers who, like her, use their talents to express something they feel. She is set to hit the stage during halftime at the inaugural International Dance League event, taking place May 2 at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.
“Dancers have been choreographing to Saweetie’s music for years. There’s a reason for that, the music moves,” said IDL CEO Connor Lim said in a statement. “Having her halftime our first event in New York felt like a natural fit, the music and the moment line up perfectly.”
“Movement is alchemy. You take something you feel, something you can’t even name, and you turn it into something people can see and feel across the world,” Saweetie added. “That’s what these dancers do. That’s what I try to do with music. IDL is putting both of those things on the same stage and I’m here for it.”
IDL, according to a press release, was founded in 2025 and is the “first global professional league dedicated to dance.” The New York event marks the opener for its first global season, which will see the league’s six teams from around the globe go head-to-head for a championship win.
IDL will then make its way to Vancouver, Sydney, Seoul and Los Angeles for other scheduled events. Tickets are available for purchase on its website.
(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran over Iranian territory and a U.S. search and rescue effort is underway, three American officials confirmed to ABC News.
The status of the crew aboard the F-15E aircraft was not immediately known.
The early indications that the U.S. fighter was brought down by enemy fire would mark the first time Iran has successfully downed a manned American aircraft in the war, which started in February.
There are photos of the fighter that were released by Iranian state media and could not be independently verified by ABC News.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the matter, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
In late March, an American F-18 fighter jet narrowly dodged an Iranian surface-to-air missile, according to a U.S. official. Earlier that month, an American F-35, the Pentagon’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, had to make an emergency landing after being struck by Iranian fire. Three F-15s were also brought down over Kuwait in a friendly fire episode earlier in the war, though all six pilots ejected safely, according to U.S. officials.
The incident comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other U.S. officials have said that Iran’s military capabilities have been severely crippled and that the U.S. has “total air dominance” over Iran.
Trump, in a primetime address to the nation earlier this week, said the U.S. was “nearing completion” of its military objectives and that Tehran’s anti-aircraft abilities had been decimated.
“We’ve done all of it. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten,” Trump said in his speech on Wednesday night.
“They have no anti-aircraft equipment,” Trump added in his remarks. “Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has made a number of false claims about US aircraft being downed but the US has pushed back on those.
Iran has maintained at least some ability to continue with attacks targeting U.S. facilities in the Middle East and other countries in the region, wounding more than 300 U.S. service members, according to U.S. officials. The number of wounded has remained at a relatively unbroken steady rate each week, data reviewed by ABC News shows. Thirteen service members have been killed in action since the war began five weeks ago, according to U.S. Central Command.
Combat search and rescue missions have become relatively rare for U.S. forces after more than a generation of near-total air dominance, with American aircraft typically operating with limited threats to aircraft in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2011, Marines rescued two Air Force pilots in Libya who had ejected from their F-15 after a mechanical failure. During the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, the mission shifted almost instantly after two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, forcing American special operations troops to pivot toward securing crash sites and extracting surviving crew members under fire.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ (Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings)
Israeli-born musician Suki Lahav, whose violin work is heard on Bruce Springsteen’s iconic Born to Run track “Jungleland,” has died at the age of 74.
Her death was confirmed by her son, musician Yonatan Albalak, in a post on Facebook.
“She wrote songs that touched people’s hearts,” he wrote. “She was a special woman, smart, pure in heart and loving life. She was the best mom I could ever ask for.”
The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music also announced her death, noting “she contributed to the early sound of Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough era.”
“Lahav went on to become a major figure in Israeli music and literature, leaving behind a lasting legacy as both a songwriter and poet,” the post added.
Tzruya “Suki” Lahav came to America from Israel in 1971 with her husband, recording engineer Louis Lahav, who worked with Springsteen on his early albums Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. She began working with The Boss in the mid-’70s and briefly joined The E Street Band. Her appearance on “Jungleland” was her most notable contribution to Springsteen’s music, with her violin solo opening the song.
A burning car is seen following a crash at the Bedford Toll Plaza in Bedford, New Hampshire, March 31, 2026. (New Hampshire State Police)
(NEW HAMPSHIRE) — Voice actor and comedian Eugene Mirman thanked the “heroic people” who came to his aid after he was involved in a fiery crash at a New Hampshire toll plaza earlier this week.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte and her security detail came upon Tuesday’s collision — with a state trooper on her detail and two other bystanders helping pull the trapped driver from the burning vehicle, according to state police.
Mirman, 51, of “Bob’s Burgers” fame, was seriously injured in the crash.
“I am extraordinarily thankful to the heroic people that pulled me from the car and to the warm, kind and talented staff at the hospital that cared for me and got me on the mend!” Mirman said in a post on social media on Friday. “I am thankful beyond words to be here and doing relatively alright, all things considered.”
Mirman was in a “very scary car accident” and is “grateful to be on the mend,” his agent, Jay Gassner, said in a statement following the crash.
The “dangerous” collision occurred at the Bedford Toll Plaza on the F.E. Everett Turnpike shortly before noon Tuesday, according to New Hampshire State Police Director Col. Mark Hall.
The vehicle, a 2026 Lucid Gravity electric vehicle, “immediately became engulfed in flames,” Hall said during a press briefing on Tuesday. Multiple people called 911 to report the fiery crash, and that “someone in the vehicle appeared to be trapped,” police said.
The governor and her security detail came upon the accident just after the vehicle crashed into the toll plaza, as police units were responding, police said. A New Hampshire state trooper assigned to her detail and two other bystanders helped Mirman — the lone occupant — out of the burning vehicle through the window, according to Hall.
Hall said he is not identifying the trooper due to the nature of the assignment.
“It is a veteran trooper, and certainly their actions were heroic in what they did — without hesitation, put themselves in danger to render aid to somebody that clearly was in need of it,” Hall said.
“I’m proud of the State Trooper and the bystanders who saved a life at the scene of yesterday’s crash in Bedford,” Ayotte said in a statement. “It’s an example of the great work first responders do each day to keep New Hampshire safe and how Granite Staters always step up to help someone in need.”
The governor and other witnesses also provided assistance at the scene, according to Hall.
“The governor did get out of the vehicle and tried to assist in any way that she could,” Hall said, adding he believed she tried to get a fire extinguisher from a vehicle to help put the fire out.
Mirman was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Photos released by police showed the burning vehicle and firefighters at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation.
Mirman plays 11-year-old Gene Belcher on the hit TV show “Bob’s Burgers,” which premiered in 2011.
Cardi B performs in concert on March 28, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a 2-K initiative, in which he’ll provide free, universal child care for 2-year-olds in New York City. He’s on a search for the person who can come up with the best jingle for it, and he’s teamed with Cardi B for a contest in which she’ll help select the finalists.
Video of Mamdani asking Cardi for her assistance was posted to the NYC Mayor’s Office social media Friday and later reposted to her Instagram Story.
“Can you believe that?” Cardi says in the clip. “We have a 34-year-old mayor! I feel like I’m a kid, and you’re, like, running New York,” she continues, before Mamdani poses a question about child care.
“Cardi, what do you think of free child care?” he asks. The mother of four responds, “I feel like free child care is very important. Sometimes us women, we can’t really go forward because we don’t have nobody to help us take care of our kids.”
“This fall we’re starting to deliver universal 2-K, which is just like pre-K, just like 3-K, but 2-K for 2-year-olds. Free child care, 2,000 seats in the fall, and there’s gonna be seats in the Bronx starting it up. … Enrollment actually starts in June,” Mamdani says.
He then asks Cardi if she would help judge a competition to find the best jingle, and she replies yes.
“The mayor’s going to help you! And I’m gonna judge, and he’s going to give because he’s the one with the funds,” she clarifies. New Yorkers will vote for the lucky winner.
The deadline for submissions is April 17; rules and guidelines can be found online. The winner’s jingle will be the theme song for Mamdani’s 2-K initiative; it will also play on the radio.
President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The White House, in its budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, is asking Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense — a record-breaking military spending request as the U.S. remains in its fifth week of war with Iran.
That is a $445 billion, or a 42% increase from the 2026 total level, according to the White House. Non-defense spending would be then be reduced by $73 billion, or 10%, according to the budget released by the White House on Friday.
Major targets of the proposed spending cuts are environmental programs across many federal agencies, including canceling more than $15 billion in Department of Energy grants related to clean energy.
The White House budget also continues the Department of Education’s “path to elimination,” proposes cuts to agriculture spending by 19% and proposes slashing the Internal Revenue Service’s budget by $1.4 billion.
“The 2027 Budget builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government,” Office of Budget and Management Director Russ Vought wrote in the request to Congress.
President Donald Trump’s budget request, which is largely a wishlist sent to Congress in order to signal the administration’s priorities, lists “reducing violent crime and protecting national security” along with “protecting the homeland and removing dangerous illegal aliens” as the other two spending priorities for the upcoming year.
The budget proposes more than $19 billion for federal law enforcement — a 15% increase from 2026. The budget maintains “critical funding” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement next year, equal to the 2026 level, including $2.2 billion to maintain 41,500 immigration detention beds.
The White House said that an investment in defense and Department of Homeland Security would be, in part, achieved through budget reconciliation.
The reconciliation process comes with a key advantage of not being subject to a filibuster. This means legislation can be passed with a simple majority vote in the Senate and that Republicans wouldn’t necessarily need Democratic support, signaling an attempt from the White House to avoid Democratic demands for non-defense increases.
“Reconciliation funding in 2027 will enable DHS to fully implement the President’s immigration enforcement initiatives, finish construction of the border wall on the Southwest border, procure advanced border security technology, and continue the largest recapitalization investment in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard,” according to the White House.
(L-R) Yoonchae, Megan, Lara Raj, Manon, Sophia, and Daniela of KATSEYE attend the 68th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
KATSEYE’s Manon Bannerman has given fans an update after she was noticeably absent from the group’s music video teaser for their new song, “Pinky Up.”
Back in February, the group’s record labels announced Manon would be “taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing,” but some fans were still upset to see her missing from the video.
Manon shared a statement on Weverse DMs, writing that she’s been having “positive conversations” with the labels HYBE and Geffen Records.
“Thank you so much for all the love and support you’ve been sending my way,” she wrote, according to Forbes. “I’m really grateful for the patience and kindness everyone has shown during this time. HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me.”
KATSEYE’s new song, “Pinky Up,” and its video drop April 9 at 9 p.m. PT.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Paul Simon during Thursday’s April 2, 2026 show. (Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
Paul Simon broke out a classic tune for his latest appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was a guest on the late night talker Thursday night, where he performed “Something So Right” from his 1973 album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.
The choice of song was a request of Colbert, who, during the interview segment of the episode, showed a clip of Simon accepting a $20 bribe from an audience member to perform the song “Kodachrome” at a 2025 Los Angeles concert.
“I was just wondering if me and my friend Mr. Jackson here could entice you into doing ‘Something So Right,’” said Colbert, pulling out a $20 bill. Simon replied, “Oh, I’m doing that anyway. You keep it,” joking that since Cobert’s show has been canceled he’ll need the cash.
Colbert also asked Simon to name his “Mount Rushmore” of American lyricists, with Simon noting there’s a “long list.” The first name he mentioned was Chuck Berry, explaining “he taught my whole generation.” He also named Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder, as well as Joni Mitchell, although she is actually Canadian.
Paul Simon is set to launch a European leg of his A Quiet Celebration Tour on April 9 in Prague. He’ll then bring the tour back to the U.S. June 4 in Palo Alto, California. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulSimon.com.
(LONDON) — An American fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran, according to three U.S. officials. Search and rescue operations are currently underway, the officials said.
President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The White House, in their budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, is asking Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense — a record-breaking military spending request as the U.S. remains in its fifth week of war with Iran.
That is a $445 billion, or a 42% increase from the 2026 total level, according to the White House. Non-defense spending is reduced by $73 billion, or 10%, according to the budget released by the White House on Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
