Sony Pictures/Kings Theatre and Ambassador Theatre Group
Sony Pictures’ Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse will swing into its hero Miles Morales’ home turf of Brooklyn for a special live event.
And he’s bringing backup.
On Friday, March 17, the borough’s historic Kings Theatre will host a screening of the film, coupled with a full orchestra, band and DJs, all providing musical accompaniment to the groundbreaking movie.
The event will also feature a Q&A with the animated film’s Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning composer, Daniel Pemberton, and composer and performer Tamar-kali to discuss the special performance.
The original Spider-Verse soundtrack featured contributions from Lil Wayne, Post Malone and Nicki Minaj; an in-house DJ will spin the tracks, backed by Broadway Sinfonietta, an NYC-based all-female BIPOC orchestra.
(WASHINGTON) — The fight between President Joe Biden and Republicans on Medicare and Social Security continues weeks after their fiery exchange at the State of the Union.
Biden has taken his message that some in the GOP want to implement cuts to the popular programs on the road, highlighting at nearly every opportunity a proposal by Florida Sen. Rick Scott to sunset all federal legislation every five years — which the Republican now claims was not intended for Social Security or Medicare.
Scott, in turn, has accused Biden of cutting billions of dollars from Medicare when he signed the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act into law last year. In an ad released after the State of the Union, Scott said Biden “just cut $280 billion from Medicare.”
The back-and-forth comes as the battle over the nation’s debt limit intensifies on Capitol Hill. With the country heading toward default as soon as July, lawmakers have to reach agreement on the debt ceiling or risk unprecedented economic consequences.
Biden responded at a union event in Pennsylvania in mid-February.
“Here’s Rick Scott’s response to this … He said, ‘I’m cutting prescription drug costs. That means I’m cutting Medicare.’ Where’s he been? I think he’s a little confused,” Biden said.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, too, posted online following the State of the Union that Biden slashed Medicare by $300 billion.
But several experts told ABC News that is not the case.
“The suggestion that the Inflation Reduction Act cuts Medicare is absolutely ludicrous,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a professor in the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Juliette Cubanski, the deputy director of the program on Medicare Policy at Kaiser Family Foundation, also said “the claim doesn’t hold up.”
Experts explained the Inflation Reduction Act authorizes the federal government to negotiate some drug prices and requires drug companies to pay a rebate to Medicare if they increase prices faster than inflation, which is saving the program money but not costing beneficiaries.
Other drug-pricing provisions in the plan include capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors on Medicare and capping out-of-pocket spending for certain beneficiaries.
“These changes reduce the prices that Medicare pays, and reduce Medicare spending, but do not cut benefits or coverage for Medicare beneficiaries,” said Gretchen Jacobson, the vice president of the Medicare program at Commonwealth Fund.
According to the final estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, the law’s drug-pricing provisions will reduce the federal deficit by $237 billion over the next decade. A previous estimate by the CBO on an earlier version of the bill that was not signed into law placed the savings at $300 billion.
“So the bottom line is that reducing the amount of money that Medicare spends on prescription drugs to the tune of $237 billion is not the same thing as cutting funding for Medicare by $237 billion,” Cubanksi said.
The ramped up rhetoric between Biden and the GOP comes amid an impending showdown on the debt ceiling. Democrats want a clean raise to the debt limit without cuts, while Republicans want to reign in government spending.
McCarthy has now said Medicare and Social Security should be “off the table” in the debt ceiling talks. A recent CBO report showed the government will default, or run out of money to pay its bills, sometime between July and September unless Congress raises the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling.
Megan Moroney has unveiled the track list for her debut album, Lucky.
Dropping on May 5 via Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records, the 13-song album is produced by Kristian Bush and will include her fast-rising single “Tennessee Orange,” as well as “I’m Not Pretty,” both of which are out now.
“After we wrote the title track ‘Lucky,’ I knew I wanted it to be the name of my debut album,” Megan tells the press. “If you know anything about me and my story, a lot of things (both good and bad) happened to get me to where I am today, and I just feel very lucky. I couldn’t live out this dream without the support of my fans, family, and team. I can’t wait to bring these songs on the road with me this year and I hope everyone loves them as much as I do!”
The title track, which is co-written by Megan alongside Casey Smith, Ben Williams and David “Messy” Mesco, will arrive Friday, March 10.
Here’s the full track listing for Lucky:
“I’m Not Pretty”
“Lucky”
“Tennessee Orange”
“Kansas Anymore”
“Girl In The Mirror”
“Another on the Way”
“Traitor Joe”
“Why Johnny”
“God Plays A Gibson”
“Georgia Girl”
“Sleep On My Side”
“Mustang or Me”
“Sad Songs For Sad People”
Manchester Orchestra has shared a new single called “The Way,” which will appear on the band’s upcoming album, The Valley of Vision.
As previously reported, The Valley of Vision will be released digitally Friday, March 10, alongside a virtual reality film premiering Thursday, March 9, at 8 p.m. ET. The record will be out on physical formats on April 7.
You can listen to “The Way” now via digital outlets. It’s the second track to be released from The Valley of Vision, following the cut “Capital Karma.”
The Valley of Vision is the follow-up to 2021’s The Million Masks ofGod.
(NEW YORK) — One year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, both sides are still fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops have liberated nearly 30,000 square miles of their territory from Russian forces since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war. Tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have already died on the battlefield, while Ukrainian civilians continue to be terrorized by Russian missiles.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 07, 12:09 PM EST
Up to 30,000 Russian casualties in Bakhmut: Western officials
Up to 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in Bakhmut over the last several months amid intense fighting in the eastern Ukrainian city, Western officials said in a briefing Tuesday.
The ratio of dead to injured was “unclear,” said the officials, who described Ukraine’s refusal to withdraw from the city — even though its forces are surrounded on three sides — as “a sound tactic” given that “lots of Russians are being killed.”
“What we’re seeing is a horrific level of Russian casualties for minimal gains,” they said, noting that an estimated 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded overall since the war began.
In the past 24 hours, 244 Russian troops were killed and 315 wounded in Bakhmut, Serhiy Chevrevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern group of forces, said during a national telethon on Tuesday.
The officials refused to say how many Ukrainians have been killed or injured in and around Bakhmut but claimed it was “significantly lower.”
They also were unable to put a clear time frame on when a Ukrainian withdrawal might come, though noted the possibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive should not be ruled out.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Mar 05, 5:20 PM EST
13 found dead after strike hits Zhaporizhzhia
Thirteen people have been found dead since a rocket struck an apartment building in Zhaporizhzhia, Ukraine, authorities said.
The governor there has called for a national day of mourning on Monday.
The State Emergency Situation of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia initially posted on their Telegram account Friday that seven people were dead.
So far, 11 people have been saved, and 20 people were able to evacuate the building.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Mar 03, 2:21 PM EST
Merrick Garland makes unannounced visit to Ukraine
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other international partners at the United for Justice Conference.
Garland attended several meetings while he was there.
-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin
Mar 03, 2:09 PM EST
US announces $400 million more in military aid for Ukraine
The U.S. Department of Defense announced $400 million in new military aid for Ukraine, including eight folding armored bridges for the first time.
This is the Biden administration’s 33rd drawdown of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Mar 03, 2:08 PM EST
5,000 remain in Bakhmut as Russian shelling intensifies
Around 5,000 people still remain in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, including 37 children, according to Donetsk Oblast Regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
The losses in Bakhmut stand at the rate of one Ukrainian solider to seven Russian soldiers, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilo said on TV.
Russian forces fighting for control of Bakhmut intensified shelling at access roads to the west, making it harder for Ukrainian forces to move in and out, Reuters reported Friday.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Mar 03, 12:20 PM EST
Blinken, Ukrainian foreign minister discuss Lavrov meeting
The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba about the brief conversation that took place at the G-20 summit between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“The Secretary underscored to Foreign Minister Kuleba the United States’ enduring support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal attacks, including the ongoing targeting of civilian infrastructure and resulting civilian casualties,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Mar 02, 3:48 PM EST
US to announce more weapons for Ukraine on Friday
The U.S. will announce another assistance package for Ukraine on Friday, White House spokesperson John Kirby announced Thursday afternoon, but did not detail the exact size of this next round of support.
“You’ll see us tomorrow, just unilaterally, the U.S. will have another round of assistance for Ukraine coming tomorrow. And it will include mostly ammunitions and munitions that the Ukrainians will need for the systems that they already have, like the HIMARS and the artillery.”
The new aid comes as President Joe Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House Friday to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues.
Kirby said the leaders would discuss the “kinds of capabilities that Ukraine continues to need in the weeks and months ahead.”
He also said this will be a “true working visit” between Biden and Scholz and they are expected to discuss “recent engagements with Ukrainian officials, including the President’s trip to Kyiv and meeting with President Zelenskyy, as well as Chancellor Schultz’s meeting with President Zelensky in Paris last month.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Mar 02, 3:12 PM EST
Lavrov ‘diverted’ Blinken’s calls to reconsider Russia leaving START treaty
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “diverted” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s calls to reconsider the decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, Russia’s foreign ministry told Interfax, Russian news agency.
“If they want to return to diplomacy, let them return. If they are engaged in self-promotion and such inexpensive PR, well, this is possible. True, the result will be appropriate,” Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Russian TV channel Rossiya-1.
-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia
Mar 02, 12:36 PM EST
Blinken, Lavrov hold ‘on the go’ talk at G-20 meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had an “on the go” talk during the G-20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in India, but there were no negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS, a Russian news agency, Thursday.
“Blinken asked for a contact with Lavrov. Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] had communication on the go during the second session. But there were no negotiations, no meeting or so on,” the diplomat said.
Blinken had said earlier in the day during a press conference he had “spoke briefly” with Lavrov and discussed ending the war, as well as Russia rejoining the New START Treaty on nuclear arms.
“I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G-20 foreign ministers said today: End this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that could produce a just and durable peace,” he said. “The United States stands ready to support Ukraine through diplomacy to end the war on this basis.”
A senior State Department official downplayed any hopes that the conversation moved the needle on any of the topics.
-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Shannon Crawford
Mar 01, 5:12 PM EST
Ukraine says it’s shot down 80% of Russian missiles
Ukraine has shot down 80% of Russian missiles, according to Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force Serhiy Nayev.
Nayev made the assessment in a Facebook post on Wednesday about the effectiveness of the air defense system.
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle has paid tribute to his late bandmate Gary Rossington, who passed away Sunday at the age of 71. Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stonethat after hearing the news of Rossington’s death he went back and looked at the final texts they sent to each other.
“I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I,” he tells the mag. “And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life.”
Talking about the band, Pyle shared, “When Bob, Gary and [singer] Ronnie [Van Zant] got together in Bob’s carport on the west side of Jacksonville, Florida, they put something together that went worldwide.” He added, “Everyone will remember Gary as a road dog, trouper, songwriter, and one of the greatest guitar players that ever lived. He just loved being onstage.”
And while Pyle went on to sue members of Lynyrd Skynyrd over a movie about the band’s 1977 plane crash that killed Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and others, he says he’s ready to put that in the past. Pyle notes, “I don’t want to ever talk about it again — the music business did not kill our love for the music, it never did. Gary’s place in music history is rock solid. Fly on, fly high, our free bird brother.”
Rossington was the final living member of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd, and with his death Pyle is now the only living Lynyrd Skynyrd member inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band. “As it turns out, being the last living member of Lynyrd Skynyrd is not all it’s cracked up to be,” Pyle says. “It’s painful, and I’m trying to process it and deal with it.”
(NEW YORK) — Sayfullo Saipov is “a proud terrorist” who deserves the death penalty for the “unremorseful slaughter of innocent civilians” during a Halloween 2017 terror attack in New York City, a prosecutor argued in federal court on Tuesday.
Saipov was convicted in January of killing eight people and trying to kill 18 more in the ISIS-inspired truck attack on a bike path adjacent to the Hudson River. It was the deadliest terror attack in New York since Sept. 11, 2001.
A jury will soon begin deliberating on whether he should get the death penalty.
During closing arguments in the penalty phase on Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Houle showed photographs of each of the deceased victims that depicted them in the bloodied, twisted state in which they were found.
“It is brutal to look at these photographs but it is important because that brutality is exactly what the defendant intended,” Houle said. “With each death he made himself more culpable, more deserving of the ultimate punishment.”
Saipov, in a dark jacket and white shirt, sat at the defense table with his head bowed, hands in his lap and mask covering his face. Nine of the 28 counts he was convicted of carry the possibility of the death penalty.
“Murder is always terrible but when the defendant made the choice to murder multiple people he exposed himself to a harsher punishment,” Houle said. “He stole eight lives.”
Houle showed photographs of the victims with their families and reminded the jury of the anguished testimony of the victims’ relatives. Hernan Ferruchi’s widow testified her “life came crashing down.” Diego Angelini’s widow testified “she still thinks about Diego every single day” and how their children — ages 11, 9, 7 and 5 — cry because they miss him.
“The defendant chose to take so much from all of these families,” Houle said.
Ann-Laure Decadt’s baby, Joseph, was weeks old when she was killed in the attack. The jury saw photos of the mother and baby. Decadt’s mother and sister were on the bike path with her and watched her die.
“A word has not yet been invented to describe the pain she feels,” Houle said of Decadt’s mother’s testimony.
During the prosecutor’s closing statement, the husband of an FBI agent associated with the case suffered a medical episode and was taken from the courtroom. An ambulance was called.
After a recess, the defense moved for a mistrial and asked that jurors be told who the person is.
“There is no way they won’t speculate about someone sitting with the victims’ families,” defense attorney David Patton said.
At the time, the jury was watching a video that depicted the mangled school bus Saipov had struck. Children were inside and the driver was injured.
“Someone had a very strong reaction to that,” Patton said.
Federal prosecutors objected to the mistrial.
“The defendant has not been deprived of a fair trial because someone suffered a medical episode,” Houle said.
The defense compared the moment to an emotional outburst during the penalty phase by Saipov’s father, who shouted “dirty ISIS bastards” and punched the door on his way out of court.
“The two are not even close,” Judge Vernon Broderick said.
Broderick denied the mistrial and declined to identify to the jury who suffered the medical episode. He told jurors the episode “had no bearing on the case” and instructed them to disregard it.
A death sentence for Saipov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, would be the first by a federal jury in New York in decades. Federal juries in Brooklyn approved a death sentence for a man who murdered two New York police detectives in 2007 and 2013, but both sentences were tossed out on appeal.
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to stop the proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.
The $3.8 billion merger would create the nation’s fifth largest airline, and would be the first U.S. airline merger since 2016 when Alaska Airways bought Virgin Atlantic.
In anticipation of a DOJ lawsuit, JetBlue said a merger with Spirit would bring down costs for customers.
“The Big Four airlines have a lock on about 80% of the market,” the company said in a statement. “JetBlue’s combination with Spirit allows it to create a compelling national challenger to these dominant airlines, while also ensuring [ultra low cost carrier] options remain available in overlap markets.”
The company said it’s already made changes ahead of the merger and their routes do not overlap.
“JetBlue’s unique combination of low fares and great service is a competitive force that keeps the legacy carriers on their toes and results in lower fares,” the company said.
In the lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court, the Justice Department said that allowing the merger to go through would eliminate Spirit as the “the largest and fastest-growing ultra-low-cost carrier in the United States.”
Spirit, the Justice Department said, is allowing cost-conscious Americans the option to travel, and by eliminating this business model, it hurts competition for consumers.
“If the acquisition is approved, JetBlue plans to abandon Spirit’s business model, remove seats from Spirit’s planes, and charge Spirit’s customers higher prices,” the lawsuit says. “JetBlue’s plan would eliminate the unique competition that Spirit provides — and about half of all ultra-low-cost airline seats in the industry—and leave tens of millions of travelers to face higher fares and fewer options. Spirit itself put it simply: “A JetBlue acquisition of Spirit will have lasting negative impacts on consumers.”
Spirit’s model of unbundling certain services like carry-on baggage allows for consumers to chose what they want to pay for, which is their “secret weapon.”
“The rest of the industry — including JetBlue –has been forced to respond to Spirit’s innovations and low prices. Spirit estimates that when it starts flying a route, average fares fall by 17%; JetBlue estimates that when Spirit stops flying a route, average fares go up by 30%,” the lawsuit says. “Spirit’s success — and other airlines’ response to it—has led to the “Spirit Effect”: when Spirit enters a new route, prices for consumers across all airlines tend to fall and demand for air travel goes up.”
DOJ contends that Spirit serves a different population — families traveling for a vacation and not those traveling for work or something else.
“JetBlue’s acquisition would also dampen competition with other airlines,” the suit says. “Airlines do not always compete as aggressively as they could. Sometimes they take advantage of opportunities to soften competition through coordinated actions—like “follow-the-leader” price increases—that lead to higher fares or reduced capacity. Spirit has recognized it has “no obligation” to “follow the herd” when it comes to collective industry price increases. By contrast, JetBlue has already demonstrated its willingness to follow along with some of those opportunities to coordinate and would have increased incentives to do so if the acquisition goes through.”
The acquisition would dampen Spirit’s growth and reduce the number of seats on Spirit’s planes, according to DOJ. The department says that when JetBlue came into the market it was the disrupter, but now has transitioned to a “close ally” of the big four airline carriers.
“Spirit’s strategy of focusing on cost-conscious travelers has prompted other airlines to follow suit by introducing their own fare options to better compete,” the suit says.
The Justice Department notes that JetBlue has attempted to buy Spirit before – unsuccessfully in 2017 and 2019.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
David Bowie released his ninth studio album, Young Americans, which was considered a departure from his glam-rock style, focusing more on soul and R&B influences.
The album, which featured backing vocals by a then-unknown singer named Luther Vandross, debuted in the Billboard 200 top 10 in the U.S. and remained on the chart for 51 weeks.
The album’s second single, “Fame,” became Bowie’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s first single, the title track, peaked at 28 on the chart.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is out Tuesday with a new plan he says will shore up Medicare’s finances through 2050 by increasing taxes on the wealthy and allowing more negotiation on prescription drug prices.
The plan, unveiled by Biden in a New York Times op-ed on Tuesday, is part of the White House’s overall budget proposal set to be released later this week as a battle brews on Capitol Hill over the debt ceiling.
Lawmakers have until September at the latest to reach an agreement or risk an unprecedented default that could wreak havoc on the economy. Republicans have said they won’t raise the debt ceiling without cuts to federal spending, while Democrats have advocated for a clean increase to fulfill the nation’s obligations.
Amid the showdown, Biden’s sought a stark contrast between his administration and the Republican Party when it comes to Medicare and Social Security. He’s accused some in the GOP of gunning for the popular programs, though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s said they are off the table in the upcoming negotiations, and has vowed to strengthen the programs as they face financial shortfalls.
To keep Medicare solvent, Biden’s new plan would increase the Medicare tax rate 5% — up from 3.8% — on Americans making more than $400,000 per year.
He’s also proposed allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of more prescription drugs and investing the savings reaped back into the program. Currently, Medicare is allowed to negotiate only the prices of a small share of covered drugs as outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Democrats last year.
According to a White House fact sheet, the Medicare proposal will also cap generic drug cost sharing at $2 for medications used to treat chronic illnesses like hypertension or high cholesterol.
“Add all that up, and my budget will extend the Medicare trust fund for more than another generation, an additional 25 years or more of solvency — beyond 2050,” Biden wrote in the New York Times op-ed. “These are common-sense changes that I’m confident an overwhelming majority of Americans support.”
“MAGA Republicans have a different view,” Biden continued, taking aim at Republican criticisms of the Inflation Reduction Act. “If the MAGA Republicans get their way, seniors will pay higher out-of-pocket costs on prescription drugs and insulin, the deficit will be bigger, and Medicare will be weaker.”
Millions of seniors depend on Medicare for health insurance but the program faces a funding shortfall that could see benefits cut starting in 2028 unless action is taken by Congress.
“Drugs make up about 27% of fee-for-service Medicare spending for beneficiaries who are enrolled in prescription drug benefits, so it should not be surprising that doing more to reduce the prices would help to extend solvency until 2050,” Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said of Biden’s new plan.
“Will that be enough? Maybe not, but it could help. Medicare is facing substantial spending growth due to the aging population and their health needs, which means we need to do more than minor adjustments if we want to keep the program solvent,” Dusetzina told ABC News in an email.
It remains to be seen how Biden’s budget will address Social Security, which also faces a funding shortfall that could result in scheduled benefits being cut by 23% starting in 2034.
“When I introduce my budget, you’ll see that it’s going to invest in America, lower health costs, and protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare while cutting the deficit more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years,” Biden said as he spoke on health care in Virginia Beach last week.
Biden is scheduled to unveil his broader budget plan in Philadelphia on Thursday.
The GOP has yet to reveal exactly what they want to see cut in the next budget and have not detailed a timeline for their budget plan to be unveiled. Rep. James Comer told This Week last month they in the process of debating their proposal.
“Somebody’s got to be the adult at the table, and House Republicans will hopefully be that,” Comer said.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
