Kevin Warsh, former governor of the US Federal Reserve, walks to lunch during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The annual event has been a historic breeding ground for media deals and is usually a forum for tech and media elites to discuss the future of their industry. (Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced conservative economist and former Fed governor Kevin Warsh as his pick to be the new Federal Reserve chairman.
In a post on Truth Social early Friday morning, Trump said that he has “known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best.”
“He will never let you down,” Trump continued.
Warsh previously served on the Fed’s board of governors from 2006 to 2011. He was a top adviser to then-Fed chairman Ben Bernanke during the 2008 financial crisis, serving as a liaison between the central bank and Wall Street. During that time, he was an inflation “hawk” — skeptical of the Fed’s ultra-low interest rate policy. But in more recent interviews, Warsh has heaped praise on Trump and called for “regime change” at the Fed.
On Thursday, Trump said that he had “chosen a very good person” while walking the carpet at the Kennedy Center ahead of the premiere of the documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
Trump said his pick to replace current Chairman Jerome Powell is an “outstanding person and a person that won’t be too surprising to people.”
“A lot of people think that this is somebody that could have been there a few years ago,” Trump went on. “It’s going to be somebody that is very respected, somebody that’s known to everybody in the financial world. And I think it’s going to be a very good choice.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell over the past year for his cautious approach to lowering interest rates.
Powell’s term as chairman expires in May.
Earlier this month, in an extraordinary escalation of the months-long attack on the independence of the Federal Reserve, Powell announced that federal prosecutors had launched a criminal investigation related to a multi-year renovation of the Fed’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Earlier this week, at its first meeting since news of the investigation surfaced, the Federal Reserve voted to hold interest rates steady.
Trump said that the Fed governors who voted earlier this week to pause interest rates will change their minds once there is a new chair.
“If they respect the Fed chairman, they’ll be with us all the way,” Trump said. “They want to see the country be great.”
Luigi Mangione appears for a suppression of evidence hearing in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan Criminal Court, December 18, 2025 in New York City. (Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The judge overseeing Luigi Mangione’s federal case may decide on Friday if the death penalty will remain a sentencing option if he’s convicted.
Mangione, who is accused of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024, will return to the federal courtroom on Friday. He has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.
The defense argued that stalking “fails to qualify as a crime of violence” and therefore cannot be the predicate to make Mangione eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted of the federal charges. The defense also argued that the decision to seek the death penalty was political and circumvented the federal government’s protocols.
Judge Margaret Garnett has said Mangione would stand trial for the federal case in January 2027 if capital punishment remains on the table, and that the federal trial would begin in October if the death penalty is taken off the table. Either way, she set jury selection for Sept. 8.
Federal prosecutors contend the Altoona Police Department’s search followed departmental procedures. Mangione’s lawyers have argued the backpack search was illegal and police should not have had immediate access to the items inside, including the alleged murder weapon, a notebook and writings.
In making their case for a July 1 state trial, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said the state has a “deep interest” in upholding the right to life, maintaining public order and delivering justice for Thompson’s family.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sign stands at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate, now facing an impasse in negotiations, did not cast votes on a government funding deal on Thursday, sending the government ever closer to a partial shutdown with a little more than 24 hours until funding runs out.
Senate Democrats announced earlier Thursday they had struck an agreement with the White House to move forward with a plan that would see the Department of Homeland Security funding bill separated from a package of five other bills. Programs funded by the five-bill package would be funded until the end of September. DHS would be funded for two additional weeks to allow lawmakers to negotiate on other provisions in the package.
The Senate must get unanimous agreement to move forward with this plan if it wants to hold votes before Friday night’s deadline. As it stood Thursday night, there seemed to be objections by senators on both sides of the aisle gumming up the works.
“Tomorrow’s another day, and hopefully people will be in a spirit to try and get this done tomorrow,” Majority Leader John Thune said as he was leaving the Capitol late Thursday.
If Senators can’t win over the objectors by Friday, they’ll force the government into a partial shutdown. The Senate will reconvene at 11 a.m. Friday to see if they can reach an agreement. Any agreement they do reach would still need to be approved by the House, so at least a brief partial shutdown is, at this stage, highly likely.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is the Senate’s most vocal objector to the deal. He stormed into Republican Leader John Thune’s office earlier tonight calling the agreement stuck between Democrats and the White House a “bad deal” and telling reporters he was objecting to its advancement.
Graham called the treatment of ICE officers “unconscionable” as he was asked about his objections to proceeding.
“From a Republican point of view, the cops need us right now. They are being demonized. They’re being spat upon. They can’t sleep at night,” Graham said. “Are they right to want to change some ICE procedures? Absolutely. But I’m not going to lead this debate for two weeks before I can explain to the American people what I think the problem is. The problem is, structurally, for four years, the country was ruined.”
Graham also seems to be opposed to the deal because it would strip a controversial provision, passed in a stopgap funding bill earlier this year, that allows senators to file lawsuits if their phone records are accessed without notice. Graham was one of seven Republican senators whose phone toll data were accessed by Special Counsel Jack Smith during his investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“I am not going to ignore what happened,” Graham said. “If you were abused, your phone records were illegally seized, you should have your day in court.
It seems there may be other senators who have separate challenges with the funding bill plan as well, but it’s not yet clear who those senators are.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer placed blame on Republicans for the stall in votes tonight.
“Republicans need to get their act together,” he said as he left the Capitol.
But when pushed on whether any Democrats had outstanding objections to the bill that might stall things, Schumer didn’t give a clear answer.
Thune said there remains “snags on both sides” stopping the bill from advancing but wouldn’t give details about Democratic objections.
“They’ve got a couple issues on their side they’ve got to clear them up, we’ve got some things we’ve got to work on. But hopefully by sometime tomorrow we’ll be in a better spot,” Thune said.
It is likely that even if the Senate passes the bills, there will still be a short partial shutdown — the bills would need to go back to the House for consideration. It seems unlikely the House, which is in recess until Monday, could pass any of these bills before Friday night’s funding deadline.
Earlier Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC News’ Selina Wang that bringing the House back before Monday “may not be possible.”
“So, we have got some logistical challenges, but we’ll do it as quickly as we can and get everybody back,” Johnson said at the premiere of the “Melania” film. “And if there is a short-term shutdown, I think we’ll get it reopened quickly.”
Asked earlier Thursday if he was on board with the deal struck by Democrats in the Senate, Johnson said he had not yet seen details of the bill. But when asked if he supports Democrats’ demands to reign in federal agents — including prohibiting face masks and requiring body cameras — Johnson said “No.”
Democrats called to separate the DHS funding following the deaths of Renee Good, a mother of three who was fatally shot by an immigration enforcement officer in Minneapolis earlier this month, and became more urgent after the death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, who was killed in a shooting involving federal law enforcement over the weekend.
After Democratic urging, a critical mass of Republicans seemed prepared Thursday afternoon to support an agreement.
Earlier Thursday, Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block the package of six funding bills, with it failing to advance by a vote of 45-55. It would have needed at least 60 votes to proceed. Multiple Republicans also cast votes against the package.
Coming into the negotiations, Senate Democrats laid out a list of additional demands including: ending roving patrols, ensuring federal agents are held to the same use of force policies that apply to state and local law enforcement, preventing agents from wearing masks and requiring body cameras.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone about averting a shutdown.
“Hopefully we won’t have a shutdown and we’re working on that right now. I think we’re getting close,” Trump said during his Cabinet meeting. “The Democrats, I don’t believe want to see it either, so we’ll work in a very bipartisan way.”
The trailer for the highly anticipated final season of Outlander has arrived. STARZ has released the new trailer for the romantic drama series starring Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan. The eighth and final season of the show premieres on March 6. The trailer teases family reunions and the conclusion of a devastating prophecy regarding Jamie’s fate …
The upcoming film John Rambo is now in production. The Lionsgate film stars Noah Centineo in the origin story to the iconic franchise. Director Jalmari Helander said in a press release about the start of production that “it’s an honor to shape this next chapter with deep respect for the character” …
Mandy Patinkin has joined the cast of Prime Video’s upcoming series God of War. The actor will star as Odin, who is known as the All-Father. According to the streaming service, the character is the most powerful Aesir god, who leads with an iron fist …
Carly Pearce goes deep and explores some potentially controversial topics on her latest release, “Church Girl.”
If you’re brave enough to check out the comments on her socials, you’ll see the conversation around it has evolved into a full-on theological debate, becoming heated enough that Carly herself had to step in and remind her fans to keep it friendly.
So where does she fall when it comes to religion?
“My faith is very important to me, and I do believe that nothing that we go through is by chance,” Carly says. “And I think when you get to that realization and you’re rooted in that kind of truth, things become a lot easier to process and to understand.”
“And I just think life experience has made me kind of get to a place over the last five years where I really do feel like I can get through anything,” she continues. “And that’s a nice place to be. And I’m really happy in my skin and I know who I am, and I think that’s a good place to be.”
Carly’s radio single “Dream Come True” preceded “Church Girl” as one of only two previews of her much-anticipated fifth studio album so far. Her fourth album, hummingbird, dates back to the summer of 2024, leaving fans hungry for new music.
Poster for ‘Zak Starkey … Who?: An Evening of Drums and Conversation’ (Courtesy of Zak Starkey)
Drummer Zak Starkey is set to debut a new one-man show, Zak Starkey … Who?: An Evening of Drums and Conversation, in New York, and he tells ABC Audio there’s a simple reason why he decided to do it.
“Because I don’t have a job,” he jokes. “So I had to invent one.”
Starkey, who was The Who’s drummer from 1996 until he was let go in 2025, says someone suggested he do a drum clinic, but he’s not fond of a “clinical approach.”
Starkey, son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, instead plans to treat fans to a special evening of him sharing stories, rare photographs and personal movies, with the night also including a Q&A and, of course, some music.
“Basically, I’ll be playing along with, it’s a film of my life at first,” he says. He’ll then take questions from the audience, noting that “hopefully that can move it on to the next thing that I play, sort of what the audience guide(s) me towards.”
When it comes to the home movies, Starkey says he had “no idea” what he’d find, but he’s had a hard time choosing what to use because “there’s so much great stuff.”
Starkey adds that he’s “flexible” about what he plans to perform during the show, but expects to cover his time with Oasis, Johnny Marr and more. He has no doubt he’ll end the evening with The Who, noting, “You can’t follow The Who.”
As for what he hopes fans will take away from the evening, Starkey jokes, “a T-shirt and some drumsticks,” before getting a bit more serious.
“That [the] music’s f***** great,” he says. “It’s just been a f****** great ride.”
Zak Starkey … Who?: An Evening of Drums and Conversation will take place Feb. 20 at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston and Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in ‘Send Help.’ (Brook Rushton/20th Century Studios)
Dylan O’Brien isn’t afraid of playing somebody you’ll probably hate. In fact, he jumped at the opportunity.
The actor stars in director Sam Raimi‘s latest thriller, Send Help, which crash lands into theaters everywhere Friday.
O’Brien plays Bradley Preston, the newly appointed nepo baby boss to Rachel McAdams‘ Linda Little. The pair find themselves the sole survivors of a plane crash, where they must look past their differences in order to survive.
O’Brien’s Bradley is flawed, to say the least. The actor told ABC Audio he wasn’t afraid of playing someone audiences may hate.
“I love watching flawed characters in films. I feel like that’s so much of kind of the history of cinema,” O’Brien said. “I think that such a reason that we find it so appealing of an exploration is that it’s human, you know? So not only was I not afraid of it, but for me, I saw it as being such an amazing opportunity.”
The actor said playing a villainous character like Bradley was a great way to flex his comedy chops.
“I found him hilarious. I was like, ‘This guy is such an a******,'” O’Brien said. “I would love to hate this guy if I were seeing this movie.”
O’Brien even said certain people behind the scenes had reservations that Bradley might be too unlikeable. But he pushed against that to go even harder.
“There was slight fear that I would be very not likable to an extent that would ruin the movie, but I felt that that was my exact role to play to the piece. It would make a part of the engine turn.”
Even still, O’Brien said he saw something more dynamic in Bradley.
“There’s so many layers to him. I loved the challenge of starting off so, so smarmy and seeing that layer, but then like also really delving into the human parts of this person,” O’Brien said.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and 20th Century Studios.
Pusha T expressed his thoughts on the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement with just a few words Wednesday. While walking the red carpet at Billboard Power 100, he told Billboard, “Jan. 28, 2026, f*** ICE,” Push said. “Gotta keep it 100. Got to.”
Beyoncé, Tina Knowles, Solange and Kelly Rowland are nominated for an Audie Award, which recognizes “distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment,” according to its website. They’re nominated in the category of autobiography/memoir for their narration on Tina’s memoir, Matriarch.The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, which is narrated by Uzo Aduba, has also been nominated. Blair Underwood is in the running for best non-fiction narrator for Lionel Richie‘s Truly; Ziggy Marley, who wrote and narrated Pajammin’, is nominated in the young listeners category. The Audies Gala will take place March 2 in New York City.
Doechii, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah and Teyana Taylor will be presenting at the 2026 Grammys on Sunday. They join a list of previously announced performers including Clipse, Leon Thomas, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Pharrell Williams. The 2026 Grammys will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will stream on Paramount+. The 2027 Grammys will air on ABC.
Nas‘ Mass Appeal will follow up its Legend Has It… series with Imagine That, which brings fans’ desired musical collaborations to life. Fans can visit imaginethat.massappealrecs.com to select up to four artists and four producers who they would love to see team up on some music.
‘Take Me Back Live from the Gorge’ album artwork. (ATO Records)
Dave Matthews Band has announced a new live album called Take Me Back Live from the Gorge.
The set was recorded during the 2025 edition of DMB’s annual Labor Day weekend performances at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It featured the first-ever performance of the album Before These Crowded Streets in full.
Take Me Back Live from the Gorge will be released Feb. 6 on digital outlets before coming to vinyl and CD on May 22.
If that’s not enough DMB at the Gorge for you, all three of the band’s 2025 concerts at the venue will broadcast via the Volta streaming platform Feb. 13-15. For more info, visit Volta.live.
Dave Matthews Band has headlined the Gorge 76 times. They’ll return for three more shows over Labor Day weekend 2026.
