(NEW YORK) — A 2-year-old Brooksville, Florida, boy has been found alive in the woods about 24 hours after he went missing, authorities said.
Joshua “JJ” Rowland was found Friday morning by a volunteer searcher, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said at a news conference. The sheriff’s announcement was met with cheers from journalists.
JJ’s condition was not immediately clear, but the sheriff’s office said he is “doing well, considering he has been out in the elements all night.”
JJ went missing on Thursday morning. It’s believed he left his home while his parents were asleep, the sheriff’s office said.
Helicopters searched overnight, and over 500 volunteers turned out Friday morning to help law enforcement look for the toddler, according to the sheriff’s office.
JJ was found in the woods “quite a ways away from home,” Nienhuis said.
Volunteer Roy Link, who located JJ, said he said a prayer about 10 minutes before finding the 2-year-old. The sheriff called Link “man of the year” and called JJ’s rescue a “true miracle.”
“I was hoping and praying for a miracle,” the sheriff told reporters. “I think a lot of people were praying — and prayer works.”
A demo tape said to have launched Rod Stewart‘s career has sold for triple its initial estimate at auction.
BBC reports Stewart recorded the demo on June 18, 1964, in a basement studio in London owned by engineer Pepe Rush.
The 15ips reel-to-reel tape included the tracks “Ain’t That Loving You Baby,” “Bright Lights Big City,” “Worksong” and “Don’t Tell Nobody.”
Stewart used that demo as his audition tape and was later signed by Decca Records. His manager at the time, Jonathan Rowlands, held onto the tape.
Rowlands, now 83, sold the nearly 60-year-old demo at Cheffin’s in Cambridge for 3,400 pounds — or roughly $4,000. The auctioneer says the selling price is three times the initial estimate.
Also included with the demo was Rowlands’ appointment book from 1964, which included dates and details of his meetings with the hitmaker.
“We knew Rod was something special from the word go,” Rowlands said. “He had that absolute star quality which he shares with the likes of Tom Jones and Elton John, which has allowed them to stay relevant in the music industry even after all of these years.”
He also spoke of how Stewart managed to find a recording studio to make the demo: “We had got lucky finding out about Pepe Rush’s studio that was hidden in the basement of a shop in Berwick Street, Soho.”
“With my then partner, Geoff Wright, we then sent the tape to Decca Records as an audition recording in June 1964 and the result was we obtained Rod’s first recording contract,” he added.
Rowlands also revealed he had to get Stewart’s parents to sign the contract because artists couldn’t sign if they were under 21; Rod was 19.
Paramount Network’s hit reality show Bar Rescuereturns Sunday night at 10 p.m. Eastern, and its star Jon Taffer tells ABC Audio, “this season may be the most intense of all.”
The no-nonsense Taffer, who uses his more than 30 years of experience in the bar and restaurant industries to turn around failing establishments, admits he’s shocked the show is still going strong after eight seasons. “I thought I’d do a pilot and go home. I never expected season two, three, four or five, so it feels like I’m hugged by America every week. It’s a pretty amazing feeling.”
Bar Rescue recently helped owners weather one of the most challenging periods in the hospitality industry, the pandemic. “It was very tough times, you know. It was the only time during Bar Rescue when their excuses were real, you know: Government shutdowns, people not coming out, The impacts of COVID, that’s real. It’s hard to scream and yell at them when COVID has taken them down.”
However, Taffer adds, “This is different now. People are out in bigger numbers than ever before. The opportunity is greater than ever before….So if ever an operator has no excuses and should up his game, it’s now.”
Taffer expresses, “This season, you’re going to see a wife look at her husband and say, I’m pretty much done over this. You’re going to see a family who’s a who blew their parents’ retirement money…college funds for kids gone, kids walking out on fathers, fathers letting their children down. It’s deep.”
He adds, “That’s why I fight so hard. People think I’m a raving maniac over a bar. It’s not over a bar. It’s over a family. It’s over their future. It’s over their security. There’s a lot at stake here!”
(NEW YORK) — Amid a recent series of headline-making near misses involving commercial planes and an impending federal review of the nation’s aerospace system, data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the number of the most serious close calls at U.S. airports has actually been decreasing even as overall incidents have risen.
Last year, there were at least 1,633 runway incursions at U.S. airports — which the agency defines as any occurrence at an airport in which an aircraft, vehicle or person is incorrectly on the protected areas designated for landing and takeoff.
The number of runway incursions in 2022, including general aviation and commercial aircraft, is up from the 1,397 incursions reported a decade prior, in 2012, and the 987 reported in 2002.
But the most serious incursions in which a collision was “narrowly avoided” or in which “there is significant potential for a collision” have decreased over the past 20 years, according to the FAA.
In 2022, there were 18 serious runway incursions in the U.S., agency data shows. That number is up from a low of five reported in 2010 but down from a high of 32 reported in 2007.
While the numbers are small compared to the more than 45,000 flights that take off across the country each day, experts say it’s important to keep working to bring the incidents down.
“Aviation safety has to be premised on the idea that we don’t want any negatives at all,” ABC News contributor and former commercial pilot John Nance said in an interview. “We can’t accept a small number per year and just say, ‘Well, that’s the cost of doing business.’ We have to believe we can get to 0 and I think this is one of those areas where we have to redouble our efforts.”
In a Jan. 13 close call at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, an American Airlines flight crossed a runway without clearance from air traffic control, causing a Delta Air Lines plane to abort its takeoff from that runway, government officials said. The planes came within 1,400 feet of each other, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Air traffic controllers at the airport were notified of the potential catastrophe through technology that provides visual and audible alerting of traffic conflicts and potential collisions, according to the FAA — technology that is currently in place at 35 major airports across the country.
The tech was not in place at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, where earlier this month a close call occurred after a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines flight came within 100 feet of each other, the FAA has said.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy praised the FedEx crew, telling ABC News, “It could have been catastrophic if not for certain actions, including the actions of the FedEx crew.”
The FAA currently does not have plans to install the alert technology at more airports across the country. The funding for the technology, called ASDE-X, comes from the FAA’s Facilities and Equipment Actual Appropriations budget, which has remained stagnant in recent years.
The incidents in Austin and New York City are still under investigation by the FAA and NTSB.
The FAA’s acting administrator, Billy Nolen, announced last week that the agency would establish a safety review team to examine the nation’s aerospace system — saying the group will look at structure, culture, systems and integration of safety efforts.
“We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted,” Nolen said in a hearing on Capitol Hill. “Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent. Now is the time to stare into the data and ask hard questions.”
The last fatal crash involving a commercial plane in the U.S. occurred in 2009, when Colgan Air 3407 crashed in New York state killing all 49 passengers and crew. The last death on a commercial plane occurred in 2018, on Southwest Airlines 1380, after an engine cowling broke and damaged an aircraft window, causing a passenger to be partially ejected from the aircraft.
Gene Simmons is offering KISS fans a truly unique experience. The rocker is giving fans the chance to record a song with him at Abbey Road Studios, but it doesn’t come cheap.
For a little under $6,000, a KISS fan and a guest will get to spend July 10 with the bassist at the legendary London studio where the Beatles recorded their albums. There, they’ll record a KISS song with Simmons and his band.
In addition, Simmons will share his favorite KISS stories, and the lucky purchaser will be able to take home some items from Simmons’ personal KISS collection. Simmons will also take a photo with them and sign two of their personal items.
If you’re hesitant to shell out the money because of your lack of musical experience, Simmons assures fans none is necessary. The package description notes, “The day is about having fun with Gene Simmons and going home having a copy of you and Gene Simmons on a recorded KISS song!!”
(WASHINGTON) — A year into Russia’s invasion, President Joe Biden has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Ukraine.
He’s sent more than $31 billion in aid and weapons, made a surprise last-minute visit to the war zone, rallied NATO allies to stand firm in their commitments despite threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin and has promised continued support for President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of an expected new Russian offensive.
On Monday, Biden made clear his bond with Zelenskyy was unbreakable by going to Kyiv, a historic trip by a sitting president visiting a war zone where no U.S. troops had control, saying he wanted to show the world that America’s support for Ukraine is steadfast.
“You remind us that freedom is priceless,” Biden said at Mariinsky Palace. “It’s worth fighting for for as long as it takes. And that’s how long we’re going to be with you, Mr. President: for as long as it takes.”
The setting for those remarks was a sight unimaginable a year ago when Putin’s forces began their invasion. Expectations were that Russia would soon overtake Ukraine’s capital, possibly the entire country, and the war would quickly come to an end. However, in the 12 months that have gone by, Ukrainian forces have displayed a heroic effort on the battlefield, retaining much of their territory and revealing weaknesses in the Russian military.
Throughout the past year, President Biden has had to carefully calibrate his warnings to Russia, navigate backing Ukraine financially and militarily without direct U.S. involvement in the fighting and manage the war’s impact on the U.S. economy while garnering Americans’ support.
‘Minor incursion’
Before the invasion fully began, Biden seemed to throw into question how the U.S. and NATO would respond if Russia did take action against Ukraine — in the case of what he called a “minor incursion.”
A day later, the president made it “absolutely clear” that any Russian move into Ukraine would be seen as an “invasion.”
“I’ve been absolutely clear with President Putin. He has no misunderstanding. If any, any, assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion. But — and it will be met with severe and coordinated economic response that I’ve discussed in detail with our allies, as well as laid out very clearly for President Putin,” he said on Jan. 20, 2022.
Sanctions
After Putin ordered Russian troops into two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine in February, Biden said Moscow’s latest moves amounted to “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” announcing new sanctions and saying he would send additional U.S. troops to the region.
He called the Russian moves “a flagrant violation of international law” and one that demanded “a firm response from the international community.”
“That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from western financing. It can no longer raise money from the West and can not trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either,” he said.
Sanctions restricted Moscow’s ability to raise key funds, and were placed on Russia’s biggest banks, the country’s elites and their families.
‘Genocide’ and ‘crimes against humanity’
On April 12, President Biden used the term genocide to describe Putin’s actions in Ukraine following his forces retreating from Bucha and the atrocities carried out left for the world to see.
“Yes, I called it genocide. Because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian. And the evidence is mounting,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris said recently that the U.S. had determined Russia committed crimes against humanity — in Ukraine.
“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity. The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity,” she said at the Munich Security Conference.
It’s not clear what impact, if any, such a declaration would have.
According to a U.S. official, “the primary purpose” of the State Department’s determination “is to recognize the egregiousness of Russia’s atrocities, namely that members of Russia’s forces and other Russian officials have committed crimes as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against the civilian population of Ukraine.”
Security assistance
The Biden administration has provided more than $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded.
The latest package announced on the war’s anniversary Friday, which included more missiles for the HIMARS system, 155mm artillery ammunition, Switchblade drones, and other equipment.
On top of U.S. support, American allies and partners have committed more than $20 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including tanks, armored vehicles, air-defense systems, artillery systems, and other crucial capabilities, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The U.S. has worked hand-in-hand with the Ukrainians to provide them with key weapons, but Zelenskyy has been vocal that more is needed, including F-16 fighter jets.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, has said F-16s are “not the key capability needed for now,” but that Biden and Zelenskyy discussed the request during his visit to Kyiv.
“F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine and that’s a conversation that President Biden and President Zelenskyy had,” he said during a CNN Town Hall Thursday.
High gas prices
While the war in Ukraine has been fought thousands of miles away, Americans felt the impact at home in the form of alarmingly high prices at the gas pump.
“Putin’s price hike” was the term he used to deflect political criticism that the Biden administration was driving up costs for angry consumers.
As oil companies made staggering profits, Biden accused them of “war profiteering,” threatening them with higher taxes and other restrictions if they didn’t boost production and refinery capacity to help lower prices.
The sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion and its effect on Russian oil sent crude prices skyrocketing, even though U.S. imports from Russia only account for 8% of all oil imports, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Starting in March, the president withdrew 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, leaving it at a level not seen since the 1980s. The administration has since started to purchase oil to replenish the SPR.
In June, AAA reported that the average price for a gallon of regular gas was a record-setting $5.
Challenges ahead
“Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia – never,” Biden proclaimed during an energetic speech from Poland on Tuesday, highlighting the solidarity of the alliance opposing Putin’s invasion, while also setting the stage for the fight still to come.
Though Biden’s remarks felt like a victory speech — he cautioned that “we have to be honest and clear-eyed” about the current status of the battlefield.
“The defense of freedom is not the work of a day or of a year,” he said. “It’s always difficult. It’s always important. As Ukraine continue to defend itself against the Russian onslaught and launch counter offensive of its own, there will continue to be hard and very bitter days. Victories and tragedies. But Ukraine is steeled for the fight ahead.”
Public support at home for continuing to provide billions in aid to Ukraine is also declining, putting pressure on the president to persuade Americans that funding the war should continue, an argument he might find more difficult if, as expected, he runs for reelection.
A February AP-NORC poll showed only 48% of Americans favor the U.S. providing weapons to Ukraine, compared to 60% of U.S. adults who supported the assistance in May 2022.
And a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found 33% of Americans think the U.S. is doing too much for Ukraine, up from 14% last spring.
Biden will also have to navigate a divided Republican Party with mixed views on how long the U.S. should be sending aid.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has voiced his support for Ukraine, but not a “blank check,” and he’s facing increasing pressure from his fellow House Republicans to scale back aid as they look to rein in spending overall.
On Friday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said his party was committed to backing Ukraine, saying in a statement, “… it is not an act of charity for the United States and our NATO allies to help supply the Ukrainian people’s self-defense. It is a direct investment in our own core national interests. If Putin were given a green light to destabilize Europe, invading and killing at will, the long-term cost to the United States in both dollars and security risks would be astronomically higher than the miniscule fraction of our GDP that we have invested in Ukraine’s defense thus far.”
And the White House has already begun warning that China could soon assist Russia with military support — a step that could dramatically shift the war in Russia’s favor.
“We have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC News.
Blinken has not explained where this heightened alert is stemming from. The State Department has been clear that they “have not yet seen the PRC [China] provide Russia with lethal aid, but we don’t believe they’ve taken it off the table either.”
China’s President Xi Jinping plans to visit Russia this spring, but no meeting between the two leaders has been announced.
Justin Moore‘s sixth studio album, Stray Dog, is set to arrive May 5.
The eight-track record includes his latest #1, “With a Woman You Love”; a duet with Riley Green on “Everybody Get Along”; his current hit with Priscilla Block, “You, Me, and Whiskey”; and the title track, “Stray Dogs,” which is available now.
“It’s really autobiographical — me personally, maybe more so me as an artist,” Justin says of the album’s title. “I’ve kind of been the guy who’s fallen under the radar my entire career, which is totally fine with me. We go out and have X amount of hits, sell X amount of albums, and then we never get asked to be on the awards shows, which remains the case.”
Here’s the complete track listing for Justin Moore’s Stray Dog:
“Everybody Get Along” (with Riley Green)
“That Wasn’t Jack”
“With a Woman You Love”
“Better Slow”
“Stray Dogs”
“Country On It”
“You, Me, and Whiskey”
“Get Rich or Drunk Trying”
Sting released his fourth solo album, Ten Summoner’s Tales, 30 years ago, and to celebrate the milestone he’s just released a new digital-only expanded edition of the album.
The new release features 27 tracks, including the original 12 from the album, along with 15 bonus tracks made up of B-sides, remixes, alternative versions and live performances, 11 of which have never been released digitally before. The expanded version is also available in Dolby Atmos.
Released on March 1, 1993, Ten Summoner’s Tales has been certified three-times Platinum by the RIAA. It features the hit single “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” which peaked at 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Sting three Grammy nominations, along with a win for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. Another single from the record, “Fields of Gold,” went to number two on the Adult Contemporary chart and earned a BMI Pop Song Award in 1994.
Madonna has reportedly broken up with her boyfriend and is now dedicating herself to her upcoming Celebration tour, with an eye toward “reminding everyone what a star she is,” reports Page Six.
Madonna started dating 23-year-old model Andrew Darnell soon after breaking up with her boyfriend of three years, Ahlamalik Williams, last year. But a source tells Page Six, “It was only a very casual thing [with Darnell] so she’s not broken-hearted … She had a lot of fun with Andrew but it was never love or anything like that.”
However, the source also claims that Madonna is having “a bit of a crisis of confidence” and the breakup “doesn’t help.” According to the source, Madonna felt that when she appeared at the Grammy Awards earlier this month, “no one cared that she was in the room, and it used to be so different for her.”
As a result, the source claims, she now feels “out of favor” — but she’s determined to show everyone that you can’t keep the Queen of Pop down via her nearly sold-out Celebration tour, kicking off later this year.
“She’s throwing herself into the tour and is determined that not only will it be brilliant, but it will also thrust her back into the limelight,” the source dished, adding, “She wants to remind everyone what a star she is.”
Elton John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, where he’s mistakenly announced as “Sir John Elton” as he approached Her Majesty. He was honored for his for services to music and his charitable services.
After his investiture, Elton revealed his conversation with the Queen: “She said I must be terribly busy…but there was no way I would miss this.”
Elton was honored by the Royal Family once again in 2020, appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by then Prince Charles (now King Charles II).
