(UVALDE, Texas) — The mother of a girl killed during the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, last May, filed a lawsuit Monday against gun distributors, local governments and 16 law enforcement officers on the scene during the shooting — claiming their negligence led to her daughter’s death.
“Eliahna loved her family, and she knew how much we loved her,” Sandra Torres, the mother of 10-year-old Eliahna Torres, said in a news release. “I miss her every moment of every day. I’ve brought this lawsuit to seek accountability. No parent should ever go through what I have.”
Filed Monday in Del Rio, Texas, the lawsuit is the first submitted by the family of one of the children killed during the mass shooting.
Eliahna was among 19 students and two teachers killed on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in the small south Texas community.
Some of the defendants in the case, including then-school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, former acting Uvalde Police Chief Mariano Pargas and gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, are already facing separate cases filed in federal court back in September by families of some who survived the shooting.
The Torres family is seeking unspecified punitive damages.
In an August interview with ABC News, Sandra Torres described how hard it has been processing her daughter’s death.
“It’s like sometimes it feels unreal like you know, it’s just a bad dream,” the mother said. “You know, she’s going to appear one day and then reality hits and my baby’s never coming back.”
Eliahna was known by her friends and family for her love of softball, according to the complaint, but she never made it to her final game of the season, which was scheduled for the night of the massacre.
“She hated sweating (despite the Uvalde heat), but she had fallen in love with playing softball and was a promising young infielder,” read the complaint.
The officers listed in the lawsuit work for the Uvalde Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Uvalde school district police force.
A special investigative committee of the Texas House of Representatives released a report in July concluding that the police response to the shooting was riddled with failures, allowing the shooter to remain in the classroom for 77 minutes even though 300 officers had arrived at the scene. The lawsuit argues that that delay is evidence of negligence.
Arredondo, the school district police chief who was later fired because of the response, has said he took all “reasonable actions” on the day of the shooting. He did not respond to questions about this lawsuit. Pargas, a Uvalde police lieutenant who was in charge of the city’s police force on the day of the shooting, also did not respond to requests for comment. Pargas quit two weeks ago, after the city’s leaders announced they planned to fire him.
The Torres family is also suing the city of Uvalde, the county of Uvalde, the Uvalde School District, the gun shop where the shooter purchased his firearms and gun manufacturer Daniel Defense.
The city, county, school district and Daniel Defense did not respond to requests for comment.
(NEW YORK) — Historic protests across China over its zero-COVID policy battered U.S. stocks on Monday, highlighting a close link between the contentious Chinese measures and domestic economic conditions that could help determine whether the U.S. enters a recession.
Residents in isolation in some regions say they’ve gone without sufficient food or medical care. Meanwhile, protests flared up after a fire on Thursday in an apartment building in the northwest city of Urumqi that killed at least 10 people, as some alleged that lockdowns obstructed the rescue of victims, while government officials denied any such impact.
Tension over COVID lockdowns in the world’s second-largest economy coincides with a precarious U.S. economic outlook.
An aggressive series of interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve aim to dial back sky-high inflation by slowing the economy and slashing demand. But the approach risks tipping the country in a downturn and putting millions out of work. Plus, ongoing disruption from the Russia-Ukraine war has exposed vulnerability in economies across the globe, including the U.S, experts said.
COVID lockdowns in China have clogged supply chains in the manufacturing stalwart, extending pandemic-era bottlenecks that have contributed to inflation, analysts told ABC News. Meanwhile, the zero-COVID policy has stagnated the Chinese economy, hurting spending among Chinese customers and in turn pummeling U.S companies that depend on it, they said.
“When consumers are locked down in these different cities, it’s a gut punch to the U.S. economy,” Dan Ives, a managing director of equity research at Wedbush, an investment firm, told ABC News. “It has reached a fork in the road.”
Here’s what you need to know about how China’s zero-COVID policy heightens the risk of a U.S. recession:
Zero-COVID policy contributes to US inflation
A key threat to U.S. economic performance is inflation, which remains highly elevated and owes in part to Chinese lockdowns.
Sky-high price hikes stem from the pandemic, when millions across the globe facing lockdowns replaced restaurant expenditures with couches and exercise bikes. But the surge in demand for goods far outpaced supply, as COVID-related bottlenecks slowed delivery times. When demand exceeded supply, prices skyrocketed.
Some supply bottlenecks have eased but others remain, including China’s zero-COVID policy and its related lockdowns.
“The main effect of the zero-tolerance policy in China is interrupting some supply chains,” David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution focused on U.S.-China economic relations, told ABC News.
“We still import a lot from China and those problems in supply chains means the products are not here and that contributes a little bit to inflationary pressure,” he added.
For instance, China’s zero-COVID policy has led to major iPhone shortages heading into the holidays, according to a report released by Ives on Monday. Shortages have reached as low as 35% of typical holiday inventory in some stores, causing overall iPhone demand to outstrip supply by a ratio of 3 to 1, he found.
The iPhone shortage is the “poster child” of a larger trend, Ives told ABC News. The zero-COVID policy continues to reduce the supply of goods from China by an estimated 10% to 20%, he said.
To be sure, analysts disagree about the extent to which supply shortages have contributed to inflation, as opposed to a flood of stimulus payments that juiced demand.
“There’s definitely some linkage but I would not exaggerate it,” Dollar said.
Zero-COVID policy hurts Chinese consumers and U.S. companies
In addition to clogging up supply, the Chinese lockdowns have suppressed consumer demand in the country, causing slowdowns at U.S. companies that operate a significant portion of their business in China.
Holiday spending during a weeklong National Day break last month fell 56% compared to pre-pandemic levels, Bloomberg reported. Overall, China’s gross domestic product grew 3.9% over three months ending in September, well below 4.9% growth seen over the same period last year.
“People are locked down at home a lot of the time, so they’re not out spending money,” said Dollar, of the Brookings Institution.
“If China were growing well, it’d be importing more from the U.S. and contributing to the profits of U.S. companies that operate there,” he added. “That’s all not happening this year.”
Sluggish consumer demand in China contributed to the market sell off on Monday in response to civil unrest over the zero-COVID policy, Dollar said.
As of Monday afternoon, shares in Apple fell nearly 3%.
“A lot of big American companies listed in New York have serious business in China,” he said. “If there’s civil and political unrest, if the Chinese economy is slowing down, that creates uncertainty for a lot of American businesses.”
(NEW YORK) — A mom of three is sharing a warning for other parents after she says her 10-month-old daughter was hospitalized with critical injuries after swallowing a water bead.
Folichia Mitchell of Berwick, Maine, said she bought a water beads activity kit at a local Target store in late October for her 8-year-old son, who she says is on the autism spectrum.
“From reading the package, I saw they’re good for sensory so I thought he’d really love them,” Mitchell told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “And he did. He thought they were really fun.”
Mitchell said she set her son up at the kitchen table with the water beads so they would be out of reach of his younger siblings.
Several days later, Mitchell said she noticed her daughter Kennedy began vomiting and became very lethargic.
Mitchell said she took her daughter to the hospital on Nov. 1, thinking she may have been having an allergic reaction to a newly-introduced food.
Instead, Mitchell said Kennedy was transported by ambulance to a larger children’s hospital, where tests showed she had a large, round object in her stomach, which was determined to be a water bead.
Mitchell said she and her husband were in complete shock that Kennedy had swallowed a water bead from their older child’s activity kit.
“We never saw her near them. Never saw her have one in her hand. Never saw her pick one up from the floor,” said Mitchell. “I was not worried about that at all. That never had crossed my mind the whole time that she was not feeling well and deteriorating.”
According to the National Poison Control Center, water beads are typically made of synthetic superabsorbent polymers and when exposed to water, can grow in size from the size of a marble to the size of a tennis ball.
While first designed as a product to help maintain soil moisture in plants, water beads are now used in baby diapers, incontinence products and menstrual pads to help absorb fluid, and are “marketed as children’s toys or therapies for children with sensory processing or autism spectrum disorders,” according the center.
If water beads are swallowed, they can expand in the body and cause life-threatening intestinal blockage, the center says.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission has issued warnings in the past on various water bead, or water ball, products, warning that they can expand inside a child’s body and cause intestinal blockage and damage.
In Kennedy’s case, Mitchell said doctors performed a first surgery in early November to remove the water bead from her body, but damage to her intestines was already done.
The next four surgeries Kennedy underwent were due to infections in her body that were caused by intestinal blockage, according to Mitchell.
Mitchell said doctors told her three different times over the past month that they weren’t sure if Kennedy was going to survive.
As Mitchell learned more about what happened to Kennedy, she said she began posting videos on TikTok about what happened to help inform other parents.
Mitchell said she only saw a warning about choking on the Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Kit she purchased at Target.
According to an image of the product displayed on Chuckle & Roar’s YouTube page, the front of the kit says it is for ages 4 and older, and a warning label located on the upper right corner of the kit says it is a choking hazard, warning, “Small parts, not for children under 3 yrs.”
“I do think if they had been labeled properly, and said, ‘If ingested, could cause death could cause blockage, seek medical attention,’ any of those warnings, then I may not have even bought them for my 8-year-old,” she said. “Bringing something into your home and purchasing it from the store, you have the right to know what to expect or what the dangers or cautions are of anything, and I didn’t get that opportunity.”
Target told GMA in a statement that it has removed Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Kit from store shelves and its website while it reviews the situation.
“We’re aware of this tragic situation and send our heartfelt sympathy to this child and her family,” Joe Unger, a Target spokesperson, said in a statement. “Target requires our vendors to comply with all product safety standards, and all state, federal and local laws. We have removed the product from stores and Target.com while we review the situation with the vendor.”
Chuckle & Roar products are sold exclusively at Target, according to the company’s website.
Buffalo Games, the owner of Chuckle & Roar, told GMA the company is working to determine “if any action is needed” after learning about Kennedy’s situation.
Buffalo Games said in a statement, “It was recently reported to Buffalo Games that an infant required surgery after ingesting a water bead from the Ultimate Water Beads kit. Buffalo Games investigated and confirmed with Bureau Veritas, a leading third-party testing laboratory, that the Ultimate Water Beads product does meet all current ASTM and CPSIA standards for toy safety in the United States, and has all required warnings and information on package, including a Choking Hazard and that the product is specified for Ages 4+. However, as consumer safety is paramount to Buffalo Games, we are in the process of evaluating the situation and determining if any action is needed.”
The statement continued, “We wish Ms. Mitchell’s daughter a speedy and full recovery.”
Thomas Bosworth, a lawyer representing Mitchell, told GMA he believes the risk of harm from water beads for children is so great there is “no good reason” products containing them should be on store shelves.
“If you’re a company and you’re going to be selling products like this, you have an obligation to know everything that you need to know about those products and whether they’re dangerous, especially to children,” said Bosworth. “It’s not enough to say something is a choking hazard. There is a difference between choking on something and swallowing a bead that’s this big and it almost killing your child.”
According to Mitchell, Kennedy is no longer in the intensive care unit and is now breathing on her own after initially being placed on a ventilator.
She said she is not sure when Kennedy will be discharged from the hospital, or how long-lasting her injuries may be.
The National Poison Control Center advises anyone who has swallowed a water bead or has a loved one who has done so should reach out to Poison Control immediately by going to Poison.org online or calling 1-800-222-1222.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says warning signs for parents to look for include abdominal pain, constipation, drooling, vomiting, refusal to eat, wheezing and complaints of something stuck in the throat or chest. The AAP also warns that children may place water beads in their ears, for which they say to also seek immediate treatment.
Mitchell said she hopes that by sharing her family’s story, other parents learn the lesson she has — to do their own research before bringing a toy into their home.
“Regardless of what a product is going to visually tell me as a warning, I’m never, ever going to trust that,” said Mitchell. “I’m always now going to do more research just to bring things into my home because of how terrifying it feels that these were just right on the shelf. I grabbed them effortlessly and took them home.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Monday asked Congress to intervene and avert a potential strike of the nation’s railway workers — which could upend huge parts of the economy that depend on freight to move goods — by forcing the workers’ unions to accept a deal negotiated earlier this year.
In a statement, Biden described himself as a “proud pro-labor” president and said his decision was a difficult one.
But he said the larger economic considerations outweighed those concerns.
“I am reluctant to override the ratification procedures and the views of those who voted against the agreement. But in this case — where the economic impact of a shutdown would hurt millions of other working people and families — I believe Congress must use its powers to adopt this deal,” he said.
He asked Congress to quickly pass legislation to adopt the tentative deal between the rail companies and employees that was reached in September and brokered by the White House.
If a deal is not reached — or forced by Congress — then a strike could begin after the Dec. 9 deadline. Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Monday night that the House will soon take up such legislation and won’t modify the agreed-upon terms from September.
Like Biden, she said, “We are reluctant to bypass the standard ratification process for the Tentative Agreement — but we must act to prevent a catastrophic nationwide rail strike, which would grind our economy to a halt.”
The tentative contract included a 24% compounded wage increase and $5,000 total in lump-sum payments.
Pelosi praised certain elements of that deal but said, “Democrats are continuing to fight for more of railroad workers’ priorities, including paid sick leave.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a member of the Democratic caucus, has said his colleagues should do more for workers.
The two largest unions had initially highlighted how the tentative agreement included “wage increases, bonuses, with no increases to insurance copays and deductibles” and improved time-off policies, which had become a sticking point.
While eight of the 12 rail unions then went on to formally ratify the agreement, four rejected it — including the largest in the nation, with 50.8% of its workers voting against the deal.
Some of the workers’ groups who rejected the agreement cited frustration with compensation and working conditions, particularly a lack of paid sick days.
Because all of the rail workers have vowed not to cross the picket line in the event of a stoppage, the objections of four of the 12 unions ensures a strike unless there is a last-minute change in negotiations or congressional intervention.
Biden said Monday he was calling for Congress to act on advice of his secretaries of labor, agriculture transportation, who “believe that there is no path to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table and have recommended that we seek Congressional action,” according to his statement.
In urging Congress to ratify the deal between the rail companies and workers, however, Biden also warned lawmakers not to try and change the terms on their own.
“Some in Congress want to modify the deal to either improve it for labor or for management. However well-intentioned, any changes would risk delay and a debilitating shutdown. The agreement was reached in good faith by both sides,” he said.
A strike would “devastate our economy,” he said, noting that “the holiday season” was no time for that outcome.
What a railroad strike could mean for the economy
A potential strike could lead to $2 billion a day in lost economic output, according to the Association of American Railroads, which lobbies on behalf of railway companies.
“No one benefits from a rail work stoppage — not our customers, not rail employees and not the American economy,” AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies said in a statement Monday night. “Now is the appropriate time for Congress to pass legislation to implement the agreements already ratified by eight of the twelve unions. A clear pattern of ratified agreements has been established and Congressional action to prevent a work stoppage in this manner is appropriate.”
“A national rail strike would severely impact the economy and the public,” the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, or NCCC, the group representing the freight railroad companies, said last week.
Rail is critical to the entire goods side of the economy, including agriculture, manufacturing, retail and warehousing. Freight railroads are responsible for transporting 40% of the nation’s long-haul freight and a work stoppage could endanger those shipments.
Moody’s Analytics chief economist, Mark Zandi, said that a railroad strike would be “economically costly,” and that a freight shutdown would roil supply chains and put upward pressure on U.S. goods inflation, making price problems temporarily worse.
The main channel for a strike to boost inflation is through the higher cost of transportation, particularly for agriculture, Zandi said. Corn, wheat and soybeans are the primary agriculture commodities that use rail.
A strike would also affect shipments of ethanol, potentially leading to higher gas prices, according to Zandi.
Trucking freight rates, which are still elevated above pre-pandemic levels, could also be pushed higher. Zandi said that the American Trucking Association estimates that a rail work stoppage would require 500,000 more trucks and 80,000 more drivers to fill the gap — an untenable number.
More immediately, however, Zandi said a strike would not have a material impact on holiday sales. Inventories of Christmas goods are ample and the major shipping of goods from ports to warehouses for the season is long over.
“Getting goods from warehouses to homes is done by truck,” Zandi said. “Perhaps some trucks would be diverted to help move goods typically done by rail, but this should not be a significant factor for Christmas.”
Local rails, though, could see disruptions should a rail strike occur — leaving commuters in a lurch. Freight companies own and operate many of the tracks across the country and in the event of a strike, local trains that run on those tracks would be forced to cancel trips.
But some Amtrak trains and commuter rails that run along the Northeast Corridor wouldn’t be affected by this. Amtrak owns some of its tracks, and they are not involved in the ongoing negotiations. In addition, local rail that own and operate their own tracks would not be affected — such as Trinity Railway Express in Dallas and Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco.
Why Congress is involved in potential rail strike
All labor disputes in the railway and airline industries — which are seen as critical to the U.S. economy, stretching across major industries from energy to agriculture — are governed by a 1920s-era federal law known as the Railway Labor Act, or RLA.
Congress enacted that law after decades of sometimes violent worker strikes and when Americans had grown dependent on many industries, particularly farming and manufacturing.
Under the RLA, if the parties in the rail labor dispute do not reach agreement on a new contract, the railroads can either impose their own work rules or employees can strike — or both.
At that point, the RLA would no longer set the terms of behavior.
Congress, acting with authority from the Constitution’s commerce clause, has not voted to end a railroad strike since April 1991 — less than 24 hours after a walkout. At the time, lawmakers approved a joint resolution — with President George H. W. Bush being roused from his bed in the middle of the night to sign the bill — that forced the parties in the dispute into a 65-day binding arbitration process.
Had those workers not approved of the terms in arbitration, Congress mandated that less generous solutions from the Presidential Emergency Board, acting as a third party, be accepted.
(DALLAS) — The trial of now-former police officer Aaron Dean in the 2019 fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson began Monday after several delays.
Jury selection began Monday with Judge George Gallagher saying he hoped 12 jurors and two alternates would be in place by Friday.
There were concerns the trial would be delayed again after Dean’s lead attorney, Jim Lane, reportedly died Sunday morning, according to Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA-TV, just one day before the jury selection in the case was set to begin. Lane had been ill and two other lawyers took over as lead attorneys in May, according to WFAA.
Dean is charged with murder in the death of Jefferson, a Black woman who was allegedly fatally shot by Dean inside her Fort Worth, Texas, home on Oct. 12.
The department said that police received a call just before 2:30 a.m. to respond to her home on East Allen Avenue.
Two officers arrived at the house shortly after and parked near Jefferson’s home, but not in front of the residence, according to officials.
The front door appears open in the body-camera footage, but a screen door looks to be closed in front of it. The officer doesn’t appear to knock.
Officials said the officers walked around the back of the house and that one of the officers observed a person through the rear window of the home and opened fire.
Fort Worth Police Lt. Brandon O’Neil said the officer who opened fire on Jefferson never identified himself as a police officer.
Body camera footage released by the department shows the officer approaching a rear window of the home with his gun drawn. The officer sees the woman through the window, shouts, “Put your hands up, show me your hands,” and fires one shot.
The video seems to confirm the officer never identified himself as police before he opened fire.
Jefferson’s 8-year-old nephew, who witnessed his aunt being fatally shot that morning, told investigators she had retrieved a handgun from her purse and pointed it toward a window when she was killed, according to an arrest warrant issued for the officer.
Police officials said Jefferson was within her rights to protect herself and her nephew when she heard noises in her backyard and went to the window to investigate. Jefferson was playing video games with her nephew when she went to investigate the noise, according to the arrest warrant.
Dean’s lawyers asked the judge to move the location of the trial Monday due to its high-profile nature, but Gallagher said he would not yet rule on the motion.
(NEW YORK) — About 100 people fishing on a frozen lake in Minnesota were rescued after a large chunk of the ice broke off, leaving them stranded.
Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call just after 11:30 a.m. Monday from people who were fishing on Upper Red Lake in northern Beltrami County, according to a news release from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office. The callers stated that a large chunk of ice broke free from the main shoreline, stranding about 100 individuals, authorities said.
Once first responders arrived, they estimated the fishermen had drifted up to 30 yards into open water following the breakage, according to the sheriff’s office.
Several water rescue agencies and vehicles were dispatched to the scene and assessed the extent of the open water with visual and drone operations. Authorities found a narrow spot of the separation to deploy a temporary bridge to evacuate the stranded fishermen.
On Facebook, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office advised those who needed to evacuate to head toward the access point at JR’s Corner.
A fisherman named Shane from North Woods Fish Houses in Beltrami County said in a video posted to Facebook that “a pretty big crack” opened up from east to west.
“We have some people on the other side of the water line,” he said. “We are going to get to you.”
The upper Midwest has had a very warm fall season, with temperatures near 70 degrees in early November after above-average temperatures in October and September.
Northern Minnesota had a cold snap before the Thanksgiving holiday, when many lakes produced ice cover. But after the holiday, temperatures reached close to 50 degrees, forecasts show, resulting in the thawing and melting of ice.
Gusty southeast winds on Monday likely loosened the ice up even more.
Much colder weather is on the way for the upper Midwest over the next few days and more ice will be forming.
Due to the urgent nature of getting people off the ice and the likelihood that several groups were unaware of the separation, the first responders sent out a wireless emergency alert, according to the sheriff’s office. Just after 2:30 p.m., officials announced that everyone — an estimated 100 people — had been evacuated from the ice.
Authorities warned those who plan on ice fishing to remain cautious and vigilant.
“The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office reminds those who are thinking of heading on the ice that early season ice is very unpredictable,” authorities said. “Extreme caution should be used when heading on the ice and to check the thickness frequently to ensure an adequate amount of ice.”
You’ll have to forgive Jackson Dean if he’s a little speechless these days. His debut single, “Don’t Come Lookin’,” has become his first number one.
“There are no words to, like, explain how it feels to… like be this close to the top,” he tells ABC Audio. “…I feel extremely humble and grateful, like that people have believed in it and believed in me and someone like me from the last place that you would expect I’d be from.”
That place is Jackson’s hometown: Odenton, Maryland.
“I’ve walked a lot of miles to get here,” he continues, “and I’m just extremely grateful and just very appreciative of all the love that it’s gotten.”
“And yeah, that’s about all I can say about it,” he adds with a smile.
“Don’t Come Lookin'” is the lead release from Jackson’s debut album, Greenbroke. The song was previously featured in an episode of Yellowstone.
Members of 98 Degrees, O-Town, All-4-One and more are about to launch A Boy Band Christmas tour.
98’s Jeff Timmons told ABC Audio plans originally featured just his group, but Nick Lachey‘s hectic schedule forced them to change course. That’s when they revisited the fun they had with the A Very Boy Band Holidayspecial that aired on ABC last year.
“We had so much fun doing that,” said Timmons. “We said, ‘Hey, why not call up some of our guys and some great vocalists from different bands and maybe replace that tour with this one?’ So that’s how it came about.”
98’s Justin Jeffre noted now is the perfect time to launch their ambitious tour, asking, “What better way to spend the holiday season than hitting the road and singing some holiday songs and bringing some holiday spirit?”
O-Town’s Erik-Michael Estrada chimed in, “Boy bands and Christmas belong together!” Estrada also joked he’s “putting a lot of miles on my treadmill” to prepare for the trek.
Drew Lachey added this concert series is also a thank you to those who propelled them to superstardom in the late ’90s and early 2000s. “That time for us was filled with these wonderful, life-changing memories… The fans were the ones that made all that possible for us,” he said.
“The interaction that we’ve had with fans over the last 20+ years have shaped our lives not only creatively and professionally, but also personally,” he continued. “The fact that we’re still able to do this 20+ years later? We still have people wanting to come out and see us? It’s a dream come true!”
A Boy Band Christmas Tour kicks off December 2 in Bossier City, Louisiana. Tickets are on sale now.
In honor of hip-hop’s upcoming 50th anniversary, toy designer Steven Cartoccio has teamed up with Mass Appeal and Hip Hop 50 to create the limited edition collectible.
“Nas. Truly honored to collaborate with the hip hop legend I regard as the greatest of all time,” Cartoccio posted on Instagram, along with photos of the figure.
The figure comes with different removable accessories that pay homage to some of Nas’ iconic album covers, including the orange cap from Stillmatic and the Egyptian pharaoh mask from I Am…
The Nas collectible will become available on December 1 at 11 a.m. ET on shop.massappeal.com.
Hip-hop marks its 50th year in 2023. Earlier this month, hip-hop legends, including Grandmaster Flash, Roxanne Shanté and Slick Rick, gathered at Manhattan’s City Hall to announce NYC’s celebration plans for the milestone. There will be 50 events planned over 50 days in coordination with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which is set to open its doors in The Bronx in 2024.
Jim Brickman kicked off his A Very Merry Christmas tour on Sunday. Joining him this year are father/daughter duo Mat and Savanna Shaw, who sing on Jim’s current single “Peace Joy Love.” Though he’s been doing holiday tours for years, Jim says this year, he’s created a completely new experience.
“What I’m doing is crafting it…almost like a one-man show on Broadway,” he tells ABC Audio. “It’s got different sections of the stage, with a little living room section that’s very nostalgic, about my beginnings, with an upright piano.”
“It’s got, of course, the new guests in Mat and Savanna, and a little bit more moving parts than usual,” he adds. “A lot more moving around the stage, and not me anchored as much at the piano.”
But Jim’s approach to the concerts remains the same. After years of experience, he definitely has some thoughts about what makes a successful Christmas show.
“It has to have tender moments and nostalgia, some acknowledgment of the traditional songs that people like to hear,” he notes. “But not ‘Santa Claus Coming to Town’ from front to back, because people can see that at church, [or] at the school play.”
Jim also says it’s important to play not just your Christmas songs, but also your hits. “Even if it’s December, people are like, “Play ‘Valentine!'” he laughs.
Overall, a Christmas show should “feel like communities coming together,” Jim explains. He adds, “The theater itself is another character in the experience. Sometimes the nostalgia of the place, the comfort of being in a place that you’re used to going, is as much a part of it as what’s on the stage.”
Proceeds from “Peace Joy Love,” out now, will go to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s UNITED24 platform, to help rebuild Ukraine’s damaged infrastructure.
