(KYIV, Ukraine) — In an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said officials weren’t certain about the scale of a potential Russian invasion before Moscow launched its war on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, when pressed by Muir if he had had “any regret that you didn’t tell the Ukrainian people earlier about what could be coming,” said that the world was “disunited” over whether Russia would actually launch at attack.
“The European leaders were saying, ‘Putin gave us his word that he’s not going to invade.’ Nobody knew for sure, for sure, 100% what scale of invasion was there to be expected,” Zelenskyy told Muir.
“No one knew that those Russian troops will kill, maim, rape people and just erase our cities from the ground, to the ground,” he said. “I asked all the intelligence, ‘Show us what concrete directions, ‘Give us more weapons.’ But then, they said, ‘If they begin invasion, we give you more weapons.'”
Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Russia’s invasion, launched in February, morphs into a grinding exchange of artillery fire, largely in southern and eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has launched a counteroffensive in both regions, and officials claim to have made modest gains.
Ukraine was able to repel Russia’s initial attempt to capture Kyiv, but evidence later surfaced of alleged civilian killings, rapes and what officials said were other possible war crimes during the Russian military’s retreat from the areas around the capital — including the horror in the city of Bucha, where authorities have found more than 400 bodies, many buried in mass graves.
Zelenskyy said early uncertainty over Russia’s invasion hindered delivery of military aid even as Ukraine was pressing for assistance from the U.S. and elsewhere.
“We cannot only put any blame on the United States, that United States should have provided us with everything; the whole world wasn’t 100% sure that they will start this invasion,” he said.
“If you have any additional information, why don’t you provide us with this information, or why don’t you give us more potent arms and weapons?” he added. “You don’t need these weapons yourselves, but we need it here now. Now — now, they are saying, ‘Yes, we warned you,’ but we, we wanted not extra words and warnings; we wanted extra weapons.”
Gabby Barrett‘s daughter is going through a princess phase.
The hit singer took to Instagram Stories to share a rare clip of her 1-year-old daughter, Baylah, playing dress-up at home. The toddler can be seen walking around the house in a sparkly purple dress with her hair in a bun with a purple bow.
“We’ve entered princess dress phase,” mom shares in the caption as “A Whole New World” from Aladdin plays in the background, Baylah peering into the large planter they have in the living room.
Gabby and husband Cade Foehner welcomed Baylah in January 2021. She’ll soon be joined by a baby brother, as Gabby announced on Mother’s Day that she and her husband are expecting their second child sometime this fall.
Elton John remains firm that once he wraps his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour he’s permanently closing the chapter on touring.
Speaking with the U.K.’s The Hits Radio Breakfast Show, the legendary singer said, “I can assure you it’s the final tour. I will be doing some charity shows, if I’m asked, but … I’m really adamant that I’m not touring again. I can’t.”
Elton continued, “I’ll be 76 when I finish [this tour]. I need to be with my family. My boys will be teenagers!”
But just because he’s done with touring doesn’t mean he’s writing music out of his life. “I will always make music,” the Grammy winner professed. “I will always be doing my radio stuff and whatever. But, I’ve been playing music since I was 17, professionally — that’s 57 years!”
Elton admits he doesn’t know what’ll happen once he wraps his current tour, adding, “Life is full of surprises.”
“I wasn’t expecting to do a record this year and look what happened,” the “Hold Me Closer” singer continued, referencing his new collaboration with Britney Spears.
Elton added “one phone call” can significantly alter his plans, as happened with the 1994 Disney animated movie The Lion King — a movie he says “changed my life.”
He said he got a phone call from lyricist Tim Rice, who asked Elton to collaborate with him in composing the movie’s soundtrack. “Look what happened,” the Oscar winner said. “You never know what the phone’s going to [have].”
Elton and Rice composed the tracks “Circle Of Life,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” “Hakuna Matata,” “Be Prepared” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” the latter of which won an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy.
Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez has announced a new signature guitar pedal.
Made in collaboration with the company Wren and Cuff, the device mirrors Sanchez’s oft-used combination of his ’80s Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and ’78 “op-amp” Big Muff pedals. It’s decorated with art inspired by Coheed’s 2002 debut album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
(WASHINGTON) — A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor “in coming weeks,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.
Democrats are concerned that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade may pave the way for same-sex marriage, contraception and other privacy rights to be dismantled.
“Let’s remember why a vote on the Respect for Marriage [Act] is necessary,” Schumer said. “Millions upon millions of American women had their right taken away by the extremist MAGA Supreme Court in the Dobbs decision. And in a concurring opinion Justice Thomas opened the door for the Supreme Court going even further.”
“When some Republicans say the vote is unnecessary, it won’t happen — they said the same thing about Roe,” Schumer continued.
Democrats want to pass the bill quickly, Schumer said, and would prefer to do so in a stand-alone vote. But they would need at least 10 Republicans to back the bill in order for it to overcome the filibuster and pass.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, are working with Republicans to shore up enough votes. The two recently penned an op-ed in The Washington Post telling their colleagues it’s time to “get the job done.”
“But let me be clear, a vote will happen,” Schumer told reporters Wednesday. “A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks and I hope there will be 10 Republicans to support it.”
Democrats were considering a riskier option to codify same-sex and interracial marriage by attaching the bill to a must-pass continuing resolution to keep the government open past Sept. 30, an aide familiar with the matter told ABC News on Tuesday. But Schumer and other Democrats appeared to change course on Wednesday.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told ABC News, “Not gonna happen” when asked if the marriage bill would be added to the temporary government funding bill.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday that the government funding bill should be as “clean as possible” in order to move forward without controversy.
Baldwin and Collins also said they prefer the stand-alone bill route, and are currently working on an amendment to appease Republican concerns about the legislation.
“We’re looking at an amendment that would strengthen the language in the bill to make crystal clear that it does not in any way infringe upon religious liberties, and it also would correct a drafting error in one part of the bill that makes very clear that marriage is between two individuals,” said Collins, adding that some Republicans have expressed concern that the bill might lead to “polygamous marriage” though that is not allowed in any state in the country.
Asked if she were confident she had the support of 10 Republicans, Collins said, “I’m never confident until the role is called, but we’re making good progress. There’s a lot of sincere interest, but obviously people want to see the amendment and have input into the amendment.”
The Respect for Marriage Act passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 267 to 157 in July. Forty-seven Republicans joined Democrats to support the bill.
The legislation repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, “marriage” as between a man and a woman. It also provides additional legal protection for same-sex or interracial couples.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at the time called the bill’s passage “another step to defend freedom for the American people.”
(CUPERTINO, Calif.) — Apple is expected to release a new line of iPhone models and other updated products at a launch event on Wednesday.
The event, which starts at 1 p.m. ET, will take place at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to present the newest products for the occasion, which Apple has promoted with the teaser tagline “far out.”
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 07, 2:42 PM EDT
Apple’s new iPhone 14 Pro will cost either $999 or $1,099
The iPhone 14 Pro will cost $999, and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will cost $1,099, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available for preorder on Sept. 9 and purchase on Sept. 16, the company said.
Sep 07, 2:33 PM EDT
Apple releases new iPhone 14 Pro
Apple released on Wednesday a new iPhone 14 Pro with advanced camera and video settings, the company said at a launch event. The model will also be available in the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max model.
The iPhone 14 Pro draws on the new A16 bionic chip, which enables an always-on display, high-resolution photo and video, and greater memory bandwidth, the company said.
The advanced photo and video capabilities owe to a new 48 megapixel camera with a quad pixel sensor.
The new model of the iPhone 14 includes a “dynamic island,” a set-aside section of the screen that offers alerts that can expand and change size without distracting from an app in use.
A new low-power mode will extend the duration that the phone can last on a single charge, the company said.
Sep 07, 2:17 PM EDT
New iPhone 14 will cost either $799 or $899
The new iPhone model will cost either $799 for a standard 6.1-inch size, or $899 for a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The standard iPhone 14 will be available for preorder on Sept. 9 and purchase on Sept. 16, while the iPhone 14 Plus will be available for purchase on Oct. 7.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will include a slew of new features, such as enhanced Emergency SOS via satellite, which will be available free for two years for iPhone 14 owners.
The new iPhone model is compatible with 5G cellular networks, which will allow for faster download times and better streaming, the company said.
Sep 07, 2:06 PM EDT
Apple releases new iPhone model
Apple released a new iPhone model on Wednesday that will be available in two sizes and feature an improved camera, among other updates, the company said at a launch event.
The iPhone 14 will be available in a standard 6.1-inch size as well as a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus.
The new camera on the iPhone 14 will include a larger sensor and faster aperture, which will provide 49% improvement in low-light capture, the company said.
The new iPhone model will also feature an “action mode” for video recording that will stabilize shots as a user moves.
Sep 07, 1:56 PM EDT
New model of AirPods will cost $249
Apple will release a new model of AirPods that costs $249, the company said at its launch event on Wednesday.
The AirPods Pro will be available for order on Sept. 9 and purchase on Sept. 23.
The new ear buds also include a customizable sound profile, enhanced noise cancellation and longer use on a single charge.
Using a photo taken of the user on their iPhone, the AirPods will provide a custom audio experience based on the unique shape of a given person’s head and ears, the company said.
The AirPods Pro will offer up to six hours of use on a single charge, a 33% increase from the previous model.
Sep 07, 1:42 PM EDT
Apple debuts new Apple Watch Ultra
Apple released a new smartwatch on Wednesday for active and outdoor users called Apple Watch Ultra that will cost $799, the company said.
The watch features precision GPS that operates in remote locations, as well as a redesigned compass app to further aid navigation.
In addition, the product carries a built-in 86 decibel siren that can alert people nearby in an emergency.
The Apple Watch Ultra includes a slew of other features, including a titanium case with edge protection, a second speaker, cellular built into all models, a customizable action button that gives access to other features and 36 hours of battery on a single charge.
A new battery optimization coming this fall will extend the battery life to 60 hours, the company said.
Sep 07, 1:31 PM EDT
New low-cost Apple Watch model will cost either $249 or $299
The new model Apple Watch SE will cost $249 for GPS features, and $299 for GPS plus cellular capability, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The model offers a low-cost alternative to the new Series 8 Apple Watch, which costs either $299 for GPS or $399 for GPS plus cellular, the company said.
The Apple Watch SE includes some of the features of the Series 8 announced by Apple on Wednesday, such as an always-on display screen that is “swim proof, dust proof, and crack resistant,” the company said.
Sep 07, 1:25 PM EDT
New Apple Watch will cost either $399 or $499, company says
The new model of the Apple Watch will cost $399 for GPS features, and $499 for GPS plus cellular capability, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The Apple Series 8 will also include car crash detection that alerts emergency services to a vehicle accident, as well as low-power mode that extends the product’s battery life, the company said.
The crash detection automatically alerts emergency responders with a user’s location, and alerts a user’s emergency contacts, the company said.
The low-power mode, meanwhile, will allow the Apple Watch to last 36 hours on a single charge, the company said.
Sep 07, 1:14 PM EDT
Apple announces new Series 8 model of Apple Watch
Apple announced a new model of Apple Watch at its product launch event on Wednesday.
The Apple Watch Series 8 features an always-on display, and is “swim proof, dust proof and crack resistant,” the company said.
The new model of the Apple Watch includes advanced features for women to track their menstrual cycles, including a temperature sensor that offers an estimate for the last time a woman wearing the watch has ovulated.
The Apple Watch Series 8 offers fitness aids, emergency call services and detailed health information like blood oxygen levels.
The Apple Watch “keeps you connected to the things you care about most, encourages you to stay active, and monitors your health and gets you help when you need it,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said.
Sep 07, 12:51 PM EDT
Apple launch event follows mixed results in latest earnings
The Apple product launch event on Wednesday follows mixed results in the company’s latest earnings report, which came out in late July.
Third quarter earnings showed that Apple outpaced analyst expectations for profit and revenue, as the company brought in $83 billion.
Growth, however, slowed for the company. Sales jumped 2% year-over-year in the third quarter, a marked decline from 9% year-over-year growth in the prior quarter.
Over the quarter, Apple felt the crunch of supply chain constraints brought about by the COVID pandemic, though such limits affected the company “less than we anticipated at the beginning of the quarter,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said on an earnings call with investors in July.
Still, as Apple readies to launch a new iPhone model on Wednesday, the company recently passed a sales milestone for the product.
The iPhone surpassed Google’s Android to capture more than 50% of the U.S. smartphone market for the
Sep 07, 11:34 AM EDT
Apple stock flat on Wednesday ahead of launch event
Shares in Apple stood largely unchanged on Wednesday morning prior to the company’s product launch event.
As with many tech companies, Apple’s stock has taken a pummeling this year. The stock price has fallen more than 13% since the outset of 2022, and dropped nearly 7% over the past month.
Despite a difficult year, Apple stock has outperformed major indices like the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. The S&P 500 has fallen more than 17% in 2022, and the Nasdaq has dropped more than 25% over that period.
Since the Apple launch event last year, on Sept. 14, the company’s stock is up about 3.5%, as of Wednesday morning.
Sep 07, 11:09 AM EDT
Apple event expected to feature new iPhone model
The event on Wednesday is the first of the company’s annual product launch events to take place in person since 2019, prior to the pandemic.
Apple is expected to release a set of four iPhone models that could be called the iPhone 14. The new line is widely expected to feature an improved camera, among other updates.
Besides the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 14, the company is expected to release a bigger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max.
In addition to the iPhone, the company could announce a new line of Apple Watches and AirPods.
The company is developing new health-related features that could alert a person to an increase in blood pressure as well as a change in body temperature related to fertility, The Wall Street Journal reported last September.
Viola Davis stars in The Woman King, the story of the all-female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. The Oscar/Emmy/Tony Award winner portrays a general who trains the next generation of warriors.
After being in development for nearly eight years, Davis admits it looked doubtful the film would be completed.
“We’re thrust in the business automatically assuming that something is not going to happen if it’s never been done before,” Davis tells Essence for the digital cover of the September issue. “There’s not going to be any support, no one’s going to want to do it, no studio’s going to give it the green light vote and who would want to see me like that?”
However, her faith was renewed when one of the producers presented her with good news.
“Kathy Schulman came with the script by Dana Stevens and I was like, ‘Oh, OK.'”
After beginning her career on Broadway 34 years ago, Davis is now one of the leading Black actresses in Hollywood. However, she is always conscious of the ongoing struggle for equality.
“There are no words to describe the journey, the sweat, the blood, the war that is being a Black artist and being a Black female artist,” the 57-year-old star says.
Viola says the Hollywood power brokers need to understand how Blacks have suffered unfairly in film and television.
“When they see the carnage of all the Black actors who were out there, even during the Sidney Poitier years, that couldn’t even have an agent, because it was nothing out there for them. If they see the blood, sweat and tears of what it took … then they would be on board,” Davis concludes.
The Woman King opens in theaters Friday, September 16.
Puscifer has announced Existential Reckoning: Rewired, a companion piece to the Maynard James Keenan-led band’s 2020 album, Existential Reckoning.
The collection, due out December 9, includes reimagined versions of each of the original Existential Reckoning‘s 12 songs by artists including Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Tool‘s Justin Chancellor, Queens of the Stone Age‘s Troy Van Leeuwen, Phantogram and Bring Me the Horizon‘s Jordan Fish.
“Sometimes it’s just fun to break stuff,” Keenan says of the project. “Then you latch on to one familiar piece and build something entirely new.”
Puscifer will launch a fall U.S. tour in continued support of Existential Reckoning in October.
Here’s the Existential Reckoning: Rewired track list:
“Bread and Circus” (Reimagined by Mat Mitchell)
“Apocalyptical” (Reimagined by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
“The Underwhelming” (Reimagined by Juliette Commagere)
“Grey Area” (Reimagined by Troy Van Leeuwen & Tony Hajjar)
“Theorem” (Reimagined by Sarah Jones & Jordan Fish)
“UPGrade” (Reimagined by Justin Chancellor & Scott Kirkland)
“Bullet Train To Iowa” (Reimagined by Alessandro Cortini)
“Personal Prometheus” (Reimagined by Greg Edwards)
“A Singularity” (Reimagined by Carina Round)
“Postulous” (Reimagined by Phantogram)
“Fake Affront” (Reimagined by Gunnar Olsen)
“Bedlamite” (Reimagined by Daniel P. Carter)
Lamb of God has announced a new documentary that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s upcoming album, Omens.
The short film titled The Making of: Omens will premiere as part of a ticketed streaming event on October 6, and will be available to watch on-demand for the rest of the month.
“In February 2022, we entered Henson Studios in Los Angeles, CA to begin recording our 9th studio album, what would become Omens,” Lamb of God says. “We recorded this record the old-fashioned way…with five of us, in a room together, playing music. We filmed the entire process.”
Access codes to watch The Making of: Omens will be included in CD and vinyl copies of Omens. Those who preorder Omens through Lamb of God’s website will be emailed a code ahead of the doc’s debut.
You can also purchase a standalone streaming or on-demand ticket beginning September 22.
Louis Tomlinson says the pandemic gave him a much-needed reset after living a “fast-paced” lifestyle for so long.
Speaking to the Smallzy’s Surgery podcast, the former One Direction member opened up about his new song, “Bigger Than Me,” and his forthcoming album, Faith in the Future.
“There was a lot of pressure with this, or at least I’d put a lot of pressure on myself in terms of what I wanted out of this first single,” Louis said, noting he wanted to “keep this momentum going” after coming out of lockdown.
His new music, he explained, documents the “feelings that I had during lockdown and just kind of understanding what my job is and my relationship with the fans and what all of that means.”
Louis admitted he initially had conflicting emotions about quarantine, adding it was “definitely difficult” to press pause on his career when he “had been waiting for the tour for a long time.”
“I felt like it kind of got snatched away from me,” he said, adding he was also focused on “understanding what was going on in the world” at the time.
Louis later realized lockdown turned out to be something he needed. “I live my life at such a fast pace. And it was nice… just having the pressure off. Even just for a little bit of time, mentally, that kind of suited me,” he explained.
“I do think it helped me in a different way with writing on the record,” he added of Faith in the Future. “There was a lot of time to think and kind of clear your head. Yeah, and that’s obviously good for writing.”
