(NEW YORK) — Although temperatures are still above 70 degrees in a majority of the U.S., with a little under a month left of summer, Starbucks has already kicked off the unofficial start of fall with the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Starting Tuesday, the iconic “PSL” — made with Starbucks Signature Espresso, steamed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, real pumpkin, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices — will officially return to the coffee chain’s menu for its 19th year.
For customers not quite ready to turn to hot drinks just yet, the fall-flavored drink is available in iced or blended form as well.
The limited time lineup also includes the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, which is sweetened with vanilla syrup, topped with pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin spice.
The Apple Crisp Macchiato — inspired by the layered apple, cinnamon and brown sugar flavors of apple crisp — will also return to the menu after its debut last season. This year, the drink is made with oat milk and Starbucks Blonde Espresso as its standard recipe.
Harvey Rojas Mora, Starbucks beverage developer, said in a statement that the “oatmilk adds a creaminess and brings forward the oat flavors of a traditional apple crisp topping.”
The Apple Crisp Macchiato will also be available hot, iced or blended throughout the season.
As for the pastry case, pumpkin is up for grabs in muffin form as well as a Pumpkin Scone and Pumpkin Loaf. The Seattle-based coffee shop chain has also added an Owl Cake Pop, made with vanilla cake and buttercream that’s dipped in purple chocolate coating.
To help celebrate the start of the fan-favorite season, Starbucks has created a “Pumpkin Portal to Fall,” a quiz-style game that tests customers’ knowledge of emojis, pop culture and Starbucks.
The company has created new designs for its whole bean coffee packages, inspired by the people and stories associated with the blends’ origin and flavor. The artwork and color scheme of supermarket Starbucks products have also been designed to help shoppers find the perfect coffee for brewing at home.
“Western Edge” will look at the country-influenced artists who emerged from the L.A. rock scene between the 1960s and the 1980s and helped create the country-rock genre, including The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Gram Parsons, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt.
To mark the arrival of the new exhibit, a series of special events are scheduled to take place at the institution from September 30 to October 2, including panel discussions, concerts, film screenings and more.
On September 30, a concert will be held at the CMA Theater that will include performances by original Byrds member Chris Hillman, founding Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon, founding Buffalo Springfield singer/guitarist Richie Furay, Vince Gill, members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others.
On October 1, Furay will host a songwriter’s session at Ford Theater, while Hillman, Leadon, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s John McEuen and others will participate in a discussion about bluegrass music’s influence on the L.A. country-rock scene at the same venue.
On October 2, the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice will be screened at Ford Theater and a reunion concert by Hillman’s post-Byrds group The Desert Rose Band will be held at CMA Theater.
The exhibit itself will feature such artifacts as stage costumes belonging to The Flying Burrito Brothers, a Fender Telecaster that Leadon played with the Eagles, a stage costume worn by The Monkees‘ Michael Nesmith and much more.
Meanwhile, a “Western Edge”-inspired playlist has debuted at Amazon Music, and a companion book will be released on September 30, coinciding with the exhibit’s opening.
Season two of VH1’s My True Crime Story is in full swing and Remy Ma is back to narrate the intoxicating docuseries.
This eight-episode batch tells the thrilling tales of ordinary people who got caught up in outrageous, unlawful crimes ranging from drug trafficking and steroid production to counterfeiting and jewelry theft.
While Remy finds that there is something that piques her interest in each story, she tells ABC Audio the thing that keeps her coming back to host the series is that it gives people “the opportunity to tell their story.”
“We’re giving people a chance to tell their story, What happened from their perspective, what happened before we even got to the happening. What was your life like? How did you grow up?” she explains. “And also where are you now, though, after all of that?”
“I love all of those little twists and turns that we’re able to take,” the rapper adds.
Not only does My True Crime Story allow people to share their lives, they’re able to do so from a first-person perspective, which Remy says “matters a lot.”
“You know, it’s one thing if you’re hearing about it from a media outlet or you’re hearing about it from somebody who was there or from somebody who heard the story,” she says. “You’re hearing about this from the person who actually went through it.”
(NEW YORK) — The parent company of InfoWars has agreed to face a second defamation trial over the false claims its founder, conspiracy theorist and right-wing provocateur Alex Jones, made about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Free Speech Systems said at a bankruptcy court hearing in Houston on Monday it would no longer oppose the trial in Connecticut despite the company’s bankruptcy proceeding, which would ordinarily offer a reprieve from legal action.
“The parties have reached a settlement on this. This will help facilitate the trial in Connecticut,” U.S. bankruptcy judge Christopher Lopez said on Monday. “The fact that the parties reached agreement on this, I want to thank all the professionals.”
The Connecticut trial is expected to begin in September.
Judge Barbara Bellis found Jones liable in a defamation lawsuit for calling the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School a hoax. The trial in Connecticut does not involve a question of guilt or innocence, but rather, of damages, as the judge already determined that Jones is guilty.
In exchange for allowing the second trial to move forward, the families agreed not to oppose the company’s choice of lawyers, both of whom are under investigation for leaking sensitive medical records about the plaintiffs, something Bellis said “gravely concerned” her at a court hearing earlier this month.
Jones was successfully sued by the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the massacre after he claimed that the shooting — where 20 children and six adults were killed — didn’t happen. Jones later said at trial he thinks the shooting was “100% real.”
The plaintiffs, immediate family members of children and educators killed in at Sandy Hook as well as one first responder, successfully sued Jones for defamation in November 2021 and are seeking to hold him financially liable for his comments, which include calling them “crisis actors,” saying the massacre was “staged” and “the fakest thing since the three-dollar bill.”
At issue in the Connecticut trial, is how much Jones and Free Speech Systems will have to pay the families of children killed in the massacre.
Jones’ attorney did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Earlier this month, a Texas jury decided Jones should pay the parents of the 6-year-old victim $45 million in punitive damages and $4 million in compensatory damages.
(EL PASO, Texas) — One person has died after a train derailed in El Paso, Texas, Monday night, the El Paso Fire Department said.
“Nearby homes are being evacuated as a safety precaution. Please avoid the area of Franklin and Barton as it is an active emergency scene. TXGas en route,” the fire department tweeted.
There were no other injuries reported at this time, according to the fire department.
(NEW YORK) — All eyes were on Serena Williams as the tennis superstar made an electric first-round appearance in her final U.S. Open appearance before retirement.
Williams defeated 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on center court in two sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Williams, 40, has been the talk of the tournament after she announced earlier this month in a personal essay for Vogue that her time as a pro was coming to a close.
Williams defeated Martina Hingis in the U.S. Open final to win her first major title in 1999 at the age of 17. Williams defeated five future Hall of Famers, including Hingis, to win that title.
In her 27 years, Williams has notched 23 major singles titles — the most in the Open Era for men or women — as well as 14 in doubles, two more in mixed doubles and four Olympic gold medals. Her 73 singles titles overall is fifth all time among women. Margaret Court holds the all-time majors record with 24. Her career began in 1960, and professional players were not allowed to compete until 1968, though she also won 11 majors in the Open Era.
Rennae Stubbs, her latest coach, longtime competitor, friend and six-time grand slam doubles winner, told “Good Morning America” on Monday that her goal was “to just keep her happy.”
“She looks great. She’s been practicing really, really hard,” Stubbs said leading up to the opening match. “One of the things I emphasized with her when I did start working with her was, ‘You got to play more sets against other players.’ She hasn’t played many matches in the last two years and had the injury at Wimbledon last year, therefore wasn’t sure if she was going to come back. And I think she got the bug to finish the way she wanted to finish, which was on her terms. And she’s done that now.”
Ticket sales skyrocketed in the days after Williams announced she would be stepping away from tennis following the U.S. Open — even before fans knew which night she would be playing.
Williams has been beset by injuries in recent years and hasn’t played 10 tournaments in a year since 2015. In the last two years, she has lost to an opponent ranked No. 100 or worse three times. She sat out the 2021 U.S. Open as well as the first two majors in 2022. She hasn’t played in a major final since 2019.
Williams is currently ranked 410th in the world and lost in the first round of Wimbledon in July.
She won her 23rd grand slam title — besting Steffi Graf’s 22 titles — in January 2017 when she was pregnant with daughter, Alexis Olympia. She and Olympia wore matching Nike outfits Monday night.
Stubbs said she “didn’t have the success that we’re used to her having” in 2022 and noted that a lack of matches “really hurts” her play.
“Through the years she’s always played so many matches, she hadn’t had to play a lot of practice sets or play with any other players, so the emphasis on her over the last couple weeks is, ‘Let’s play some sets against great players.’ At least you get that match practice, in practice, and she’s done that and embraced it. So she’s been really, really good.”
Ultimately, Stubbs said “this is going to be a human moment for her tonight.”
“To know the enormity of this match, her last ever match possibly — or if she wins how excited everyone’s going to be to see her play another match at the U.S. Open. The crowd is going to be amazing. You’re not human if you don’t feel the emotions,” Stubbs said. “There’s no doubt she will be very nervous going on the court — anxiety level will be high because she always has [high] expectations.”
Serena and her sister Venus were granted a wild card entry into the women’s doubles tournament in Queens, New York — a doubles title she’s won twice with her sister. The women’s doubles tournament opens up on Aug. 31 with the Williams sisters playing Czech players Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka in the first round.
His longtime girlfriend, Nessa Diab, made the announcement Sunday on Instagram.
“I thought long and hard about sharing our life-changing news today,” she commented on a photo of her, Kaepernick and their baby.
“I decided to do so because today is the first day in a few weeks where I stepped out for work with a new life title – MOM!” the radio personality continued. “Colin and I welcomed our amazing baby to the world a few weeks ago, and we are over the moon with our growing family.”
Diab praised the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, calling him “the most amazing dad.” She added, “And I’m soooo grateful that he is by our side for every moment of this journey.”
Following her social media post, Diab attended Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Several stars offered their congratulations to the couple, including Mariah Carey, who wrote, “Love you so much!!”
(WASHINGTON) — First lady Jill Biden has recovered from a “rebound” case of COVID-19 and will return to Washington nearly a week after again testing positive for the virus, her office said.
Biden, who has been isolating in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has now tested negative, her spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander said in a statement. She plans to travel back to the capital on Tuesday.
The first lady — who first tested positive on Aug. 15 — then came out of her first isolation period from that infection in South Carolina on Aug. 21.
She subsequently tested positive for a rebound case last week after being treated with the antiviral Paxlovid.
President Biden tested separately negative for COVID-19 last Wednesday, according to the White House.
“The First Lady has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and will remain in Delaware where she has reinitiated isolation procedures,” a spokeswoman said in a statement on Wednesday. “The White House Medical Unit has conducted contact tracing and close contacts have been notified.”
ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Arielle Mitropoulos and Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — With COVID-19 funding drying up and no fresh cash infusion from Congress, the Biden administration says it will suspend its offer of free at-home rapid tests through COVID.gov.
The program will be put on pause later this week.
“Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2, because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests,” a banner alert on the federal website said. The U.S. Postal Service’s free test page also noted the impending halt to the program.
A senior administration official told ABC that the move to pause the program is “to preserve our limited remaining supply” — particularly, to have a reserve in case a potential new wave of the virus sweeps the country in the coming months — “so that we can ensure we have a limited supply of tests available in the fall, when we might face a new rise in infections and more acute need.”
“The administration has been clear about our urgent COVID-19 response funding needs. We have warned that congressional inaction would force unacceptable trade-offs and harm our overall COVID-19 preparedness and response — and that the consequences would likely worsen over time,” the senior administration official said.
“We were also clear that failing to provide resources to be prepared would mean that if a surge were to come later, the cost to the American taxpayer would be even higher. Unfortunately, because of the limited funding we have to work with, we have had to make impossible choices about which tools and programs to invest in — and which ones we must downsize, pause or end altogether,” the official said.
Of the 1 billion free tests President Joe Biden pledged to secure at the beginning of this year, so far more than 600 million tests have been distributed through COVID.gov/tests, the senior administration official said, offering “every household” the “opportunity” to get a total of 16 tests in the three rounds of orders that the government opened up to the public.
The senior official added that the administration “will continue to work within its limited existing resources to secure as many additional tests as we can.”
“Congress hasn’t provided the COVID funding we need to replenish the nation’s stockpiles of tests, as simple as that,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. “This is an action we’ve been forced to take that will help preserve our limited remaining supply.”
Orders through the program will cease on Friday.
Meanwhile, tests will still be distributed at 15,000 federally supported, community-based sites such as local pharmacies and libraries. Americans with eligible insurance can also still be reimbursed for at-home tests through their private health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, the administration official said.
“In addition, the administration continues to ensure equitable access to tests through a number of programs, including free tests distributed directly to long-term care facilities, schools, child care and early learning centers, community health centers and food banks,” the senior official said.
“If Congress provides funding, we will expeditiously resume distribution of free tests through [COVID.gov/tests],” the official said. “Until then, we believe reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year is the best course.”
Over the course of the spring, lawmakers failed to secure an additional $10 billion in funding for the program.
Then-press secretary Jen Psaki said in April, “The program that reimbursed doctors, pharmacists and other providers for vaccinating the uninsured had to end today due to a lack of funds. America’s supply of monoclonal antibodies that are effective at keeping people out of the hospital will run out as soon as late May. Our test manufacturing capacity will begin ramping down at the end of June,” adding that the failed Senate vote to secure additional funding at the time was “a step backward for our ability to respond to this virus.”
Democrats have vowed to continue the fight for additional funding this fall. The chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Pat Leahy of Vermont, introduced a $21 billion emergency funding bill in late July and has vowed — along with panel co-authors Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Chris Coons, D-Del. — to get it passed this year.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez and Trish Turner contributed to this report.
