Dua Lipa is getting ready to bid goodbye to summer with a new, three-part series for her At Your Service podcast.
Dua unleashed the “Summer (Mini)Series,” which will tide fans over between the recently wrapped first season and upcoming second season of her mindful podcast series. The mini arc allows the Grammy winner to let fans in on the go-to activities she uses to stay calm and rejuvenate.
The first of three episodes is a 30-minute yoga flow class with her yoga teacher, which you can tune into now on YouTube. Fans of all experience levels can join Dua on this guided yoga session.
So, what will the next two episodes be about? The second installment will contain a 10-minute guided meditation session, while the third will be a cooking class, where the “Levitating” singer will share her famous roast chicken recipe.
“I thought to do a little experiment in the meantime and launch a 3-part summer series of unique episodes,” she explained on Instagram. “I can’t wait for you to try it for yourself wherever you are this month!”
Dua’s At Your Service podcast is an expansion of her newsletter.
Shay Mooney and his wife, Hannah, are expecting another child.
On Friday, the Dan + Shay member took to Instagram to share that his wife is pregnant with their third child, another boy.
Hannah posted a video showing the positive pregnancy test, in addition to telling their other two sons, 5-year-old Asher and 2-year-old Ames, the big news.
“Do you think you’re going to have a baby brother or a baby sister?” Hannah asks Asher. “I wanted a baby sister, so it’s a baby sister,” the tot responds. When she informs him that he has another brother on the way, Asher reiterates, “I wanted a sister.”
Like his older brother, Ames also thought that a baby girl was on the way. “Do you remember when mommy told you I was going to have a baby?” Hannah asks Ames, who responds “baby sister” while sitting on his mom’s lap. He leans over to say hello to her growing baby bump.
Shay and Hannah welcomed Asher in January 2017 and Ames in February 2020.
“I don’t even own a dress” isn’t just a line in Ingrid Andress‘ song “Lady Like,” it’s an honest statement about her wardrobe.
The singer says that while she has nothing against dresses, or people who wear them, she personally doesn’t feel that they reflect her personality. When on the red carpet, Ingrid can often be seen wearing glamorous suits or a fancy top and pants.
“I feel a little confined in a dress,” she says. “Whenever I look at myself in a mirror and I’m in a dress, it just doesn’t seem right. It feels like I’m playing dress-up or something. I feel like my personality does not gravitate toward the dress part of the store.”
Another truth bomb she reveals in “Lady Like” is the lyric “haven’t brushed my hair in days.” Ingrid says more often than not, her stylist will be the one to untangle her locks.
“I normally don’t brush my hair ever because I like the texture, it looks cool,” she notes. “But I should probably brush it more.”
Four years after it was first recorded, Collective Soul‘s new album, Vibrating, has finally arrived.
As frontman Ed Roland tells ABC Audio, the “Shine” rockers had written two albums’ worth of material in between touring at the end of the 2010s and decided to release the second batch as the album Blood in 2019. That first batch, which made up Vibrating, was then set to drop as a companion album soon thereafter. Of course, that was before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“The pandemic kinda whacked everybody,” Roland says. “We were gonna release Blood and then, right after that, release Vibrating. So we had to wait a couple years — two or three years — before we could get it out.”
Even if Vibrating was made so long ago, Roland can clearly remember the recording process, which took place live in his home studio with the band “horseshoed” around drummer Johnny Rabb.
“We did no more than five takes on all the songs,” Roland recalls. “I just loved the spontaneity and what the band felt at that moment. It was that simple.”
That spontaneity led to moments like the breakdown in lead single “All Our Pieces,” which spotlight’s Roland singing over just a quiet drum beat.
“I want people to hear the feeling of what I was going through,” Roland shares. “When we were doing it with the band, actually, I think Johnny or [guitarist] Jesse [Triplett] was, like, ‘We need you to just break it down right here. I want people to hear what you’re talking about. Let us get out of your way.'”
Vibrating is out now. Collective Soul’s current U.S. tour in support of the album alongside Switchfoot continues Saturday in Billings, Montana.
(LONDON) — The three Russian soldiers arrived at Victoria’s house claiming they needed to seize her cell phone. But they weren’t looking for phones.
Victoria, a 42-year-old Ukrainian woman, told ABC News she and another woman, a neighbor, were raped by two of the Russian soldiers occupying her village near Kyiv in March.
ABC News spoke to the two women who agreed to talk about what they say happened to them, on condition that their location and last names not be revealed.
Another soldier, a commanding officer who was not involved in the assault, threatened Victoria, she says.
“He looked at me and said, ‘You see, our boys have had a drink and want to have fun,'” Victoria recounts. “I understood that something terrible would happen.”
Two of the soldiers took the women to a house converted into headquarters for the Russian occupiers and raped them, they say.
That neighbor, 44-year-old Natalya, recounted the events to ABC News.
“He says, ‘do you want everything to be fine with your son? So get upstairs and do as I tell you,'” Natalya recalled, describing her encounter with one of the Russian soldiers she says raped her. “He was like an animal…And that rifle was hanging around and swinging.”
Natalya says she later learned the soldiers killed her husband after she was taken away. Its unclear how many soldiers or which ones were involved in the killing. The family buried her husband the next day.
The two Russian soldiers the women say raped them have not yet been identified but face international arrest warrants, according to Kateryna Duchenko, the Ukrainian prosecutor in charge of sexual violence cases committed by Russian soldiers. Both cases are being investigated with slim chances of the suspects being taken under custody or doing any prison time, she said.
Stories of rape and other atrocities at the hands of Russian troops are not unheard of in small towns and suburbs of Kyiv. Residents of Bucha and Borodyanka have reported human rights violations including rape, murder and torture by Russian forces during the invasion.
Russian authorities have not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment on the cases.
“The last case [we identified] was in occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region, where allegedly 10 Russian soldiers raped a woman,” Duchenko said.
Communication with residents inside Russian-occupied territories is extremely difficult, making the investigation and prosecution of these cases nearly impossible, Duchenko said.
“We know she is alive and that she had medical treatment and those details are all we’ve got,” Duchenko said on the limited information in the case in Zaporizhzhia.
The United Nations reported in June it had collected 124 reports of alleged acts of conflict-related sexual violence but qualified that number as “the tip of the iceberg” and added that it did “not reflect the scale of sexual violence in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Victoria and Natalya say they are now undergoing counseling with a psychologist about their trauma.
“I wanted to take off my skin and throw it away,” Victoria says. “The person I was before the war is no longer there. I became more aggressive. I began to fight more for my own.”
Natalya says she is still coming to terms with the assault.
“Many people have asked me, why aren’t you crying, why haven’t you gone crazy?” she said.
In June, Ukrainian authorities said they opened the first trial on sexual violence committed by a Russian soldier, according to the Kyiv Post. The suspect will be tried in absentia.
Duchenko’s office says it is working on prosecuting two other cases of sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers in addition to the case opened in June. The suspects will also be tried in absentia, since they are not in Ukrainian custody.
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI executed an unprecedented raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, in search of evidence that sources tell ABC News is tied to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
It’s believed to be the first search by the federal agency of the residence of a current or former U.S. president. Trump and other Republicans have sharply criticized the raid as a partisan attack and have demanded an explanation.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 12, 3:27 PM EDT
DOJ investigates potential violation of at least 3 separate criminal statutes
ABC News has obtained what appears to be the search warrant executed at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.
The warrant has not yet been posted on the docket. ABC News is not yet publishing the warrant and property receipt.
The filing, which includes two attachments (“Attachment A” and “Attachment B”) indicates that the Justice Department, in its search of the Mar-a-Lago estate, is investigating potential violation of at least three separate criminal statutes, including a statute under the Espionage Act.
Attachment B states that the property to be seized by agents includes “all physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, fruits of crime or other items illegally possessed” in violation of 18 USC 793, a statute under the Espionage Act involving the gathering, transmitting or loss of defense information; 18 USC 2071, which involves any federal government employee who, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys public records; and 18 USC 1519, obstruction of justice.
Under the receipt showing property that was seized from Trump’s estate, agents note they recovered 11 sets of documents of various classifications ranging from confidential to top secret and sensitive compartmented information.
The receipt identifies one set referring to “various classified/TS/SCI documents,” four sets of top secret documents, three sets of secret documents and three sets of documents described as confidential. It appears that there were 21 boxes taken.
Other items included in the receipt include one labeled “Info re: President of France,” an executive grant of clemency for Trump ally Roger Stone, binders of photos, a “potential presidential record” and a leather-bound box of documents.
Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said, “The Biden administration is in obvious damage control after their botched raid where they seized the President’s picture books, a ‘hand written note,’ and declassified documents. This raid of President Trump’s home was not just unprecedented, but unnecessary—and now they are leaking lies and innuendos to try to explain away the weaponization of government against their dominant political opponent.”
–ABC News’ John Santucci, Alex Mallin and Katherine Faulders
Aug 12, 12:43 PM EDT
House Republicans attack integrity of DOJ and FBI
Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee defended former President Donald Trump while attacking the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI during a press conference on Capitol Hill Friday.
“President Donald Trump is Joe Biden’s most likeliest political opponent in 2024 and this is less than 100 days from critical midterm elections,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, said. “The FBI raid of President Trump is a complete abuse and overreach of its authority.”
Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Michael Turner, R-Ohio, told reporters that Republicans on the committee are “glad” the Department of Justice has begun the process of releasing “some” of the information about the raid to the public, but called for more. Turner said committee Republicans want access to the affidavit outlining the “imminent security threat” justifying the raid.
“Our request remains that the director of the FBI and the attorney general disclose to this committee the imminent national security threat upon which they based their decision to order a raid on the president’s home, again underscoring that there were many other options available to them,” Turner claimed. “We believe after the release today that these questions will remain unanswered.”
“The real story will be with the release of the affidavit itself,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., added. “The bureau and the attorney general and the DOJ obviously made the decision that this extreme measure was necessary. We will await their rationale for why that extreme measure was justified and not some lesser intrusive means.”
Turner did not call for the public disclosure of the underlying affidavit, which is expected to remain under seal, but did say that members of the intelligence committee and other committees of jurisdiction should have access. He called on committee Democrats to support a subpoena for this affidavit if there is non-compliance.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy dodged ABC News’ questions about whether he supports the release of the warrant authorizing the raid, instead saying he’d like to see the subpoena against Trump.
Trump received a subpoena in the spring for documents that he did not return to the National Archives, ABC News has reported. It’s unclear to what extent, if at all, he complied. The Justice Department has not publicly confirmed the existence of a subpoena.
Stefanik promised a “fulsome investigation” if Republicans retake the gavel in November.
“House Republicans are committed to immediate oversight, accountability and a fulsome investigation to provide needed transparency and answers to the American people,” Stefanik said.
The group also emphasized that they’re in “full support” of those who serve in the FBI and law enforcement agencies and condemned any violence against agents, while also repeatedly calling into question the credibility of law enforcement.
Aug 12, 12:28 PM EDT
Pelosi slams GOP for rhetoric following raid
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is blasting Republicans for their rhetoric following the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.
Asked by ABC News about concerns over possibly increasing levels of violence against law enforcement and public officials after recent rhetoric from the GOP, Pelosi said Friday that she knows “very well how vicious” some of those threats can be, and said they’ve been “exacerbated” by former President Donald Trump.
“You would think there would be an adult in the Republican room that would say, ‘Just calm down. See what the facts are and let’s go for that.’ Instead of … instigating assaults on law enforcement,” Pelosi said.
When asked if she wants Congress to open more investigations into the material that Trump allegedly took, Pelosi said she’s not currently making plans for that and is going to let the investigation unfold.
Pelosi said she was not briefed on any aspect of the FBI raid or what classified information was being held.
She said she only knows “what’s in the public domain,” but she added, “if the nature of these documents is what appears to be, this is very serious.”
Aug 12, 8:44 AM EDT
Washington Post: Nuclear documents sought at Mar-a-Lago
The Washington Post is reporting that classified documents related to nuclear weapons were among the items agents sought by federal agents at Mar-a-Lago.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the Justice Department and the FBI believed Trump continued to keep sensitive classified documents that had national security implications and that in recent weeks additional information came in suggesting that Trump was not complying with requests to provide the information the Justice Department believed he had in his possession.
Aug 12, 8:00 AM EDT
DOJ believes Trump held onto sensitive classified documents and associates questioned, sources say
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the Department of Justice and the FBI believed former President Donald Trump continued to keep sensitive classified documents that had national security implications, and that in recent weeks additional information came in suggesting Trump was not complying with requests to provide the information the Justice Department believed he had in his possession.
The information was sensitive enough that authorities wanted to take it back into possession immediately.
-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Alexander Mallin, Luke Barr, Katherine Faulders, and John Santucci
Aug 12, 7:07 AM EDT
Trump calls for ‘immediate release’ of search warrant
Former President Donald Trump is calling for “the immediate release” of the warrant that allowed FBI agents to search his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday.
“Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents, even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me much as they have done for the last 6 years,” Trump said late Thursday in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“This unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement is inappropriate and highly unethical,” he added. “The world is watching as our Country is being brought to a new low, not only on our border, crime, economy, energy, national security, and so much more, but also with respect to our sacred elections!”
Fridays mean new music releases, so here’s some of the latest to drop in the worlds of hip-hop and R&B.
Megan Thee Stallion, Traumazine — Meg’s new album shows fans a more vulnerable side, which she admits was pretty nerve-wracking. “I feel really good because I was so nervous because I never talk about my real feelings,” she told GMA of releasing the project.
The Game, Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind — Game is back, and he’s showing us all the work he’s done in his downtime. Drillmatic features 31 tracks, including the Eminem diss track, “The Black Slim Shady.”
Alicia Keys, Keys II — The deluxe version of Alicia’s double album Keys includes two new tracks: “Trillions” ft. Brent Faiyaz and “Stay” ft. Lucky Daye.
Nicki Minaj, “Super Freaky Girl” — Nicki raps about her sexual prowess on the new single, which samples Rick James‘ “Super Freak.”
Fabolous ft. French Montana, “Say Less” — The Brooklyn rapper teamed up with French Montana for the song and visual, which sees them enjoying themselves at Sei Less, an Asian-fusion restaurant in New York. Fab also dropped “1 Thing Freestyle,” in which he raps over a sample of Amerie‘s 2005 hit.
YG, “Toxic” — Produced by DJ Swish, Larry Jayy and Reece Beats, the song samples Mary J. Blige‘s “Be Happy” and details a toxic relationship. The accompanying visual sees YG remind a side chick of his happy home with his children’s mother.
Ari Lennox, “Hoodie” — Ari reunites with Dreamville collaborator Elite for the first single off her upcoming album, age/sex/location. Her love interest in the video is Isaiah Rashad.
Babyface & Kehlani, “Seamless” — The singers and The Rascals wrote the track, which “offers a frank look at a night out that’s filled with drama, thanks to a partner who always makes a scene.”
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Florida will soon bar transgender residents from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care, according to the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration. The rule goes into effect Aug. 21.
Several accredited medical institutions, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services say gender-affirming care can improve the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse people.
These organizations recommend gender-affirming care for the treatment of “gender dysphoria” — when a person experiences emotional distress because their assigned sex at birth and gender identity don’t align.
“Because gender-affirming care encompasses many facets of healthcare needs and support, it has been shown to increase positive outcomes for transgender and nonbinary children and adolescents,” reads guidance from HHS. “Gender-affirming care is patient-centered and treats individuals holistically, aligning their outward, physical traits with their gender identity,” the guidance continues.
However, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration changed its rules Thursday. Medicaid can no longer be used to pay for medications and surgeries of those diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the state.
A 2019 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that about 32,000 of the roughly 152,000 U.S. trans adults enrolled in Medicaid at the time lived in states that denied coverage for gender-affirming care.
AHCA proposed the change in a June memo, recommending limitations on puberty blockers, hormones, sex-reassignment surgeries and “any other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”
AHCA proposed the change in a June memo, recommending limitations on puberty blockers, hormones, sex-reassignment surgeries and “any other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”
Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, also released a memo in June on gender-affirming care.
He claimed treatments like sex-reassignment surgery, and hormone and puberty blockers are not effective treatments for gender dysphoria based on three cited studies that dispute the general medical consensus on the condition.
He said federal medical guidelines are “about injecting political ideology into the health of our children. Children experiencing gender dysphoria should be supported by family and seek counseling, not pushed into an irreversible decision before they reach 18,” he said in a statement.
Almost simultaneously, the Florida State Board of Medicine voted on Aug. 5 to begin formulating a rule that would deny gender-affirming care to people under the age of 18 and require adults to consult with their doctors before receiving such care.
In a recent press conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis railed against gender-affirming care.
“You don’t disfigure 10, 12, 13-year-old kids based on gender dysphoria,” DeSantis said in a recent press conference. “I think these doctors need to get sued for what’s happening.”
He also made claims that children with gender dysphoria often regret their gender-affirming care; however, a 2021 study from researchers across the country found that the total number of people who regret their care is almost non-existent.
Health care providers have told ABC News that gender-affirming surgeries are not used on minors.
These moves led to outrage from LGBTQ groups and health care providers across the country.
“Science, medicine, and evidence-based approaches have demonstrated time and time again that transition-related care is medically necessary and life-saving care, and if this proposal is adopted, it will go against the recommendation of every major medical association,” said Sarah Warbelow, Human Rights Campaign Legal Director in a statement. “The truth matters and so does protecting Florida’s youth and their families.”
Under DeSantis’ leadership, Florida has continuously battled against professional and activist-based recommendations for gender inclusivity. Recently, several of the state’s agencies openly dismissed nondiscrimination recommendations from the federal level. In July, the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, went into effect.
Supporters of the law say that children should not be learning about gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-3. Critics say it will silence and shame LGBTQ identities in the classroom.
The 11-track collection, which can be preordered now, is made up of new original songs. The title track has been released as an advance single via digital formats.
The group now features three Cowsill siblings — Bob, Paul and Susan.
Bob says the songs on Rhythm of the World were mostly written by the group in hotel rooms, dressing rooms and the tour bus while taking part in the Turtles-headlined Happy Together summer tour.
He explains that the lead track, “Ya Gotta Get Up!,” was inspired by Turtles singer Howard Kaylan‘s “exuberant plea with the audience each night of the tour,” while the closing song, “Katrina,” tells the story of brother Barry Cowsill‘s 2005 death in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.
“[For] all the songs … we use melody and harmony to bring some love and the hope of peace to the world,” Bob notes. “We are thrilled to be here to claim our legacy and share our music!!!”
The Cowsills are best known for such hits as 1967’s “The Rain, the Park & Other Things” and their 1969 cover of the Broadway musical Hair‘s title song, which both peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group also served as the inspiration for The Partridge Family.
The Cowsills currently are part of the lineup of the 2022 Happy Together Tour, which runs through an August 29 show in Grand Island, Nebraska. The group also has several other concerts on their schedule, including performances on September 9 in Somers Point, New Jersey, and September 10 in New York City.
Here’s Rhythm of the World‘s full track list:
“Ya Gotta Get Up!”
“Lend a Hand”
“Hawks on the Line”
“Every Little Secret”
“Nuclear Winter”
“Rhythm of the World”
“Largo Nights”
“Goodbye’s Not Forever”
“The Long Run”
“Try to Believe It Too”
“Katrina”
Sammy Hagar was among the many well-known artists who contributed original songs to the soundtrack of the classic teen comedy-drama Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which premiered 40 years ago this Saturday.
Hagar wrote and recorded the movie’s title song, a riff-heavy rock tune that Sammy notes was one of a series a tunes he recorded specifically for films around that time.
“They just would send me the script of the movie, and I would read…through it,” Hagar explains to ABC Audio. “And they didn’t ask me to write the title track. I just wrote a song called ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High.’ So…lyrically, I just kind of mimicked what was going on in the movie. You know, just a bunch of high school kids messing up…and trying to get laid, basically.”
The Red Rocker says having one of his songs as the title track of a popular movie then felt like he’d hit the “big time.”
Hagar notes that he always enjoyed writing songs for films, explaining, “I loved having a theme. For a songwriter, the first thing you need to have, after you have the [music]…I needed a title, a subject. ‘What am I writing about?’ And when they would hand that to you in a script in a movie…I just said, ‘Oh, yeah. Boom! I know what to do.'”
Meanwhile, Hagar says one of the cool things about his “Fast Times” song was getting to work with a soundtrack musician who was experimenting with synthesizers, and who added an effect that Sammy described as sounding “like a knife being sharpened.”
“It was so advanced [at the time],” Hagar notes. “It was really cool…You know, no one had ever heard anything like that before.”
