Government shutdown averted after House, Senate pass funding bill

Government shutdown averted after House, Senate pass funding bill
Government shutdown averted after House, Senate pass funding bill
Mint Images/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — A bill to avert a federal government shutdown passed the House on Friday, just hours before the midnight deadline.

The House voted 230-201 to pass the stopgap legislation, which will keep the government funded through mid-December — past the midterm elections.

The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. He’ll need to sign it before the end of the day Friday to avert a shutdown.

The Senate voted 72-25 to advance the legislation on Thursday afternoon after some stumbles earlier this week over energy permitting reform.

The legislation moved forward after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., agreed to drop the provision — which was opposed by some progressives and most Republicans — from the continuing resolution. All 25 “no” votes came from the GOP side of the aisle.

The bill includes an additional $12 billion in military and economic aid for Ukraine, $1 billion in heating and utility assistance for low-income families, $20 million in response to the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, and includes a five-year reauthorization for Food and Drug Administration user fees.

The measure also includes money for Federal Emergency Management Agency’s main disaster relief fund, an infusion that comes amid Hurricane Ian’s leveling of southwest Florida and after Hurricane Fiona’s devastation on Puerto Rico.

In floor remarks just before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., highlighted some of the emergency appropriations included on the bill, including aid for Ukraine and to assist with the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. She also highlighted a relatively small amount of funding that could be immediately deployed to assist with Hurricane Ian recovery effort, but noted that even more funds will likely be needed.

“This legislation is a package for the people. I urge a strong bipartisan yes on the continuing resolution so that we may swiftly send this bill to the President’s desk,” Pelosi said on the floor.

What’s not included in the legislation is the billions of dollars the White House requested to continue its COVID-19 response. The Biden administration requested $22.4 billion for vaccines, treatments and next-generation research.

“This legislation avoids a very bad thing — shutting down the government — and does a lot of good things: money for the people of Ukraine, funding for communities reeling from natural disasters, aid to families with their heating bills, just to name a few,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said just before the vote.

“Millions and millions of people can breathe easy,” Schumer added.

Republicans tried to get the continuing resolution to lapse early next year, rather than mid-December, in the hopes that the GOP will gain control of the House after the November midterm elections.

Sen. Schumer announced Thursday that the Senate will not return for its next vote until Nov. 14, giving members time to campaign in their home states from now until Election Day.

When the Senate returns for the lame duck session, it will have a hefty to-do list to tackle. Members will have to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, fund the government, confirm nominees and potentially take up legislation to protect same sex marriage.

Schumer warned of an “extremely busy” final two months of the calendar year.

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Listen to The Beatles’ first take of “Tomorrow Never Knows” from deluxe Revolver reissue

Listen to The Beatles’ first take of “Tomorrow Never Knows” from deluxe Revolver reissue
Listen to The Beatles’ first take of “Tomorrow Never Knows” from deluxe Revolver reissue
Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe

The Beatles have debuted the first take of their classic experimental song “Tomorrow Never Knows,” one of the bonus tracks from the forthcoming deluxe reissue of the Fab Four’s landmark 1966 album Revolver.

The track features John Lennon‘s eerie, distorted vocals over a tape loop of a drum sequence and an Eastern-influenced guitar line that’s slower and more stark than the version that made the original album.

As a new Rolling Stone article explains, The Beatles began recording “Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)” on the first day of the Revolver sessions and nearly finished the track by the end of the second day.

Lennon famously told producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick that he wanted “to sound like the Dalai Lama singing from a hilltop” on the track. To achieve the effect, his vocals were run through a rotating Leslie speaker.

The finished track, which was one of the band’s earliest forays into psychedelia, became Revolver‘s closing song.

“Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)” is available now via digital formats, while a companion video, posted on YouTube, features archival photos, footage of the Beatles members and animated rotating tape reels, planets, clocks and flowers.

The deluxe reissue of Revolver will be released on October 28 in multiple configurations.

Among the versions of the reissue is a special edition that features new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of Revolver; the original mono mix of the album; 31 tracks of session outtakes; a four-song EP that includes the non-album tracks “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”; and a 100-page hardbound book.

You can preorder the Revolver reissue now.

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Ciara gushes about “ultimate girl vibes” in new “Better Thangs” music video ft. Summer Walker

Ciara gushes about “ultimate girl vibes” in new “Better Thangs” music video ft. Summer Walker
Ciara gushes about “ultimate girl vibes” in new “Better Thangs” music video ft. Summer Walker
Beauty Marks Entertainment, Inc.

The anticipation for the “Better Thangs” collab Ciara and Summer Walker delivered earlier this week was just as high for the music video the ladies dropped off Friday. 

R&B veteran Ciara gushed about working alongside Summer for the energetic new track and the woman empowerment felt throughout the song and visual. 

“She and I have been rolling ever since we’ve connected,” Ciara told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe. “We’ve just had a great flow as moms, as girls. In this video, you feel the ultimate girl vibes with us. We’re having a good time. We’re laughing. You can feel the empowerment of us. There’s other girls in the video too, as far as dancers and all that good stuff. So you just feel the power of all of us.”

The song and video gives off ’90s R&B vibes with its upbeat tempo, ’90s inspired hairstyles and carefree lyrics. 

The “Level Up” singer said the new track is all about being and staying positive and “getting to joy.”

“It’s too much going on in the world. Life is way too short,” she said. “So for me, I’m like, how can I get to joy? How can I get to good times? I love laughing. I love smiling. I just love good times,” she continued adding, “The ultimate goal, I think, is to motivate everyone to get the better things that they deserve in life.”

“Better Thangs” released Wednesday, two days ahead of its expected arrival. Ci Ci says she couldn’t keep it from fans any longer. 

“The fans have been asking for this record for so long,” she explained. “I’ve been teasing it for a long time on my pages. So it’s time.”

Head over to Ciara and Summer Walker’s official YouTube for the “Better Thangs” video. 

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Russell Dickerson’s self-titled third studio album is officially on its way

Russell Dickerson’s self-titled third studio album is officially on its way
Russell Dickerson’s self-titled third studio album is officially on its way
Triple Tigers Records

Russell Dickerson returns this week to announce his third studio album, a self-titled project boasting 15 tracks — all of which he co-wrote.

The singer says the new music will continue to share his story with his fans, fleshing out his introspective side while also delivering the energetic onstage personality that concertgoers already know and love.

“No matter how far we get into this, I want people to know it’s still me,” Russell reflects. “I’m still the hyper, outgoing, fun-loving crazy dude onstage. But also these songs are so meaningful to me. It’s not all hype and smoke and lights. I am a songwriter, I trust my instincts, and now my instincts are telling me to share 100 percent me, and creatively just let it flow.”

Russell Dickerson is set to arrive on November 4, but ahead of release day, the singer is sharing one of its tracks, the anthemic “I Wonder,” along with a music video to match.

Russell’s new album is available to pre-save and pre-order now.

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Ed Sheeran ordered to stand trial in “Thinking Out Loud” copyright suit

Ed Sheeran ordered to stand trial in “Thinking Out Loud” copyright suit
Ed Sheeran ordered to stand trial in “Thinking Out Loud” copyright suit
Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Ed Sheeran‘s legal woes are far from over. Even though he emerged victorious in his “Shape of You” copyright suit, he is now going toe to toe over a Marvin Gaye hit.

Billboard reports a federal judge has ordered the Grammy winner to stand trial in the copyright lawsuit alleging he stole elements from Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” to make his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.” The lawsuit was brought on by Structured Asset Sales, who owns a third of Ed Townsend‘s copyrights.

Townsend co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Gaye; his heirs have filed a separate suit on the matter.

This case now heads to a jury trial, which Ed, who previously filed a request to dismiss the lawsuit, hoped to avoid. His team argued the elements he’s accused of stealing — a chord progression and harmonic rhythm from the 1973 song — were not unique enough to be protected under copyright. 

The British singer’s team noted the same elements were found in a song that predates “Let’s Get It On” — The Temptations‘ 1965 hit “Since I Lost My Baby.”

Judge Louis Stanton sided against Ed and ruled nothing would preclude the artist from relaying his arguments to a jury. “There is no bright-line rule that the combination of two unprotectable elements is insufficiently numerous to constitute an original work,” the judge wrote. “A work may be copyrightable even though it is entirely a compilation of unprotectable elements.”

Judge Stanton also ruled that should Ed be found guilty of copyright infringement, the profits he made from concerts when he performed “Thinking Out Loud” will be included in awarded damages. 

No date has been set for the upcoming case, but it is expected to take place in a Manhattan federal courthouse.

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‘Community’ movie is a go at Peacock

‘Community’ movie is a go at Peacock
‘Community’ movie is a go at Peacock
Peacock

It is as the prophecy predicted: After six seasons, there will be a Community movie.

As Peacock teases, “from the TV series that predicted its own movie, comes the least predictable movie of a TV series that referenced a lot of movies and TV.”

Show creator Dan Harmon, who went on to co-create Rick and Morty, will write the movie for the streaming service, and star Joel McHale will take on an executive producer role.

“‘Six seasons and a movie’ started out as a cheeky line from Community’s early seasons and quickly ignited a passionate fan movement for this iconic, hilarious and cool (cool, cool) NBC comedy,” said NBCUniversal Television and Streaming chairman Susan Rovner in the announcement.

She added, “We’re incredibly grateful that 15 years later, we are able to deliver fans this promised movie and can’t wait to get to work with Dan Harmon, [executive producer] Andrew Guest, Joel McHale, Sony and our partners at UTV to continue this epic comedy for Peacock audiences.”

Original stars McHale, Danny Pudi, Ken Jeong, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash and Alison Brie will return for the film version.

Additionally, Peacock has snagged non-exclusive rights to air Community‘s library of episodes.

Incidentally, ABC Audio recently asked Brie if the “movie” prophecy would come true, and she replied with her poker face firmly intact. “I’m hoping it’s around the bend,” she commented.

“I don’t have any new news, but I’m crossing my fingers…That’s all I got for today,” Brie demurred.

Community debuted in 2009 on NBC and ran for 110 episodes. While never a ratings blockbuster, the Emmy-winning show developed a loyal fan base, which even spawned an unofficial fan-led convention called CommuniCon.

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Scooter Braun wishes he handed things differently with Taylor Swift: “I learned an important lesson from that”

Scooter Braun wishes he handed things differently with Taylor Swift: “I learned an important lesson from that”
Scooter Braun wishes he handed things differently with Taylor Swift: “I learned an important lesson from that”
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Scooter Braun wishes he had done things differently with Taylor Swift.

To recap, Scooter acquired Taylor’s masters up until her Reputation album when buying her former record company, Big Machine, in June 2019. That same day, Taylor called the buyout her “worst case scenario” on Tumblr, and they’ve been at odds since.

Speaking on The Limits with Jay Williams podcast, Braun admitted he “would have” handled the situation differently and that he “learned an important lesson.”

Scooter reflected on when “all hell broke loose” — as in Taylor’s Tumblr post — and believes the issue arose because “a lot of things got lost in translation.” The talent manager said he was “under a very strict NDA” when acquiring Big Machine, so he “wasn’t legally allowed” to “tell any artist” about the deal beforehand.

“So the regret I have there is that I made the assumption that everyone, once the deal was done, was going to have a conversation with me, see my intent, see my character and say, ‘Great, let’s be in business together,'” he said. Braun admitted that his mindset was coming from “a place of arrogance.”

As for what he learned, Braun said, “I can never make that assumption again.” He added, “I think that when you have a conflict with someone, it’s very hard to resolve it if you’re not willing to have a conversation.” 

He also learned to see things from Taylor’s point of view. “I didn’t appreciate how that all went down,” he confessed. “I thought it was unfair. But I also understand, from the other side, they probably felt it was unfair, too.”

Braun, who has since sold the rights to Taylor’s first six albums for a reported $300 million+, says he’s “rooting” for Taylor and “wish[es] everyone involved well.”

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Roddy Ricch arrives with new single “Stop Breathing”

Roddy Ricch arrives with new single “Stop Breathing”
Roddy Ricch arrives with new single “Stop Breathing”
Atlantic Records

Roddy Ricch continues his string of recent music releases with his latest single and accompanying music video for “Stop Breathing.”

The Los Angeles hitmaker teamed up with top hip-hop producers TurboJetsonMade and Pooh Beatz for the hot new track, on which he raps lyrical bars about his lavish and successful lifestyle. 

Here are a few quotable lyrics: “Carti please, four G’s make them stop breathin’ / Mustard just sent the new Ferrari, I might just cop me one / They can’t be rich they just tryna make a carbon copy of ’em / Countin’ up this new money, every single day I’m home.”

The visuals match. Roddy is seen driving expensive cars, boarding jets, in the studio and rocking lots of jewelry. Also sprinkled throughout are clips of Roddy and Post Malone on the road during Post’s Twelve Carat Tour, where Roddy is a special guest. 

While not yet confirmed, all of Roddy’s new releases could appear on his next album, Feed tha Streets III, which, via a Tweet last December, the rapper promised to deliver some time this year. 

“Stop Breathing” is available for download all on major streaming services.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oasis’ Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs says cancer is “gone”: “Thank you so much all of you”

Oasis’ Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs says cancer is “gone”: “Thank you so much all of you”
Oasis’ Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs says cancer is “gone”: “Thank you so much all of you”
Lorne Thomson/Redferns

Founding Oasis guitarist Paul “Boneheard” Arthurs has some good news regarding his battle with tonsil cancer.

In a tweet Thursday, Arthurs shares he “had a full scan 10 days ago” and his cancer is “all clear.”

“It’s gone,” Arthurs writes. “Thank you so much all of you for the messages I’ve had throughout, you’ve helped more than you know.”

Arthurs first revealed his diagnosis in April. At the time, he called the cancer “treatable” and said he was “going to be taking a break from playing for a while.”

An original member of Oasis, Arthurs played on the albums Definitely Maybe, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and Be Here Now before leaving the band in 1999. More recently, he’s been playing in Liam Gallagher‘s solo band.

Following Arthurs’ good news, Gallagher responded in his usual way tweeting in all caps, “YES BONEHEAD WE KNEW YOUD KICK ITS A*** SOOOOO F***ING HAPPY.”

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Neil Young releasing new album with Crazy Horse, ‘World Record,’ in November

Neil Young releasing new album with Crazy Horse, ‘World Record,’ in November
Neil Young releasing new album with Crazy Horse, ‘World Record,’ in November
Reprise Records

In early July, Neil Young announced that he’d just finished a new album with his frequent backing band Crazy Horse, and now, full details of the project have been revealed.

The album, which he co-produced with Rick Rubin, is a 10-track collection titled World Record that’s scheduled to be released on November 18.

According to a press statement about the album, “World Record contains a wealth of wisdom, and the kind of poignant observations one can only be collected over an eventful life. The iconoclastic songwriter reminisces with gratitude about the gifts the Earth has given him and sets his sights on an uncertain future with hope that we can right this big, blue and green ship. He does so in a vital and unyielding fashion.”

World Record was recorded live at Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, California.

The album’s first song, “Love Earth,” is available now as an advance digital track. Among the other tunes on the record is the epic, 15-minute “Chevrolet,” which features Neil expressing his passion for cars while musing on the need to look ahead to a future without fossil fuel.

World Record can be preordered now and will be available on vinyl, CD and cassette as well as via various digital formats.

The vinyl version will be a two-LP set featuring music on three sides plus an etching on side four. A limited-edition vinyl edition of the album pressed on clear vinyl will be sold at Young’s online store, The Greedy Hand Store and at independent retailers.

World Record is a follow-up to Barn, which Young and Crazy Horse recorded in June of last year; the album released in December.

Here’s the full Word Record track list:

“Love Earth”
“Overhead”
“I Walk with You (earth ringtone)”
“This Old Planet (changing days)”
“The World (is in trouble now)”
“Break the Chain”
“The Long Day Before”
“Walkin’ on the Road (to the future)”
“The Wonder Won’t Wait”
“Chevrolet”
“This Old Planet (reprise)”

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