Music merchandising company KnuckleBonz is releasing a mini, collectible statue of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.
The officially licensed figure — which was made in collaboration with Burton’s estate — will be limited to just 3,000 pieces. Each one stands at approximately 8.5 inches high and is hand-crafted, painted and numbered.
The statues will be released in 2023, but you can pre-order your own now via KnuckleBonz.com. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Cliff Burton Music Scholarship Fund for Rising Youth Musicians.
As previously reported, the Burton estate has also teamed up with KnuckleBonz and the Calicraft Brewing Co. to create a signature beer inspired by Cliff. Sales from the beer, dubbed Cliff ‘Em All, will also be donated to the Burton Music Scholarship Fund.
(WASHINGTON) — House Democrats will vote Friday on a bill to ban assault weapons in the U.S.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced the vote in a letter to colleagues on Friday morning, calling the legislation “a crucial step in our ongoing fight against the deadly epidemic of gun violence in our nation.”
Pelosi urged colleagues to vote for same-day authority — a procedural hurdle that requires a separate vote — in order to fast-track the bill Friday afternoon.
The bill comes roughly two decades after Congress allowed such restrictions to lapse.
“I’m excited today because for a long time now I had wanted to reinstate the assault weapons ban,” Pelosi said in her weekly press conference ahead of the vote. “You weren’t here, maybe weren’t even born when we did this in the 90s. It was hard but it happened, and it saved lives. And I’m looking forward to having a good passage of it this afternoon.”
President Joe Biden and gun control advocates renewed calls to outlaw weapons like AR-15 rifles in the wake of recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas and Highland Park, Illinois.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering pleaded with lawmakers just last week to ban such weapons, stating she will be “haunted forever” after a shooter opened fire during the city’s Fourth of July parade, killing seven people.
Congress passed its first major piece of gun reform in 30 years in June, which enhanced background checks for potential gun buyers under the age of 21 and included money for red flag laws and mental health services. But the measure fell short of what Biden and Democrats hoped to enact.
Leading gun manufacturing executives who testified before lawmakers on Wednesday maintained that people, not firearms, cause mass shootings.
“I hope the American people are paying attention today. It is clear that gun-makers are not going to change unless Congress forces them to finally put people over profits,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said during the hearing.
House Democrats originally planned on including a ban on assault weapons in a broader public safety package, but division within the caucus has delayed leadership’s efforts to bring the package to the floor before the August recess.
Pelosi said Friday that work continues on the other policing measures, including legislation to create new federal grant programs for local police departments.
“House Democrats are committed to building safer communities, in every corner of the country,” she wrote. “To that end, our Members have been working on a robust package of public safety bills and have made immense progress in our discussions.”
While the assault weapons ban may clear the House, such legislation is not likely to advance in the Senate, where Democrats would need at least 10 Republican votes to overcome the filibuster.
(LAS VEGAS) — The city of Las Vegas has declared an emergency over its water supply after the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in New Mexico history, contaminated the Gallinas River. The city relies solely on water from the river, which has been tainted with large amounts of fire-related debris and ash, according to city officials.
The city is currently relying on reservoirs which, at the current consumption rate, contain less than 50 days worth of stored water, according to Las Vegas Mayor Louie Trujillo.
The large amounts of ash and turbidity in the river have prevented the city from being able to pull water from it, as the city’s municipal water treatment facility is not able to treat water, according to the mayor.
The Hermit’s Peak Fire and Calf Canyon Fire merged on April 27. By May 2, the blaze had grown in size and caused evacuations in multiple villages and communities in San Miguel County and Mora County.
President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declarations for the New Mexico counties of Colfax, Mora and San Miguel on May 4.
The fire resulted in the loss of federal, state, local, tribal and private property including thousands of acres of the watershed for the Gallinas River, the primary source of municipal water for the city and surrounding areas, according to the emergency declaration.
The Gallinas River has resulted in thousands of acres of scorched forest, flooding, ash and fire debris.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jul 29, 1:17 PM EDT
Blinken speaks with Lavrov, pushes him to accept ‘substantial proposal’ from US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday. Blinken said he pushed Lavrov to accept the “substantial proposal” the U.S. put forth to free detained Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
This marked the first time the two leaders spoke since the war began.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said Friday, “We very much tried to keep details of the negotiations of this nature as private as possible so that we can allow as much space for negotiators to come to a successful conclusion. We felt that in the context of what was happening in both Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan’s cases, as well as what was not happening, that it was important to lay out publicly that there was, in fact, a serious offer made by the American side that has not been acted on.”
Jul 29, 8:28 AM EDT
US ambassador to Ukraine speaks to ABC News as grain ships prepare to leave
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink told ABC News on Friday morning that she is “optimistic” ships carrying grain will begin leaving Ukraine this weekend, but that it’s up to Russia to keep its side of the deal.
During an interview in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Brink told ABC News there is currently “no obstacle” to the ships’ departure.
“Ukraine is ready to ship this grain, but it’s also up to Russia to agree on the grain corridor and the ships will be ready to go,” Brink said. “It can be done, it should be done and, in fact, it must be done.”
She declined to say whether the United States would impose consequences on Russia if it disrupted the United Nations-brokered deal or attacked the ships. But she underlined her country’s support for Ukraine and the deal, saying it was important that Ukrainian grain starts reaching countries that need it.
“Twenty-four hours after the deal was agreed a week ago today, Russia bombed this very port where we’re standing,” Brink noted. “So I think it’s imperative on Russia to live up to its commitments and to implement the agreement it signed onto, and imperative on all of us to ensure that Russia lives up to those commitments.”
When asked if there was a “Plan B” if the deal failed, Brink said the focus was on doing everything to ensure “Plan A” works.
Earlier Friday, Brink and ambassadors of other G-7 countries held a press conference in Odesa while overseeing the preparations. She told reporters that she hopes an agreement confirming the safe corridors of the grain ships to sail through this weekend would be reached. Under the deal, Ukraine and Russia have been negotiating the precise routes the vessels will take across the Black Sea.
Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but Kyiv has been unable to ship exports due to Moscow’s offensive. Last month, the Ukrainian Grain Association warned that Ukraine’s wheat harvest is expected to plummet by 40%.
In recent weeks, there has been an all-out push from the U.S. and the U.N. to facilitate exports from war-torn Ukraine, desperate to offset what they foretell is a looming global food crisis with the potential to devastate the developing world. A Russian blockade in the Black Sea, along with Ukrainian naval mines, have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible and, as a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.
Jul 29, 7:11 AM EDT
Ukraine says 1st grain ships should leave this weekend
Ukraine announced Friday that it hopes the first ships carrying grain will finally be leaving two ports this weekend under a United Nations-brokered deal to end Russia’s blockade.
The departure of the first ships will be a major test of whether the deal with Moscow will hold and Ukrainian food can begin to ease the global hunger crisis worsened by the blockade amid Russia’s war.
Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksander Kubrakov, who is overseeing the operation, told reporters in Odesa on Friday morning that the port as well as the nearby Chernomorsk port are prepared to begin, with 17 ships already loaded with grain.
A final agreement mediated by the U.N. and Turkey needs to be signed off on the routes the vessels will take out of the heavily mined ports. Kubrakov said Ukraine had provided a number of options and that, from its side, the country is ready. Ukraine is waiting for the U.N. to confirm the routes are accepted by both sides.
Kubrakov said the first ships should leave by the end of the weekend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also in Odesa on Friday morning to see the preparations and meet with Kubrakov as well as other officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Jul 27, 2:51 PM EDT
Blinken and Lavrov to discuss US proposal to free Griner and Whelan
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he plans to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the coming days, marking the first time the two leaders will speak since the war began.
Blinken said a critical topic of discussion would be securing the freedom of detained Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, revealing that the U.S. has already put forward a plan to accomplish that.
“We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I’ll use the conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution,” Blinken said.
“I can’t and won’t get into any of the details of what we’ve proposed to the Russians over the course of some many weeks now,” Blinken said.
Blinken said President Joe Biden played an active role in crafting the proposal for Griner and Whelan.
Blinken also stressed, “My call with Foreign Minister Lavrov will not be a negotiation about Ukraine,” adding, “Any negotiation regarding Ukraine is for its government and people to determine.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jul 27, 9:32 AM EDT
Ukraine uses US rocket system to strike key bridge in Russia-held Kherson
Ukrainian forces struck a strategic bridge in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson early Wednesday, according to local officials.
High-precision missile strikes by the Ukrainian military damaged the Antonivskiy bridge, forcing the occupied authorities to close the structure to civilian traffic. The mile-long bridge across the Dnieper River is an essential artery used by Moscow to supply its troops occupying southern Ukraine.
“Strikes were delivered on the bridge, on its road. The bridge is currently closed to the civilian population,” Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region, told local media on Wednesday.
The bridge’s pillars and spans were still intact as of Wednesday morning, according to Stremousov.
“It is simply that the number of holes on the road has increased. The strike on the bridge has affected only the civilian population,” he added.
According to Stremousov, Ukrainian forces hit the bridge with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) supplied by the United States. He said ferry crossings across the Dnieper River will be organized during the bridge’s restoration, and that traffic will resume in the near future.
“We have prepared a pontoon bridge. We have a ferry link,” he told local media.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian military officials said the number of Russian soldiers killed in the war has surpassed 40,000, just more than five months after Russia launched its invasion of neighboring Ukraine in late February.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd, Max Uzol and Yuriy Zaliznyak
There’s at least one person not happy with Beyoncé’s new album, Renaissance: Kelis.
The singer claims Bey stole a sample of her 1999 song “Get Along with You” for the track “Energy.”
“I heard about this the same way everyone else did,” Kelis wrote on Instagram Thursday. “Nothing is ever as it seems, some of the people in this business have no soul or integrity and they have everyone fooled.”
She subsequently posted two videos about the issue, explaining, “It has to do with the fact that, from one artist to another, you should have the decency and common sense and the courtesy to call.”
Kelis not only called out Beyoncé but also Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who produced “Get Along with You.”
“Pharrell knows better. This is a direct hit at me,” she claims, adding, “He does this stuff all the time. It’s very petty.”
Dove Cameron has played up being the fun, wholesome girl next door, but now she’s embracing her inner villain, and she says it took her a long time to feel comfortable with who she is and what she wants to do.
Speaking to InStyle, the singer opened up about dealing with “a lot of trauma” when she was younger, from entering the industry when she was a kid to losing her father to suicide at a young age. Further compounding that was the sudden death of her Descendents co-star Cameron Boyce in 2019.
Dove said she leaned into her career to cope, revealing, “I actually used the entertainment industry as a place of control and validation and structure… I grew up in chaos; when someone else ran the show, I felt safer. And that’s what I needed at the time — to feel safe.”
Things are different now and the singer is excited for what’s to come. “I’ve been taking huge risks with writing and music and [film],” she continued. “I’ve been doing my own music video treatments, taking more charge of my career, and experimenting a lot with self-styling in terms of fashion.”
Dove also credits coming out as queer in 2020 for helping her take control of her life, adding, “It led to finding more pieces of myself.”
The Vengeance star enjoys embracing her dark side and hinted it is “sort of a superpower” of hers. In “Boyfriend,” she flirts with stealing another man’s girlfriend, while in “Breakfast,” she hints no boys are safe around her.
“I always knew I was strange growing up,” she disclosed, “I would pretend to be Lydia in Beetlejuice when I was 8! I knew I was weird. Now,I know it’s to my advantage.”
Dirty Heads has announced a new album called Midnight Control.
The eighth studio effort from the reggae rock outfit will arrive August 26. It includes the previously released single “Life’s Been Good,” a reworking of the 1978 Joe Walsh song of the same name.
A second cut, titled “Heavy Water,” is available now via digital outlets and its accompanying video can be streamed now on YouTube. It features Grammy-nominated reggae group Common Kings.
“‘Heavy Water’ is a song about empowerment,” says vocalist Jared Watson.
“Being in the water constantly from a young age, we know the power of the ocean — there is nothing more powerful or uncontrollable,” he explains. “‘Heavy water’ is a metaphor for life because when life throws something at you that’s unforeseen and uncontrollable, you will be ready for it and not let it overtake you.”
Here’s the Midnight Control track list:
“Island Glow”
“Heavy Water”
“Life’s Been Good”
“Make Me”
“Midnight Control”
“Little Things”
“Indigo”
“El Dorado”
“Shade”
“Live Your Life”
After teasing the news in a recent video update, Ringo Starr has now announced full details about his upcoming EP, EP3.
The four-track collection, which can be pre-ordered now, will be released digitally and on CD September 16, while a limited-edition blue cassette and 10-inch vinyl-disc version are due out on November 18.
EP3 is the third EP the former Beatles drummer released after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — following Zoom In and Change the World, which both arrived in 2021.
Starr recorded all three EPs at his Roccabella West studio.
EP3 begins with the upbeat rock tune “World Go Round,” which is available now as an advance digital single. It was co-written by founding Toto guitarist, longtime All Starr Band member Steve Lukather, and Toto lead singer Joseph Williams, who bothco-wrote the Change the World‘s title track.
The second track, “Everyone and Everything,” was written by hit-making producer and songwriter Linda Perry, who also contributes guitar, percussion and backing vocals to the tune.
The third song, “Let’s Be Friends,” is a catchy dance tune co-written by Starr’s longtime studio engineer Bruce Sugar and acclaimed songwriter Sam Hollander.
The EP’s final track, “Free Your Soul,” is a laid-back, reggae-flavored tune that Starr co-wrote with Sugar. The tune includes guest appearances by Dave Koz on tenor sax and José Antonio Rodriguez on nylon guitar.
“I am in my studio writing and recording every chance I get,” Ringo notes. “It’s what I have always done and will continue to do, and releasing EPs more frequently allows me to continue to be creative and give each song a little more love.”
After giving the Upside Down the most metal concert its ever seen, Eddie Munson made his debut at Lollapalooza on Thursday.
During Metallica‘s headlining set on the opening day of the Chicago festival, the metal legends broadcasted the Stranger Things character’s famous shredding scene on the stage screens while performing — what else? — “Master of Puppets.”
Footage of the production was posted to Twitter by @Consequence.
Following its placement in the season four finale of Stranger Things earlier this month, “Master of Puppets” has seen a resurgence, making its first-ever appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. To celebrate the song’s newfound popularity, Metallica released a new lyric video for “Master of Puppets” this week.
In Apple TV+’s new thriller series Surface, Loki veteran Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Sophie, a woman who is getting re-acquainted with her seemingly perfect life after losing her memory in a near-fatal accident.
However, as she recovers, she begins to learn that her life wasn’t what she thought it was — nor is it what her loved ones tell her it was.
Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays James, her seemingly devoted husband. Like many of the other characters in the show, James is hiding more than a few secrets. “It’s just a kind of really fascinating journey,” he tells ABC Audio.
“I think all the characters go on in this show where…nothing is sort of how it seems,” he continues. “And so I think to play that, to be able to play holding on to secrets and sitting on things and hiding things — and they can be read so many different ways — that the tension that creates is incredible fun.”
Stephan James plays Baden, a guy who comes into Sophie’s life seemingly out of nowhere but who shows her they’ve actually been acquainted. Intimately. He holds the keys to her former life.
“You know, he’s kind of dark, he’s kind of mysterious, a little aloof, and you can’t quite put your finger on him,” James says of his character.
“I mean, he gives you the impression that his intentions are pure coming into it. But I think over the course of the season, you know, your mind may change a couple of times about that,” he says with a smile. “For me as an actor, that’s kind of what drew me to it is not knowing who this guy was.”
