Halsey fans are upset that the singer canceled her show Wednesday in Columbia, Maryland due to unsafe weather conditions, but Halsey is just as upset as their fans are.
In the midst of torrential downpours, video posted by fans shows the venue completely flooded, and rats invading the stage.
“Maryland I don’t even know what to say,” Halsey tweeted last night, adding, “But right now I’m heartbroken and panicked and I just want to know when/that you all get home safely. I love you guys more than anything.”
Halsey took to Instagram Live to explain that they travel with weather experts who warn their team if there are any concerts about the weather, but last night’s storm was “unexpected and unpredictable” and one that the “weather experts didn’t even see coming.”
They added that they were told to let fans know to shelter in place, instead of evacuating, and finally, they personally made the decision to cancel the show. Halsey added that they planned to reschedule the show.
“I promise I wanted to [perform] more than anything. But I couldn’t because it would have been SO unsafe if I went out there and people rushed the stage during or after the storm,” Halsey tweeted. “A lot of things were out of my control tonight but I promise everything I COULD choose, I chose your safety.”
They wrote, “I really want to add that I am beyond disappointed with the way the venue handled everything tonight and my rescheduled date will be happening somewhere else. I hear you guys loud and clear I promise.”
Disappointed fans can take heart in the knowledge that Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, Halsey is releasing their much-anticipated song “So Good.”
Fans can soon “slip on down to the oasis”: Garth Brooks’ new Nashville hot spot, called Friends in Low Places, has a tropical and vaguely pirate-centric theme.
He debuted the logo for his new bar on social media, revealing a graphic of lagoon-blue water and palm fronds and the bar’s acronym, FILP, spelled out in bones, with a palm tree representing the “I.”
The theme, of course, comes from a line in the chorus of the Garth mega-hit that gives the bar its name. “Yeah, I’m not big on social graces / Think I’ll slip on down to the oasis / So I’ve got friends in low places.”
Garth has been rolling out news surrounding his new Nashville bar, venue and entertainment complex ever since he announced it this spring. According to the venue’s newly live Twitter page, Friends in Low Places will be opening for business soon.
After reports that new music from Cardi B would drop next week, the rapper took to social media to set the record straight.
“BARDIGANG I don’t wanna gas y’all and put a battery in yall back ….so I’m going to be the one to tell y’all what @PageSix wrote is not true,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper tweeted Wednesday. “I actually wish but if y’all been checking in with me on Centerfold y’all know what’s been the issue.”
The tweet came shortly after Page Six reported that Cardi was gearing up to drop a new single next Friday, June 17. According to the post, their source also claimed that the new track would feature a “top male artist in the hip hop game” who is currently very “relevant.”
The news comes as Cardi prepares for the release of her sophomore album. While she hasn’t shared a release date or name for the new project, during an appearance on Playboy’s Centerfold platform over the weekend, the 29-year-old confirmed that 2020’s Megan Thee Stallion-assisted hit “WAP” and 2021’s “Up” will be included.
The singer, whose residency show PLAY is at Resorts World Las Vegas, was honored Wednesday at the property with a declaration of Katy Perry Day in Clark County, Nevada. She was also presented with a giant honorary ‘Key to the Las Vegas Strip.’
Katy told the crowd, “I have a lot of roots here [in Las Vegas]…My aunt was a showgirl here, my grandma was a seamstress here, my dad grew up here, he ended up being a chauffeur here, my parents met here, they got married here, so it’s only natural that I would be on the stage here eventually.”
“But I did not know or think that I’d be getting a key to the Strip, which I hope unlocks some, like, better HVAC,” she joked. “It is really hot in Las Vegas!”
Katy just announced new dates for her PLAY residency. Her current run of shows goes through August, and then she’ll return for shows on October 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 19, 21 and 22. Katy’s 38th birthday is October 25.
Is today the day that Britney Spears becomes Mrs. Sam Asghari?
People reports that the singer, 40 and the actor and trainer, 28, will tie the knot in LA in a “fairly intimate wedding” attended by 60 guests. As previously reported, Britney will be wearing a gown by Versace. The two first announced their engagement about nine months ago.
Britney and Sam first met on the set of Britney’s 2016 video for “Slumber Party” and they’ve basically been together ever since, with Sam supporting her emotionally through Britney’s ultimately successful campaign to end her 13-year conservatorship. The couple recently announced that they were expecting, but sadly, they lost the baby.
This will be Sam’s first and Britney’s third marriage. She was previously wed to a childhood friend, Jason Alexander, in a union that was annulled, and then married Kevin Federline, with whom she shares sons Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James, 15. Britney and Kevin divorced in 2007.
Booking.com recently launched The Ultimate ELVIS Experience at Graceland, a special new Elvis Presley-themed vacation in Memphis, Tennessee, created in honor of the new Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic ELVIS, which opens in theaters on June 24.
Those who book the two-night trip will get to stay at The Guest House at Graceland, and will be treated to behind-the-scenes access to various Elvis-related attractions, chauffeured rides in a vintage automobile, and an exclusive advance screening of the ELVIS film. They also will receive a Presley-inspired Gibson Epiphone guitar.
The Ultimate ELVIS Experience includes a dinner at Graceland’s Presley Motors Automobile Museum; tours of the Graceland and Memphis’ famed Sun Studio; and lunch at the Arcade Restaurant, the home of the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, Elvis’ favorite sandwich.
Meanwhile, today beginning at 12 p.m. ET, one pair of bookers will have the chance to purchase an Ultimate ELVIS Experience from this Saturday, June 11, to Monday, June 13, for the special price of $19.57, in honor of one of the most pivotal years of Presley’s career. The offer will be available at Booking.com on a first come, first served basis.
(NEW YORK) — The average price of a gallon of gas nationwide exceeded $5 on Thursday, crossing the milestone after a rapid rise over the past month that has alarmed public officials and strained the budgets of everyday Americans, according to GasBuddy.
In all 50 states, the average price of a gallon of gas stood above $4.40, but costs ranged considerably across different regions, as drivers in the West and Northeast suffered the highest prices and drivers in the Southeast saw the lowest, AAA data showed.
In California, the state with the highest gas prices, drivers paid an eye-popping average of $6.40 per gallon, AAA data showed.
The rising prices owe to a summer travel boom that has brought more people to the pump, experts told ABC News late last month. The spike in demand coincides with a shortage of crude oil supply amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which prompted a widespread industry exit from Russia that pushed millions of barrels of oil off the market, the experts said.
As consumer frustration has mounted in recent months, President Joe Biden has faced criticism over his handling of cost increases in essentials like fuel and groceries. Only 37% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the economic recovery, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll released on Sunday.
Republican leaders in Congress have faulted Biden’s management of the U.S. oil supply for high gas prices, blasting his choice to shut down the Keystone XL pipeline last year.
As of last week, Biden was leaning toward a trip to Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, which may offer some hope of relief for U.S. gas buyers.
In March, the U.S. and its allies announced the collective release of 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves over the following months, which sought to alleviate some of the supply shortage and blunt price increases.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday told ABC News’ This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos that inflation is Biden’s “top economic priority.”
Stephanopoulos on Sunday asked Buttigieg about the release of oil from the strategic reserves, saying it “hasn’t made any difference at all.” Stephanopoulos asked, “Was that a failure?”
“I don’t think it’s correct to say it hasn’t made any difference at all,” Buttigieg said. “This is an action that helped to stabilize global oil prices.”
Nick Cannon is looking forward to getting a vasectomy. Not in the traditional sense, though: this vasectomy is an ice-cold drink made with Ryan Reynolds‘ Aviation gin.
On Wednesday, Ryan shared a comical commercial where Nick gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to make an alcoholic beverage called ‘The Vasectomy,’ which consists of cranberry juice, tonic water, lemon juice and Aviation gin.
“It’s almost Father’s Day and the one and only Ryan Reynolds asked me to help us all celebrate with the mother of all cocktails, ‘The Vasectomy.’ Lord knows I need one,” Nick says in the video.
After the Wild ‘N Out star finishes making the drink, Ryan joins him. “I’ll take it from here, Nick,” he says before taking a sip. “I have three kids.”
“I have eight,” Nick quips, causing Ryan to spit out the fresh cocktail. He then gives the Drumline alum a hug before joking, “No wonder you have eight kids, you smell amazing!”
The hilarious commercial comes shortly after the June 7 episode of the Lip Servicepodcast, where Nick teased that he’s planning on having more children, stating the “stork is on the way.”
Nick shares 10-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with his ex-wife, Mariah Carey. He also has 4-year-old son, Golden, and 17-month-old daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell. Abby De La Rosa is the mother of his 11-month-old twins, Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir. Nick is also expecting a baby with Bre Tiesi. Nick and Alyssa Scott‘s 5-month-old son, Zen ,died of brain cancer in December.
Ryan shares three daughters — James, 7, Inez, 5, and Betty, 2 — with his wife, Blake Lively.
Peacock has renewed Kevin Hart‘s acclaimed series Hart to Heart for a second season, the streamer announced on Wednesday. “After an incredible first season of Heart to Heart, I couldn’t wait to get back in the chair to have more raw and hilarious conversations with some of the best in the business,” Hart said in a statement. “There is something special about sitting down with a glass of wine, it brings out honesty and hilarity in guests and delivers real conversations that you won’t get anywhere else.” The guest list for season two, kicking off July 14, includes Pete Davidson, Simu Liu, Tracee Ellis Ross, JAY-Z, Saweetie, Kristen Stewart, Mike Tyson, Mark Wahlberg, Tyler Perry, Chris Rock and Seth McFarlane…
Hulu on Wednesday released a new teaser for Mike, “an unauthorized and no-holds-barred look at the life of Mike Tyson,” premiering August 25. The eight-episode series from I Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers “explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life — from being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again.” Moonlight‘s Trevante Rhodes and Fences‘ Russell Hornsby star, with guest stars Harvey Keitel, Laura Harrier and Li Eubanks…
Five months after Bob Saget‘s tragic death, some of his friends are celebrating his life and legacy in a new Netflix special, Dirty Daddy: A Tribute to Bob Saget, launching Friday. Among those paying tribute are Saget’s former Full House co-stars John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure and Dave Coulier, along with Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jim Carrey, Michael Keaton, Tim Allen, Jeff Ross, Paul Rodriguez, Jon Lovitz and Seth Green. Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo-Saget, and their daughters Lara and Aubrey Saget are also on board. The 65-year-old comedian died January 9 in an Orlando hotel room of apparent head trauma following a stand-up performance… (Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)
Two years after its cancellation by AMC amid protests against police brutality, the reality show Live PD is set to return with a new name and a new television home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program, renamed On Patrol: Live, will air on the independent cable and satellite TV channel Reelz. Live PD regular Sean Larkin will appear on the show, joined by Curtis Wilson, who had appeared on several Live PD episodes, along with host and executive producer Dan Abrams, who tells THR the new show will also feature civilian ride-alongs and new police departments, which “fundamentally changes the fabric of the show”…
(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:
Jun 09, 8:55 am
Battle in key city to determine fate of eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
The fight for the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk will determine the fate of the wider Donbas region, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Severodonetsk remains the epicenter of the confrontation in Donbas. We defend our positions, inflict significant losses on the enemy,” Zelenskyy said late Wednesday in his nightly address. “This is a very fierce battle, very difficult. Probably one of the most difficult throughout this war. I am grateful to everyone who defends this direction. In many ways, the fate of our Donbas is being decided there.”
After launching an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russian forces failed to take control of the capital, Kyiv, and other major government centers as they faced tough resistance from Ukrainian troops. Russian forces then switched attention to Donbas, which comprises the self-proclaimed republics controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
Severodonetsk, an industrial hub, is the largest city still held by Ukrainian troops in contested Donbas. In recent days, Russian forces have encircled the city as they advanced in the region, creating a pocket that could trap Ukrainian defenders there and in the neighboring city of Lysychansk.
Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are the last major cities in the Luhansk area still controlled by Ukraine. Last week, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update that Russian forces had seized most of Severodonetsk, but that the main road into the pocket likely remained under Ukrainian control.
Jun 09, 7:32 am
Mariupol residents face risk of cholera epidemic under Russian occupation
The port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine is facing the risk of a cholera epidemic amid the destruction of water supplies and sanitation during the Russian invasion, city officials and health agencies warn.
“The risk of cholera is very high, like red, red level,” Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to Mariupol’s mayor, told ABC News, adding that the municipality could not provide an estimation of the number of infected cases due to lack of proper access to the occupants amid the occupation by Russian forces.
While the warnings have intensified in the past few days, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on Telegram last month that due to problems with water supply, the Russian occupied city is threatened by an infectious catastrophe and more than 10,000 people may die by the end of the year.
The deteriorating water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure has set an alarmingly high risk of an outbreak, according to a report in April from the World Health Organization’s Health Cluster Ukraine agency.
The warming spring and summer weather will likely increase transmission, the report said.
“The weather is hot. There are still dead bodies on the streets of the city — especially under the debris of residential buildings. In some blocks, it is impossible to walk by — due to the stench of rotten human flesh. There was no rain for a while, and it is getting hotter,” a resident of Mariupol, who did not want to be named for security concerns, told ABC News.
Jun 08, 12:53 pm
Russian-occupied Mariupol faces ‘catastrophic lack of medical staff’
The Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, Ukraine, is facing a “catastrophic lack of medical staff,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said on the Telegram app.
He said Russians are trying to convince locals who are over 80 years old to go back to work at hospitals.
He warned, “In this state of medicine, any infectious disease turns into a deadly epidemic.”
Jun 08, 8:36 am
Putin-Zelenskyy meeting not possible, Kremlin says
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not currently possible, the Kremlin said.
When asked about a recent comment from Zelenskyy that he’s willing to meet with Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Our position is well-known here: good preparations need to be made for a top-level meeting. We know that the Ukrainian side has withdrawn from the negotiation track, and therefore it is currently not possible to prepare for this sort of top-level meeting.”
Jun 08, 5:06 am
Ukrainian defenses in key eastern city ‘holding,’ despite Russian attacks
Ukrainian troops defending the eastern city of Sieverodonetsk are “holding,” despite attacks in three directions from Russian forces, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Wednesday in an intelligence update.
“Russia continues to attempt assaults against the Sieverodonetsk pocket from three directions although Ukrainian defences are holding,” the ministry said. “It is unlikely that either side has gained significant ground in the last 24 hours.”
Sieverodonetsk, an industrial hub, is the largest city still held by Ukrainian troops in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine’s east, which comprises the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. In recent days, Russian forces have encircled the city as they advanced in Donbas, creating a pocket that could trap Ukrainian defenders there and in the neighboring city of Lysychansk.
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk are the last major cities in the Luhansk area still controlled by Ukraine.
Last week, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Russian forces had seized most of Sieverodonetsk, but that the main road into the pocket likely remained under Ukrainian control.
With the frontage of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine stretching for over 300 miles, “both Russia and Ukraine face similar challenges in maintaining a defensive line while freeing up capable combat units for offensive operations,” according to the ministry.
“While Russia is concentrating its offensive on the central Donbas sector, it has remained on the defensive on its flanks,” the ministry said in its intelligence update Wednesday. “Ukrainian forces have recently achieved some success by counter-attacking in the south-western Kherson region, including regaining a foothold on the eastern bank of the Ingulets River.”
Jun 07, 3:12 pm
At least 3 dead in shelling in Kharkiv
At least three people were killed and six others were injured in the Kharkiv area from ongoing shelling by Russian forces, according to the Kharkiv regional governor, Oleg Synegubov.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jun 07, 11:48 am
Ukraine official: Hard to win ‘without speeding up the supply of modern weapons’
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told ABC News that “it will be difficult for Ukraine to win this war without speeding up the supply of modern weapons.”
He added, “The country is ready for long-term resistance, because we are fighting for our freedom.”
This comes as the Donetsk People’s Republic claims an advance in territory.
DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova told reporters, “We can say that the allied forces — the DPR militia and units of the Russian Defense Ministry — are in control of over 70% of the territory.”
Jun 07, 11:02 am
Ukrainian grain may be leaving ports — but on Russian ships
There is evidence of Russian vessels departing “from near Ukraine with their cargo holds full of grain,” a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told ABC News on Monday night.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that Russia seized at least 400,000 to 500,000 tons of grain worth over $100 million, according to the State Department spokesperson.
“Ukraine’s MFA also has numerous testimonies from Ukrainian farmers and documentary evidence showing Russia’s theft of Ukrainian grain,” the spokesperson said.
The news of Ukrainian grain aboard Russian ships partly confirms a recent report by The New York Times that Moscow is seeking to profit off of grain plundered from Ukraine by selling the product while subverting sanctions. Ukraine has already accused Russia of shipping the stolen grain to buyers in Syria and Turkey.
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. A Russian blockade in the Black Sea, along with Ukrainian naval mines, have made exporting siloed grain 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.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jun 06, 12:26 pm
Two planes owned by Russian oligarch grounded by US prosecutors
Two planes — a Gulfstream G650 and a Boeing 787 — have been grounded after federal prosecutors said their owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, violated U.S. sanctions by flying the aircraft to Moscow in March.
The sanctions require a license for any U.S.-made aircraft to fly to Russia. The sanctions also prohibit an aircraft that is owned, controlled or under charter or lease by a Russian national from being flown to Russia.
“No licenses were applied for or issued. Nor was any license exception available, including because the Boeing and the Gulfstream were each owned and/or controlled by a Russian national: Roman Abramovich,” said the affidavit supporting a seizure warrant.
The Boeing plane is believed to be among the most expensive private aircraft in the world, worth $350 million, the affidavit said.
Jun 06, 9:05 am
Russia beefs up air defense on Snake Island
Russia has likely moved multiple air defense assets, including SA-15 and SA-22 missile systems, to Snake Island in the western Black Sea, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday in an intelligence update.
The move follows the loss of the Russian warship Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
“It is likely these weapons are intended to provide air defence for Russian naval vessels operating around Snake Island,” the ministry added. “Russia’s activity on Snake Island contributes to its blockade of the Ukrainian coast and hinders the resumption of maritime trade, including exports of Ukrainian grain.”
Russian forces captured Ukraine’s Snake Island in the early days of the invasion, memorably when Ukrainian soldiers defending the tiny islet told an attacking Russian warship to “go f— yourself.” Ukrainian troops have failed in their attempts to retake the previously inconsequential territory.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine’s contested Donbas region, heavy fighting continues in the war-torn city of Sieverodonetsk, according to the ministry.
“Russian forces continue to push towards Sloviansk as part of their attempted encirclement of Ukrainian force,” the ministry said.
And in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Russian air-launched cruise missiles struck rail infrastructure Sunday in the early morning hours, “likely in an attempt [to] disrupt the supply of Western military equipment to frontline Ukrainian units,” according to the ministry.
Jun 05, 3:39 pm
Russian missiles target Kyiv
After five weeks of relative calm in Kyiv, Russian rockets hit Ukraine’s capital city on Sunday as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of strikes on “new targets” if the United States goes through with plans to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said the war is still in its “hot phase” and “capturing Kyiv is still Russia’s main goal.”
An ABC News crew visited Kyiv’s Darnytskyy district, where several Russian cruise missiles slammed into a railway repair plant. One building was still on fire when the ABC News crew arrived. Nearby, another missile strike left a creater on a cement path.
It took hours before Ukrainian authorities permitted media access to the site, saying the area needed to be cleared for safety first.
The Russians claimed the attack in Darnystskyy destroyed military vehicles and armaments. Ukrainian officials said the missiles hit a railway repair plant where no tanks were stored.
Speaking on Russian TV on Sunday, Putin issued a warning to the West on supplying the Ukrainians with high-powered rocket systems. He said if the West carried through with it, Russia would hit “new targets they had not attacked before.”
Jun 05, 7:05 am
Putin warns of strikes if West supplies longer-range missiles
President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian forces would strike new targets if the West began supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
“But if they [missiles] are actually delivered, we will draw appropriate conclusions and apply our own weapons, which we have in sufficient quantities to carry out strikes on targets we aren’t striking yet,” Putin told Rossyia 1 TV Channel in an interview on Sunday.
