Journey has just released a fourth advance track from their upcoming studio album, Freedom, a soaring and soulful rock tune called “Don’t Give Up on Us.”
The track is available now via digital formats, and you also can check out a visualizer video for the song at Journey’s official YouTube channel.
“It is a very melodic song,” founding Journey guitarist Neal Schon says of “Don’t Give Up on Us.” “It’s soulful, coming more from that R&B place and a little more Motown sounding but it definitely rocks. I feel like it’s got Journey all over it.”
Freedom will be released on July 8 and can be preordered now.
As previously reported, following Freedom‘s release, Journey will play four special symphonic concerts in Las Vegas — on July 15, 16, 22 and 23. The band also has several other concerts lined up around the U.S. this summer. Visit JourneyMusic.com for their full confirmed schedule.
Johnny Depp‘s fans were at the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom all throughout his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, and following his legal victory, he’s thanking them — and those who couldn’t make it there, too.
Depp joined the platform TikTok on Tuesday and found he had 4.4 million followers in a matter of hours. To those, and the nearly 25 million fans he already had on Instagram, he shared a video montage.
The film snippet shows Johnny greeting his fans, as well as shots of him onstage, guitar in hand, and going over a set list backstage.
“To all of my most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters,” he began a caption. “We’ve been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared.”
He added, “And now, we will all move forward together. You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. So, thank you. My love & respect, JD.”
On June 1, a jury sided with Depp in his defamation trial, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, agreeing that Heard had defamed him and damaged his career with a controversial op-ed that alleged she’d been the victim of domestic and sexual abuse, though not naming Depp, in the Washington Post.
Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages but no punitive damages for comments made by Depp’s former attorney.
Hulu has released the first trailer to Prey, its new film set centuries before the other offerings in the Predator universe.
The show centers on a young Comanche woman, played by Indigenous actress Amber Midthunder, whose tribe finds itself in the sights of the fearsome alien hunter first seen in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action classic.
“They hunt to live. It lives to hunt,” a title card teases.
The weapons of 300 years ago are no match for the alien’s skill and advanced tech, leaving Midthunder’s Naru alone with only her skill and her cunning against the extraterrestrial predator.
“It knows how to hunt. I know how to survive,” she says.
Jim Seals, left; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Jim Seals, one half of the popular 1970s soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts, has died at age 80, Variety reports.
Along with his musical partner, Darrell “Dash” Crofts, Seals scored a series of hits during the 1970s, including three top-10 singles: 1972’s “Summer Breeze,” 1973’s “Diamond Girl” and 1976’s “Get Closer,” which all peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other notable songs include “Hummingbird,” “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” and “You’re the Love.”
Seals and Crofts were longtime adherents of the Baháʼí faith, which influenced the theme of many of their songs.
A native of Sydney, Texas, Seals first began playing with fellow Texan Crofts during the 1950s. Around 1959, the duo joined the Los Angeles rock band The Champs shortly after that group scored a chart-topping hit with “Tequila.” During the early ’60s, Seals and Crofts played in Glen Campbell‘s backing band, The GCs, before going their separate ways for a few years.
After playing together again in the late ’60s in a band called The Dawnbreakers, Seals and Crofts decided to form a duo. They released a self-titled debut album in 1969. Their first hit came with “Summer Breeze,” the title track off their fourth studio album. Their final top-40 single, “You’re the Love,” reached #18 in 1978.
The duo went on an extended hiatus after they were dropped by their record label in 1980. Seals and Crofts occasionally reunited during the ensuing years and released a final album, Traces, in 2004.
During the 2000s, Jim teamed up with his brother Dan Seals — a member of popular 1970s duo England Dan and John Ford Coley — to play shows as Seals and Seals. Dan died of cancer in 2009.
On Facebook, John Ford Coley wrote of Jim’s death, “I spent a large portion of my musical life with this man. We toured together, he and Dash invited us to sing on Seals and Crofts records, and we played with him for years … I am very sad over this but I have some of the best memories of all of us together. Rest In Peace Jimmy. You and Dan finally get reunited again. Tell him and your sweet momma hi for me.“
Jim had lived in Costa Rica since 1980. He is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Ruby, and several children.
(NEW YORK) — A mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas last week — which left 19 children and two teachers dead — has prompted outcry from figures across public life.
President Joe Biden and Sen. Mitch McConnell. R-Ky., usually political opponents, both expressed horror at the shooting and McConnell okayed negotiations with Democrats on potential legislation to address the issue.
Actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey described the incident as “devastating.”
Some of the nation’s most prominent chief executives have joined the chorus, such as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon.
But many CEOs at the largest U.S. companies — which wield significant influence and can often change the direction of political debate — have remained silent on the tragedy and what should be done about it.
ABC News contacted the top 20 companies on the Fortune 500 list for comment on the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde as well as on the larger issue of gun violence. Nearly all of the companies did not respond, except Microsoft and Walgreens Boots Alliance, which responded but declined comment.
Disney, the parent company of ABC News, also did not respond to a request for comment.
Some experts believe the business leaders have not directly addressed the recent shootings or potential gun violence solutions for fear of the potential backlash from employees, shareholders, business partners and customers, who may hold opposing views.
The companies and executives that have spoken out are predominantly those with a track record of having done so before or those with amenable stakeholders, the experts said.
“At the moment, most chief executives are deer in the headlights,” said James O’Rourke, a professor of management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. “They see the risk of taking a position as exceeding the return.”
Speaking out in the past
A number of leading companies on the Fortune 500, including companies contacted by ABC News for this story, have spoken out or taken action on gun violence in prior years.
In September 2019, weeks after two shootings at Walmart stores, company CEO Doug McMillan issued a public memo discontinuing the sale of handguns in Alaska, the last state where the company carried the firearms, as well as some forms of ammunition. He also called on national leaders to strengthen background checks.
Walmart, one of the companies that did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News, still sells some types of guns and ammunition at many of its stores.
Also in 2019, Walmart, CVS Health, and Walgreens asked customers to no longer openly carry firearms in their stores. “We support the efforts of individuals and groups working to prevent gun violence,” CVS Health, another one of the companies contacted by ABC News, said in a statement at the time.
And Dick’s Sporting Goods, which was not one of the companies contacted by ABC News, in recent years has taken a series of steps to remove guns from its stores. In February 2018, days after a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the company announced that it would stop selling semi-automatic weapons similar to the one used in the incident.
“We were so disturbed and saddened, we felt we really needed to do something,” CEO Edward Stack told Good Morning America at the time. Since then, Dick’s has discontinued the sale of guns entirely at hundreds of stores as part of a multi-year reduction.
Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling, who runs the largest healthcare provider in New York state (but not part of the Fortune 500), in an interview with ABC News condemned gun violence and called for policy solutions such as universal background checks.
Dowling acknowledged to ABC that the pro-gun control political landscape in New York makes it easier for him to speak out, and encouraged his peers to do likewise.
“I know a lot of CEOs around the country. I’ve had discussions with them,” he said. “I know many of them are nervous about going public because of the political circumstances they’re in.”
“When I ask them if they think it’s okay that there are so many mass shootings, especially with kids. They’ll say, ‘It’s horrific.’ They’ll admit that. Then I say, ‘Say something about it — be courageous.’”
Contrast with other activism
The corporate silence on gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shootings stands in stark contrast with the recent widespread exit of U.S. companies from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, O’Rourke, the business management professor, said.
“Executives decided the reputational risk of staying in Russia is far greater than any revenue I could extract,” O’Rourke said. “In domestic issues it’s complicated because lawmaking is mostly done at the local and state level, and executives must operate across state lines. If they take a position on every issue, it is likely key stake holders will abandon them.”
One notable example is Disney, which first remained silent and then came out strongly against what many perceive to be anti-LGBTQ legislation.
In recent months, Disney sparked ire from prominent national voices and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when the company publicly opposed the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” which prohibits public school teachers from providing instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for some of the youngest students and what opponents say is age-inappropriate material. In April, the state moved to dissolve a special tax district enjoyed by Disney. The special district is a private government run by Disney World that allows it to offer services such as zoning and fire protection.
In the wake of the Uvalde shooting, speaking out was a gamble some top companies decided to take nonetheless.
“All of us at Goldman Sachs express our deepest sorrow over the recent tragic and senseless acts of violence in America, which have resulted in the deaths of friends, neighbors, co-workers, children, and other loved ones,” Solomon, the chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, told ABC News in a statement.
Solomon met last Wednesday with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other private sector leaders to discuss the issue, he said in the statement. “I urge our elected officials to come together to enact policy initiatives to make our communities safer,” he added.
Jassy, the Amazon CEO, expressed similar sentiment a day after the mass shooting in Uvalde last week.
“Deeply sad about the shootings in Texas yesterday and Buffalo 11 days ago. My heart breaks for those families,” Jassy tweeted. “This endless cycle is maddening…terrible pain and suffering. I can only hope that we come together as a country to find a way to stop this kind of tragic violence.”
AT&T, one of the Fortune 500 companies that did not respond to a request for comment, donated $50,000 to support the Robb School Memorial Fund, a collection of resources for the families and communities impacted by the Uvalde shooting.
Notable corporate activism has emerged in professional sports. In baseball, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays coordinated recently with a series of social media posts that offered statements and information on gun violence
The advocacy continues a trend of rising activism among professional sports leagues, teams, and players in recent years on issues like police brutality and racial justice.
Divergent responses and possible action
The divergent response among major companies after recent mass shootings marks the latest moment of decision making for corporations as a political response embroiled the country. Similarly, large companies have remained mostly quiet in response to the leak last month of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
Three years ago, the CEOs at 145 companies — including Airbnb and Yelp — sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate calling for new gun safety laws that would require background checks for all gun sales.
In the days following the death of George Floyd, in May 2020, companies across corporate America put out statements in support of racial justice and made donations to advocacy organizations that fight racial inequality.
Last April, as state legislatures pursued restrictive voting laws, hundreds of companies and executives signed a letter opposing “any discriminatory legislation” that limits access to the ballot box.
Carol Bevins, a professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, said that most major companies will ultimately address the issue of gun violence.
“Eventually, it’ll be inevitable that companies have to respond,” she said. “You cannot not communicate.”
(BOSTON) — Authorities from Homeland Security Investigations and the Boston Police Department are warning that there could be an uptick in counterfeit NBA goods and tickets being sold, as the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday.
“Criminals have been known to exploit fan enthusiasm during major sporting events by selling counterfeit jerseys, hats and other sports related merchandise to unsuspecting consumers,” said Jim Mancuso, HSI Intellectual Property Rights Center Director. “Fans who spend their hard-earned money can rest assured the IPR Center and its partners are working around the clock to ensure they are getting only genuine, high-quality officially licensed NBA merchandise.”
HSI is the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
The effort isn’t new. During major events such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Final Four, HSI is out on the streets collecting counterfeit goods. In February, officials announced they seized nearly $100 million worth of counterfeit sports goods in the past year.
In a separate news release, Boston Police urges fans to be cautious in purchasing NBA finals tickets.
“The BPD encourages fans to only buy tickets from authorized ticket agencies,” the Department says. “Fans who purchase tickets from a secondary source are taking a chance and do so at the buyer’s own risk.”
Homeland Security Investigations works in concert with the NBA and other sports leagues to crack down on counterfeits.
“In San Francisco, Boston and beyond, counterfeiters take advantage of consumers who want genuine, quality NBA merchandise and tickets — and take away from their overall NBA Finals experience,” said Ayala Deutsch, NBA Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel.
HSI urges consumers to shop at official NBA licensed stores and look for the NBA hologram which is on every licensed, official product.
The series between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is tied and Game 3 takes place Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston.
(NEW YORK) — 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.
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. Earlier this 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 United States and the United Nations 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 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.
As part of ongoing efforts to assist food exports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to meet with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara this week. But State Department spokesperson Ned Price has set low expectations for the meeting.
“I don’t know if we should expect breakthroughs,” Price told reporters during a press briefing on Monday afternoon. “Of course, we’ll be watching closely. We’ll be talking with our Turkish allies in the aftermath of that visit.”
Price underscored the pain the world is feeling because of Russia’s crunch on its food supply.
“This is a war that not only has brutalized — and, in many ways, terrorized — the people of Ukraine, but it has put at risk food security around the world,” he said.
Currently, there are approximately 84 merchant ships and 450 seafarers trapped at Ukrainian ports, according to Price.
“Not only is there grain aboard these vessels, but there are about 22 million tons of grain sitting in silos near the ports that also needs to move out to make room for the newly harvested grain,” he said. “In addition, Russia has actually taken aim at ships at sea. They have taken aim at grain silos. They are continuing to effectively implement what amounts to a blockade of Ukraine’s ports.”
(NEW YORK) — Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday to personally update him on ongoing gun negotiations in the Senate as lawmakers try to reach a deal this week, which he outlined to ABC’s The View beforehand.
Murphy said negotiators hope to announce a framework by the end of the week, allowing a package to advance for votes thereafter, adding that the pressure on lawmakers, this time, feels unprecedented with constituents reaching out to offices “at a rate that I’ve never seen before.”
Murphy told the co-hosts ofThe View that he and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the lead Republican on negotiations, were part of talks Monday “that went into the wee hours of last night” and that an increasing number of Republicans are supporting the efforts.
“While we are very different in our views, we do both agree that we are not willing to do anything that compromises people’s Second Amendment rights. We are focusing on keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people,” Murphy said. “We can’t find agreement right now on an issue like an outright ban on assault weapons, but we can find an agreement that saves lives around making sure that only law-abiding citizens get access to really powerful firearms.”
In a prime-time address last week, Biden called for an assault weapons ban, and if not, he said, then to raise the age to buy assault weapons from 18 to 21. Instead, lawmakers are considering measures like expanded background checks, incentives for states and localities to institute red flag laws, and increased funding for school security and mental health programs.
“I’ve failed so many times before in these talks that I’m sober-minded about our chances, but you normally as time goes on after one of these cataclysmic mass shootings the momentum fades. The opposite seems to be happening this time,” Murphy added. “There are more Republicans every single day, who want to help us get to a product.”
Murphy said most Republicans realize there’s a “public urgency” to act.
“But I also think Republicans understand that this is good politics — that it’s going to be really hard to go back to their constituencies and say that they rejected a pretty reasonable offer to tighten up our nation’s firearms laws that are completely compliant with the Second Amendment,” he added.
However, without the support of 10 Senate Republicans to gain the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, Congress could soon enter its third decade without having passed major gun safety reforms.
Pressed on the prospect of an assault weapons ban or raising the age to buy assault weapons, Murphy said, “I’m not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“Right now, we don’t have 10 Republican votes to ban these AR-15 assault-style weapons,” Murphy said. “Of course, I support banning assault weapons. I support universal background checks, but I don’t think that we can stand by and let our politics stop us from finding a compromise.”
“It won’t be everything I want. But I think it’ll give parents and kids in this country, a sense that we are taking seriously this epidemic and that we’re willing to make progress,” he added.
Throughout negotiations, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been on the defensive on Biden’s involvement as some have questioned whether the president should be taking a larger role in talks. She has argued Biden has been involved for decades and is giving senators “a little space” to work. Murphy has spoken with the White House every single day since the negotiations began, she said, but that can be on the staff level, not directly with Biden.
Maren Morris is just days away from launching her Humble Quest Tour, and it seems she has a few surprises in store for fans coming to the shows.
The “Circles Around This Town” singer hopped on her Instagram Stories after a long day of rehearsals, admitting she was “very tired” as 2-year-old son Hayes could be heard clanging pots and pans on the floor beside her. But she had an important message to deliver to the people.
“There is a moment of this show that I have never done as a performer,” she hints, clarifying that it’s not “trapeze” or any stunts of similar nature. “But it’s going to be fun and a surprise. Can you guess what it is?” she teases. “I’m so excited to see you guys on the road in just a couple days.”
The hit singer also shared a series of behind-the-scenes snaps of rehearsals, including a black-and-white photo that shows her dramatically posing at the mic stand with spotlights beaming down on her, and another where she’s sitting on a black leather couch talking to member of the production crew.
“It takes a village. We’re here and ready to hit the road,” she says, adding on Twitter, “Sounds good, looks good, feels good.”
Flogging Molly has announced a new album called Anthem.
The seventh studio effort from the long-running Celtic punk outfit — and the first in five years — will arrive September 9. Flogging Molly collaborated with Steve Albini on the record, marking the first time they’ve worked with Nirvana‘s In Utero producer since he engineered their first two albums: 2000’s Swagger and 2002’s Drunken Lullabies.
“With this record we went back to the basics in a way that I don’t think we could have done if we hadn’t been playing together for over 20 years,” says frontman Dave King. “I think going back to Chicago and doing this record with Steve made the experience so fun and I really believe you can hear that on the record.”
Anthem includes the previously released song “These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up the Stairs,” as well as a just-premiered new track called “The Croppy Boy ’98,” which is available now via digital outlets.
The album news coincides with the launch of Flogging Molly’s co-headlining U.S. tour with The Interrupters, which begins Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Here’s the Anthem track list:
“These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up the Stairs”
“A Song of Liberty”
“Life Begins and Ends (But Never Fails)”
“No Last Goodbyes”
“The Croppy Boy ’98”
“This Road of Mine”
“(Try) Keep the Man Down”
“Now Is the Time”
“Lead the Way”
“These Are the Days”
“The Parting Wave”
