It seems Ella Langley’s time atop the BillboardHot 100 is simply not done, as “Choosin’ Texas” rises to #1 on the all-genre ranking for a record sixth time. In all, this is its 11th week at the pinnacle.
The lead single from Ella’s Dandelion first hit the top the week of Feb. 14, returning on March 7, March 21-28, April 11-25 and May 9-23.
This officially marks the longest stretch at #1 for a country song by a female artist, topping Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life,” which spent 10 weeks there in 1977.
Meanwhile, “Choosin Texas” is spending its 29th week leading the Hot Country Songs tally.
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — LeBron James will leave the Los Angeles Lakers and continue his career elsewhere, according to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, citing James’ agent Rich Paul.
James recently completed his 23rd season in the NBA, and his eighth with the Lakers.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said, “LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history. We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers – including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold.”
The statement continued, “We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”
The announcement comes moments before the NBA’s free agency period is set to kick off, where traditionally high-profile player movement is frequent.
With the announcement, James also leaves his son Bronny James in a Laker uniform. The younger James, who was drafted by the team in 2024, is still on the roster, but could be waived should the Lakers choose to part ways with him.
James’ 23rd season marked the most seasons played in NBA history, and he will now build upon that legacy with his 24th campaign.
The icon of modern basketball, holds a plethora of records including all-time NBA leading scorer.
James finished his 23rd and final season with the Lakers averaging 20.9 points per game, 7.2 assists per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Pitbull fans, aka Bald Es, wearing bald caps (Courtesy Live Nation)
Pitbull and his fans will attempt to set the Guinness World Record in July for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps — and you’ll be able to watch them do it.
As previously reported, Pitbull will be performing at the BST Hyde Park festival in London on July 10. His YouTube channel will provide a global livestream of the event, designed in the style of a sports broadcast. As an expected 65,000 Pitbull fans gather while wearing bald caps, there will be commentary from British and American personalities, live field reporting, fan interviews and more.
The event will — hopefully — end with the presentation of the Guinness World Record title.
The idea for the stunt began after Pitbull’s fans, known as The Bald Es, started showing up to his shows dressed like him, in suits, ties, dark glasses and, of course, bald caps. After a U.K. radio station proposed that he try to go for the record, Pitbull and his team signed off on the attempt.
Speaking to The New York Timeslast June about why they were wearing bald caps, one fan said, “We have adult money, and this is what this generation is choosing to spend it on.”
The London date is part of the “Damn I Love Miami” artist’s current I’m BACK tour, which returns to North America on Aug. 19 with a show in Bristow, Virginia.
Melissa Etheridge’s current album is called Rise, but in November, it’ll also stand for “Research, Innovation, Science, and Education.”
Melissa will launch the first R.I.S.E. Summit, which is being hosted by her charity, the Etheridge Foundation, on Nov. 12 in Irvine, California. She established it in 2020 after her son succumbed to opioid addiction.
“As many of you know, this work is deeply personal to me,” Melissa says in a statement. “After losing my son Beckett, I knew I wanted to do something to help other families find hope and new ways to heal.”
The R.I.S.E. Summit will focus on innovative new treatments for addiction, including the use of psychedelics. Melissa will host a fireside chat on that topic with an addiction expert, Dr. Gabor Maté, who will also discuss the larger issues of addiction, recovery, trauma and healing.
You can learn more about the summit and buy tickets with early-bird pricing at EtheridgeFoundation.org.
Melissa is currently on tour with country music legend Wynonna Judd; she’s donating $1 from every ticket sold to her foundation.
Thomas Rhett’s dad, Rhett Akins, will officially become a member of the Grand Ole Opry later this year, after Jon Pardi extended the surprise invitation on Sunday.
It came during a special Opry Celebrates ’90s Country show. It’s important to remember that before he became famous as TR’s dad, Akins topped the chart with “That Ain’t My Truck” and “Don’t Get Me Started.”
Of course, he’d go on to write 36 more number ones for other artists, including Pardi’s “Dirt on My Boots.”
“All I do every day is write words and I can’t think of any words right now except, ‘Thank you, Lord Jesus,’” Akins said from the Opry stage.
“I have been listening to the Grand Ole Opry since I was a little kid with my grandparents,” he added. “Anytime they’d ask me to play, if I was in Alaska, I’d fly home immediately. I love country music with all my heart and all I ever wanted to do was meet Hank Jr., meet George Strait. I never dreamed I’d be in this circle right here with Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Garth, and Alan [Jackson] and Jon Pardi. This is just unbelievable.”
TR was there to witness the moment, reflecting on it later on social media.
“I don’t have many words except for the fact that my dad has had a dream to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry since he was boy,” he said. “He is a country music encyclopedia. … Dad I’m so proud of you. I love you. You deserve this! Can’t wait to celebrate this huge accomplishment.”
Akins will be officially inducted as an Opry member during a special ceremony later this year.
Don Toliver performs onstage during the BET Awards 2026 at Peacock Theater on June 28, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Don Toliver’s Octane tour returned to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for its second night on Monday, where he was joined by surprise guests Ye and Travis Scott.
Ye was the first to take the stage, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. According to setlist.fm, he performed “Runaway” and “Father,” during which Travis made an appearance and was also greeted with a standing ovation. Travis remained onstage as Ye closed his set with “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” before he performed “FE!N” twice.
Don’s Octane tour supports his latest album, Octane, and wraps its first leg on July 5 in Denver. The second will begin on Aug. 4 in Sacramento and run through Sept. 6 in Brooklyn. Don will then travel across Europe and the U.K., with those dates kicking off Oct. 25.
Meanwhile, Ye has a few shows planned for 2026, with the next taking place in San Antonio on the Fourth of July.
Travis has one upcoming concert on July 17 at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
“Twisting the Knife” single artwork. (Fearless Records)
Ice Nine Kills has scared up a career-first with “Twisting the Knife.”
The song, which was recorded for the movie Scream 7, has jumped to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. It gives the horror-inspired metallers their first-ever leader on the ranking.
Scream 7 actress Mckenna Grace, who’s featured on “Twisting the Knife,” also earns her first #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay hit.
Ice Nine Kills previously peaked on Mainstream Rock Airplay at #9 with the songs “A Grave Mistake” and “The Great Unknown.” Frontman Spencer Charnas also hit #1 as a featured artist on the Funeral Portrait song “Suffocate City.”
The most recent INK song is “Play Dead,” which dropped Friday. The track is inspired by the video game Dead by Daylight.
Blake Lively attends ‘Fendi presents the Baguette 26424 Re-Edition’ at the Fendi flagship store in Midtown on May 19, 2026, in New York City. (Aeon/GC Images via Getty Images)
Attorneys for Blake Lively said in a court filing Monday that Justin Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, owes the actress $7,495,526.87 in attorneys fees connected to the studio’s defamation lawsuit against her, which was dismissed in June last year.
According to court documents, which were filed in a federal district court in the Southern District of New York, Lively is also seeking $539,514.01 in costs and expenses incurred in relation to the dismissed defamation case.
The filing comes two weeks after U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages against Baldoni and Wayfarer but allowed the actress to seek attorneys’ fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1, a law designed to protect anyone who reports sexual assault, harassment or discrimination from retaliatory defamation lawsuits.
Esra Hudson, one of Lively’s lead attorneys in the case, wrote in Monday’s court filing that fees for her work on the case were discounted from her standard rate of $1,430.00 per an hour to $1,161 to $1,287 per hour over the course of the litigation.
Co-lead trial counsel Michael Gottlieb charged an average hourly rate of $2,187, according to the filing.
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Baldoni for comment.
In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, Lively’s attorneys, Gottlieb and Hudson, said, “Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so. The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth.”
Monday’s filing is the latest in a long-running legal dispute between the former It Ends with Us co-stars, who first became embroiled in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of the film, which he also directed. Lively also accused Baldoni and his production company of attempting to orchestrate a smear campaign against her, allegations Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios have vehemently denied.
The two subsequently launched dueling lawsuits against one another in the months that followed, with Baldoni accusing Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, and others of extortion and defamation, among other things. The lawsuits were consolidated into one suit in January 2025.
Baldoni’s lawsuit was ultimately dismissed by Liman in June 2025. The judge later gutted much of Lively’s case against Baldoni in April of this year, including claims she was subjected to sexual harassment on set, determining that she could continue to pursue her claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s public relations team.
Baldoni, via his Wayfarer production company, and Lively agreed to settle their ongoing dispute in May this year. Liman ruled at the time that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios must pay Lively’s attorneys’ fees but denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages.
Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey arrived back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a nearly four-month absence, and announced on the House floor that he received a depression diagnosis that led to an extended hospital stay.
“Now, when people hear the word ‘depression,’ many people think, simply feel, it means feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that,” Kean said. “It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Kean said he wanted to get back to Congress as quickly as possible, understanding the importance of representing his constituents, but ultimately decided to follow his doctor’s recommendations to stay under their care.
“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness. They explained to me that this would be the fastest way to recovery, and to be honest, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I had time for it. I had responsibilities to my family, I had responsibilities to my constituents, I had responsibilities to this institution, and like many people, I believed that I could simply push through, but I agreed to follow my doctor’s recommendations again, not believing that it would result in a long-term stay,” he said.
Kean has not voted in the House since March 5, missing more than 100 roll call votes during his time away.
The congressman had not publicly addressed the reason for his absence prior to Tuesday, raising questions on his whereabouts.
During his absence, Kean won the Republican primary (where he was unopposed) in his reelection bid and received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Kean will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in November for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a toss-up district Democrats hope to flip.
Kean, on Tuesday, did not answer multiple questions from reporters on why he didn’t communicate with his constituents earlier about his health issues.
In his floor remarks, Kean said he believed he would’ve been back on Capitol Hill in a few weeks, but soon began to realize that there is “no timeline for healing, there is no timeline for recovery, only the work of getting better one day at a time.”
“Today I am grateful that I listened to my doctors. I am grateful for the exceptional care that I received from doctors, nurses, and support staff. I am grateful that I accepted help, because today I stand before you healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love,” he said.
He then thanked his family, staff, constituents, and medical team for their care and understanding, going on to advocate that “asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength.”
“This is not a partisan issue. It touches every community, every family and every corner of this country. If sharing my story encourages even one person to seek help, if it gives one family the courage to have a difficult conversation or reminds one person that recovery is possible, then this moment will have been worthwhile,” he said as he concluded his speech.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
The West Front of U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will decide later this year whether state bans on the possession of AR-15 firearms and similar semi-automatic “assault style” guns violate the Second Amendment.
Ten states plus D.C. ban the weapons, which have been used in many of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, including Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and Uvalde, Texas.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
