In honor of World Lupus Day, celebrated annually on May 10, here are a few stars within the Black community, who have shared their journey with the life-long, autoimmune disease.
Almost 12 years ago, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Toni Braxton revealed to the world her battle with lupus after learning of her diagnosis in 2008. According to Billboard, she shared the news while accepting the Women in Achievement Award at the eighth Annual Lupus LA Bag Ladies Luncheon.
In an appearance on Dr. Philin 2018, the 54-year-old singer opened up about how lupus affects her every day. Braxton said she recalls being shamed for her sickness but now, she shares her story humbly, with hopes it’ll help others who also struggle with the disease.
Among those who’ve publicly expressed concern and support for Braxton in the past is fellow entertainer, Nick Cannon, who, like Braxton, didn’t know much about the disease until his diagnosis in 2012.
In a March 2012 sit down chat with Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts, Cannon explained how shocking it was to receive the news, especially considering the healthy lifestyle he always tried to follow.
He later told the Huffington Post, “[Y]ou realize that this is something that you can live with and actually overcome with the proper research and with the proper support system.”
Though British singer-songwriter Seal doesn’t speak much on his lupus journey since diagnosed at the age of 23, the scars on his face may tell help tell the story for him.
Speaking to the The New York Timesin 1996 about the disease among other life struggles, the “Kiss from a Rose” singer emphasized the power of channeling art and music as means of coping with pain.
“I believe that in all forms of art there has to have been some initial adversity: that is what makes art, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend Joe Alwyn is credited with co-writing and co-producing several songs on her acclaimed sister albums folklore and evermore, but the British actor says his input was purely accidental.
Speaking to GQ Hype, Joe explained, “It was really the most accidental thing to happen in lockdown. It wasn’t like, ‘It’s three o’clock, it’s time to write a song!’ It was just messing around on a piano and singing badly and being overheard and then thinking, you know, ‘What if we tried to get to the end of it together?'”
In addition to co-writing the folklore songs “Exile” and “Betty” under the pseudonym William Bowery, Joe also co-produced those two tracks, plus “My Tears Ricochet”, “August”, “This Is Me Trying” and “Illicit Affairs.” On evermore, he co-wrote “Champagne Problems,” “Coney Island” and the title track.
The Conversations with Friends star said he chose to be credited under a different name because he didn’t want his take attention away from Taylor’s work. “The idea was that people would just listen to the music rather than focus on the fact that we wrote it together,” he explained.
While Joe doesn’t plan on co-writing any more songs with his girlfriend of six years, he says he did enjoy the experience. “It was fun to do it together, and I was proud of it,” he told GQ. “It was nice getting such a positive reception.”
In addition to a positive reception, Joe also got a Grammy for his trouble: When folklore won Album of the Year, he received his own trophy, along with the other producers who contributed to the project.
Jason Scheff & Jay DeMarcus: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for The Kevin Carter Foundation; Deen Castronovo: Scott Legato/Getty Images
Generation Radio, a new supergroup featuring former Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff, Journey drummer/singer Deen Castronovo and ex-Rascal Flatts member Jay DeMarcus, has signed a deal with the Frontiers Music label and will be releasing its debut album this summer.
The band, which also features guitarists Chris Rodriguez and Tom Yankton, first began playing shows under the moniker The Rise Above in 2020.
“I know that the band is very excited to have partnered with Frontiers on this first release from Generation Radio,” Scheff says in a statement. “I have a personal great feeling about it, having brought Frontiers to Chicago to release our 36th album [2014’s] Now: Chicago XXXVI, of which I produced and co-wrote the title track. We have a beautiful history together, so it only made sense to bring Frontiers into any of my ongoing projects.”
He adds, “We are booking live dates as we speak and are already talking about getting started on the next record.”
Demarcus, meanwhile, explains, “Any fans of Chicago, Journey, or Rascal Flatts will find something in this record that will resonate with them. To make some music with my friends and heroes is a truly incredible thing.”
In a video message posted on Generation Radio’s Instagram page on May 6, Scheff revealed that the album will be released sometime in August.
According to the band’s official website, Generation Radio has seven concerts on its 2022 schedule, spanning from a May 21 show in Cocoa Beach, Florida, through a September 17 performance in Raleigh, North Carolina.
It’s worth mentioning that longtime Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone was part of Generation Radio’s lineup until recently, but it’s not clear if he’s still with the group.
Live with Kelly and Ryan may look a little different for a few episodes because co-host Kelly Ripa has tested positive for COVID-19.
The 51-year-old, who co-hosts the show with Ryan Seacrest, took to Instgram on Tuesday to share the news, writing, “Unfortunately i tested positive for covid-19 this weekend, but thankfully i am fully vaccinated and boosted, and today’s show was already pre taped last week.”
“I am taking all necessary precautions and looking forward to returning to normal life as soon as the standard quarantine time is over,” she continued. “On a lighter note, i did receive the peace and quiet i requested for Mother’s Day. Thanks for understanding, Xo, Kelly.”
Ripa did not confirm the exact date she is expected to return to the show.
(NEW YORK) — Of the numerous primary races being held Tuesday, two resonate beyond state politics: The Republican gubernatorial primary in Nebraska and the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary in West Virginia.
After former President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates won in the Ohio and Indiana primaries, the Nebraska GOP gubernatorial primary will once again test the power of Trump’s endorsement — this time in a race in which established GOP state leaders have backed another candidate.
Former President Donald Trump has put stock in the Nebraska gubernatorial GOP primary by backing wealthy businessman Charles Herbster, who has been accused of sexual assault by eight women — allegations he has denied. He is engaged in a legal battle with state Sen. Julie Slama, the only accuser to be identified by name.
Trump held a rally in Nebraska last week in support of Herbster, but almost all of Nebraska’s GOP establishment leaders, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, support businessman Jim Pillen in the primary.
A third contender, state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, has gained traction partly due to his endorsement from the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska’s largest city.
Meanwhile, in West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District GOP House primary race the impact of congressional redistricting will be on full display.
West Virginia lost one of its three House seats, and while both existing districts lean strongly Republican, there is one fewer seat for Republicans to hold onto, according to analysis from FiveThirtyEight.
One of the House races features a rare matchup between two incumbent lawmakers. Republicans Rep. David McKinley and Rep. Alex Mooney are facing off against each other and three other challengers in the primary.
The McKinley-Mooney matchup is another test of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement power. Trump has backed Mooney, who has echoed the former president’s false claims about the 2020 election. McKinley, however, has the support of Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
Manchin even released an ad denouncing Mooney and declaring his support for McKinley.
“Alex Mooney has proven he’s all about Alex Mooney. But West Virginians know David McKinley is all about us,” Manchin said in the ad.
West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, however, told ABC News Live’s Diane Macedo on Monday that he doesn’t think the Trump or Manchin endorsements will decide the race.
“He’s certainly very popular… I think people still are tuned in to what he has to say. But I really don’t think that’s going to be the decisive factor in this election,” Warner said of the former president. “Endorsements are important, but I think people really vote their conscience.”
As for Manchin’s endorsement, Warner was unsure of whether it would have “much play at all in this particular race,” which is also a test of one of President Joe Biden’s signature policies.
West Virginia is one of the nation’s poorest states, and McKinley is one of 13 Republicans who voted for Biden’s infrastructure bill that is expected to funnel $6 billion to the state. Mooney voted against it and won Trump’s endorsement when Biden signed the bill into law.
Greg Thomas, a Republican political consultant in the state who knows both candidates and once worked for McKinley, is of the belief that Trump’s support for Mooney could, in fact, be a tipping point.
“Trump’s personality isn’t something that we see a lot here in West Virginia. But his issues, these are West Virginia conservative issues and have been before Trump came along,” he told ABC News.
McKinley has also been hurt by Trump’s focus on his vote to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Unfounded claims about the 2020 election overshadow the two races, as both Herbster and McKinley have pushed the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Herbster attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, which preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Mooney has also supported a Texas-led lawsuit seeking to throw out the election results in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin; and he objected to certifying the election results in Pennsylvania and Nevada.
Tuesday’s primaries are coming just over a week after a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on abortion was leaked. The impending decision has galvanized abortion rights supporters and anti-abortion rights activists alike.
Warner told ABC News Live the abortion issue could play a role in Nebraska and West Virginia.
“It may excite the [voter] base, but I think we’re gonna have an exciting election either way,” Warner said.
(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration is officially welcoming the first group of refugees coming to the U.S. under the “Uniting for Ukraine” program, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday.
So far, about 6,000 Ukrainians of the 19,000 who applied have received authorization to travel to the U.S. after passing background checks and biometric screenings, DHS said in a statement.
The program requires Ukrainians to have a private sponsor in the U.S. who must also complete a background check and prove they have the financial means to support those granted refuge.
The program is part of President Joe Biden’s promise to allow 100,000 Ukrainians to seek refuge in the U.S. Other legal pathways are also still available through the State Department that will count toward the 100,000 objective.
“We are proud to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression to the United States. The Ukrainian people continue to suffer immense tragedy and loss as a result of Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on their country,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement last month. “DHS will continue to provide relief to the Ukrainian people, while supporting our European allies who have shouldered so much as the result of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.”
Before “United for Ukraine” was established, about 20,000 Ukrainians without prior authorization entered the U.S. along the southern border, according to a DHS court filing.
With the pre-authorization program up and running, authorities have taken a harder line on admitting Ukrainians who show up at the border without proper documentation. That shift left dozens stranded on the Mexican side of a border crossing near San Diego and potentially many more elsewhere along the border, the San Diego Union Tribune reported last month.
More than 5.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine, according to the UNHCR, with the majority traveling to eastern European nations including Poland and Romania.
(WASHINGTON) — West Virginia voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote in primaries for the House of Representatives and state legislature, as well as other statewide and regional offices. Early voting in the state ended Saturday.
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET.
State significance
The Republican primaries for the House of Representatives in West Virginia are significant because they will help determine which party controls the House and will put the impact of congressional redistricting on full display.
As a result of redistricting — and a decline in the state’s population — West Virginia lost one of its three House seats. Both existing districts lean strongly Republican, but now there is one fewer seat for Republicans to hold onto, according to analysis from FiveThirtyEight.
Redistricting also means one of the House races features a rare matchup between two incumbent lawmakers. Republicans Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney are facing off against each other and three other challengers in the primary for the newly drawn 2nd Congressional District.
The McKinley-Mooney matchup is another test of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement power. Trump has backed Mooney, who has echoed the former president’s false claims about the 2020 election. But McKinley, who voted for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, has the support of Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) — Florence, Alabama, jail employee Vicky White and murder suspect Casey White were apprehended in Evansville, Indiana, on Monday, ending a 10-day manhunt, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announced.
After Inmate Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, were spotted at a hotel, Casey White and Vicky White led police on a car chase in that ended with a wreck, Indiana authorities said. Vicky White, who was driving the Cadillac, has been hospitalized with “very serious” injuries from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Vanderburgh County, Indiana, sheriff’s office.
“Can’t clarify how long they have been in Evansville … lucky we stumbled upon them today,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said Monday.
He said the pursuit only lasted a few minutes.
“We got a dangerous man off the street today,” Singleton said.
Casey White and Vicky White, who are not related, fled the Lauderdale County Jail on April 29.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the escape, which took place on her last day before retirement.
The duo fled Alabama in a Ford Edge and ditched the car in Williamson County, Tennessee — about a two-hour drive north of Florence — just hours after the jail break.
On Monday, U.S. Marshals said investigators were in Evansville, Indiana, following up on a tip after a 2006 Ford F-150 believed to have been used by Casey White and Vicky White was found abandoned at a car wash on May 3. Police were alerted to the vehicle on Sunday.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for allegedly stabbing a woman to death in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Vicky White has been charged with forgery and identity theft for allegedly using an alias to buy the Ford Edge used to facilitate the escape, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office. A warrant was also issued for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
No one was injured as a result of the escape, Singleton said.
The pair will be brought back to Lauderdale County to be arraigned, Singleton said.
“He’s not getting out of this jail again,” Singleton said. “I assure you that.”
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
After playing intimate warmup shows in New York City and Los Angeles the last couple weeks, Florence + the Machine has now added much bigger shows in both cities.
The NYC dates will take place September 16 and 17 at Madison Square Garden, while the LA performances will be held October 14-15 at the Hollywood Bowl.
Sam Fender and Noga Erez will open the NYC shows; Wet Leg and Griff will support in LA.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 13.
The newly added shows fall in the middle of Florence’s upcoming fall tour in support of their new album, Dance Fever, which arrives on Friday.
