Screens saluting Taylor Hawkins at the Estereo Picnic festival in Bogotá, Colombia; JUAN PABLO PINO/AFP via Getty Images
Foo Fighters are up for three awards this Sunday night at the Grammys, but should they win, reportedly, they won’t be in the house to accept them.
The band was originally scheduled to perform on the telecast, but Rolling Stone has learned that they will no longer appear, following the March 25 death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. Foo Fighters have also canceled all their upcoming tour dates.
At Sunday’s ceremony, which airs on CBS, Dave Grohl and company are up for Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire,” Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War” and Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight.
A CBS official told Variety this week that Hawkins memory will be “honored in some way” at the Grammys, adding, “We want to figure out what is the right thing to do that is respectful to everyone involved. We’re patient. We’ll be planning right up until the very end.”
(WASHINGTON) — Congress could soon send to the president’s desk a bill that would cap the cost of the lifesaving drug insulin at $35 per month — a move that could significantly reduce and rein in out-of-pocket drug costs for millions of Americans with diabetes.
The House approved the bill Thursday by a vote of 232-193, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
The bill now heads to the Senate, and it could be taken up in the upper chamber in a matter of weeks if there is bipartisan agreement.
Experts say it costs less than $10 a vial to manufacture, yet there are still American families with insurance paying hundreds of dollars per vial of insulin.
Currently, costs for patients can range from $334 to $1,000 a month for insulin, according to a 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation report.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, which is about 11% of the U.S. population. Out of the nearly 40 million people who have diabetes — about 25% or 7.4 million Americans need insulin. Many people with diabetes are prescribed insulin, either because their bodies do not produce insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or do not use insulin properly (Type 2 diabetes).
The bill to cap the cost of insulin was originally a part of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” domestic policy agenda, but since that massive piece of legislation is stalled in the Senate, lawmakers decided to move unilaterally on this standalone bill specifically addressing insulin.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters on Wednesday that it is “inexcusable” people are being charged exorbitant prices for “a lifesaving and life-sustaining drug whose costs [have] not increased and whose research costs have been amortized a very long period of time ago.”
Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan, one of the authors of the House bill, said it’s “outrageous that a single vial of insulin costs up to $1,000, when the medication costs just a few dollars to make.”
The bill caps cost-sharing for a month’s supply of insulin starting in 2023 at whichever amount is lower: $35, or 25% of a plan’s negotiated price, according to the bill’s text. The bill does not lower the overall price of insulin; it would likely shift more of the cost onto insurers and employers.
Supporters of the bill say it will save lives by making insulin affordable for millions of Americans, many of whom now reduce the amount they take or skip doses, resulting in far more costly visits to emergency rooms and the hospital.
Grateful Dead spin-off group Dead & Company has announced plans for a new U.S. summer tour that currently features 20 dates, running from a June 11 concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles through a two-night stand July 15-16 at Citi Field in New York City.
The trek features several other two-show engagements — on June 13-14 in Mountain View, California; June 17-18 in Boulder, Colorado; and June 24-25 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 8, at 10 a.m. local time via DeadandCompany.com. Tickets will be made available through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, which you can register for now through Sunday, April 3, at 12 p.m. PT. A Verified Fan pre-sale will begin on Tuesday, April 5, at 10 a.m. local time and run through Thursday, April 7, at 10 p.m. local time.
In addition, Dead & Company is offering various enhanced experience and travel packages, which go on sale April 5 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit CIDEntertainment.com for more details.
Also on the new trek, the band will continue its sustainability partnership with the nonprofit organization REVERB, and has committed to a comprehensive carbon offset program while also encouraging fans to take action to help the environment via the organization’s Music Climate Revolution campaign.
The summer trek will mark Dead & Company’s seventh tour since the band formed in 2015. The group’s lineup features Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, as well as singer/guitarist John Mayer, ex-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge, and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.
In January, Dead & Company were forced to cancel their planned annual Playing in the Sand destination festival in Mexico because of spiking COVID-19 cases, including Mayer.
Will Packer, the producer of this year’s historic-for-the-wrong-reasons Oscars telecast, will appear on Friday’s edition of Good Morning America.
GMA‘s T.J. Holmes will interview the producer in the wake of Will Smith‘s on-air assault of Chris Rock, and his controversial subsequent accepting of his Best Actor trophy for King Richard.
World News Tonight with David Muir will air a preview clip tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
This development comes as reports swirl that Smith may not have been told to leave the Dolby Theatre after he smacked Chris Rock, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences alleged.
The gossip site TMZ reported Thursday that Academy members couldn’t reach a timely decision as to whether or not Smith should be allowed to accept his trophy in person.
In fact, according to the site, it was Packer who allowed Smith to stay, TMZ claims.
(NEW YORK) — Police are seeking a suspect in an assault on a New York City subway train that is being investigated as a hate crime after the assailant allegedly used an anti-gay slur.
The New York Police Department recently released video and images of the attack, which it said occurred March 19 on an uptown A train in Manhattan.
The assailant approached the 22-year-old male victim on the train as it approached the 190th Street subway station at around 2:22 p.m., police said.
“The unidentified individual sat across from the victim and stated ‘I wish I had my pepper spray’ before spitting at him,” the NYPD said in a statement.
The suspect then reportedly said, “I have to start carrying my pepper spray” before spitting at the victim again, police said.
When the victim stood up, the assailant “charged” at him and “grabbed him by the hair before punching him several times in the face and head,” police said.
An apparent cellphone video of the attack released by police showed the perpetrator punching the victim on the moving train.
“The perpetrator then ripped hair from the victim’s head and stated ‘I’m sick of all you f—,'” police said.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition with cuts to his head, the NYPD said. He also lost hair during the attack.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.
Police are also seeking a suspect in a separate subway attack that occurred Wednesday afternoon at a station in Manhattan. The suspect slashed a 47-year-old man on the arm before fleeing the Wall Street 2-train station, police said.
The city has increased the police presence in the subways in an effort to reduce crime in the public transit system since Mayor Eric Adams took office earlier this year. The killing of 40-year-old Michelle Go, who died after a stranger pushed her in front of an oncoming train, drew further attention to subway safety concerns.
“While we are by no means out of the woods, and there is a lot of progress that needs to be made on subway safety, I just want to acknowledge that the work has begun,” MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said at an MTA board meeting Wednesday. “Serious effort is underway.”
Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.
(NEW YORK) — Skippy Foods announced a voluntary recall of some peanut butter products due to the possibility that a limited number of jars may contain small fragment of stainless steel from a piece of manufacturing equipment, according to a statement released by the Food and Drug Administration.
The recall includes a limited number of dates of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut, Skippy Reduced Fat Chunky Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter Blended with Plant Protein. The recalled items have use by dates from early May 2023.
The products were sold in 18 states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
There have been no consumer complaints to date and all retailers that have received the affected product have been notified.
No other sizes, varieties or packages of Skippy brand peanut butter or peanut butter spreads are included in this recall.
“From our family to yours, we want you to know that we take the quality of our products very seriously and apologize to our fans for this situation,” Skippy said in a statement. “Our company is committed to product quality and will continue to invest in our processes to ensure the quality and wholesomeness of our products.”
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.
It looks like the people behind the Golden Raspberry Awards don’t want to add insult to injury.
The Oscars-spoofing organization recently “honored” Bruce Willis with his own historic category — “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie,” for a series of eight straight-to-streaming films.
However, the Razzies have announced they’ve had an official change of heart in light of the revelation the Die Hard star is retiring because he is suffering from the degenerative cognitive disorder aphasia.
“After much thought and consideration, the Razzies have made the decision to rescind the Razzie Award given to Bruce Willis, due to his recently disclosed diagnosis,” said co-founders John Wilson and Mo Murphy in a statement. “If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.”
Incidentally, this year’s Razzies bestowed Will Smith with it’s “Redeemer” award, following his Oscar-winning performance in King Richard.
ABC Audio tried to reach the pair for a comment about whether Will’s award — ironically named, considering Smith’s behavior at the Academy Awards ceremony — could also be rescinded. However, The Razzies didn’t reply as of press time.
If you have about $20 million to burn and love Katy Perry, listen up — she’s moving out of Los Angeles and just listed her sprawling mansion.
Peopleconfirms that the “Roar” hitmaker is moving to the LA suburb of Montecito after living in her swanky 5,427-square-foot home for the past five years. The price tag? $19,475,000!
The mansion offers over an acre of land and lots of parking. In addition, it comes with on-site security and a private gym, and is located near plenty of private hiking paths and trails. But, for those wondering about the home’s more luxurious perks, Katy’s old digs offers canyon views, and features a cold plunge pool, an infinity pool, a sauna, a library complete with a fireplace, five bedrooms and six bathrooms — one of which comes with a marble-clad bath.
In addition, the home is close to fellow A-listers Cameron Diaz, Mila Kunis, Nicole Richie and their famous spouses.
Katy and her fiance, Orlando Bloom, dropped $14.2 million for their new abode in Montecito, and the outlet reports that they envision raising their daughter, Daisy, in the seaside community.
“They agree that raising their little girl in Montecito will be amazing,” an insider told the outlet. “They were looking for a house for a while before they put in an offer. They are very excited about their new house. It comes with a lot of history and a gorgeous ocean view.”
In addition, the place offers way more acreage than their old place — nine to be exact — as well as 12 bathrooms and six bedrooms.
Katy will also live closer to Oprah Winfrey, Ariana Grande, EllenDeGeneres, and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who all reside in the Montecito area.
— Ahead of his upcoming album, blacksummers’NIGHT, trailblazing R&B artist Maxwell kicked off his The Night Tour this month. And while the “Pretty Wings” smooth operator has been delivering lovemaking ballads for nearly three decades, he says he enjoys creating passionate music.
When asked in a recent interview with the New York Post “how many babies” he thinks his music helped make, he said, “At the end of the day, I am a musician. I love making music. That’s my joy. I’m here to make people have fun, have a good time and go home and have more babies.”
The 48-year-old Caribbean native was recently nicknamed “Maxwell the Stallion” after a video circulated of him dancing on his knees at one of his shows recently. In response to the new label, Maxwell said, “I’m Haitian… that’s how we dance.”
— South Asian film producer Joseph Patel says he felt “robbed” of his Oscar win, after comedian Chris Rock announced the Summer of Soul winners for Best Documentary as “Ahmir Thompson and four white guys.”
Patel says he was angry that “Chris Rock lumped me in as one of ‘four white guys.'” And, like many other celebrities who have spoken out about the infamous slap incident, Patel condemned Will Smith‘s actions, saying, “It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs.”
— Miami rap group City Girls has new music on the way! Earlier this week the duo teased their upcoming single, “Top Notch,” featuring New York rapper Fivio Foreign. On Thursday, the ladies posted behind-the-scenes footage and photos of what seems to be a video shoot for the new track.
(NEW YORK) — Nearly two months after the unexplained death of Navy SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen, his mother broke her silence, saying she wants to prevent another family from experiencing the same type of tragedy.
“I wake up every night thinking of him, thinking of how he died probably not breathing,” Regina Mullen said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The 24-year-old former football player from New Jersey had just completed “hell week,” a grueling 5 1/2 sleepless days of underwater and tactical training designed to push seal candidates to their physical and mental limits. Those who drop out during hell week or “ring the bell” have to wait two years to try again. But Kyle Mullen made it through and texted his mom to let her know of his success.
“Hell Week secured,” he wrote.
“I saw it and I call him, and he says, ‘I did it, Mom.’ And he was so happy,” Regina Mullen said.
“And I heard him outta breath. And I said, “Kyle, are you OK? Are you hurt? Are you in a hospital?” And he just responded, ‘Don’t worry, Mom, I’m good. I love you.’ And he hung up.”
She texted her son again immediately after the call, worried about his condition, but she never reached him or spoke to him again.
As a mother and a nurse, she said she knew something was off when she last talked to her son.
“It was just his breathing. He could — it was difficult for him to form the words with the airflow. It sounded labored. He couldn’t breathe properly.”
The day after Kyle Mullen’s death, Navy officials arrived at Regina Mullen’s house, a dreaded sight for anyone with family in the military.
“I let them in, and I said, ‘He’s not coming home, is he?’ And they said, ‘No ma’am, he’s not coming home.'”
At the time of his death, the Navy released a statement saying Kyle Mullen and another sailor had “reported symptoms” and were taken to the hospital. The other sailor recovered. Kyle Mullen’s death is now under investigation and no official cause has been released.
Regina Mullen believes her son was abandoned when he was most in need.
“I believe…they laid him flat, and he had SIPE, and he most likely couldn’t breathe, and he probably suffocated from his own bodily fluids.
SIPE stands for swimming induced pulmonary edema, fluid buildup in the lungs without choking on water. The majority of cases clear up within 48 hours, but in rare instances, it can be deadly.
Regina Mullen said her son had been treated for SIPE during training in January. Later that month during “hell week,” NCIS investigators told her he was treated with oxygen twice, including on the day he died.
“My son was telling me that it’s discouraged to say, ‘I need to go to the medical.’ He said..they wouldn’t let him go [to] the medical unless you quit and ring the bell,” Regina Mullen said.
She added that when she flew out to California after her son’s death, a commander told her that he had twice been offered medical treatment but refused it.
“At that point, I said, ‘He doesn’t know what day of the week it is. He hasn’t slept in five days. How can he make that determination?'”
The Naval Special Warfare Command told ABC News in a statement that “all candidates receive head-to-toe medical evaluations, including a full set of core vitals, a minimum of once a day and as required throughout the week, as well as upon conclusion of the assessment event.”
Regina Mullen said she hopes no family has to experience what she has gone through and believes was preventable.
“They need better training. They need better monitoring. And this could never, ever happen again,” she said. “No mother should ever have to feel my pain that I have.”
Family attorney Ryan Andrews agreed that her son didn’t have to die.
“He just needed someone to care about his condition when he came off before he went to go lay down and go to sleep,” he said. “That’s it. A medical professional with a stethoscope could’ve prevented this.”
The last Navy SEAL candidate to die during this training was 21-year-old Seaman James Lovelace, who drowned in a pool during his first week in May 2016. After his drowning, the Navy instituted additional safety protocols to the swimming program.
“SEAL training takes you beyond your personal limits,” said Eric Oehlerich, a retired SEAL and ABC News contributor. “It’s designed to push you beyond your perception of what’s possible, breaking glass ceilings of what you’re capable of both mentally and physically.”
Oehlerich said he believes the difficult training for prospective SEALs is carried out within proven medical boundaries and run by highly trained professional instructors, but he acknowledged that there are risks involved in all types of military training.
“From time to time training fatalities do occur. Although tragic, adhering to the training curriculum keeps SEALs alive in combat,” he said. “It’s necessary; it can’t be diluted.”
But Kevin Uniglicht, a family attorney for the Mullen family, took a different view.
“We’ve heard it many times, ‘No one left behind,'” he said. “And I think, unfortunately, you know, Kyle was left behind in this situation.”
