(SANTA FE, N.M.) — A massive wildfire currently burning east of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is now the largest in the state’s history as thousands of firefighters continue to battle the blaze.
The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire — made up of two fires that merged into one giant blaze last month — has burned 299,565 acres, state fire officials said Tuesday.
It officially surpassed the Whitewater-Baldy Fire as the largest fire in New Mexico’s history on Monday. That fire, which was caused by lightning and also consisted of two separate fires that merged, had burned 297,845 acres primarily in the Gila National Forest before being contained in late July 2012.
The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire, the largest active fire in the U.S., was only 26% contained as of Tuesday morning, with more than 2,090 fire personnel responding. The Hermits Peak fire was caused by spot fires from a prescribed burn, while the cause of the Calf Canyon fire is under investigation, according to state fire officials.
Residents of San Miguel, Mora, Taos and Colfax counties are advised to remain on “high alert” Tuesday for evacuation updates and road closures, officials said.
Firefighters faced unfavorable wind conditions, warming temperatures and severe dry conditions since the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires ignited in early April.
“The challenge of predicting how wildfires move, the best experts in the world on this topic still are not going to get it right,” Dr. Jason Knievel, deputy director for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT this week.
There is a mix of conifer trees, ponderosa pine, brush and grass where the fire is now — and “critically dry fuels” may increase fire activity, fire officials warned Tuesday. The fire is burning near an area with steep terrain, which can also help spread the fire, according to Knievel.
“Fire tends to move uphill,” he said.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in several counties last month as multiple wildfires burned, including the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire.
President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration earlier this month for New Mexico that brings financial resources to the areas battling the fires.
Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate and hundreds of structures have been destroyed due to the recent wildfire activity, the governor noted in a letter to Biden last week requesting additional aid.
(WASHINGTON) — Top Pentagon officials told a House panel on Tuesday that there are now close to 400 reports from military personnel of possible encounters with UFOs — a significant increase from the 144 tracked in a major report released last year by the U.S. intelligence community.
A Navy official also said at Tuesday’s hearing that investigators are “reasonably confident” the floating pyramid-shaped objects captured on one leaked, widely seen military video were likely drones.
That footage, which the military confirmed last year was authentic, had helped spur interest in purported UFOs, also referred to as “unidentified aerial phenomena” or UAPs.
Indiana Rep. André Carson, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee, called Tuesday’s hearing, the first in more than 50 years focused on the aerial incidents.
UAPs, Carson said, “are a potential national security threat and they need to be treated that way.”
“For too long the stigma associated with UAPs has gotten in the way of good intelligence analysis,” he added. “Pilots avoided reporting or were laughed at when they did.”
The number of UAP reports has risen to “approximately 400,” a significant increase from the 144 between 2004 and 2021 that were tracked in last year’s report, according to Scott Bray, the deputy director of Naval Intelligence. Bray told the House panel that the spike was due to a reduction in the stigma associated with stepping forward to report such incidents in the wake of the 2021 report.
“We’ve seen an increasing number of unauthorized and or unidentified aircraft or objects and military control training areas and training ranges and other designated airspace,” Bray said. “Reports of sightings are frequent and continuous.”
But Bray believes many of the newly disclosed accounts are actually “historic reports that are narrative-based” from prior incidents that people are only now coming forward with, which leads him to believe there will be fewer new accounts in the future.
Last year’s intelligence report could only explain one of the documented 144 encounters and did not contain the words “alien” or “extraterrestrial.” The report stated then that the UAP incidents would require further study.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Bray echoed last year’s conclusion that most of the phenomena were likely physical objects and noted that “the UAP task force doesn’t have any wreckage that … isn’t consistent with being a terrestrial origin.”
Even so, Bray said, questions remain.
“I can’t point to something that definitively was not man-made, but I can point to a number of examples which remain unresolved,” Bray said, citing video of a 2004 incident in which a Navy pilot recorded an unusual, Tic Tac-like object over the water.
“We want to know what’s out there as much as you want to know what’s out there,” said Ronald Moultrie, the Pentagon’s top intelligence official, who also testified at the hearing.
Moultrie said the Pentagon is establishing an office to speed up “the identification of previously unknown or unidentified airborne objects in a methodical, logical and standardized manner.”
“We also understand that there has been a cultural stigma surrounding UAP,” Moultrie said. “Our goal is to eliminate the stigma by fully incorporating our operators and mission personnel into a standardized data gathering process.”
“Our goal is to strike that delicate balance: one that enables us to maintain the public’s trust while preserving those capabilities that are vital to the support of our service personnel,” he said.
Bray said “Navy and Air Force crews now have step-by-step procedures for reporting on a UAP on their kneeboard in the cockpit” and that these efforts have led to more reporting.
The increasingly mainstream interest in UFOs and UAPs has been sparked in recent years by leaks of once-classified videos and the Navy’s release of footage from their pilots’ own encounters.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the defense officials played three clips to help explain how brief the aerial incidents could be, making it very difficult to determine what was seen in the videos.
In one of the more notable cases, the officials detailed how “considerable effort” went into determining a theory for what was observed.
Bray played footage taken in July 2019 off the California coast from the deck of the destroyer USS Russell that seemed to show several pyramid-shaped objects hovering above the ship.
Bray acknowledged that investigators did not initially have an explanation for what was seen in the green night scope video — until they were able to contrast it with a more recent video of an incident that occurred off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Officials who looked at that video found a similar pyramid shape. They concluded the phenomena were likely from drones that had been seen on sensors from another Navy asset.
“We’re now reasonably confident that these triangles correlate to unmanned aerial systems in the area,” Bray explained. “The triangular appearance is a result of light passing through the night vision goggles and then being recorded by an SLR camera.”
“This is a great example of how it takes considerable effort to understand what we’re seeing in the examples that we are able to collect,” he added.
Ahead of the hearing, Jeremy Corbell, a documentary filmmaker and UFO enthusiast who made public that “pyramid” video last year, said he was happy to see increasing awareness and government action.
“What is so great is that this is a direct response to public will,” Corbell told ABC News. “It is direct response to public pressure. It is representative government representing the citizens and their interest.”
“I am encouraged by the public desire to know and find out the truth of what UFOs represent to humankind,” Corbell said then. “It’s the biggest story of our time. And finally we’re beginning to have the conversation without ridicule and stigma that has so injured the search for scientific truth on this topic.”
Moultrie, the Pentagon official, said at Tuesday’s hearing that he wasn’t immune to a bit of the zeal himself as a science fiction fan.
“I have gone to conventions — I’ll say it on the record. Got to break the ice somehow,” he told the panel in one lighthearted line of questioning, adding, “We have our we have our inquisitiveness. We have our questions.”
ABC News’ Matthew Seyler contributed to this report.
Morgan Wallen made his return to the awards show spotlight at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards over the weekend, performing two songs — “Don’t Think Jesus” and “Wasted on You” — and bringing home the award for Top Country Male Artist.
It was his first performance since a video of him yelling a racist slur emerged in early 2021. Since then, he’s been barred from many mainstream awards shows and other music industry platforms.
But at the BBMAs, Morgan walked the red carpet with his mom, Lesli, and credited the people closest to him for helping change his perspective amid the scandal.
“My family, my friends and just a really good team,” the singer replied to ET Onlinewhen asked who most helped him get through the past couple of years. “My kid. I’ve had a lot of really positive things going on behind the scenes, that maybe weren’t necessarily brought to light.”
He continued, “I’ve been able to get to a good place because of all that.”
Morgan also expressed his gratitude for the support he’s received from his fellow country artists, such as Jason Aldean and Hardy.
“Everybody tells you they’re your friends when everything’s good, so it’s really nice to have people who really mean that,” he said.
Harry Styles is pulling out all the stops to celebrate his third studio album, Harry’s House, which arrives Friday. In addition to putting together one-night-only concerts and livestreaming events, he will now erect pop-up shops around the world.
Harry’s House pop-up shops will spring up around the globe, with locations opening simultaneously in Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris and Toronto. These shops will open May 20.
According to a press release, “The pop-up will give fans a chance to experience and celebrate Harry’s new album Harry’s House live with special activations and exclusive merchandise designs only available at these locations.”
Among the exclusive goodies will be special box sets, hoodies, a limited album zine, totes, towels, hats, T-shirts and more. In addition, these stores will be the only place you can get your hands on a limited-edition orange vinyl edition of Harry’s House. The release hints only a few will be made available.
American Express card members will be given first dibs on the items because they will be able to enter the shops one hour early to shop to their hearts’ content. They will also be the only people who can purchase a limited-edition crewneck sweatshirt.
For a full list of dates and hours the shops are open, visit Harry’s official website.
Last month, Julian Lennon performed a cover of his late father John Lennon‘s classic peace anthem “Imagine” as part of Global Citizen’s Stand Up for Ukraine campaign. Now he’s set to release a special audio-visual NFT focusing on the performance, which will raise money for Ukrainian relief.
The NFT will include Julian’s recording of “Imagine,” which features him accompanied by Extreme‘s Nuno Bettencourt on guitar and backing vocals, as well as a visual interpretation of the song and audio narration by Julian explaining why he decided to perform his father’s famous tune.
The visual element that accompanies the recording includes black-and-white pencil strokes by Julian that transform into pockets of light.
Starting this Friday, May 20, the NFT will be available for purchase at the Yellowheart digital marketplace for 11 days priced at $11. A portion of the proceeds raised by sale of the digital tokens will benefit Julian’s White Feather Foundation and the charity’s efforts to aid Ukrainian refugees.
“The war on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy, and as a human and an artist I have always felt that music finds a way to heal, comfort, rally and support during times of crisis,” Julian says. “Performing my father’s classic ‘Imagine’ was a very personal decision, but an obvious one given his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide.”
He adds, “Partnering with YellowHeart to offer NFT artwork that includes my interpretation of the song will provide an opportunity for fans to connect and unite through the song’s message of unity in a new and innovative way.”
A video of Julian performing “Imagine” with Bettencourt debuted on Julian’s YouTube channel on April 8 in conjunction with the Stand Up for Ukraine campaign. It marked his first public performance of his late father’s song.
The Yellowstone prequel series is welcoming two Hollywood legends to its cast.
Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are set to star in 1932, the prequel to the critically acclaimed Western series Yellowstone, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new show will follow the Dutton family in the 21st century as they battle pandemics and the Great Depression.
1932 will debut on Paramount+ in December. It follows 1883, the most recent prequel that chronicled the Duttons’ treacherous journey through the West to find the land in Montana that ultimately became Yellowstone Ranch.
Ford and Mirren join fellow Hollywood royalty Sam Elliot and Kevin Costner, who starred in 1883 and Yellowstone, respectively. Yellowstone was created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson.
Miles Teller and Chris Hemsworth enter a mind-altering world in the first trailer for sci-fi thriller Spiderhead.
Teller portrays the character of Jeff, one of the inmates at Spiderhead, a futuristic penitentiary where Hemsworth’s character, Steve Abnesti, is running scientific experiments on prisoners who volunteer to be guinea pigs for emotion-altering drugs.
The trailer for the film depicts some of the wild reactions the inmates have to the drugs, including hallucinations, convulsions and violence. “This place can really mess with your head,” Teller’s character says.
“Our work will save lives,” Hemsworth’s character can be heard saying over a series of action shots. “We’re making the world a better place.”
The film also stars Jurnee Smollett and is based on the short story Escape From Spiderhead by George Saunders.
The third full-length effort from the U.K. rocker will be self-titled and is set to arrive September 2.
“Everything up to this moment has been a complete explosion of uncensored expression, where I just told the truth and sang about what I felt in that exact moment,” Yungblud explains. “The difference here is that I have thought and felt this record so deeply.”
“I went to a part of myself that I didn’t know was there,” he adds. “I studied it, I bathed in the emotion, tried to solve the equation and come up with an answer (at least for now) from love to pain, adoration to abandonment, laughter to betrayal.”
The album will feature the previously released single “The Funeral” and the WILLOW collaboration “Memories.” The rest of the track list has yet to be revealed.
Yungblud’s most recent album is his 2020 sophomore effort, Weird!
Johnny Nunez/WireImage, Jerod Harris/BET/Getty Images
Jack Harlow better watch out!
His recent comments regarding his lack of knowledge about who Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Brandy is may have gotten him into some drama. But it’s all fun and games, especially for Brandy, who jokingly responded to the “First Class” rapper who said he didn’t know she and Ray J were siblings.
After watching the viral interview clip where Jack Harlow asks, “Who’s Ray J’s sister?” Brandy tweeted, “I will murk this dude in rap at 43 [years old] on his own beats and then sing [h]is a** to sleep.”
While the iconic singer could very well give Jack Harlow a run for his money, she posted a follow-up tweet saying, “See, I can have a little fun too hehe…all love.”
Jack Harlow’s revelation sparked lots of conversation over the internet last week. While many recognized his young age as the reason for the lack of knowledge, his comments were also met with backlash.
When Grammy-winning singer India Arie got wind on the video, she took to social media to express her feelings about it.
“Just because you make Black music doesn’t mean you know Black culture,” she wrote in a post shared by The Shade Room. “If U don’t know Brandy’s voice when you hear it … WHO EVEN ARE YOU?” she said.
She continued, “WHEN AN ACTUAL MUSICIAN! WHO MAKES BLACK MUSIC! Deduces one of the industries MOST IMPORTANT VOICES @Brandy to Ray J’s SISTER? who is famous (mostly) for his Proximity to Kim Kardashian.”
Responding to Brandy’s clapback on Tuesday, Jack Harlow posted an image of Brandy and Ray J accompanied by Kanye West‘s 2005 track, “Bring Me Down,” on which Brandy sings the chorus.
Bet Jack Harlow won’t ever forget Brandy’s name now.
Kane Brown may be busy readying a new album, but he’s never too busy to spend time with family.
The superstar hopped on social media this week to share a snap of his daughters, 2-year-old Kingsley and 4-month-old Kodi. Kane and his wife, Katelyn, have previously told fans that Kingsley loves being a big sister, and this photo is proof: the toddler’s got her arm around her baby sibling as the pair sit outside in a chair.
Kane and Katelyn welcomed baby Kodi in late December. They never announced the pregnancy publicly, making for quite the surprise when fans learned that they’d added a new bundle of joy to their household.
In musical news, Kane’s keeping busy: He put out his new song, “Like I Love Country Music,” earlier this month.
