(WASHINGTON) — The White House announced a historic shift in its policy toward Cuba Monday night, saying that for the first time in six decades it will sign off on an American company investing in a private Cuba-based and Cuban-owned business.
The deal is pending approval by the Cuban government but could open the door for additional American dollars flowing to entrepreneurs in the island nation.
Additionally, the Biden administration said it would authorize flights to Cuba beyond Havana, reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program, which allows Cubans to join family members in the U.S. on a temporary basis with the potential for obtaining permanent status, and lift the $1,000 per quarter limit on remittances per sender-receiver pair and allow for donative (non-family) remittances.
The administration characterizes these moves as “measures to further support the Cuban people, providing them additional tools to pursue a life free from Cuban government oppression and to seek greater economic opportunities.”
Lionel Richie will be honored with the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize on Tuesday. Ahead of the moment, the singer caught up with CBS’ Sunday Morning to talk about his lifetime achievements.
Lionel reflected on growing up by Tuskegee University, where he was surrounded by Black lawyers, war heroes, doctors and more, and joked that his parents “had a nervous breakdown” when he decided to pursue a music career with The Commodores.
“You could see everyone passing going, ‘Oh, there’s poor Lionel. Poor misguided Lionel!,'” he chuckled. Of course, The Commodores scored numerous chart-topping singles with Richie as their lead singer, before he set off a solo career.
Lionel reflected on his success, which saw him cross into the mainstream and anger some of his original R&B fan base. “Someone asked me a question one day, ‘Lionel, how does it feel that you’ve left your roots?'” Richie recalled. “And I said, ‘Did you ask that to The Beatles? Did you ask that to The Rolling Stones? Everyone came over to borrow from us, but I can’t go that way?'”
The singer also reflected on his hiatus at the peak of his career, which he took to care for his ailing father, who passed in 1990. “It gave me an opportunity to kind of take a look over my shoulder just a little bit to see where I was in altitude. And it was frightening,” he reflected. But, he added his father’s death gave him a new perspective on fame.
Lionel now sees his career as an “adventure,” which he says “is just an amazing ride.”
He also admitted it’s been 13 years since he released an album of all-new songs, but teased he’ll break the dry spell “this year.”
(WASHINGTON) — In her first sit-down interview since leaving Washington, Melania Trump appeared on Fox News on Sunday where she addressed some of her ongoing work as a former first lady and looked back at her time in the White House — and what came after.
It was a rare public appearance for Donald Trump’s wife, who has eschewed the spotlight since leaving the East Wing, compared to the former president.
“Life is great and [I’m] keeping it busy. And, you know, time flies fast and we are just — everybody is doing very well,” Melania told Pete Hegseth on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
She and her husband relocated to their Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, when his term ended in January 2021 and Melania has kept an even lower profile out of office than while she was first lady, traveling between Trump properties in New Jersey, New York and Florida and spending much of her time with her family and her teenage son, Barron.
Speaking with Hegseth on Sunday, Melania Trump said that she had “enjoyed living in the White House. To be first lady of the United States was my greatest honor.” But she said she still bristled at the scrutiny of her time in the White House, including when she stirred controversy with some of her fashion choices such as wearing an “I Really Don’t Care Do U?” jacket while visiting migrant children in 2018, which she insisted was a message for the media.
In her Fox News interview, Melania dismissed criticism of her as unfair — responding to a question from Hegseth about why, as a major public figure and former model, she was not on the cover of Vogue while in the White House.
“They’re biased and they have likes and dislikes. And it’s so obvious,” she said. “And I think American people and everyone see it. It was their decision. And I have much more important things to do and I did in the White House than being on the cover of Vogue.”
“People I see always criticize me, whatever I do, and I’m used to that,” Trump added. “I move forward and I’m here to helping people. And that is the mission.”
Representatives with Vogue did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The magazine’s editor in chief, Anna Wintour, said in 2019 about covering Melania as first lady that “I think it’s important for Vogue to support women who are leading change in this country.”
Elsewhere in her “Fox & Friends” interview, Melania talked about her work with children in foster care with a project called Fostering the Future as part of the “BeBest” initiative she started in the White House and has continued.
“Those people who criticize me, I would encourage them to help in their own community or maybe join my Foster the Future initiative,” she told Hegseth.
So far, that work has included appearances to foster care organizations in Florida; she said on Fox News that a portion of the money from sales of her burgeoning NFT collection would also “will go towards education, providing education, opportunities for foster care children who are aging out of foster system,” though it’s unclear how much money will be donated in this way.
Those funds will be supporting scholarships as well, Melania said. One recipient, Michael Weitzman, spoke by phone during Melania’s “Fox & Friends” interview and said the support was “literally a dream come true.”
Melania also addressed various political issues, echoing her husband in criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration on issues including border and immigration policy and the shortage of baby formula, which she called “heartbreaking.”
Like former President Trump, Melania spoke obliquely — teasingly — about a 2024 bid for office. “Never say never,” she said.
She was not asked and did not address the Trump family’s ongoing legal issues and investigations, including the congressional probe of the pro-Trump Jan. 6 Capitol riot and a related effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
The former president denied any wrongdoing; he has cast the investigations as politically motivated witch hunts.
(NEW YORK) — The first all-Black Mount Everest expedition team, Full Circle Everest, has reached the summit of the highest mountain on Earth, and their excitement can be felt from thousands of feet below.
The seven climbers who reached the summit include Manoah Ainuu, Eddie Taylor, Rosemary Saal, Demond “Dom” Mullins, Thomas Moore, James “KG” Kagami and Evan Green.
According to the team, their success nearly doubles the number of Black climbers who have climbed the mountain, which stands at more than 29,000 feet high.
“I am deeply honored to report that seven members of the Full Circle Everest team reached the summit on May 12,” said Full Circle Everest leader Philip Henderson. “While a few members, including myself, did not summit, all members of the climb and Sherpa teams have safely returned to Base Camp where we will celebrate this historic moment!”
This trek lures hundreds of climbers each year, but few Black climbers have made the trip. For these climbers, the treacherous climb represented the barriers Black communities face in accessing outdoor sports and spaces.
They hope to inspire the next generation of Black athletes, climbers and mountaineers to take themselves to new heights.
“My big goal with this project is to help demystify the process of climbing your Everest; it doesn’t necessarily need to be Everest,” Abby Dione, a member of Full Circle Everest, told ABC News.
Similarly, Eddie Taylor, another climber on the team, also hopes to be an inspiration for future outdoor sports athletes.
“Everest is still gonna be hard. It’s still going to be this big mountain, but it’s going to be something that you don’t feel like it’s unattainable.
The team tracked their journey on Flipgrid, as people from all across the world cheered on the history-making team.
The team was led by local Sherpa climbing guides, who help hundreds of mountaineers up Everest. The Full Circle Everest team said they could not have made this historic climb without their guidance.
Lil Nas X reminded fans who has the longest-running number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 — him. Sharing an image proving the historic 19-week run “Old Town Road” had atop the chart in 2019, the Grammy winner tweeted, “just felt like bragging today. y’all be easy.”
Taylor Swift unleashed an all-new merchandise drop, dubbed the Swiftie Summer Collection, and you can stock up on the new tees, bandanas, bracelets and more on her online store.
American Idol has been renewed for a sixth season, reports Deadline. It’s currently unclear if current judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will return for the new season.
Speaking of Katy, she’s no longer a California girl! The “Dark Horse” singer revealed on the Dear Chelsea podcast she’s living in Kentucky. She said living in the Southern state is “quite an amazing experience, because it reminds you that Hollywood is not America.” Fiancé Orlando Bloom is currently filming Red Right Hand in the state.
We know who spent $51 million to buy Adam Levine‘s Los Angeles mansion — Tesla’s Cybertruck design chief, Franz von Holzhausen. Dirt reports the Palisades mansion sold about 11 percent below Adam and wife Behati Prinsloo‘s asking price, but the duo still made a profit as they originally bought it for $32 million.
Pink unveiled an all-new sleep story on the Calm app, titled The P!nk Sheet Silver Fairy. She announced on Instagram, “Performing has introduced me to the most interesting people, including my new friend Ring and her magical circus.” Pink invites you to join her “under Ring’s circus tent” for the all-new story, available now.
Elvis Presley‘s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, has posted a new message on her socialmediasites in which she shares a glowing review about director Baz Luhrmann‘s upcoming musical biopic about her late father, Elvis.
In the note, Lisa Marie first points out that she is still grieving for her son, Ben Keough, who died by suicide at age 27 in July 2020.
“I am and will forever be mourning the loss of my son,” she writes. “Navigating through this hideous grief that absolutely destroyed and shattered my heart and my soul into almost nothing has swallowed me whole.”
Lisa Marie then proceeds to shower praise on the Elvis film, revealing that she’s watched it twice and thinks it’s “nothing short of spectacular” and “[a]bsolutely exquisite.”
She writes that lead actor Austin Butler “channeled and embodied my father’s heart and soul beautifully,” adding, “In my humble opinion, his performance is unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully. (If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot, haha.)”
Lisa Marie continues, “You can feel and witness Baz’s pure love, care, and respect for my father throughout this beautiful film, and it is finally something that myself and my children and their children can be proud of forever.”
Presley also notes that she was moved to tears when she saw how her three daughters — Riley, Harper and Finley — were “so filled with pride about their grandfather and his legacy in a way that I have not previously experienced” after watching the movie.
She adds, “It breaks my heart that my son isn’t here to see it. He would have absolutely loved it as well.”
Elvis, which also features Tom Hanks as the rock ‘n’ roll legend’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, hits theaters on June 24.
Pete Davidson isn’t kidding around in casting his mom for his upcoming pseudo-autobiographical comedy series Bupkis.
Four-time Emmy winner Edie Falco has signed on to play Pete’s TV mom in the upcoming Peacock comedy series, which promises to take a Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque look at the life of the SNL funnyman and Kim Kardashian‘s current main squeeze.
Falco was introduced as his TV mom live on stage as part of NBC/Universal’s Upfronts presentation in New York City on Monday.
“Finally, I get to play an overwhelmed mother of two living in a world of corruption,” The Sopranos veteran Falco quipped. “Except this time, it’s Staten Island.”
If Bupkis is indeed a “heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s real life,” as the streaming service promises, then expect Falco to play a big part. Davidson famously lived with his mom long after stardom from stand-up and SNL found the King of Staten Island star.
Nick Jonas is on cloud nine to be the father of an adorable baby girl, Malti Marie, whom he shares with wife Priyanka Chopra.
Speaking to Today, the Jonas Brothers singer opened up about being a first-time dad. “Life is beautiful,” he said. “She’s a gift and we’re just so blessed that she’s back home.”
Mother’s Day, May 8, Nick and Priyanka spoke openly about finally being a family of three. The couple revealed their daughter was born in January and spent “100 plus days in the NICU.” Nick and Priyanka had thanked the medical teams at Rady Children’s La Jolla and Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles “who were there selflessly every step of the way,” but declined to reveal the health complications that caused Malti’s NICU stay.
Nick again declined to speak about his daughter’s health in his new interview, but did joke that he and his brothers have yet to produce a single grandson for their parents.
“The Jonas family keeps growing. A lot of girls,” the “Jealous” singer quipped. While not referencing brother Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner‘s unborn child, which will be their second, Nick said his parents are “thrilled” to be the “grandparents of four beautiful granddaughters.”
Joe and Sophie share a 1-year-old daughter while Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, share 7-year-old Alena Rose and 5-year-old Valentina Angelina.
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Dr. Michael Manka had just finished his shift at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York, Saturday afternoon and was getting ready to head home.
Then the hospital received a call: a gunshot victim was being transported. Soon, the center learned that there had been a mass shooting with multiple victims.
In total, 13 people were shot at Tops Friendly Market, a supermarket 2.5 miles away, in what the Buffalo Police Department described as a racially motivated attack.
Of the victims, 10 were killed and the remaining three — identified by authorities as Zaire Goodman, 20; Jennifer Warrington, 50, and Christopher Braden, 55 — were rushed to ECMC.
“Initially, we did not know how many victims were going to be coming to the hospital and we were preparing for the worst like we typically do with mobilizing our teams, getting as many nurses, doctors, anesthesia teams ready for the arrival of multiple gunshot victims,” Manka, chief of emergency medicine at ECMC, told ABC News.
Goodman was the first victim who arrived at ECMC with a gunshot wound to the upper back and neck, according to the doctor and police.
Manka said Goodman underwent an initial assessment to make sure that his breathing, blood pressure and circulation were stable. Next was to make sure he didn’t have a spinal injury or any other internal injuries.
Doctors determined he had some shrapnel trapped under the skin but that it did not need to all be removed.
“Shrapnel or bullets will be — depending on where they’re located in the body — will be left alone because going searching and trying to dig them out can often do more harm than benefit if it’s in a joint, if it’s very near a major vascular structure,” Manka said. “More often than not, bullet fragments and shrapnel are left alone and, in the body, just heals over them.”
He added that because Goodman was stable enough, he was able to be discharged and sent home Saturday.
“He was unfortunate that he was involved in this incident and shot, but he was fortunate that he didn’t have any serious life-threatening injuries,” Manka said.
The second patient, Warrington, had a graze to the scalp, although it’s unclear whether it was a bullet or a piece of shrapnel that inflicted the injury.
Manka said she underwent the same initial assessment as Goodman, as well as CT scans to make sure nothing had penetrated the skull and into the brain.
“The patient was fortunate that the wounds were not life-threatening and did not require additional care really,” he said. “The patient was awake and alert and stable and … thankfully, was discharged home.”
Braden, the third patient, had the most serious injury: a gunshot wound to the lower leg.
“The third victim that came in … had a pretty bad fracture from the gunshot wound and thankfully was stable but did require an operation to try and fix his leg,” Manka said.
He said when a bullet hits a bone, such as in the leg, it can often shatter the bone as opposed to causing a clean break.
Manka said Braden’s injury may require an external fixator, a metal device that attaches to the bones of the arm, leg or foot with pins and holds the bones together to allow the injury to heal.
He added that he is not sure if Braden will need additional surgeries but that he is still hospitalized in stable condition.
“Typically, a fracture patient will be in the hospital for a handful of days, maybe getting some IV antibiotics to prevent infection and making sure that the extremity is healing OK, without any complications,” Manka said. “This patient may or may not be in the hospital for more than a few days. I think it depends on what the orthopedic plan is to definitively fix that fracture.”
Manka said recent U.S. military conflicts have shed light on the best practices for saving lives and have become standard among civilian paramedics.
“Probably the biggest one that we’ve seen have an impact would be the use and the encouraged use of tourniquets,” he said.
Tourniquets are tight bands that completely stop a traumatic wound from bleeding before or during transport for treatment.
Even though tourniquets have been around since the days of Alexander the Great, they fell into disuse during the end of the 20th century, Manka said, after experts claimed the devices were causing too many patients to have limbs amputated because the blood supply had been cut off for too long. However, recent studies have found that tourniquets “dramatically decrease death from uncontrolled hemorrhage” both on the battlefield and among civilians.
Of the Buffalo shooting victims, Braden had a tourniquet applied to his leg by EMTs before arriving at the hospital.
“It’s hard for me to tell you whether that patient was bleeding enough that [the tourniquet] is what made the difference, but certainly if he was bleeding profusely at the scene, which I suspect he must have been [since] EMS decided to put a tourniquet on, that may have helped maintain his stability on the way to the hospital,” Manka said.
Jodie, the planned spinoff to the late ’90s MTV animated show Daria — itself a spinoff of Beavis and Butthead — is apparently becoming an animated film.
As reported, Jodie will star the voice of former black-ish lead Tracee Ellis Ross, but Variety reports the cast has filled up considerably. Better Things creator and former King of the Hill voice veteran Pamela Adlon has signed on in a stacked cast that now includes Kal Penn, SNL‘s Alex Moffat, The Flight Attendant‘s Zosia Mamet, The Good Place‘s William Jackson Harper and Hanna‘s Dermot Mulroney.
The Jodie film will follow the title character’s life after college and her first job as an intern for a tech startup.
Daria debuted in 1997 and ran for five seasons. Jodie Landon was Daria’s bestie, voiced by Jessica Cyndee Jackson on the original series.
