Russell Dickerson is over the moon about his headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium.
On Friday, the hit-making country singer performed for a sold out crowd at the Mother Church of Country Music in Nashville and expressed sincere gratitude after the show, sharing a gallery of photos from the event, including one that shows him sprawled out on the stage as a bevy of cheering fans gather behind him and another of him tearing his shirt off.
“Took me a couple days to wrap my head around this night. This was a decade in the making. It was by far the most incredible night of my career so far,” Russell professes in the caption. “Thank you to every single one of y’all who came out and made this night so special! See y’all across the street next time. I LOVE YOU FAM!!!!!!!!!”
Russell’s wife, Kailey Dickerson, was also all up in her feels about the special night, sharing a photo on Instagram Stories of her husband getting emotional as he performed his first #1 hit, “Yours,” as the crowd loudly sings along. “Friday was so special, I’ll never be over it,” she writes along with a crying face emoji.
The show at the Ryman marked the end of the singer’s All Yours, All Night Tour where he was also presented with a plaque for his single, “Home Sweet,” for being certified gold by the RIAA.
Britney Spears tantalized fans with her upcoming wedding plans by confirming none other than Donatella Versace was designing her gown.
The “Toxic” singer teased her forthcoming nuptials on Friday by sharing photos of a recent house visit from the luxury fashion designer. “Look who came to visit,” Britney announced, adding the two of them “are up to no good.”
They were all smiles as they posed for a series of photos, but fans were not given a hint or sneak peek at Britney’s dress design. The Grammy winner first revealed Versace was “making my dress as we speak” in November.
Donatella told Entertainment Tonight of their recent meeting, “I went to see Britney because I always care about her. The last time she was in Milan was like 15 years ago, so I brought a few pictures to show to her. She was so moved.”
“She went through hell and back… I cannot imagine what she went through,” the fashion pioneer remarked of Britney’s 13-year conservatorship that was terminated late last year. She said Britney was in “great spirits” during their meeting and called her “special” as well as someone with “a good heart.”
It is currently unknown when Britney will tie the knot with fiancé Sam Asghari. The two announced their engagement in September.
As for Sam, he also caught up with Entertainment Tonightat the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Party on Sunday night to talk about their upcoming big day. “Everything’s amazing. We’re so excited to be starting a new chapter,” he expressed. “Everything is so positive from here on out.”
Sam also revealed he “doesn’t think we’ll have a bachelor party” because he thinks “they are in the past.” He also joked that he’s currently holding auditions for his best man.
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time last week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 28, 12:50 pm
Russians prioritizing Donbas, Ukrainians ‘slugging it out’ in Mariupol: US official
The Russians appear to be prioritizing the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters on Monday.
“We’re not exactly sure what’s behind this reprioritization,” the official said.
This could be Russia refocusing its strategic goals or trying to gain leverage for talks, the official said.
Meanwhile, in the hard-hit city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, “the Ukrainians are slugging it out” and “keeping the Russians at bay,” the official said.
In Kyiv, the situation is static, the official said. Russian troops have stopped making advances toward the capital city, though they continue using their long-range missile fires, the official said.
“We continue to see Ukrainians defend the city and try to push Russians back,” the official said.
Mar 28, 11:41 am
Russia says radiation levels remain stable despite fires in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
Radiation levels remain stable in Russia despite fires in the occupied Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Russian public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Monday.
Rospotrebnadzor said it was continuing to monitor the situation.
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is a 1,000-square-mile restricted area of deserted, contaminated land around the shuttered Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Russian forces seized the defunct plant and surrounding exclusion zone just hours after launching an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
The State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management has warned that the radiation hazard is growing due to the blazes in the area, which it said have the potential to spread. The fires observed at more than 30 spots in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone over the past two weeks have exceeded 8,700 hectares in total, according to the agency.
However, Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said on Monday that the situation was currently “more or less stable.”
Mar 28, 11:32 am
Kremlin expresses concern over Biden’s remark in Poland
Russia is concerned by U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent remark seemingly regarding the need for a change of administration in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
In an address on Saturday from Poland’s capital, Warsaw, Biden made a comment that appeared to be directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.
“For god’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.
After the speech, the White House released a statement clarifying that Biden wasn’t calling for a regime change.
“The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change,” a White House official said.
When asked by reporters on Monday about Biden’s remark, Peskov replied: “Indeed, this statement makes us worry.”
“We will continue to closely monitor statements made by the U.S. president,” he added. “We are thoroughly recording them and will be continuing to do so.”
Mar 28, 11:20 am
Cost of damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure estimated at $63 billion
The cost of direct damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure amid Russia’s ongoing invasion has already reached almost an estimated $63 billion, according to an analysis by the Kyiv School of Economics.
As of March 24, at least 4,431 residential buildings, 92 factories and warehouses, 378 institutions of secondary and higher education, 138 health care institutions, 12 airports, seven thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants have been damaged, destroyed or seized in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, according to the Kyiv School of Economics.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s overall economic losses due to the war range from $543 billion to $600 billion, the Kyiv School of Economics said.
Mar 28, 11:15 am
Russia dubs German broadcaster DW a ‘foreign agent’
The Russian Ministry of Justice on Monday added German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) to a list of media organizations it has labeled as “foreign agents.”
The justice ministry said in a statement that it made the decision “based on the documents received from the authorized state authorities,” without providing further details. The designation requires media outlets to publish a disclaimer on all its publications.
“This latest, arbitrary decision by the Russian authorities was unfortunately to be expected,” DW director Peter Limbourg said in a statement. “It is a further attack on press freedom and a fresh attempt to cut the Russian population off from free, independent media.”
“It started with the forced closure of our studio in Moscow at the beginning of February, then our website in all languages was blocked in Russia. There then followed the gradual restriction of social media services and now DW has been labeled a ‘foreign agent,'” he added. “This will not stop us from continuing to provide comprehensive and independent coverage of Russia and the region from our new studio in Latvia and from Germany. We will have to put a lot more effort into censorship circumvention tools in the future. This includes VPN clients like Psiphon or the Tor browser, which we already use.”
Mar 28, 11:00 am
Russia’s Nobel-winning Novaya Gazeta newspaper suspends publication
Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose editor was a co-winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, announced Monday that it is suspending publication until the war ends in neighboring Ukraine.
Novaya Gazeta was the last remaining established independent media outlet still operating in Russia and trying to cover the invasion of Ukraine, despite strict censorship. Its decision to halt operations is another watershed moment in the silencing of free media across Russia.
The Moscow-based paper, famous for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, said it made the decision after receiving a second warning from Russia’s state communications and media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, for allegedly violating the country’s repressive “foreign agent” law. Another alleged violation could allow a court to shut Novaya Gazeta down completely.
Novaya Gazeta is best-known by Western countries for the fact that six of its journalists have been murdered since 2000, including most famously Anna Politkovskaya. Last October, the paper’s editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, was jointly awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Maria Rosa, one of the Philippines’ most prominent journalists, for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
Before Russian forces attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24, there was still a very small number of popular, influential media outlets able to operate in Russia — albeit under permanent pressure from the government. But since the war began, austerities have moved to crush all of them, and dozens — likely hundreds — of independent journalists have fled abroad. Most are now publishing articles from outside the country. Novaya Gazeta is arguably the most symbolic closure. The paper was co-founded in 1993 by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who still sits on its board.
Novaya Gazeta said in a statement Monday that it is suspending publication until the end of Russia’s so-called “special military operation in Ukraine,” the term the Russian government is using instead of war or invasion. Russia has banned media from using those words to describe the situation. But Novaya Gazeta had been getting around that ban with some symbolic gestures, including blank pages, and replacing the word “war” in its articles with phrases like “word forbidden by Russian government.”
Mar 28, 9:28 am
Ukrainian-American pastor abducted in Ukraine has been freed
Dmitry Bodyu, a Ukrainian-American pastor who was allegedly abducted in Ukraine earlier this month, has been freed, local church officials told ABC News on Monday.
It was unclear where he was released or in what condition.
Bodyu, 50, was taken by a group of about eight to 10 Russian soldiers from his home in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on March 19, his family told NBC News. He is a pastor of Word of Life Church in Melitopol.
-ABC News’ Dragana Jovanovic
Mar 28, 8:05 am
At least 1,119 civilians killed, 1,790 injured in Ukraine: OHCHR
At least 1,119 civilians have been killed and 1,790 others have been injured in Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
At least 99 children were among the dead, according to the OHCHR, which noted that the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine had reported at least 139 children were killed as of Sunday.
“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” the agency said in a statement Sunday.
The agency noted that the actual number of casualties are believed to be “considerably higher” because the receipt of information from some areas with intense hostilities, like the southeastern port city of Mariupol, have been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.
Other areas where the number of casualties are still being corroborated include Volnovakha in the Donetsk Oblast, Izium in the Kharkiv Oblast, Popasna and Rubizhne in the Luhansk Oblast, and Trostianets in the Sumy Oblast, where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties, according to the OHCHR. Casualty numbers from these regions are not included.
From 24 Feb—26 March, we recorded 2,909 civilian casualties in context of Russia’s armed attack against #Ukraine: 1,119 killed, incl 99 children; 1,790 injured, incl 126 children, mostly caused by shelling & airstrikes. Actual toll is much higher. Update https://t.co/LlMm7iUqsrpic.twitter.com/OcyhxSUrj3
— UNHumanRightsUkraine (@UNHumanRightsUA) March 27, 2022
Mar 28, 7:33 am
Nightly curfew in Kyiv shifts back, shortens an hour
The nightly citywide curfew in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, has been shifted back and shortened by an hour.
Starting Monday night, the curfew will be from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.
There has been a curfew in Kyiv every day since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. The previous time frame was from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. local time.
-ABC News’ Julia Drozd and Patrick Reevell
Mar 28, 7:00 am
Russian forces attempt to seize key highways, settlements
Russian forces on Monday morning were attempting to breach defenses from the northwest and east of Ukraine to seize key highways and settlements, which are held by Ukrainian troops, according to Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said that hypersonic missiles for the Russian military’s Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system were being delivered to the Belarusian town of Kalinkovichi. Two of the latest strikes to hit Lutsk, a city in northwestern Ukraine, were launched from neighboring Belarus, according to Ukrainian officials.
Mar 28, 6:20 am
New round of talks could start Monday in Turkey
Ukraine and Russia have both said that a new round of peace negotiations with be held in person in Turkey at the start of this week, but it remains unclear whether the talks begin Monday or Tuesday.
One of the Ukrainian negotiators, David Arakhamia, has said the talks would be held Monday through Wednesday.
Russia’s lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, has said the talks would start Tuesday.
Arakhamia said the decision to hold the negotiations in person was reached during the latest round of talks via video link, which are taking place everyday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Russian journalists that his country is ready to compromise on Moscow’s demand for neutral status, but wants meaningful security guarantees from Western countries. He said any peace deal is only possible if Russia withdraws all of its troops to areas occupied before the war began.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 28, 6:16 am
Ukraine intel chief says Russia plans a ‘Korean scenario’
Russian President Vladimir Putin may be seeking to split Ukraine in two after failing to seize the capital, Kyiv, according to the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency.
Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement Sunday that Putin may now be pursuing a “Korean scenario” that would see Russian forces try to occupy the east and south of Ukraine since they no longer have the strength to “swallow the whole state.”
“After the failures near Kyiv and the impossibility to overthrow the central government in Ukraine, Putin is already changing his main direction of operations — to the south and east,” Budanov said. “There are grounds to suggest that he is considering the Korean scenario for Ukraine. That is to attempt to lay down a new line of contact between the non-occupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it’s an attempt to create in Ukraine a North and South Korea. Indeed, he definitely doesn’t have the strength to swallow the whole state.”
Budanov said he believes Putin still wants to open a land corridor between the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula and the other Russian-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine, which would mean the occupation of besieged Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southeast that has been under heavy Russian bombardment. But he said Ukraine’s continued counterattacks as well as resistance by local people in the occupied areas were disrupting Putin’s plans.
Budanov also predicted the start of guerrilla warfare that would make it impossible for Russia to hold territory.
“Soon the season of the total Ukrainian partisan safari will start,” he said. “Then for the Russians will remain only one relevant scenario — how to survive.”
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 28, 5:07 am
Ukraine says no humanitarian corridors for Monday
Ukraine’s government announced for the first time in nearly three weeks that no humanitarian corridors for evacuating civilians will be open on Monday due to concerns about possible “provocations” from Russian forces.
“Our intelligence has informed us of possible provocations from the side of the occupiers on the routes of the humanitarian corridors,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement on her official Telegram channel. “And so in interest of citizens’ safety today we are not opening humanitarian corridors.”
The Ukrainian government has been evacuating hundreds of thousands of civilians from cities and towns in the north, east and south of the country through established corridors. Officials have previously accused Russian forces of shelling some of the evacuation routes, despite agreeing to cease-fires.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 27, 5:17 pm
Zelenskyy outlines goals for peace agreement to Russian journalists
In his first interview with Russian journalists since his country was invaded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described some of Ukraine’s positions for ending the war.
During an interview with popular Russian independent news sites TV Rain and Meduza, Zelenskyy said any peace deal is only possible if Russia withdraws its troops to the territory occupied before the start of the invasion, meaning Crimea and the separatist-held areas of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said his main goals are “to maximally reduce the number of casualties (and) to shorten the length of this war.”
“The withdrawal of Russia to compromise territories — but that is everything (that) was before 24 February, before the assault. Let them return there,” Zelenskyy said. “I understand that to force Russia to completely liberate territory is impossible. That will lead to a third world war. I totally understand all that. And I say it: compromise. Return to where all this started and there we will try to resolve the question of Donbas, the difficult question of Donbas.”
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine is ready to discuss taking a position of “neutrality” and “non-nuclear status” with Russia, but wants security guarantees for his country in return.
He again said he would put the issue to a referendum in Ukraine and that any treaty would need to be ratified by “guarantor countries” — which other officials have suggested must include the United States.
Zelenskyy reiterated that no guarantor countries, such as the United Kingdom and Turkey, will sign any agreement while Russian troops remain on Ukrainian soil.
USA Today announced its 2022 Women of the Year on Monday, and the list includes Vice President Kamala Harris and Olympic Gold medalist, Simone Biles.
In recognizing the 64 honorees who “are strong and resilient women who have been champions of change across the country,” USA Today highlighted Biles, her career as the most accomplished gymnast of all time, her impact on mental health and more.
Biles took time away from gymnastics last year to focus on mental health and the 25-year-old says she’s glad she did. “Now with mental health being a huge topic that we talk about basically on the daily now, they’re (people) always telling me, ‘Thank you so much. You’ve done so much for me and my family, my friends. Now I’m going to go get help.’ So it really does mean a lot to me that a lot of people are now trying to get the help that they not only deserve but that they need,” she said.
She says her mom, Nellie Biles, is her biggest role model and on being courageous she says, “…having courage to speak up, speak out, even if you’re the only one doing that.”
Taking on the role as the first-ever woman, woman of color and South Asian American to reach vice president, Kamala Harris passed along a message of resilience and strength for women.
“Know you are not alone. Know that you are supported and know that your voice is strong,” she said. “It’s strong, and don’t let any circumstance diminish that or take your power from you. You are powerful. … You are strong.”
The 2022 list, which notably highlights many women of color, also includes Kizzmekia Corbett, National Institute of Health’s lead scientist for coronavirus vaccine research and Michelle Browder, an activist from Alabama.
(NEW YORK) — The confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock that rocked the 2022 Oscars Sunday night is also putting a spotlight on alopecia, the autoimmune condition that affects Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and millions of other people.
Pinkett Smith, 50, first announced her experience with alopecia, or hair loss, in 2018, and has been public about her condition ever since.
Rock, while presenting the award for best documentary, joked about Pinkett Smith starring in a sequel to G.I. Jane, a 1997 movie starring Demi Moore, who shaved her head for the role, as the first woman to enter Navy SEAL training. Rock presumably made the joke because of Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
After the comment, Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Rock, before yelling at him twice, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—— mouth.”
The confrontation shocked the Oscars audience, and in its aftermath, led to conversations on the ramifications of joking at the expense of someone’s appearance and a medical condition.
On Twitter, people with alopecia themselves or who have loved ones with the condition described watching the Oscars controversy unfold.
“I’ve had Alopecia since 2013. It can hit suddenly. One day, I was showering, & when I looked at my hands, most of my hair had come off,” one commenter wrote. “I’m lucky that bald men (I shave my head due to there being odd patches here and there) are accepted. Women don’t get that luxury.”
“As a mom of a 9yo with alopecia, those cackles after Rock’s barb brings up all kinds of rage,” wrote another commenter.
“He shouldn’t have hit him. He shouldn’t have made the joke. #Alopecia is horrendous, believe me, we lived it,” wrote another commenter, adding, “Laughing at hair loss is wrong and unkind.”
Pinkett Smith has said that her hair loss left her “shaking with fear,” describing the topic as “not easy to talk about.”
“It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day and then just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, am I going bald?'” she said in a 2018 episode of her “Red Table Talk” series. “It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear. That’s a really scary experience. That’s why I cut my hair, and why I continue to cut it.”
She continued, “And my hair has been a part of me. Taking care of my hair has been a beautiful ritual. Having the choice to have hair or not, and then one day being like, ‘Oh my God. I might not have that choice.'”
More recently, in December, Pinkett Smith shared a clip on Instagram revealing a bare strip of hair loss on her closely shaved head.
“Now at this point, I can only laugh,” Pinkett Smith said as she displayed the top of her head. “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia, and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here.”
She continued, “But you know mama’s going to put some rhinestones in there. And I’m just going to make me a little crown. That’s what mama’s going to do.”
What to know about alopecia
Although experts don’t fully understand alopecia, they believe it occurs when a person’s immune system inappropriately targets their own hair follicles, which stifles hair growth, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Experts believe an undefined combination of environmental and genetic factors can trigger the disease.
Alopecia universalis, a complete loss of all body, face and scalp hair, is considered to be the most extreme and rarest form of the condition, according to the NIH.
Alopecia totalis, which is characterized by the loss of only hair on the scalp, is a less advanced form of the condition.
The most common form is alopecia areata, which causes small circular and patchy bald spots to develop, usually on the scalp and face, according to the NIH.
Alopecia areata affects nearly 2% of the general population at some point in their lifetime, or as many as nearly seven million people in the United States, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, a California-based nonprofit organization.
The condition affects men and women equally and affects all racial and ethnic groups, according to the NIH.
Most people who get alopecia areata see it occur during their teens, 20s or 30s, but it can occur at any age, according to the NIH.
There is no cure for alopecia, but there are treatments, including steroid injections and, in more advanced forms of the disease, oral steroids or various immunotherapies.
More than a cosmetic issue, alopecia can take an emotional and psychological toll on patients, and the unpredictability of the hair loss can also be frustrating.
“Even though reactions to the disease are different for everyone, there are some common emotions that many people who have alopecia areata and the people around them say that they experience,” the National Alopecia Areata Foundation writes on its website. “These include feelings of grief, anxiety, loss, fear, embarrassment, loneliness and anger.”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic, Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
(NOTE LANGUAGE) It’s the collaboration no one saw coming. Latto and Mariah Carey teamed up for the remix of Latto’s hit single “Big Energy,” and she even called on DJ Khaled to add his flare.
The hot new track, which opens with Mariah hitting her legendary high note, dropped Monday– just three days after Latto released her second studio album, 777. And, in the midst of the crazy success the album has already seen, the Atlanta rapper was excited to announce the iconic feature.
“Ima be ya fantasy, you ain’t gone believe this // hol’ up, got Mimi on the remix,” Latto says on the track.
She’s since blown up Twitter, re-tweeting coverage of the news and answering fans’ questions about working with Mariah Carey.
“I originally thought Mariah for the remix back in like November when it first started going up but didn’t think I could get her realistically… fast fwd I said f*** it and reached out. She was down.” Latto said.
Once Mariah was locked in for the feature, Latto says she was “sooooo nervous” to work alongside her. “I was like what do I say y’all lol but the conversation just floweddd she was so genuine and I definitely was overthinking.”
Mariah returned the love in a response tweet to Latto’s Sunday birthday message to the singer, and congratulated the younger star on all of her success.
“So excited for this moment dahhhhllling!!!!! So happy and proud of you and all you’re accomplishing!!!,” Mariah said. “But I don’t have BIRTHDAYS! ‘It’s my anniversary!!!’ Congratulations Beautiful.”
The best part of working with the “Fantasy” singer, was “HEARING HER HIT THAT HIGH NOTE IN PERSON!!!!,” Latto said.
Lee Brice has nothing but pride in his upcoming tour.
The “I Don’t Dance” singer is embarking on the Label Me Proud Tour that begins on June 2 in Hampton Beach, N.H. Michael Ray and Tyler Farr are set to join as special guests, along with newcomer Jackson Dean and songwriter Tim Montana.
Throughout the summer, Lee and crew will be making stops at 23 arenas and amphitheaters across the country including The Anthem in Washington, D.C., PNC Pavilion in Cincinnati, Ohio, First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, AR and more. The tour wraps on September 24 in Sugar Land, Texas.
“Can’t wait to be back in all these places I’ve grown to love over the years with fans that are bar none the best ones out there!” Lee shares in a statement, calling it a “blessing” to have Michael, Tyler, Jackson and Tim on the road with him. “See y’all this summer!”
Lee’s current single “Soul,” is in the top 30 on country radio. He and Carly Pearce topped the charts in 2020 with “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” which went on to win Musical Event of the Year at the CMA Awards, as well as Single of the Year and Music Event of the Year at the ACM Awards.
Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Lee’s website for a full list of dates.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge has found that former President Donald Trump “more likely than not” committed felony obstruction in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The judge said Trump’s former lawyer John Eastman must turn over documents to the Jan. 6 House committee investigating the attack on the U.S Capitol.
(SALEM, Ore.) — A 24-year-old man was under arrest after police alleged he killed four people when his car left a roadway and slammed into a homeless encampment in Salem, Oregon.
Enrique Rodriguez was being held without bail on Monday in Salem on multiple counts of felony manslaughter, according to online jail records.
The episode unfolded at about 2 a.m. Sunday when Rodriguez’s sports car careened off a road, jumped a sidewalk and crashed into several tents, according to the Salem Police Department.
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene in northeast Salem and two others died after being taken to Salem Health Hospital, police said. Three other people, all believed to have been living in the homeless camp, were hospitalized with injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Police said in a statement that investigators “believe alcohol may have been a contributing factor.”
A preliminary investigation by the Salem Police Traffic Team indicates Rodriguez was driving a two-door sports coupe northbound when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into the encampment, pinning two people under the car.
The names of those killed and injured were not immediately released.
Rodriguez was the sole occupant of the car and was also taken to a hospital with injuries, police said.
He was later booked into the Marion County Jail on four counts of first-degree manslaughter and charges of second-degree assault, third-degree assault and six counts of reckless endangerment.
Police said the exact number of people at the encampment at the time of the incident was unclear and referred questions to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
The homeless camp was on the property of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and just feet from a railroad track, according to ABC affiliate station KATU-TV in Portland.
A KATU news crew reported on the same homeless camp about a week ago after neighboring business owners expressed frustrations over the city’s handling of the homeless problem.
(WASHINGTON) — A bipartisan coalition of senators introduced legislation on Monday meant to improve transparency in the highly competitive and notoriously murky federal contracting process, taking aim at companies that accept lucrative work from government agencies without having to disclose potential conflicts of interest.
The bill, called the Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition Act, would seek to mitigate conflict-of-interest concerns by forcing contractors to “disclose other parts of their business that conflict with the work they are bidding to perform for the government,” according to Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“If we don’t know whether [federal contractors] are serving other, potentially conflicting interests, we can’t be confident that Americans are getting exactly what they pay for,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a cosponsor of the bill.
For many American companies, federal contracts represent a crucial source of revenue, as well as visibility and credibility. Firms from every major business sector compete for this work, and winners often execute their end of the agreement while pursuing outside business opportunities — which sometime overlap with their federal contracts.
While existing rules stipulate that government agencies assess potential conflicts of interest before determining contract winners, watchdogs say the process remains opaque.
“Based on current federal contract regulations, agencies cannot always discern whether government contractors have business relationships with foreign governments and private entities that could create a conflict of interest,” said Noah Bookbinder, president of the nonprofit government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Scott Amey, general counsel for the government ethics watchdog Project on Government Oversight, warned that “without more guidance, organizational conflicts of interest can result in unfair competitive advantages and biased contract awards — both of which compromise the impartiality of the federal government and the integrity of the contracting process.”
In a press release announcing the new legislation, lawmakers cited reporting in ProPublica that raised conflict-of-interest questions about consulting giant McKinsey & Company’s recent work for the Food and Drug Administration. ProPublica reported that in at least one FDA contract, McKinsey allegedly failed to disclose its conflicts of interest with corporate pharmaceutical clients despite its contract with the agency obligating the firm to do so.
According to documents obtained by ProPublica, McKinsey allegedly advised the FDA’s drug-regulation division for more than a decade while simultaneously accepting work from major pharmaceutical companies. In some cases, according to ProPublica, McKinsey helped those clients navigate FDA regulations while advising the FDA on how to strengthen regulations for the pharmaceutical industry.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said McKinsey’s handling of its work with the FDA demonstrates “the danger that conflicts of interest can pose in government contracting.”
“Our bipartisan bill would help ensure that companies that enter into a contract with the government are acting in the best interest of the American people,” Hassan said.
A McKinsey spokesperson told ProPublica that the firm “had been fully transparent that we serve pharmaceutical and medical device companies.”
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa joined Peters, Grassley, and Hassan in sponsoring the federal legislation.
