Love Sux is Avril Lavigne‘s first top-10 album since 2013, and she says she’s “so stoked” that the new project — which she’s described as the album she’s wanted to make her entire career — is a success.
“Oh my God, we’re so thrilled! To be 20 years in [and] still be rockin’? I’m so stoked and having so much fun,” Avril tells ABC Audio. “[And even] like, doing all the work, all the TV shows, everything’s just been a blast…and…been received so well. So I’m really happy!”
Avril made Love Sux with Machine Gun Kelly, Blink-182‘s Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus, blackbear, her boyfriend Mod Sun, and producer John Feldmann. And Avril tells ABC Audio that she knew immediately it would work artistically.
“The first song we recorded, I looked over at John Feldmann and I was like, ‘Where the f*** have you been my whole life?'” she laughs. “And I was like, ‘This is awesome. Let’s keep going.'”
Avril says the album was written in two weeks, adding, “and then I was like, ‘Can we just keep doing this because this is way too much fun?’ And then we just kept working, and I never want to stop. I always want to write songs with that group of people.”
One person who really loves Love Sux is Taylor Swift, who sent Avril flowers and a note praising the “fabulous new album.” Avril says Taylor’s gesture didn’t surprise her, though.
“She’s so classy like that! She’s sent me gifts before and thank-you letters…She’s just a really sweet, genuine, classy girl,” Avril notes. “It meant so much to me to have another woman in music’s support.”
She adds, “It was super-sweet that she told me she loves the record…that made me feel really good!”
Carrie Underwood has something up her sleeve, but she’s playing coy regarding what it is.
“I’m always I’m always working on something. Obviously, we can’t spill too many beans right now, but my fans know what I mean when I say ‘soon,'” she says with a laugh. “They actually hate it when I use that word because they’re like, ‘What does that mean?’ But it’s been been busy, for sure.”
While fans are eager to know what she has in store, the superstar has been keeping busy over the past few years. She released her last studio album, the acclaimed Cry Pretty, in 2018. One year later, she welcomed her son Jacob and hit the road on the Cry Pretty Tour 360.
The powerhouse singer has spent the past two years mainly focusing on her first Christmas album, My Gift, and companion gospel album, My Savior, both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts, and in the top five on the all-genre Billboard 200.
The Cobra Kai fan also made a recent appearance in the season four finale of the Netflix series, performing “The Moment of Truth” from the soundtrack of the original Karate Kid.
Additionally, she and Jason Aldean took the stage at Monday night’s ACM Awards for a performance of their duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” which was also named Single of the Year.
Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge returned to touring Tuesday night in Norfolk, Connecticut, almost exactly two years after he was forced off the road because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lodge has a three-week U.S. trek lined up through a March 26 show in Dania Beach, Florida, leading up to his appearance on the 2022 edition of the Flower Power Cruise.
“I’ve never had two years off [from being on stage] since I was like 14,” the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer tells ABC Audio. “So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.”
In January, Lodge released a new live album titled The Royal Affair and After featuring performances from John’s stint on the Yes-headlined 2019 Royal Affair Tour and from his subsequent U.S. headlining trek.
The album is mainly made up of renditions of classic Moody Blues songs, and includes guest appearances by current Yes frontman Jon Davison on two songs, with a set list that reflects the one Lodge showcased on his 2019 and 2020 headlining treks.
Davison, who is friends with Lodge, joined John as a special guest throughout his previous tour, and Lodge says the Yes singer also is taking part in the new trek.
“I said to Jon, ‘You’ve go to go on the road with me,’ and he is,” Lodge tells ABC Audio. “[W]e’re gonna go have a great time.”
Meanwhile, Lodge says the set for this year’s tour, while similar to the one he played before the pandemic, will feature a few changes.
“I’ve been rehearsing some deeper cuts from The Moody Blues…for this tour, so it will be different,” he reveals.
Lodge also says he’s “really looking forward to” the star-studded Flower Power Cruise, which sets sail from Miami on March 28.
It’s fantasy suites week, and on Tuesday’s episode of The Bachelor, one lady’s questions had Clayton questioning the future of his journey.
Clayton and the three remaining ladies — Susie, Gabby and Rachel — traveled to beautiful Reykjavik, Iceland where they each enjoyed passionate dates set against the backdrop of the capitol city’s awe-inspiring landscapes. But it was here, amid the romance and breathtaking vistas, Clayton’s journey to find love was about to take a dramatic turn.
With a possible engagement just a week away, the 28-year-old Eureka, Missouri native admitted that he was possibly “falling in love” with all three women and might already be “in love” with Susie. He hoped that the overnight dates would help him find clarity.
For his part, he acknowledged, “It’s time to let my walls down” and “quit being guarded.”
Unfortunately, he realized he may have opened himself up a little too much when, after revealing to Susie that he’d already been intimate with both Rachel and Gabby and told each lady that he was in love with them, she said she couldn’t share his love with anyone else, and therefore, couldn’t move towards an engagement.
Clayton believed Susie’s bombshell announcement so late in the game left him with no other choice, but to send her home, and wondering if he should pack it in as well.
“My heart’s not in it…It’s over,” he declared.
The Bachelor returns with its two-night season 26 finale Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
(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, don’t appear to have advanced closer to the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.
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 09, 5:19 am
Ukraine says humanitarian corridors confirmed with Russia, Red Cross for Wednesday
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said six humanitarian corridors have been agreed with Russian officials and confirmed with the International Committee of the Red Cross to operate during a temporary cease-fire Wednesday.
According to Vereshchuk, the evacuation routes for civilians are open from towns north of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, where there has been heavy fighting, as well as from the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol, where an evacuation failed yesterday. Another route goes from the town of Izium near hard-hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and another from the eastern city of Volnovakha, where civilians have been trying to evacuate for several days. Another route leads from northeastern city of Energodar, where shelling caused a fire at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant last week.
Vereshchuk said Russian officials had sent a letter to the Red Cross confirming the routes and a cease-fire for Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time. She called on Russia to keep to its commitment and not to violate the cease-fire, as she said it did in Mariupol and Volnovakha on Tuesday.
“We ask Russian forces to commit to their obligations and keep the ceasefire till 9 p.m. as agreed,” Vereshchuk said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Vereshchuk noted that an orphanage with 55 children and 26 staff also needs to be evacuated from Vorzel, a town just north of Kyiv.
“The evacuation of them will be done as a separate special operation,” she said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday that it has discussed the interaction on the Ukraine track with the Red Cross.
Mar 08, 9:59 pm
Biden calls family of US Marine detained by Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden called the parents of Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia for nearly three years and whose case has gotten renewed attention amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The president spoke to Joey and Paula Reed after an event in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday, according to the White House.
On the call, the president reiterated his commitment to doing everything he can to bring their son home, to staying in close touch with them through his national security team and to finding a time to meet in person, the White House said.
A Reed family spokesperson also confirmed to ABC News that Biden called them to apologize for not being able to stop and meet them in person.
The family says they have been asking to meet with the president for several months to help free Reed, a Texan who they say has been denied treatment for suspected tuberculosis, and specifically asked to meet the president in Texas on Tuesday but were denied.
Reed and another former Marine, Paul Whelan, have spent years in Russian custody on charges that their families and American officials say were fabricated by Russia in order to seize them as bargaining chips.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Brooklyn 132, Charlotte 121
Cleveland 127, Indiana 124
Phoenix 102, Orlando 99
Memphis 132, New Orleans 111
Milwaukee 142, Oklahoma City 115
Golden State 112, LA Clippers 97
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Florida 4, Pittsburgh 3
New Jersey 5, Colorado 3
Philadelphia 2, Vegas 1
Arizona 9, Detroit 2
Toronto 6, Seattle 4
Ottawa 4, St. Louis 1
Minnesota 5, NY Rangers 2
Winnipeg 7, Tampa Bay 4
Nashville 2, Dallas 1
Chicago 8, Anaheim 3
Washington 5, Calgary 4
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gonzaga 82, Saint Mary’s (Cal.) 69
Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — There is growing pushback among the health care community over Florida’s decision to advise against vaccinating healthy children for COVID-19, with an increasing number of health officials coming forward to strongly criticize the move.
On Monday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo announced his state would become the first in the country to make such a formal recommendation.
“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo said at the end of a 90-minute roundtable discussion in West Palm Beach, Florida, hosted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, aimed to close the curtain on the “COVID theater once and for all.”
However, criticism swiftly followed, coming from many of the nation’s leading health officials.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, and its Florida chapter, called the decision “irresponsible,” reasserting that the COVID-19 vaccine is still the nation’s “best hope for ending the pandemic.”
“The Surgeon General’s comments today misrepresent the benefits of the vaccine, which has been proven to prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and long-term symptoms from COVID-19 in children and adolescents, including those who are otherwise healthy,” American Academy of Pediatrics Florida Chapter President Lisa Gwynn said in a statement Monday.
“The evidence is clear that when people are vaccinated, they are significantly less likely to get very sick and need hospital care. There is widespread consensus among medical and public health experts about the life-saving benefits of this vaccine,” Gwynn said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have also been vocal in their support of pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations, stressing to parents that real-world data has demonstrated that vaccines are safe and effective at protecting children against severe disease, as well as against potential long-term consequences from the virus.
“Children can get sick from COVID, and some get very sick,” AAP President Dr. Moira Szilagyi said. “The virus is still circulating in Florida. … It is irresponsible to advise parents not to vaccinate their children against this virus.”
The Infectious Diseases Society of America also issued a strong statement in opposition to the move, which the organization described as “disturbing.”
“The Florida Surgeon General’s decision to recommend against COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children flies in the face of the best medical guidance and only serves to further sow distrust in vaccines that have proven to be the safest, most effective defense against severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalization and death,” Dr. Daniel P. McQuillen, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America said in a statement on Tuesday, further suggesting that Florida’s decision “put politics over the health and safety of children.”
“Vaccinating eligible children against COVID-19 not only protects them, but it also protects their classmates, friends and vulnerable family members from a virus that has left nearly 1 million people in the United States dead in its two-year wake,” McQuillen added.
Among the other voices in the chorus of concerns is Dr. David R. Nelson, president of UF Health and senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida, where Ladapo is a professor.
In a statement released Tuesday, Nelson pointed to the widespread support for COVID-19 vaccinations in children among health experts.
“UF Health and the UF College of Medicine note that while children are generally at lower risk than adults for more serious consequences of COVID-19, the risk is not zero, and the vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective, with a very low risk of adverse outcomes,” Nelson said.
Nelson noted that although at times, there can be a “significant disagreement” in the public discourse surrounding COVID-19, “the principle of scientifically sound, evidence-based medical decisions” remains critical.
“Vigorous intellectual discussion around competing opinions is at the heart of the marketplace of ideas we celebrate and is a time-honored way to advance truth. That is no less the case here,” he wrote.
Nelson also underscored the fact that Ladapo’s role as the state’s surgeon general is entirely separate from his faculty position at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki also denounced the state’s decision, telling reporters that Florida’s decision was “absolutely not” a good policy.
“It’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations, when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized,” Psaki said during a press briefing Monday.
However, the Florida Department of Health doubled down on their support of the surgeon general’s announcement, telling ABC News in a statement that “healthy children likely have no benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine.”
“It is essential for health care practitioners to analyze existing data on the COVID-19 vaccine alongside parents when deciding to vaccinate children,” Ladapo said in a statement Tuesday. “Based on currently available data, the risks of administering COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children may outweigh the benefits. That is why these decisions should be made on an individual basis, and never mandated.”
ABC News’ Dr. John Brownstein and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy after the boy allegedly fired into an unmarked police car and fled on foot will be fired, authorities said Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw announced that the officer will be suspended for 30 days, starting Friday, after which she intends to dismiss him for violating the department’s “use-of-force directive.”
“Based off of the evidence that I reviewed, it was clear that the use-of-force policy was violated,” Outlaw said during a press briefing.
The officer was one of four plainclothes officers in an unmarked car conducting surveillance in South Philadelphia on March 1 shortly before 7:30 p.m. when the shooting occurred, police said.
The officers approached two juveniles — a 17-year-old boy who they wanted to question and the 12-year-old boy — with the car’s emergency lights on, according to Outlaw.
The younger boy allegedly fired at the car, striking the passenger side rear window, police said. One of the officers was struck in the eye by glass after a bullet went through the car’s window, police said.
Two other officers then returned gunfire, shooting once each, before the suspect fled on foot with the firearm, Outlaw said. An officer gave chase and fired his gun twice, striking the boy in the back, she said.
The 12-year-old boy, identified by authorities as Thomas Siderio, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, police said.
“It’s tragic that we have trigger-pullers as young as 12,” said Outlaw. “And it’s tragic that we had one of our own, again, go against everything who we say we are. There are no winners here.”
None of the four officers have been identified by the department due to safety concerns, the commissioner said.
The officers were placed on administrative duty following the shooting, police said. The department did not have any further information Tuesday on the status of the other officers due to the ongoing investigation.
The 17-year-old was taken into custody following the shooting. He was later released and not charged, Outlaw said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting. No charges have been filed at this time.
“The death of a child is always a tragedy, and in this instance, a factually complex and deeply troubling one based on preliminary investigative information,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement.
“Philadelphians are owed a comprehensive and transparent accounting of all activity surrounding the circumstances of young Thomas Siderio’s death and an unbiased and thorough investigation,” he continued. “When it is appropriate for us to do so, we will disclose findings of our currently active investigation and decision on whether or not to pursue any criminal charges.”
Siderio’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the four officers involved in the shooting on Thursday, their attorney, Conor Corcoran, told ABC News.
“This 12 year old was murdered at point blank range by a Philadelphia police officer,” he said in an email to ABC News.
He said the commissioner was “correct” in firing the officer in question, but disputed that the boy had a gun.
“They are claiming that young TJ possessed or fired a gun, when my information indicates that the body still has its fingernails, and so no gunpowder residue testing was performed,” Corcoran said.
(WASHINGTON) — The House is set to vote as soon as Wednesday on a bill that would codify the Biden administration’s ban on the import of Russian oil and energy products into the U.S., review Russia’s access to the World Trade organization and strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act so that the U.S. can further sanction Russia.
The vote would be remarkably fast-paced for legislation — bypassing the usual legislative process in a clear indication that lawmakers want to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. And while it has support from both Democrats and Republicans, some Republicans have been lashing out at the Biden administration for its decision to ban Russian oil imports amid a chorus of bipartisan calls to do so.
Republicans, while they commended the administration for its decision to ban Russian oil, quickly turned critical of gas price hikes, as some members of the House accused Biden of allegedly turning his back on U.S. oil and gas production as the administration potentially weighs making oil deals with Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.
“First of all: President Biden, stop begging dictators to produce the energy that we need here in America. Don’t go to Russia. Don’t go to Iran. Don’t go to Venezuela when the answer is right beneath our feet. It’s time for President Biden to say yes to American energy,” House Republican Whip Steve Scalise told reporters during a press conference.
One after another, House Republicans took turns to criticize the administration.
“Never should we think that foreign oil is better than American independence when it comes to energy,” Rep. Yvette Herrell of New Mexico said.
“We’re sleeping in the bed that we made,” Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas said. “That’s what happens when you allow energy policy to be dictated by children in Europe, by woke investors on Wall Street, and by politicians who actually think that electric passenger vehicles are going to solve an energy crisis and the climate crisis.”
“We don’t need to be buying Russian energy, but we don’t need to be buying Iranian energy or Venezuelan energy. We need to produce energy of all forms and all types here in the US and do it better than anybody else in the world,” Westerman added.
Rep. August Pfluger of Texas said Biden should meet with oil and gas executives and companies while he is down in Texas today.
“In addition to his pre-planned meetings, what he should be doing is meeting with oil and gas executives and companies,” Pfluger said. “Instead of calling on terrorist regimes to fulfill our needs, what he should be doing is calling on the domestic producers who know better than anybody else in the world, how to produce the supply of energy that not only we need, but that our partners and allies around the world need.”
“The president’s first phone call should have been to the mayor of Midland, Texas, not to Maduro,” he added.
On the House floor Tuesday, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy hit Biden for shuttering the Keystone XL pipeline last year.
“Democrats want to blame surging prices on Russia. But the truth is, they’re out of touch policies are why we are here in the first place. On Day 1, the President canceled the Keystone Pipeline and stopped new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Then, he gave the green light to Putin’s pipeline,” McCarthy said.
“If we want to lower prices and protect the environment, we must prioritize American energy independence. We have the natural resources under our feet. We have the best workers in the world: drilling the wells, building the pipelines, running the rigs, and extracting the gas in the cleanest way possible,” he said.
“We just need politicians who will get out of the way,” he added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the energy legislation in a letter sent to democrats Tuesday. Her announcement to codify a ban comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s announcement earlier Tuesday to ban Russian oil and energy imports.
Pelosi last week forcefully threw her weight behind a potential oil ban and at the time, signaled legislation would be imminent.
“Because this legislation is an urgent imperative – both morally and for our security interests – the House will consider this legislation on the floor today. It is our hope that we have a strong, bipartisan vote,” Pelosi said in a letter sent to Democrats.
The bill would ban the import of Russian oil and energy products into the United States, take steps to review Russia’s access to the World Trade Organization, and reauthorize and strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act so that the United States can impose further sanctions on Russia.
It’s unclear if the House bill would forward in the Senate.
“We first have to see what the House passes, and then we’ll discuss things with the administration and find the best way to make sure that the oil import ban is tight and tough,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
House Democrats commended Biden’s announcement and rebuffed criticisms that the administration only acted after lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation to force its hand.
“I don’t think that anything has created any pressure,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Tuesday morning.
“He’s been very clear-eyed and transparent with the American people all along the way,” Jeffries said of Biden. “I’m very confident in President Biden’s continued leadership and I don’t think anyone has pressured him into doing anything.”
The decision to ban Russian oil and energy imports is likely to cause more pain at the pump for Americans, which lawmakers are keenly aware of.
Jeffries acknowledged the high gas prices Americans are currently facing and vowed that the Democratic Party would do what it can to relieve the pressure on wallets.
“It’s certainly my hope that my Republican colleagues won’t continue to play politics with an existential crisis for Ukraine, for Europe, for the West and for democracy because that is what is at stake right now. And we have to apply maximum pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia until it ceases and desists with respect to its aggression and the slaughtering of innocent individuals in Ukraine. It may be some sacrifice that is required across the world,” Jeffries said.
“Certainly, we are seeing incredible sacrifice by the Ukrainian people,” he added.
Jeffries also hinted that the administration could potentially ask Americans to work from home for the time being to help ease the gas crisis and avoid the daily commute.
Asked if he thinks the federal government and businesses should consider changing their policies, even as the COVID crisis has eased up, Jeffries said: “I don’t want to comment on any specific steps that the administration may be contemplating, but I think everything should be on the table in terms of an all-hands-on-deck approach. It’s not just an all of government moment. It’s an all of America moment.”
But White House press secretary Jen Psaki made clear Tuesday that the White House isn’t about to ask Americans to cut down on their gas consumption.
“Well, we’re neither going to make a prediction…nor are we going to tell Americans to stay home,” Psaki said.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
Things have not gone so fab for the recently launched “It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute to The Beatles” tour: Five consecutive shows have been postponed after someone associated with the participating musicians tested positive for COVID-19.
As previously reported, the trek features Todd Rundgren, Christopher Cross, founding Moody Blues and Wings member Denny Laine, Badfinger‘s Joey Molland, and former Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff performing songs from The Beatles‘ Rubber Soul and Revolver albums, as well as select tunes from their own careers.
According to a post on Rundgren’s Facebook page, the concerts were postponed “out of an abundance of caution…due to an individual on the band’s team having tested positive for COVID.”
The affected shows had been scheduled for March 5 in Westbury, New York; March 7 in Red Bank, New Jersey; March 8 in Annapolis, Maryland; March 9 in Medford, Massachusetts; and March 10 in Derry, New Hampshire.
The concerts will be rescheduled and tickets that have been already purchased will be honored for the new dates. More details will be announced soon.
The next scheduled date on the tour is a March 11 show in Staten Island, New York. The trek currently is slated to wrap up on March 27 in Kansas, City, Missouri.
