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Halsey is working to end the stigma around breastfeeding.
First, she aimed to do it with the symbolic cover art for her upcoming album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. Now, she’s putting it into real-life practice with her newborn baby, Ender.
The singer posted a photo of herself breastfeeding the baby outdoors in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week.
“We arrived just in time!” she captioned the photo, using the hashtag #worldbreastfeedingweek.
Ender Ridley, the first child for Halsey and her partner Alev Aydin, was born on July 14.
Halsey’s new album, in which she explores “the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth,” is due out August 27.
Halsey previously said of the album’s cover art, “This cover image celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired. We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies & breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!”
(WASHINGTON) — Thousands of Spirit Airlines passengers are still facing canceled flights on Wednesday as the airline’s operational meltdown stretches into a third day.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Spirit cancelled 418 flights, or 60% of its daily operations.
So far this week, Spirit has had to cancel around half of its flights each day: 42% of its Monday flights and 61% of its Tuesday flights.
“What’s this been like for you?” ABC News’ Correspondent Victor Oquendo asked a traveler who has been trying to get to Washington, D.C., from Miami.
“Nothing to eat, nothing to drink, nothing,” Natasha Baptiste responded.
Other Spirit customers told ABC News that they were stranded and forced to spend the night at Spirit bases such as Fort-Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Florida.
The airline initially said cancelations would slow down by Tuesday, but a spokesperson explained that the cancelations were the result of a “perfect storm,” blaming weather, staffing shortages and crews reaching the hour limits in which they are legally able to fly.
In its latest statement issued on Wednesday, Spirit vowed that the cancelations will finally start dropping on Thursday.
“We’ve dealt with overlapping operational challenges including weather, system outages and staffing shortages that caused widespread irregularities in our operation and impacted crew scheduling,” Spirit said in a statement. “These issues were exacerbated by the fact that we are in peak summer travel season with very high industry load factors and more limited options for Guest re-accommodations.”
After being hit with an IT issue Tuesday that affected crew scheduling, the airline said they have “implemented a more thorough reboot of the network” which allows them to get crews where they need to be to restore normal operations.
The airline will now provide double pay to flight attendants who pick up extra shifts.
The low-cost carrier said that they’ve taken an “in-depth” look at the challenges they are currently facing and have “identified opportunities for improvement.”
“We continue to work around the clock to get our Guests where they need to be,” Spirit insisted.
Spirit recommends customers affected by the cancelations use its online chat feature for assistance.
The cancelations come as air travel continues to break pandemic records.
Transportation Security Administration officers screened more than 2.2 million people at U.S. airports nationwide Sunday — the highest checkpoint volume since the start of the pandemic.
ABC News’ Sam Sweeney and Amanda Maile contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — For the first time in 50 years, a Senate committee has voted to repeal decades-old war powers measures that twice launched the U.S. into war with Iraq, giving a green light to then-President George W. Bush’s ill-fated plan to invade that country to topple its despotic president, Saddam Hussein, under the later-discredited justification of ridding that country of weapons of mass destruction never found.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday voted 18-14 to repeal both the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) with supporters saying it was long past time for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to declare war.
Three Republicans — Todd Young of Indiana, Ohio’s Rob Portman, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — voted with all the panel’s Democrats for repeal, with some Republicans who opposed the move Wednesday arguing that though they support scrapping both AUMFs, the time is not right amid rising tensions with neighboring Iran.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who along with Young has worked for years to gain the support of their colleagues, noted that no current action by the U.S. is using either AUMF “as the legal basis for any current U.S. military activity, nor are they needed to justify the detention of even a single detainee now in U.S. custody.”
“I ask this committee to send a clear and bipartisan message that a Congress that initiated military action against Iraq can also recognize the end of hostilities against Iraq,” Kaine said.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has also fought for years to repeal the costly war, applauded the impending, bipartisan congressional action.
“It’s much easier to start a war than to end a war,” Paul said. “I think the vote today is not meaningless and symbolic. It is to say that we do not give any president, Republican or Democrat, permission for a large land scale war in Iraq. We’re taking away that permission. If you want to go back, come before the people with a big important vote – we all say it’s the most important vote — well, let’s take it back and make it part of the Senate.”
The panel’s chairman, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, in encouraging support for repeal, told members, “I believe it would be a grave mistake if we do not act now to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. As we heard very clearly from the administration yesterday in testimony from the deputy secretary of state and two senior lawyers on this matter, repeal of these will have no impact whatsoever on our operations or detention activities.”
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had told lawmakers on Tuesday, “I want to state clearly that the Biden-Harris administration believes the 2002 authorization for use of military force against Iraq has outlived its usefulness and should be repealed, and the administration has made clear that we have no ongoing military activities that rely solely on the 2002 AUMF.”
Menendez argued that any U.S. personnel on the ground in Iraq now would not be affected “because they are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” so, he said, no related mission in the Middle East would be affected.
And President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi announced after meeting last week in Washington that the U.S. mission in Iraq would transition by year’s end from one of combat to an assist and advisory role.
Nevertheless, the top Republican on the committee, Jim Risch of Idaho, argued against repeal, saying that though rescinding these Congressional approvals now would have no practical effect, doing so risks sending a dangerous message in a volatile part of the world, particularly with regard to Iran.
“I would disagree that this has no useful purpose, and I think that the purpose of this is to communicate our resolve in the region and particularly as it affects Iran,” Risch said.
“There are people that are going to look at this and say, ‘Aha, the U.S. is getting weak in the region. The U.S. is not committed. They’re not keeping the same commitment it’s had to the region,'” Risch claimed, adding that it would do no harm to allow the authorization to merely “sit on the shelf” so as not to risk “sending a message that we are not committed to the region and committed to protecting our troops and American interests.”
“I understand what the vote is here and where this thing is going to go, but I really believe that it would be a bad message to send as far as repealing this AUMF that gives even the slightest inclination … that we’re backing away from this,” said Risch.
But Young, a Navy and Marine Corps veteran, countered that though he, too, shares his colleagues’ concerns about Iran, these two Iraq-specific AUMFs are not relevant to that consternation.
“I believe that the threat from Iran is so significant and so different from the wars since 9/11 or Saddam Hussain’s Iraq, that we must pass a new AUMF should the situation require it,” he contended. “Those advocating for leaving the 2002 AUMF in place as a means of deterring Iran, when that was in no way the intention of this authorization, would be building on past abuses and advocating for precisely the kind of expansion of war power authorities that ultimately makes Congress and this committee irrelevant.”
The repeal action now moves to the full Senate for its expected approval, a decided change in sentiment from decades since the twin military campaigns in Iraq. But it does follow overwhelming public sentiment in recent years that has turned against America’s long wars in the Middle East.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who announced earlier this year that he now supports the repeal of both AUMFs, reiterated Wednesday that a vote by the full chamber would happen later this year.
“Allowing an authorization for military force to just lie around forever, is an invitation to a future administration to use it for any military adventurism in the region,” Schumer said in a floor speech. “Americans frankly are sick of endless wars in the Middle East. Congress simply has to exert more authority over matters of war and peace, as we all know the Constitution prescribes.”
The House in mid-June passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote a repeal of both outdated authorizations, so once the full Senate acts, the repeal effort would then move to President Biden who has signaled support.
The last repeal of a military authorization came in January of 1971 when Congress voted to end the then-deeply unpopular 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution that led to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
One AUMF — issued in 2001 to allow then-President Bush to order the invasion of Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — is still in effect. Some lawmakers are targeting that for repeal potentially later this year, but there is not the same bipartisan support for that move at this time, particularly as the situation in Afghanistan, where the U.S. has withdrawn its forces, spirals increasingly into chaos at the hands of the Taliban.
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) — Three former Minneapolis police officers facing federal charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights have filed motions asking that their cases be severed from Derek Chauvin’s, arguing they won’t get a fair trial if they have to go to court with the convicted murderer of the 46-year-old Black man.
Attorneys for J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao filed separate requests in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Thomas Lane’s attorney filed a motion to join his two former colleagues in their requests to be tried separately from Chauvin.
“There is a conflict of interest between the defendants. The conflict flows from Mr. Chauvin’s level of culpability,” Kueng’s attorney, Thomas C. Plunkett, argued in court papers filed on Monday. “Due to this conflict, the jurors will not be able to follow the Court’s instructions and compartmentalize the evidence as it related to Mr. Kueng.”
Thao’s lawyer, Robert M. Paule, made a similar argument in a motion he filed on Tuesday, but added that he wants Thou to be tried separately not from just Chavin but also Kueng and Lane.
“Mr. Thao will obtain a fair and more impartial trial [if] he is tried separately from his co-defendants,” Paule wrote, arguing that a jury “will have insurmountable difficulty distinguishing evidence presented on one count from that evidence presented on the other counts, and will inevitably consider the evidence cumulatively.”
In May, a federal grand jury indicted Chauvin, 45, Thao, 35, Kueng, 27, and Lane, 38, of federal civil rights crimes for their roles in Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death as they attempted to place him under arrest on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a convenience store.
The three-count indictment alleges Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane deprived Floyd his rights when they saw him lying on the ground “in clear need” of medical care but “willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm.”
All four former officers are scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 14 on the federal charges. A trial date has yet to be set.
During the encounter, Chauvin held his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd, who was handcuffed and in a prone position on the pavement, repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe before falling unconscious and losing a pulse, according to evidence presented at Chauvin’s state trial. Floyd was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Video footage — from police body cameras, security cameras and civilian witnesses — played at the trial showed Kueng and Lane helping Chauvin hold Floyd down, and Thao keeping away witnesses who were expressing concerns for Floyd.
Floyd’s death triggered massive protests and prompted police agencies across the nation to promise reforms.
On April 20, a state court jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced on June 25 to 22 1/2 years in prison by Judge Peter Cahill.
Cahill cited four aggravating factors in the case that allowed him to give Chauvin a longer sentence than the 12 1/2 years recommended under state sentencing guidelines. The aggravating factors included Chauvin abusing a position of trust and authority as a police officer, his treatment of Floyd with “particular cruelty” and that he committed the crime as part of a group with at least three other people in front of children.
Chauvin was tried separately from his co-defendants in the state case due to COVID-19 restrictions that limited the number of people allowed in the courtroom.
Thao, Kueng and Lane are awaiting a joint trial in state court scheduled for March 2022 on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vehemently has refused to step down after the release of a report that found he sexually harassed multiple women and created a hostile work environment.
The blistering report, by New York Attorney General Letitia James, was released on Tuesday after a four-month investigation. Cuomo has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
Here’s how the political saga could continue:
While James said that the state attorney’s probe would have no criminal referral, district attorneys in Manhattan, Albany, Westchester County and Nassau County have now requested the investigation’s materials to look into the accusations, which allegedly took place in those jurisdictions and could lead to criminal charges.
Albany District Attorney David Soares said Tuesday his office is reviewing the report’s findings to see whether criminal charges should be filed and encouraged more victims to come forward. He called the matter “developing” and said his office would be reviewing the documents.
On Wednesday, the Westchester County district attorney’s office also asked for the investigative materials to conduct a criminal investigation into Cuomo’s alleged conduct.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not comment further at this time,” Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah said in a statement.
The Westchester District Attorney intends to review the governor’s alleged interactions with the female state trooper at his Mount Kisco home, while the Albany district attorney plans to review Cuomo’s alleged interactions with female staff members in that county.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance also said in a statement that the office requested materials pertaining to incidents that occurred in Manhattan.
Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith slammed the report’s findings as “deeply disturbing” and said the office requested documents for incidents that occurred in Nassau County to “investigate any potential crimes.”
In a recorded video, Cuomo responded to the report on Tuesday by again denying the allegations, saying that “the facts are much different than what has been portrayed.”
Cuomo has fielded calls to resign, including from President Joe Biden, formerly a close political ally.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday, “The president believes Governor Cuomo should do the right thing, resign, and leave space for future leadership in New York.”
The governor insisted, yet again, that he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.” His video message displayed a series of photos of him kissing his parents and other figures, male and female, on the cheek as he said that such touching and kissing were a part of his culture and nature.
The State Assembly in Albany said it’s moving “expeditiously” to wrap up up its own impeachment investigation into the sexual harassment allegations, which began in March.
Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement Tuesday, after the Assembly had gathered to discuss the report, “It is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office.”
The Assembly has the power to bring impeachment charges against Cuomo. To impeach the governor, a majority of Assembly members must vote to impeach, after which the case would move to the impeachment court, where a two-thirds vote would be required to convict and oust Cuomo.
James, the state’s attorney general, also is investigating whether Cuomo broke the law in having members of his staff help write and promote a book on his leadership in the pandemic, for which he was set to rake in more than $5 million, The Associated Press reported. Federal investigators also are probing the state’s handling of data on nursing home deaths during the pandemic. The State Assembly is also investigating Cuomo for the book deal and nursing home deaths.
Despite the probes, Cuomo could still run for a fourth term as governor if he’s not impeached. He’s already begun to fundraise for the 2022 race, and no Democratic challenger has been announced for the primary. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin and Andrew Giuliani may run as Republicans.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
John Mellencamp‘s recently announced documentary The Good Samaritan Tour 2000will premiere August 27 on Turner Classic Movies’ YouTube channel, and a companion live album will be released the same day.
As previously reported, the film focuses on Mellencamp’s 2000 trek of the same name, which featured a series of free, unannounced concerts held at parks, on street corners and in other public spaces in select major cities in the Midwest and on the East Coast. John played acoustic guitar at the shows, backed by only a viola player and an accordion player.
The doc is narrated by Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey.
Mellencamp co-produced the film, which was directed by Shan Dan Horan. The movie also includes special contributions from Nora Guthrie, daughter of late folk legend Woody Guthrie.
You can check out a trailer for The Good Samaritan Tour 2000 at John’s official YouTube channel. Following the movie’s debut, Mellencamp will appear as a guest programmer on the Turner Classic Movies network in September.
The soundtrack album, which is available for pre-order now, features 12 performances, including renditions the Mellencamp hits “Small Town” and “Pink Houses,” some deeper cuts from his catalog and covers of such tunes as Bob Dylan‘s “All Alng the Watchtower,” Donovan‘s “Hey Gyp” and The Rolling Stones‘ “Street Fighting Man.”
Here’s the full track list for The Good Samaritan Tour 2000 companion album:
“Small Town”
“Oklahoma Hills”
“In My Time of Dying”
“Captain Bobby Stout”
“Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)”
“All Along the Watchtower”
“The Spider and the Fly”
“Early Bird Café”
“Hey Gyp”
“Street Fighting Man”
“Cut Across Shorty”
“Pink Houses”
Megan Thee Stallion showcases her modeling prowess in photos from her latest campaign with Calvin Klein.
On Wednesday, the “Savage” rapper took to her Instagram to share a series of photos of herself in two tank top-and-panty sets from the shoot. “#Mycalvins,” she writes in the caption to accompany the images.
In two photos, Megan poses in a black thong and a tank top with the Calvin Klein logo in the corner. In three other pics, she poses in a white tank and grey briefs with the brand’s classic logo along with the trim.
“So pretty,” wrote R&B singer Sevyn Streeter in the comments, while Megan’s thirsty boyfriend Pardi Fontaine shared nine emojis of a face with the tongue sticking out.
“I walk around the house butt-naked/ And I stop at every mirror just to look at my posterior,” wrote one fan, quoting lyrics from Megan’s latest single, “Thot S***.”
Megan Thee Stallion is the fourth female rapper to star in a Calvin Klein campaign, after Foxy Brown in 1999, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez in 2000, and Chika in 2019. Megan’s campaign photos have been plastered on billboards in major cities like Los Angeles and New York, inspiring women not to be afraid to show off their natural curves.
The reunited Mudvayne‘s comeback tour now includes one more stop.
Chad Gray and company are performing during the inaugural Voragos concert cruise and destination festival, setting sail in February 2022. The “Dig” outfit is taking the place of Chevelle, who had to drop off the bill due to a scheduling conflict.
“I still can’t believe I’m saying…MUDVAYNE IS BACK,” says Gray. “It’s been a long time coming. We are very excited to get back on stage in front of all the OG Oxygen Wasters and the New Ones that have NEVER seen us!”
Atreyu, Crown the Empire and Afterlife also have joined the Voragos lineup, which already included Rob Zombie, Mastodon, Black Stone Cherry, New Years Day, Tremonti, Saint Asonia, Tetrarch and Escape the Fate, among others.
For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit Voragos.com.
Mudvayne announced earlier this year that they were reuniting for a batch of fall festivals, ending the group’s decade-long hiatus. Their schedule includes sets at Inkcarceration, Louder than Life, Aftershock and Welcome to Rockville.
Disney+ has released a teaser-trailer for Billie Eilish‘s upcoming “cinematic concert experience,” Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles.
The clip opens with a shot of Billie lounging in a big chair as we hear the title track of her new album, Happier Than Ever. Suddenly, she morphs into an animated Disney princess-looking character, and then morphs back to regular Billie.
Next we see Billie and her brother FINNEAS rocking on the stage of the legendary Hollywood Bowl along with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. The special will feature Billie performing every song on her new album in sequential order — for the first and only time, we’re told.
But the opening shot of the teaser hints at another aspect of the special: It will include animated elements that will take viewers “on a dreamlike journey through Billie’s hometown of Los Angeles and its most iconic backdrops.”
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles streams on Disney+ starting on September 3.
Carole King is an admitted recluse who rarely leaves her home in Idaho, but she says she’s making an exception this October.
Asked by Variety how she feels about getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a second time this year — having previously been inducted as a songwriter — King tells the publication, “It’s a great honor. In fact, I’ll tell you what a great honor it is: I’m actually going!…I’m leaving Idaho.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for October 30 in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Tickets are on sale now. King will be inducted along with Foo Fighters, Todd Rundgren, The Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Carole King and JAY-Z.
“I’ve always been reclusive and kind of an introvert and a hermit,” King explains. “I’m not an introvert in the sense that, once I’m around people, especially if they’re really nice people and I like them, I can get all excited. But I don’t go many places.”
“If I go out on tour, once I’m out, I enjoy being onstage, working with the audience,” she adds. “But the rest of it is ‘Really? Do I really need to be doing this?’”
Because she doesn’t leave her house, King recently teamed up with Jennifer Hudson via Zoom to write “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” the end title theme for the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect, in which Hudson stars. It’s out August 13.
The two chatted with Variety together via Zoom, during which King, who’ll be 80 next year, told Hudson, “I feel…so blessed…to have somebody like you that is carrying this light and this love and this positive energy forward.”
