Ed Sheeran and his wife Cherry welcomed their first child, daughter Lyra, in September of last year, and he says becoming a dad nearly made him quit music altogether — until he thought better of it.
Ed recently told Sirius XM Hits 1 that after he completed his record-breaking Divide tour, he felt like he’s already accomplished everything he possibly could in music and wasn’t sure what he could do next, so he stopped making music for a while. Then, after Lyra arrived, he figured, “Right, that’s it, I’m just gonna be a dad. I’m not gonna play music any more.”
But then, Ed says, “I found myself getting really sad and having zero purpose…and then I suddenly was like, ‘I think it’s more important for my daughter to grow up knowing that her parents have a work ethic and her parents love working hard and and love creating and enjoy their jobs…rather than, like, looking at your dad as technically unemployed.”
“So I slowly got back into music that way, and then the creative process started flowing again,” he explains. “But there was a long period of time where everything was directionless.”
Ed also says he realized that it’s not about chasing the next sales record.
“I have people in my family that are like, ‘The next album has to be even bigger!'” he reveals. “And I know they’re saying to be supportive, but I’m like, ‘Maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe it should just be an album, and maybe a career can kinda go [up and down] rather than always up.'”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden said the U.S. is “not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission” in Iraq.
The president, while meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Monday afternoon, said the U.S. role there will be focused on training and assisting to combat the Islamic State group.
“Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of our region and our counterterrorism cooperation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we’re going to be talking about,” Biden said.
A U.S. official told ABC News Thursday the change in mission is more of a semantic one and the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will not dramatically differ as they shift their emphasis to training and assisting.
As with anywhere around the world, the official added, U.S. troops reserve the right to defend themselves too.
Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S. Fareed Yasseen told ABC News last week that Iraqi forces will continue to request direct U.S. assistance for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and training.
Several U.S. officials have said the 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq are already largely in that kind of advise-and-assist role.
Both sides have repeatedly committed to U.S. troops exiting once the coalition to defeat ISIS completes its work, essentially kicking the can down a long road now to appease political pressure in Iraq, fueled by Iranian-backed factions and militias and U.S. air strikes against them.
During the Trump administration, a tit-for-tat series of attacks between Iraqi militias and U.S. forces in Iraq to fight ISIS precipitated an assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad in January 2020. While the Shiite militias were able to breach an outer perimeter, no one was injured in the attack.
Days later, President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike that killed Iran’s most powerful general Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. The strike outside Baghdad International Airport further inflamed anti-American sentiment among Shiite militias and Iraq’s government responded by denouncing it as another U.S. violation of its sovereignty.
With a majority in parliament, Shiite lawmakers voted to expel U.S. troops that month. While the resolution was non-binding, there’s been strong political pressure on the Iraqi government since then to see an end to the U.S. military presence, especially after the two governments and the defeat ISIS coalition declared the end of the terror group’s so-called caliphate.
In a series of “strategic dialogues” since then, they have negotiated ways to strengthen U.S.-Iraqi cooperation on other issues, including trade, energy and diplomacy with Iraq’s Arab neighbors, while repeatedly committing to pulling American forces out one day.
Biden on Monday also noted that the U.S. is sending Iraq 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which the president said should be arriving “in a couple of weeks.”
With Monday’s announcement, that day could be closer — but it’s still not here yet.
That much was clear to those Iranian-backed Iraqi militias, also known as Popular Mobilization Forces. The spokesperson for one group, the Nujaba Movement, said in a statement that the change in mission was a “cheap trick.”
They “will not differentiate between advisers of the occupation or soldiers of the occupation, for all of them are important targets for the weapons of the resistance, until the last occupying soldier leaves the land of Iraq,” said the spokesperson, Nasser al Shammari.
ABC News’ Libby Cathey contributed to this report.
At the end of the week,rapper Isaiah Rashad will bless fans with his highly-anticipated album, The House Is Burning.
On Monday, the Chattanooga, Tennessee native shared the track list for his first album in five years, which features Lil Uzi Vert, Duke Duece, Smino, Jay Rock, and fellow Tennessee rapper Duke Duece.
The 16-track album also features vocal performances from R&B singer SZA and hip-hop crooner 6LACK on Rashad’s track, “Score.” On the production tip, there are sounds from Jay Worthy, Kenny Beats and Devin Malik, among others, including Hollywood Cole, who produced Rashad’s May single, “Lay Wit Ya,” among others.
The House Is Burning track list follows the video for Rashad’s single, “Wat U Sed,” a track that features Doechii and Kal Banx.To hype his first album since 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade, the rapper has announced his U.S. tour, dubbed Lil Sunny’s Awesome Vacation, beginning in September. Presale tickets will be available as early as Tuesday, July 27 at 10 a.m. ET.
Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Now this deal will make your head spin: Universal and its related company, the streaming service Peacock, have inked a reported $400 million deal to bring three new Exorcist films to the big and small screens.
According to the studio, the film will be produced by the horror masters at Blumhouse, and will star Exorcist‘s original Oscar-winning lead, Ellen Burnstyn, and Hamilton and One Night in Miami Academy Award nominee Leslie Odom Jr..
David Gordon Green, who successfully rebooted the Halloween franchise for Blumhouse, will be calling the shots behind the camera for the continuation of the 1973 horror classic that was directed by William Friedkin. In that film, Burnstyn plays the horrified mother of Linda Blair‘s character, a girl who gets possessed by the devil.
The Exorcist, the first horror film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, earned Burnstyn a Best Actress Academy Award.
The first of the three new Exorcist films is expected to hit theaters October 13, 2023.
The deal is the latest collaboration with Blumhouse and Universal, which together have generated more than $3 billion at the box office globally, thanks to hits like Get Out, Split, and The Invisible Man.
(WASHINGTON) — New Hampshire residents cannot be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine in order to “access any public facility, any public benefit, or any public service” according to a new bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
The so-called “medical freedom” bill does not override state vaccine law, which “requires that all children enrolled in any school, pre-school, or child care have certain immunizations to protect them and those around them from vaccine preventable diseases,” according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not currently listed as a requirement for attending school, nor is it approved for children younger than 12.
Other exceptions to the new law include correctional facilities, such as jails and prisons, where immunizations can be mandated “when a direct threat exists,” as well as county nursing homes and medical facilities operated by the state.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
New Hampshire’s law stands in contrast to some other parts of the Northeast, which have edged toward mandatory vaccinations in recent days.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that COVID-19 vaccination would be compulsory for all city workers, including police officers, firefighters and teachers, starting Sept. 13. City workers will have the option of getting tested weekly for COVID-19 if they choose not to get vaccinated.
“We’re doing this out of a sense of urgency,” de Blasio said. “It is about protecting the workforce, their health and safety, and the people they serve.”
New Hampshire’s vaccination rate is slightly higher than the national average. As of Sunday, 64% of residents had received at least one dose, and 58% were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By comparison, 57% of Americans have gotten at least one shot, and 49% are fully vaccinated.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
The “Fix” hitmaker has added four new dates to the six-month trek, with stops in Grand Rapids, Michigan on December 2, the Rosemont Theatre in Illinois on December 3, The Fillmore in Detroit on December 4, and a show in Madison, Wisconsin on January 21.
Named after his latest single, the tour keeps Chris and opening acts Tyler Rich, Ernest and Lily Rose on the road through March. Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
The singer became a dad earlier this summer when he and wife Lauren Bushnell Lane welcomed son Dutton on June 8.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 summer surge as the delta variant spreads.
More than 610,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 57% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-19 has infected more than 194 million people worldwide and killed over 4.1 million.
Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:
Jul 26, 3:46 pm
US moved into ‘high’ community transmission category per CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now categorizing the U.S. as having “high” community transmission, with nearly 62% of counties in the nation reporting high (43.79%) or substantial (18.17%) transmission.
New York County, which includes Manhattan, is among those now reporting substantial community transmission.
One month ago, only 8% of counties were reporting high transmission.
Louisiana, Florida, and Arkansas have the country’s highest case rate with over 300 new cases per 100,000 residents. Missouri follows closely behind with 200 new cases per 100,000 residents.
Hospitalization numbers are also rising. More than 27,300 COVID-10 patients are in hospitals across the country — a 36.8% jump in the last week.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jul 26, 2:44 pm
Dept. of Veterans Affairs mandates vaccine
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced Monday that COVID-19 vaccines will be mandatory for the department’s health care personnel.
Four VA employees, all of whom were unvaccinated, died in recent weeks, the department said. At least three of those cases were linked to the delta variant.
VA employees will have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated.
McDonough said this mandate is “the best way to keep Veterans safe, especially as the Delta variant spreads across the country.”
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Jul 26, 2:06 pm
Unvaccinated NYC municipal workers will have to get weekly testing
All unvaccinated New York City municipal workers will have to get weekly testing by the start of school in September, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office.
The new requirement will apply to all city workers, including police officers, firefighters and teachers. The new rule will go into effect on Sept. 13, when students are expected to return to public schools.
The New York Police Department has a 43% vaccination rate while about 55% of New York City Fire Department employees are vaccinated.
Workers in publicly run residential or congregate care facilities, like nursing homes, must present proof of vaccination even earlier, on Aug. 16.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a similar mandate on Monday. Beginning in August, state employees and health care workers must show proof of vaccination or get tested regularly.
In California, 75% of those eligible have received at least one dose.
“Everyone that can get vaccinated—should,” Newsom tweeted.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Jul 26, 11:23 am
Savannah reinstates mask mandate indoors
An indoor mask mandate has been reinstated in Savannah, Georgia, effective immediately, amid a steep rise in the daily number of COVID-19 cases, Mayor Van Johnson said.
The increase is likely due to the delta variant, relatively low vaccination rates and gatherings where people let their guard down, officials said.
“Are we effectively punishing those who did the right thing who took the vaccine?” the mayor said. “Yes, we probably are.”
To those still hesitant to get the vaccine, Johnson said, “The wait and see time is over.”
-ABC News’ Alexandra Faul
Jul 26, 10:49 am
Orlando area in ‘crisis mode’ as cases skyrocket
Orange County, Florida, which includes the city of Orlando, is in “crisis mode” as COVID-19 cases skyrocket, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday.
The county is now seeing 1,000 new cases per day – which is what was recorded there during the highest peak in 2020, Demings said.
-ABC News’ Ben Stein
Jul 26, 10:35 am
US not lifting travel restrictions due to surge in delta variant cases
The White House will leave in place existing travel restrictions due to the surge in cases from the delta variant, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
This news was first reported by Reuters Monday morning.
The official said the “reopening process is guided by the science and public health,” adding that cases of the delta variant are rising in the U.S. and globally, mostly among the unvaccinated, and “appear likely to continue [to] increase in the weeks ahead.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Jul 26, 10:00 am
Unvaccinated NYC municipal workers will have to get weekly testing
All unvaccinated New York City municipal workers will have to get weekly testing by the start of school in September, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office.
The new requirement will apply to all city workers, including police officers, firefighters and teachers. The new rule will go into effect on Sept. 13, when students are expected to return to public schools.
The New York Police Department has a 43% vaccination rate while about 55% of New York City Fire Department employees are vaccinated.
Workers in publicly run residential or congregate care facilities, like nursing homes, must present proof of vaccination even earlier, on Aug. 16.
Jul 26, 9:11 am
Symptomatic breakthrough infections rare, CDC data estimates
New data shows how rare COVID-19 breakthrough infections likely are.
With more than 156 million Americans fully vaccinated, about 153,000 symptomatic breakthrough cases are estimated to have occurred as of last week, representing approximately 0.098% of those fully vaccinated, according to an unpublished internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document obtained by ABC News. These estimates reflect only the adult population and do not include asymptomatic breakthrough infections.
But in Provincetown, on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, at least 551 COVID-19 infections, many of them breakthroughs, were confirmed after the July Fourth weekend. Of the Massachusetts residents who tested positive as a result of the Provincetown cluster, 69% reported to be fully vaccinated, according to local officials.
Most people were symptomatic. Apart from three hospitalizations, symptoms from cases associated with this cluster were known to be mild and without complication, said Alex Morse, the town manager for Provincetown.
You weren’t the only one who picked up a weird hobby during lockdown — Joe Jonas and wife Sophie Turner did too.
In a new interview with WSJ Magazine, Joe talks about the unexpected activity they became obsessed with while staying at home, and how it even led to arguments between the two.
“I got very into LEGO building,” he says. “My wife and I probably built 10 monstrous LEGOs.”
Joe adds, “It was also quite funny, because I was super focused on helping her but then I was getting easily distracted and playing Fortnite. At first we argued about it and then it was like, she loves her organization and it’s completely different from the way I would build it: ‘You do you; I’ll be here for support.’”
He says he began helping from more of a distance, making cocktails for the two of them as Sophie continued to build. Their biggest LEGO accomplishments included building the Batmobile and the Harry Potter Wizarding World.
Nowadays, Joe tells WSJ he starts his morning by meditating, learning Italian on the DuoLingo app, writing a gratitude list, listening to a news podcast and scrolling social media, all before starting his daily exercise routine.
(SUNRISE, Fla.) — The remains of the last victim of the Surfside, Florida, condo collapse have been identified, a relative confirmed to ABC News Monday.
Estelle Hedaya, 54, was the final person to be unaccounted for. The death toll from the June 24 collapse now stands at 98.
RedBull BC One brought back their annual break-dancing competition to the birthplace of hip hop with a star-studded event over the weekend in New York City.
The competition, which included top breakers from New York and around the globe, featured b-boys and b-girls who competed for a chance to battle at the National Finals in Orlando, Florida. New York winners included b-boy Frankie and b-girl Marta, who will later go toe to toe with other semifinal winners from Los Angeles, Boston and Houston. The Orlando winners will then compete for the opportunity to be crowned world champion at the RedBull BC One World Finals taking place in Gdansk, Poland, on November 5 and 6. For more information on how to get tickets, go to Redbull.com.
In other news, Vivica A. Fox has set another The Wrong series franchise film. Lifetime Movie Network has announced a date for The Wrong Cheer Captain, which will star 227 alum Jackée Harry. Executive-produced and starring Fox, the new thriller will premiere on August 29 at 8 p.m. ET on LMN. The film, also starring Claire Tablizo, Alexis Samone and Sofia Masson, follows a cheer captain who is suspected of killing two cheerleaders.
Finally, FOX has set the release date for Lee Daniels‘ upcoming drama series Our Kind of People. The show, which stars Morris Chestnut and Yaya DaCosta, will premiere on Tuesday, September 21, at 9 p.m. ET. As previously reported, the series follows Angela Vaughn, a single mother who “risks it all” by moving her family to Martha’s Vineyard with the hopes of taking her natural hair-care line to the next level.
