The “Beautiful Soul” singer has released a new single and video, as has also announced upcoming tour dates.
The new song, “Kiss the World Goodbye,” was inspired by Jesse’s fiancée, Katie Peterson, and will be featured on his sixth studio album New Stage due out this fall. The video features Jesse and Katie in a Bonnie & Clyde-type situation.
“If this last year has taught us anything, it’s to hold our loved ones close,” Jesse says in a statement. “I hope my fans can overcome the fear and anxiety that has come with this pandemic, and if it helps, they can jump in the car with a friend or significant other, roll the windows down, blast this song, and just drive!”
He adds, “This song is intended to inspire, even when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. And when you have that special someone you can rely on, someone who can share in the good times and bad, it really gives you the sense that the two of you can take on anything.”
Jesse will be launching his U.S. tour in Austin, TX on November 4, playing over 20 cities before ending in Los Angeles on December 8. Tickets go on sale starting July 23.
The worlds of reggaeton and country unite on Metallica‘s Blacklist album, an upcoming tribute to the metal legends’ 1991 self-titled record, aka The Black Album.
The latest covers to be released from the star-studded compilation are versions of “Wherever I May Roam” by J Balvin and Jon Pardi. Balvin’s rendition finds him rapping in Spanish over samples of the original song, while Pardi turns the track into a dark country epic.
Both covers are available now for digital download.
The Metallica Blacklist will be released September 10. In recent weeks, Metallica has shared covers of songs including “Sad but True,” “Holier than Thou” and “The Unforgiven,” recorded by the likes of St. Vincent, Biffy Clyro and others.
The compilation also includes the previously released all-star version of “Nothing Else Matters” featuring Miley Cyrus, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Elton John, guitarist/producer Andrew Watt and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Meanwhile, Metallica has also dug up a live version of “Wherever I May Roam,” recorded in October 1991. It’s one of many bonus tracks included on the upcoming 30th anniversary reissue of The Black Album, which also arrives September 10.
Lorde has released a new song called “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” a track off her much-anticipated upcoming album, Solar Power.
The tune — which Lorde describes as a “rumination on getting older, settling into domesticity, and questioning if you’ve made the right decisions” — follows in the acoustic-driven footsteps of the previously released Solar Power title track, though it’s more of a ballad compared to its grooving, summer-loving predecessor.
“I think lots of people start asking those questions of themselves around my age, and it was super comforting to me writing them down, hoping they’d resonate with others too,” 24-year-old Lorde explains. “I used this song as a dumping ground for so many thoughts.”
You can download “Stoned at the Nail Salon” now via digital outlets. Its accompanying visualizer is streaming now on YouTube.
Solar Power, Lorde’s third album and her first in four years, is due out August 20. It’s produced by Jack Antonoff.
Meanwhile, Lorde will debut “Stoned at the Nail Salon” on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers Wednesday night. She’ll also be interviewed during the episode, and will take part in the show’s “Day Drinking” segment.
Lorde will kick off a U.S. tour in support of Solar Power in April 2022.
That’s the latest message in a hot new merchandise drop for National Tequila Day that aims to help provide food security to hospitality workers as they continue to rally back from the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Creative executive Dylan Hattem — founder of DS Projects, the company behind This T-Shirt — launched the charity-driven brand at the onset of the pandemic with a focus on authenticity and purpose to “help the people who power the restaurants and bars you love.”
Now, as patrons are able to once again saddle up to bars safely, they can do it in style with a custom tee made by This T-Shirt that also benefits the restaurant industry.
The merch-for-good brand teamed up with the Tequila Don Julio Fund to create an exclusive unisex tee. The net proceeds from each sale will be donated to No Us Without You, a non-profit that provides food security to undocumented immigrants, many of whom are the backbone of hospitality service in the greater Los Angeles area.
The shirt design is emblazoned with the phrase “Save Bars. Drink Tequila” on the front in a trendy, bright blue serif font. The back of the shirt contains a list of seven classic tequila cocktails in various large, bold typefaces: margarita, Paloma, Anejo old fashioned and tequila sunrise, to name a few.
The pre-shrunk premium cotton is also made from recycled material, and wearing it can serve as a reminder to support devoted bartenders, restaurant staff and hospitality workers — not to mention it can serve as a conversation starter to inspire more interest in the charity’s efforts.
The unisex T-shirts cost $40, with $37 per sale donated. It comes in six sizes, ranging from small to 3XL, and is available online through Sept. 20, 2021, while supplies last.
(EL DORADO, Calif.) — A couple whose gender reveal celebration triggered the El Dorado Fire in California last year that killed a firefighter and left 13 injured has been charged.
Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez each were charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, the San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson announced Tuesday.
Other charges include three felony counts of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, four felony counts of recklessly causing a fire to inhabited structures and 22 misdemeanor counts of recklessly causing fire to property.
The El Dorado Fire sparked on Sept. 5, 2020, when the couple and their young children set off a smoke bomb at a gender reveal ceremony at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.
The device ignited dry grass on the hot day, authorities said. Despite trying to douse the flames with a water bottle, strong winds fanned the fire and it ripped through the wilderness and national forest land, fueled by extremely dry conditions, Cal Fire said at the time.
The fire burned over 22,000 acres across San Bernardino and Riverside counties and forced the evacuations of hundreds of residents, officials said.
Charles Morton, 39, a 14-year veteran firefighter, died while fighting the flames. The blaze also injured two other firefighters and destroyed several residential structures, prosecutors said Tuesday.
“He’s fighting a fire that was started because of a smoke bomb — that’s the only reason he’s there,” Anderson said.
The defendants were arraigned in court on Tuesday and entered not guilty pleas. They were released on their own recognizance.
If convicted on all counts, they could face sentences in the “lower teens to low twenties” in terms of years, Anderson said.
The charges for the couple are seen as a warning to others as much of the western U.S. remains hot and dry, with wildfires still spreading and more than 18 million Americans under heat alerts.
The 16th and latest installment of Bob Dylan‘s The Bootleg Series archival collections is due out September 17 and will focus on the sessions for three of the lauded singer/songwriter’s early-1980s albums — 1981’s Shot of Love, 1983’s Infidels and 1985’s Empire Burlesque.
Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 16 (1980-1985) will be available as a deluxe five-CD, 57-track collection featuring 54 previously unreleased recordings, including many outtakes from the three aforementioned albums, as well as rehearsal recordings, live performances and more.
The first disc of the deluxe set features mainly rehearsal recordings from 1980 and ’81, including versions of earlier Dylan tunes, select covers and reworked traditional tunes. It also features a Shot of Love studio outtake — a cover of the Elvis Presley classic “Mystery Train” with Ringo Starr on drums.
Disc two features mostly outtakes from Shot of Love, while discs three and four focus of outtakes from Infidels. Infidels was co-produced by Dylan and Dire Straits‘ Mark Knopfler, and the sessions included musical contributions from Knopfler, Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark, ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and more.
Springtime in New York‘s final disc boasts a variety of Empire Burlesque alternate takes, a live rendition of “Enough Is Enough” from a concert at Ireland’s Slane Castle and a performance of “License to Kill” from a March 1984 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
The deluxe Springtime in New York set comes packaged with a book, memorabilia, photos and more. The collection, which can be pre-ordered now, also will be released as an abridged two-CD set and two-LP vinyl set. In addition, a limited-edition four-LP package pressed on colored vinyl will be issued by Third Man Records as part of their Vault Series.
Here’s the Springtime in New York track list:
Disc 1
“Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)” — Rehearsal
“To Ramona” — Rehearsal
“Jesus Met the Woman at the Well” — Rehearsal
“Mary of the Wild Moor” — Rehearsal
“Need a Woman” — Rehearsal
“A Couple More Years” — Rehearsal
“Mystery Train” — Shot of Love outtake
“This Night Won’t Last Forever” — Rehearsal
“We Just Disagree” — Rehearsal
“Let’s Keep It Between Us” — Rehearsal
“Sweet Caroline” — Rehearsal
“Fever” — Rehearsal
“Abraham, Martin and John” — Rehearsal
Disc 2
“Angelina” — Shot of Love outtake
“Price of Love” — Shot of Love outtake
“I Wish It Would Rain” — Shot of Love outtake
“Let It Be Me” — International 7″ single B-side*
“Cold, Cold Heart” — Shot of Love outtake
“Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away” — Shot of Love outtake*
“Fur Slippers” — Shot of Love outtake
“Borrowed Time” — Shot of Love outtake
“Is It Worth It?” — Shot of Love outtake
“Lenny Bruce” — Shot of Love alternate mix
“Yes Sir, No Sir” — Shot of Love outtake
Disc 3
“Jokerman” — Infidels alternate take
“Blind Willie McTell” — Infidels outtake
“Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight” (Version 1) — Infidels alternate take
“Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight” (Version 2) — Infidels alternate take
“Neighborhood Bully” — Infidels alternate take
“Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart” — Infidels outtake
“This Was My Love” — Infidels outtake
“Too Late” (Acoustic Version) — Infidels outtake
“Too Late” (Band Version) — Infidels outtake
“Foot of Pride” — Infidels outtake
Disc 4
“Clean Cut Kid” — Infidels outtake
“Sweetheart Like You” — Infidels alternate take
“Baby What You Want Me to Do” — Infidels outtake
“Tell Me” — Infidels outtake
“Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” — Infidels outtake
“Julius and Ethel” — Infidels outtake
“Green, Green Grass of Home” — Infidels outtake
“Union Sundown” — Infidels alternate take
“Lord Protect My Child” — Infidels outtake
“I and I” — Infidels alternate take
“Death Is Not the End” (Full Version) — Infidels outtake*
Disc 5
“Enough Is Enough” (Live) — Slane Castle, Ireland
“License to Kill” (Live) — Late Night with David Letterman, March 22, 1984
“I’ll Remember You” — Empire Burlesque alternate take
“Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)” — Empire Burlesque alternate mix
“Seeing the Real You at Last” — Empire Burlesque alternate take
“Emotionally Yours” — Empire Burlesque alternate take
“Clean Cut Kid” — Empire Burlesque alternate take
“Straight A’s in Love” — Empire Burlesque outtake
“When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky” (Slow Version) — Empire Burlesque alternate take
“When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky” (Fast Version) — Empire Burlesque alternate take
“New Danville Girl” — Empire Burlesque outtake
“Dark Eyes” — Empire Burlesque alternate take
(GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba) — Following the transfer of the first Guantánamo Bay inmate of the Biden administration this week, remaining detainees at the offshore prison are hoping that a change in policy from the Trump years will bode well for their release, according to testimony obtained by ABC News.
Moroccan national Abdul Latif Nasser, 56, was released into the custody of his home country and reunited with his family on Monday after being held without charge for 19 years at the Guantánamo Bay detention center, on a U.S. naval base in Cuba. The U.S. Department of State authorized Nasser’s transfer five years after he was initially cleared for release during the Obama administration.
“The United States is grateful to the government of Morocco for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantánamo Bay Detention Facility,” a State Department spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday. “The Biden Administration remains dedicated to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantánamo facility.”
Nasser’s departure made him the first inmate to be transferred from the facility since 2016, and leaves the number of remaining detainees at 39. In testimony shared exclusively with ABC News by U.K.-based legal charity Reprieve, which represents several Guantánamo detainees, those still inside the camp expressed hope in their prospects of freedom under President Joe Biden, after a Trump-era policy of refusing to release more detainees. They appealed to the 46th commander in chief to ensure their release.
Of the remaining Guantánamo detainees, 10 have been cleared for release, 10 are part of the military commissions process and two have been convicted, a senior administration official told a press briefing on Monday. The rest are eligible for review, and several of those inmates spoke about their hopes for release in the testimony shared by Reprieve.
Khalid Qassim, a 44-year-old Yemeni citizen, was denied recommendation for transfer out of Guantánamo Bay by the interagency Periodic Review Board last year, due to “his continued refusal to answer questions regarding pre-detention activities,” which the board said includes “involvement” in “basic and advanced training” from al-Qaida in Afghanistan. Qassim’s lawyers argue he was captured for a bounty and that his capture and detention is a case of mistaken identity due to false confessions under torture.
“I saw the national anthem and Biden speaking,” Qassim said in a conversation with his lawyer in January, two days after Biden’s inauguration, shared with ABC News. “You know, it used to almost be exciting when you saw Trump speak. Every time it was something new. What he said, he would say crazy things, how he loves dictators, things like this. It’s good to not hear some crazy talk.”
“Now it’s the attorneys’ work,” he added, “and the work of people like Kamala Harris or Nancy Pelosi to make sure we go home.”
In an op-ed published by The Guardian in 2017, Qassim wrote: “I have never been charged with a crime and I have never been allowed to prove my innocence. Yet I am still here.”
Ahmed Rabbani, a 51-year-old Pakistani citizen born in Saudi Arabia, is also being held in indefinite detention at Guantánamo Bay. He has not been recommended for transfer or charged with a crime but has been detained since 2004. He was named in the historic 2014 Senate Select Committee Report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s detention program as having been subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques,” which he has described as “torture, pure and simple.”
“I would tell [Biden] I want to touch my child,” Rabbani said in a conversation in January, shared with ABC News. “I would tell him that I would like to die in the laps of my children. I do not want to go in a coffin or a body bag. I want justice. I have been held for political reasons, and I have nothing to do with the political reasons.”
Afghan national Asadullah Haroon Gul, 39, has been been detained at Guantánamo Bay without trial since 2007. He was captured by Afghan forces while serving as a commander of the now-former Hezb-i-Islami militia, known as HIG, which once fought alongside al-Qaida and the Taliban against the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. The U.S. government detained Gul on the claim that he had regular contact with senior leadership within the al-Qaida and Taliban ranks and may have useful information regarding ongoing operations. But Gul’s lawyers argue that his war ended in 2016, when the HIG struck a peace deal with the Afghan government.
“I think Biden is serious about a lot of things,” Gul said in a conversation in June, shared with ABC News. “If we talk about justice I do not see any reason why I should not be released from here.”
Reprieve and other advocacy groups, such as the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture, welcomed Nasser’s release but said that further action to speed up the closure of Guantánamo Bay is needed.
“Abdul Latif Nasser’s release shows how easy this process can be when there is political will, and that it can be done safely,” Reprieve’s deputy director, Katie Taylor, told ABC News on Wednesday. “We’re taking the Biden administration at their word. They say they want to close Guantánamo and the first step is to transfer the remaining men who have been cleared for release, followed by others who have never been charged with a crime.”
The anesthesia medication ketamine is showing increased promise as a treatment for people experiencing depression who haven’t found relief with other prescription medications.
Though ketamine is known for its recreational use as a party drug, it can also be prescribed legally by doctors. In recent years, ketamine has become more accessible for those struggling with depression. In 2015, there were fewer than 60 ketamine clinics in the U.S. Three years later, there were more than 300, according to the journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
Generic ketamine isn’t specifically approved as a depression treatment, but U.S. doctors are often allowed to prescribe Food and Drug Administration-approved medicines “off-label” for another use.
A growing body of evidence has shown ketamine, which has been used since the 1970s in the field of anesthesia, can be successful in treating depression and suicidal behaviors. In fact, ketamine is part of a growing field of research into whether drugs that have traditionally been viewed as illegal psychedelics or party drugs could, in certain contexts, help people with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other behavioral health and psychiatric disorders.
In 2019, the FDA approved Spravato, a ketamine-related nasal spray drug, given in conjunction with antidepressants that has been shown to help people with treatment-resistant depression. But many clinics offer generic ketamine, often in the form of intravenous infusions.
Dr. Steven Mandel, founder and president of Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles, said because ketamine is already a low-cost generic drug, it’s unlikely that a pharmaceutical company would pay for the process that would be needed to get the drug approved specifically as a depression treatment.
“For a medicine like ketamine that is already approved and available, adding a new indication for the treatment of depression would probably cost tens of millions — if not hundreds of millions — of dollars,” Mandel said. “No one wants to spend that money.”
But ketamine’s unique status can create problems for patients. Ketamine’s use for depression is off-label and it is typically not covered by health insurances. Because of this, “there are some access issues,” said Dr. Panagiota Korenis, a psychiatrist and associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
“It’s often limited to a subset of the population that can pay out of pocket or be a part of a trial,” she said.
There are also certain risks associated with ketamine.
“It is a drug that can be abused potentially,” said Korenis, who noted that patients typically need to be treated in the clinic and typically cannot take multiple doses of the medication home with them.
Nevertheless, Korenis is hopeful that ketamine may prove itself as another powerful option for those with depression.
“Ketamine certainly is being shown to be a medication of interest and one that has potential for the future,” said Korenis.
Experts debate whether ketamine is a psychedelic and able to produce similar altered states of consciousness as MDMA and psilocybin, which have shown healing properties in some studies.
But many clinics are opting to administer ketamine in a manner similar to psychedelics in clinical trials. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, or KAP, is a combination of ketamine and therapy that is similar to psychedelic-assisted therapy used in recent carefully controlled clinical trials.
For example, MDMA, also known as molly or ecstasy, is a psychedelic drug that is now being studied in controlled therapy settings as a possible treatment for PTSD. But no psychedelic treatments are FDA-approved, meaning doctors cannot administer them outside of a clinical trial. MDMA is illegal for recreational use in the U.S.
For those who are unable to get into a clinical trial of psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin, KAP may be the closest legal equivalent.
“Ketamine works for depression and suicidality — it works quickly, it’s safe,” said Mandel. “For the other medicines, we just don’t know. They seem to have great early promise, but we do need a lot more data and a lot more time before we can fully embrace them.”
Psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin may require a couple of more years until they receive FDA approval, according to Rick Doblin, Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. In the meantime, Mandel hopes more patients learn about ketamine as an option for depression.
“Ketamine should be available to anyone suffering from these afflictions,” said Mandel.
Nicholas Nissen, M.D., is an author, host of the “Brain Health with Dr. Nissen” podcast and a contributor for the ABC News Medical Unit.
Kanye West tapped runner Sha’Carri Richardson to help tease the release of his new album during Tuesday night’s NBA finals game.
The record-breaking sprinter starred in the latest Beats by Dre advertisement, which includes a short clip of West’s new song, “No Child Left Behind,” featuring singer Vory.
In the clip, Vory sings over gentle organ music, “Back again/ I use my back against the wall/ Never caught on y’all/ Never count on y’all/ Always count on God, before Kanye joins in singing, “He’s done miracles on me.”
The track is part of West’s long-awaited 10th studio album, Donda, named after his late mother, Donda West. The studio effort was first teased in March 2020 and was originally slated to come out that July. However, Kanye cancelled the release and announced he was further tweaking the album.
Now, fans have a new release date to look forward to — this Friday, July 23. To further feed the hype, Ye will hold a Donda listening event the night before on Apple Music, starting at 8 p.m. ET. It was also announced the album will feature Lil Baby, Travis Scott and Pusha T.
The commercial starring Richardson, who is one of the fastest women in the world, embodies the ad’s message, “Live your truth.” It features the athlete walking onto an empty track and looking up at the sky before placing her feet on the starting blocks to begin running.
Richardson, 21, sparked a nationwide debate about cannabis rules in sports after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency handed her a 30-day suspension for testing positive for THC, the intoxicating compound found in marijuana. The suspension forced her to miss the women’s 100-meter relay she previously qualified for and, ultimately, she wasn’t offered a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
(NEW YORK) — New York City health workers will be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a Wednesday news conference.
“The delta variant continues to make more and more trouble, and we’ve got to fight back,” de Blasio said. “We need a strong, clear approach — that every single one of our workers gets vaccinated or tested weekly.”
Beginning in August, all @NYCHealthSystem staff and @NYCHealthy clinical workers must show proof of a #COVID19 vaccine or a weekly negative COVID test. Join us at City Hall for more.
The new rules, which will go into effect on Aug. 2, will apply to all employees at city-run hospitals and clinical workers for the health department. The city plans to extend the new rules to additional health department staff in coming weeks. Those employees will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result.
The mayor stressed that the new rules are an additional step to keep the city safe and won’t take away from grassroots efforts, such as mobile sites and at-home vaccinations, to raise vaccination rates in the general population. The new rule isn’t technically a vaccine mandate, since employees have the option to get tested each week.
“Every single one of those employees has a choice,” added de Blasio, noting that a vaccination was the better of the two options. “This is about keeping people safe and stopping the delta variant.”
Vaccination rates in New York City’s general population are slightly above the national average. As of Tuesday, 58% of New York City residents had received at least one dose and 54% were fully vaccinated, compared with 56% of all Americans who’ve gotten at least one shot and 49% who are fully vaccinated, according to data from the city health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospital workers tend to be vaccinated at a higher rate than the general population, although the percentage of fully vaccinated New York City hospital workers (70%) is slightly lower than the statewide average (74%), according to the state health department.
