In her first-ever video, posted Monday, the singer lip syncs to U.K. rapper Dave‘s “Screwface Capital” and its line “My outstanding payments swift like Taylor.” As she does, we see her modeling her various album aesthetics — from folklore to evermore to her Fearless reissue — ending with a look from her upcoming Red reissue.
“Lots going on at the moment: Red (my version) vinyl is up for presale on my site and oh I’m on tiktok now let the games begin,” Taylor captioned it.
Just an hour after posting, the video had racked up over 500,000 views and counting.
Another study, published this month in the medical journal JAMA, found that two-thirds of U.S. children’s calorie intake comes from ultra-processed foods, defined as ready-to-eat foods that contain “little to no whole foods,” like frozen pizza, chips and cookies.
The greater the intake of processed foods, the more sugar a child is likely consuming, which can lead to lifelong health complications, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes, experts say.
“The added sugars for most kids are going to show up in the packaged, processed foods,” said Maya Feller, a New York-based registered dietitian and nutritionist. “For the most part, you don’t have tablespoons of sugar dumped into their homemade food, so it’s actually in whatever product they’re consuming.”
When LeVeque gave birth to her oldest son nearly three years ago, she said she was shocked to see how hard it is to control sugar intake in even young kids.
“I know firsthand that added sugars and too much even natural sugar in something like orange juice wreak havoc on us internally, on our metabolic goals, so when I became a mom, it was mind-blowing,” she said. “Even the [portable food] pouches available to children are all sugar.”
It’s a fight every day to keep the sugar, processed foods and inflammatory oils out of our homes. To the moms, my gatekeepers out there in the trenches….keep fighting the good fight for good health! These little brains, organs and bodies need an adult in the room. #saynotosugar
LeVeque recently launched a “Fab 4 Under 4” guide for parents that adapts the “Fab 4” principles she created to help adults support blood sugar balance in kids.
“We think that kids are not vulnerable to the effects of sugar, but in fact they’re more vulnerable,” she said, noting that blood sugar spikes caused by sugar can affect everything from a child’s mood to their ability to learn. “These are formative years for children and, in my opinion, they’re drugged with sugar, and it’s not their fault when we look at the increased access to processed foods in their pantry,”
Here are five tips from LeVeque and Feller to help parents reduce the amount of sugar in their children’s diets.
1. Balance sugar with protein, fat or fiber.
Parents can help reduce the impact of sugar kids consume by balancing it with other macronutrients, according to LeVeque.
“If you’re going to have sugar, even natural sugar in the form of fruit, you absolutely have to balance that with protein, fat or fiber,” she said. “That blood sugar response needs to be blended with other foods.”
A breakfast of pancakes and strawberries, for example, would cause a double spike in blood sugar, where serving pancakes with a protein like peanut butter or turkey sausage would help counter the blood sugar spike brought on by the pancakes.
2. Know what sugar your child is consuming at home .
Both Feller and LeVeque acknowledge it’s inevitable that children will consume sugar at celebrations like birthday parties or at friends’ houses, and that’s okay.
What parents can do, however, is make sure they keep the foods their kids eat daily at home low in sugar.
“Make sure that with every food in your house, you know where the sugar is,” said LeVeque. “My kids are going to have sugar but they’re not going to have sugar in their ketchup or their marinara or granola bars,” “We’re going to pull it out of the everyday things and be very strategic.”
3. Read food labels.
There are more than 70 ways that sugar can be listed on a food label, so parents need to not only read food labels, but read them carefully.
Look out for words that end in “ose” (like glucose, dextrose, sucrose), as well as words like juice concentrate, syrup, honey, maple, coconut sugar and agave, according to LeVeque.
“Sugar is sugar. It doesn’t matter what type it is,” she said. “I don’t care if it’s natural, organic, vegan, paleo, keto, look for the sugar.”
Feller echoes that parents should also be wary of food labels that feature healthy buzz words to advertise a product that nonetheless contains sugar.
“It’s challenging for parents in the current food landscape to figure out what constitutes a healthy pattern of eating,” she said. “When a parent goes to a grocery store and they see 100% carrot juice, sure it is a better choice than a sugar-sweetened beverage, but it would also be great to offer your child a carrot.”
4. Talk to your child about how foods make them feel.
LeVeque said she talks to her sons about what the foods they eat do for their bodies, like building muscle.
“I want my kids to have the foundation of knowing how healthy eating makes them feel and knowing the expectation of their family, that we eat to nourish our bodies,” she said. “So when they’re crying and having a meltdown after a sugar crash, it’s having the conversation, ‘I see that you’re upset now … I bet if you had a little bit of protein and a lot of water, you’d feel a lot better.’”
5. Encourage your child to eat what you eat.
“You don’t need kid foods,” said LeVeque, adding that the kids’ foods nearly always contain more sugar. “People think, ‘Oh, I need to get my kids the kids’ yogurt,’ but that’s just something you’re being told, that kids need kid food and kids need kids’ meals.”
When LeVeque’s sons begin eating solid foods, she serves them a portion of her own meal when they are out to eat, for example.
“I’ll order chicken and a side of veggies or a salad and order extra protein and put a little chicken on his plate with some avocado,” she said. “And when kids get to the age that they need another meal, order a real meal, take half of it home and you have lunch the next day. Not only did your kid eat healthier, but you have a healthier lunch for the next day.”
“Kids love to cook and they’re super capable,” said Feller. “Sometimes it takes time to prepare food with them, but we have to change our mindset and be okay with the idea that there will be times where we’re going to spend time preparing something.”
“You have to get your kids involved,” echoed LeVeque. “And get your kids involved in making the vegetables and the protein and the dip. They don’t care what they’re making with you. You believe that they’re going to be disappointed that they’re not making cookies, but they are so excited to make a vinaigrette with you, a kale salad with you, to barbecue with you.”
When LeVeque does bake with her son, she uses tricks like swapping bananas for sugar in their favorite blueberry muffin recipe.
“Swapping in bananas for even half of the sugar in the recipe helps,” she said. “Because the sugar in banana is wrapped up in fiber, there won’t be as much of a high blood sugar spike and crash.”
Try these low-sugar recipes from LeVeque and Feller
Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla nut milk
2 bananas (smush them in the peel before placing in a bowl so you don’t have to fork them as long)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups almond flour
1 scoop @bewellbykelly vanilla protein powder (or 1/4 cup coconut flour)
2/3 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
Directions:
Mix wet and dry ingredients, and place in a greased muffin tin (can grease with coconut oil).
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
“I slather the muffins with almond butter and ghee, yum!” said Leveque.
As Aerosmith prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the band has announced a new wide-ranging partnership with Universal Music Group that, for the first time, brings together the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ entire recording catalog on one label home.
The global deal also will include upcoming music projects, merchandise items and new audio-visual content, including films, television programs, online presentations and more.
In addition, the partnership also will make available material from the vaults of Aerosmith’s Vindaloo studio, as well as from the personal archives of the band’s five members — frontman Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer. The band mates also will participate in curating collections of their music, photos, video content, artwork, memorabilia and more.
Forthcoming releases will include previously unseen and unheard rarities from throughout Aerosmith’s long career.
“It’s been a long road but I’m extremely happy and proud to say on behalf of Aerosmith we have been able to bring our 50 years of music under one roof by partnering with UMG,” Perry says in a statement. “This will allow us to bring our music to our fans in ways we never were able to before. It’s something we’ve dreamed about happening for a long time…It’s an incredible way to celebrate 50 years and the many more years to come.”
Adds UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, “On the band’s 50th anniversary, Aerosmith continues to influence the course of music not only through their iconic catalog but also through film, television and video games and their inimitable style…We look forward to building upon their incredible legacy and ensuring their music continues to inspire fans around the world.”
Corey Taylor‘s wife Alicia has shared an update on her husband’s health after he announced last week that he’d tested positive for COVID-19.
In a tweet posted Sunday evening, Alicia wrote, “Corey is doing well and thanks everyone for the sweet thoughts and messages.”
“Ready to get him home as soon as it’s safe, so I can take care of him!” she added. “He (very luckily) hasn’t lost his sense of taste or smell so I send him stupid amounts of snacks, hydration powders, and yummy desserts.”
Corey revealed the news of his diagnosis last Friday, a day after he concluded a U.S. tour in support of his 2020 debut solo album, CMFT.
“I woke up today and tested positive, and I’m very, very sick,” Taylor said while announcing his scheduled appearance at last weekend’s Michigan pop culture convention Astronomicon would be canceled. He added that he’s vaccinated, and that he “should be OK.”
Wanted to give you guys an update:
Corey is doing well and thanks everyone for the sweet thoughts and messages. 🥰
Ready to get him home as soon as it’s safe, so I can take care of him! 🖤
Brian Travers, founding saxophone player for the popular U.K. reggae band UB40, died Sunday at the age of 62.
The band announced Travers’ death in a message that reads, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our comrade, brother, founding UB40 member and musical legend, Brian David Travers. Brian passed away…with his family by his side, after a long and heroic battle with cancer. Our thoughts are with Brian’s wife Lesley, his daughter Lisa and son Jamie.”
The BBC reports that Travers underwent an operation in 2019 to remove two brain tumors, and had an additional operation last year.
In addition to playing sax, Brian contributed to the arrangement of UB40’s tunes and wrote lyrics for some of the band’s original songs.
UB40 has been hugely successful in the U.K., scoring 39 top-40 hits on the country’s singles chart. The band also has scored several major hits in the U.S., including their chart-topping covers of Neil Diamond‘s “Red Red Wine” and Elvis Presley‘s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and their popular take on Sonny & Cher‘s “I Got You Babe” — a duet with The Pretenders‘ Chrissie Hynde.
Travers’ death comes just a couple of months after the band’s lead singer, Duncan Campbell, announced he was retiring from the group for health reasons. Campbell’s decision to retire came after he suffered a seizure in June, following a stroke in 2020. Duncan joined UB40 in 2008 after his brother, Ali, the group’s original lead singer, quit the band.
Last month, UB40 announced that Birmingham, U.K., reggae singer Matt Doyle as its new frontman.
(WASHINGTON) — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first covid-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval.
The approval comes in a week prior to federal health officials’ earlier estimates that the agency would complete its review by Labor Day.
The full approval indicates that Pfizer has shown enough effectiveness and safety data to meet the stringent Biologics License Application (BLA) requirements, which includes at least six months of safety data from a majority of the volunteers in a large, final stage clinical trial.
“Based on the longer-term follow-up data that we submitted, today’s approval for those aged 16 and over affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed,” Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO said in a statement to ABC. “Hundreds of millions of doses of our vaccine already have been administered in the U.S. since December 2020, and we look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. government to reach more Americans.”
This prioritized review entailed government scientists pouring over hundreds of thousands of pages of safety and efficacy data at a rapid-fire pace, conducting meticulous inspections of Pfizer’s manufacturing process.
Pfizer’s full and formal approval will now pave the way for further vaccine mandates in both the public and private sector, akin to existing vaccine mandates for other FDA-approved vaccines. Some businesses and state leaders have held off thus far, signaling they’d wait for full approval before imposing tighter requirements.
Federal, state and local health officials have also expressed optimism that full approval will help dissolve some of the lingering hesitancy around taking a shot that until now has been only authorized for emergency use — a forecast recent polling has also reflected.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, predicting on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that full approval may “tip” some fence-sitters towards taking the shot, and prompt more workplaces and schools to move forward on requirements.
“I am hopeful this approval will help increase confidence in our vaccine, as vaccination remains the best tool we have to help protect lives and achieve herd immunity,” Bourla said upon Pfizer’s approval.
“Full approval could not come at a more important time, as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to drive up caseloads and deaths across the U.S.,” Dr. Rich Besser, former acting CDC director and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said. “I am hopeful that full approval will address any remaining concerns and will move many people to a ‘yes’ on vaccination.”
Pfizer was the first to request full approval in the U.S.; other Covid vaccine makers are likely to follow suit. All three authorized vaccines were granted emergency authorization based on massive clinical trials involving tens of thousands of volunteers.
Federal health officials have come under immense political pressure from all sides to get the approval done as soon as possible — as much of the country faces yet another surge, and the Delta variant threatens hard-fought wins in the fight against the virus.
In private calls with the White House Covid team obtained by ABC News, some of nation’s governors have recently expressed waning patience and frustration over the wait for full approval of the vaccine — saying the FDA either needs to act, or be transparent about how much longer there is to wait — given that the lack of full approval is a recurring reason they had heard among the hesitant for not taking the shot yet.
The FDA had made clear getting Pfizer’s vaccine to the approval finish line is a top priority, with an “all hands on deck approach” and “moving forward as rapidly as possible.”
ABC News learned in late July the agency would reprioritize some of its personnel and technology resources from “across the agency” and reshuffling other existing work, in order to finish the review faster, devoting those additional resources towards expediting the process for Pfizer’s approval.
“We recognize that for some, the FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines may bring additional confidence and encourage them to get vaccinated,” an agency spokesperson told ABC in late July, promising any approved vaccine would meet “rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and quality.”
Billie Eilish‘s Happier Than Ever has pulled a hat trick by topping the Billboard 200 for a third straight week.
The album, released July 30, remained the top album in the country after moving an additional 60,000 units in its third week of release. This is only the second album this year to spend its first three weeks atop the chart, second to Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album.
In addition, Happier Than Ever tied with Eilish’s debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which spent three non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 in 2019.
Eilish’s fans streamed her new album49.6 million times over the past week and purchased 23,000 physical copies. The number of purchases also makes Happier Than Ever the current best-selling album in the U.S.
Eilish’s Happier Than Ever has produced eight Billboard Hot 100 top-40 singles: “Therefore I Am,” “My Future,” “Your Power,” “Lost Cause,” “NDA,” “Oxytocin,” “Getting Older” and the album’s title track. At the moment, “Your Power” and “Happier Than Ever” are the highest-ranking album singles, with both peaking at number 6.
After Mike Richards stepped down from hosting Jeopardy!, fans have reignited their efforts to have LeVar Burton succeed the late Alex Trebek.
Over the weekend, Ryan Reynolds joined those in support of the Reading Rainbow star by sharing a story about what can happen when fans make enough noise.
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, the Canadian actor explained, “Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it.”
“Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful,” Reynolds, who’s set to star in the upcoming third Deadpool movie, concluded, before then adding, “Hi @levarburton.”
The 64-year-old actor responded to Reynolds’ thread by tweeting two praying hands emojis and a purple heart emoji.
Burton has said hosting Jeopardy! is his “dream job” and had been campaigning for the gig since 2013. Following Trebek’s passing, fans launched a Change.org petition for Burton to become Trebek’s official replacement, which has amassed over 271,000 signatures. He guest-hosted Jeopardy! from July 26 to July 30.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Richards and The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik would succeed Trebek. Then last week, Richards stepped down amid the controversy over past comments he made on a podcast, which many considered to be sexist.
A new, permanent replacement for Trebek, who died November 8 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, has not yet been announced. More guest hosts take the Jeopardy! lectern in the meantime.
Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it. Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful.
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t kept theatergoers from flocking to see Free Guy. The action comedy, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer held onto the top spot at the box office, delivering an estimated $18.8 million and bringing its two-week total to $58.8 million stateside. The film also added an estimated $53.1 million overseas, bringing its current worldwide total to $111.9 million.
Free Guy, showing exclusively in theaters, is from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by ABC News’ parent company, Disney.
Nipping at Free Guy‘s heels in second place is PAW Patrol: The Movie, fetching an estimated $13 million domestically. The animated family-friendly feature, based on the popular Nickelodeon kids’ show, added an estimated $21.5 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $34.5 million.
Repeating at third place in its fourth week of release is Disney’s Jungle Cruise, pulling in an estimated $6.2 million. That brings the movie’s domestic box-office total to $92.5 million to go along with an estimated $81.2 million internationally, making its worldwide earnings $173.7 million. Jungle Cruise is also available to Disney+ subscribers for a $30 surcharge.
Don’t Breathe 2, the R-rated follow-up to the 2016 home invasion thriller, sits in fourth place, earning just over $5 million in its second week, to lift its domestic earnings to just shy of $19.7 million. An estimated $7.5 million in overseas earnings brings its worldwide box-office total to around $27.2 million.
The Aretha Franklin biopic Respect grabbed an estimated $3.8 million in its second week of release for a $15.1 million domestic take so far.
It was a pretty disappointing weekend for this weekend’s other newcomers. The Protege, starring Michael Keaton, Maggie Q. and Samuel L. Jackson, finished in seventh place with an estimated $2.9 million, while The Night House, starring Rebecca Hall, placed eighth with an estimated $2.86 million
Finally, Hugh Jackman‘s sci-fi thriller Reminiscence had a pretty forgettable opening weekend, delivering an estimated $2 million for a ninth-place finish.
Flag Day, directed and starring Sean Penn and co-starring his daughter, Dylan Penn, also opened to disappointing numbers, earning an estimated $40,750 from 24 theaters.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — On the fourth day of waiting, “Ahmad” had enough. He left Kabul airport, heading back through the Taliban checkpoints and bringing his family of five home.
Desperate for safety and security for his wife and three children, he felt he had no choice but to step back into the fray with his family in search of food, water and a reprieve from the brutal heat.
Stories like Ahmad, whose real name ABC News is not using for his safety, speak to the deteriorating conditions at Kabul’s airport, where thousands of U.S. troops and diplomats are working in overdrive to help evacuate tens of thousands of U.S. citizens, Afghan partners and other foreigners.
So far, the U.S. has evacuated roughly 30,300 people since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan a little over one week ago, according to a White House official.
Outside the airport’s walls, chaotic crowds have tried to press into the airport, now closed except to those given specific instructions to enter. At least seven people have died in the crush, according to an internal State Department memo obtained by ABC News. Taliban fighters guarding checkpoints around the airport have fired into the air to disperse crowds or beaten them back with whips and rifle butts, including some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
“More than 10,000 Afghans surrounded the gates and conditions remained volatile outside the gates,” the internal situation report said Sunday.
But inside, where thousands have been processed and are waiting for a seat on a flight out, crowds have been forced to sleep on the tarmac and spend days in the blazing hot sun. While troops from the U.S., United Kingdom, Turkey, and elsewhere have distributed food and water, the enormous size of the crowds has meant some people go without for days.
“Our overriding priority remains to put as many people as possible on departing planes as quickly as possible. Within the past 24 hours, nearly 60 flights have departed, bringing nearly 8,000 people to safety,” a State Dept spokesperson told ABC News Sunday.
Ahmad decided that he could not wait any longer for help, according to an American who works closely with him and spoke to ABC News on a condition of anonymity.
“This is a man who has been waiting for a long time for his SIV to come through, who has been directly threatened by the Taliban. And yet, when so close to his dream of safety and protection, he decided it was safer to go back home than to keep his family in this U.S. military-run facility any longer,” the source said.
Another source, an American on the ground at the airport, told ABC News the situation was a “non-permissive environment,” which is a term diplomats, aid workers and troops use for difficult conditions where uncertainty and instability make it unsafe to operate.
Among the issues now are a group of unaccompanied minors, which are children that separated from their parents amid the crowds or in certain cases deliberately. Video of a family passing their infant child to U.S. Marine went viral earlier this week, with a Marines spokesperson later confirming that the baby was given needed medical attention and reunited with its father.
But four children are not so lucky. A source on the ground said that their father was killed by the Taliban, and their mother was trampled to death in the stampede outside the gates this week, leaving them orphaned and waiting in the passenger terminal, according to the source, who said U.S. officials are unable to find any next of kin and don’t know what to do with them.
