BTS: BIGHIT Music; Elton John: Ben Gibson/Rocket Entertainment
Elton John is revealing his thoughts on being name-dropped by BTS and — no surprise here — he found it “very flattering.”
According to Billboard, during an interview with UK radio show The Official Big Top 40, the legendary singer, who’s mentioned in the opening verse of the K-pop group’s hit “Permission to Dance,” said, “It was so cool to be name-checked by someone like BTS.”
“It does blow my mind but it’s because I love new, young music,” he added. “That’s what inspires me.”
“Permission to Dance” dropped in early July and became a mega-hit thanks to the group’s army of fans. And, earlier this month, John actually did a short cover of the track, ending his clip with a message of appreciation.
“Thanks BTS,” he said. “Love to the ARMY.”
During the interview, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also shared that younger artists like BTS remind him of the days when he was just getting started in the industry.
“I love the old music, but the new music, when you hear something great by someone new, like Holly Humberstone or The Kid LAROI or someone like that, you just think ‘God, I wish I could have done something like that when I was that young,'” John said.
Every day brings us one step closer to Lil Nas X‘s debut album, Montero, due out September 17.
On Tuesday, the “Industry Baby” artist debuted the album’s official artwork, a psychedelic piece that depicts a nude Lil Nas X floating over a waterfall while surrounded by rainbows, butterflies and droplets of water. The cover also features buildings reminiscent of Greco-Roman architecture, lush green grass and a twisted tree, underneath which a smaller Lil Nas X is reclining while playing with bubbles and butterflies.
As fans furiously attempted to decode the hidden messages and meanings in Montero‘s cover art, Lil Nas X revealed that a certain yellow sponge inspired his pose.
Taking to Twitter after the reveal, he shared a SpongeBob SquarePants meme, which features the titular character rising up to the rainbow sky while an iPod, connected by a pair of headphones, dangles beneath him.
Lil Nas X then featured the meme side-by-side with his new album artwork and captioned it, “inspiration.”
“The album art is a continuous loop, to represent the circle of life,” he added in another tweet before revealing that he was inspired by another external source for the colorful album cover.
Lil Nas X revealed in a follow up that the concept was inspired by a Bible verse found in Genesis 2:1-2, “Thus the heavens and the Earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” He also revealed the album’s backdrop was a tribute to a painting by artist John Stephens and shared a side-by-side comparison, as well.
Lil Nas X also promised on Twitter that he will reveal Montero‘s track list today.
Taylor Swift‘s surprise eighth studio album, folklore, celebrated its first anniversary on July 24 and, to celebrate the occasion, the “Cardigan” singer is rolling out exclusive merchandise with Urban Outfitters.
Taylor’s partnership with the retailer allows her to roll out all the stops for her celebratory collection, which currently features a limited-edition hoodie, tee shirts, and an exclusive double-LP vinyl sleeve.
Each clothing item celebrates a track that appeared on folklore, with a burnt umber-colored hoodie bearing a lyric from “Peace” that reads, “I’m a fire and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm.”
The merchandise line also features an oversized white tee that bears Taylor’s face on the front and folklore‘s track list on the back.
Another tee shirt, which is also a burnt umber color, celebrates the track “August” with the lyric “August slipped away into a moment of time” emblazoned across the chest.
The folklore double LP features 17 tracks, including “The Lakes,” all of which appeared on the Deluxe Edition of folklore, and retails for $29.
Both tee shirts are being sold for $39, while the hoodie can be purchased for $75, all for a limited time.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 639,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 61.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
Sep 01, 10:42 am
Pfizer studying new pill in hopes it’ll help with mild COVID symptoms
Pfizer is launching a large clinical study for a new pill that it hopes could prevent worse symptoms for patients with mild COVID-19.
The first participant has now been dosed in this “pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical trial,” Pfizer said.
Drugs like Remdesivir and Dexamethasone can help people recover faster, but those are only reserved for people who are extremely ill and in the hospital.
If proven effective, Pfizer will ask the FDA for authorization.
Sep 01, 9:52 am
Virginia Tech disenrolls 134 students who didn’t meet vaccination policy
Virginia Tech says 134 students have been disenrolled after they didn’t comply with COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
The university’s roughly 37,000 students were required to submit vaccination documentation or receive a medical or religious exemption, Virginia Tech said.
“The university does not know whether any of these [134] students were not planning to return for reasons unrelated to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement,” Virginia Tech said.
Sep 01, 9:19 am
TSA screens lowest number of travelers since May
Just 1,345,064 travelers were screened at U.S. airports on Tuesday, the lowest since May 18 when 1,408,017 were screened, the TSA said.
United CEO Scott Kirby said Monday he thinks holiday travel will return to normal.
Sep 01, 8:52 am
San Diego County declares medical misinformation a public health crisis
San Diego has become the first county in the U.S. to declare that health misinformation is causing a public health crisis in its community. This follows the County Board of Supervisors’ 3-2 vote Tuesday night.
Changes to county strategy to combat the pandemic will include: labeling health misinformation and providing timely health information to counter it; modernizing public health communications; investigating in digital resources and training for health practitioners and health workers; and developing a website to be a central resource for fighting health misinformation.
The new policy was introduced when 96.7% of hospitalizations in San Diego County were residents who were not fully vaccinated.
Aug 31, 8:01 pm
Gene Simmons tests positive for COVID, KISS postpones shows
KISS co-lead singer Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19, the band shared on its Twitter page Tuesday evening.
In a statement, the band said the 72-year-old was experiencing “mild symptoms.”
His diagnoses comes less than a week after co-lead singer Paul Stanley, 69, tested positive for COVID-19 as well.
In a statement released on Aug. 26, the band said that, “everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated.”
KISS has postponed four of its “End of the Road” tour shows from Sept. 1 to Sept. 5.
“The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days,” the band said in a statement.
Aug 31, 6:56 pm
2 officials working on COVID-19 vaccine review to leave FDA
Peter Marks, the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), announced the upcoming departure of two top vaccine regulators to his staff in an internal memo, which was obtained by ABC News.
Dr. Marion Gruber, director of the FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review (OVRR) and her deputy, Dr. Phil Krause, are set to leave the agency in October and November respectively, according to the memo.
Krause, who’s been with the agency for over a decade, and Gruber, who has been with the FDA for over 30 years, were instrumental in the review and authorization of the three COVID-19 vaccines, the memo said.
The memo said that Gruber will be “retiring” and gave no other details about Krause’s departure.
ABC News has reached out to both Gruber and Krause for comment.
When reached for comment about their departure, an FDA spokesperson told ABC News the agency is “confident in the expertise and ability of our staff to continue our critical public health work, including evaluating COVID-19 vaccines.”
Their departures come at a critical time for the vaccine review team. After facing pressure to move as fast as possible to get vaccines’ full licensure done, the agency is now weighing booster shots for a wider pool of Americans.
The timing of the booster shot approval has been a bone of contention amongst federal agencies after the Biden administration announced the availability of booster shots would begin ahead of any ruling from the FDA or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory groups.
Aug 31, 4:57 pm
Rev. Jesse Jackson’s wife out of ICU
Jacqueline Jackson, the wife of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, is out of the ICU as both Jacksons continue to fight COVID-19, their family said.
“Our father remains at The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab where he is continuing to receive intensive occupational and physical therapy,” their son, Jonathan Jackson, said in a statement Tuesday.
Jesse Jackson, who is 79 and has Parkinson’s disease, was vaccinated, reported ABC Chicago station WLS.
“Our mother remains in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital and has been moved out of the ICU and back into her regular hospital room where she continues to receive oxygen,” the statement said. “Both of our parents are continuing to receive excellent medical care and we thank God for the progress that both seem to be making.”
Aug 31, 4:24 pm
Vaccination rate nearly double than it was in mid-July
The U.S. vaccination rate per day is now nearly double than it was in mid-July, according to the White House.
“Back in mid-July we were averaging 500,000 vaccinations per day. Today, we’re averaging 900,000,” White House COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters Tuesday. “Last week we got over 6 million shots, the biggest weekly total since July 5.”
The increase in vaccinations comes amid fear about the rapidly spreading delta variant.
The delta variant, which is more transmissible, has also been part of the conversation around booster shots of the mRNA and J&J vaccines. The Biden administration said Americans would need a third shot eight months after their second because of waning immunity.
The Biden administration is standing by its decision to call for vaccine boosters beginning Sept. 20 despite questions about whether there’s enough data and the unusual process of announcing a plan before the FDA has evaluated the data and made a recommendation.
Alec Baldwin broke a record at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Foundation’s annual charity gala, where he auctioned off tickets to the French Open and made history when he secured a winning bid of $250,000.
A source who attended the Monday night gala told Page Six that said the event was also attended by stars Mike Tyson, Billie Jean King, Anna Wintour and many others.
However, the highlight of the night “was when [the night’s co-host] Baldwin adopted an Inspector Clouseau-like French accent and started auctioning off the Roland Garros package,” said the source, referring to the French Open by its official name.
The package included six tickets to the French Open, which also included a stay at the Ritz Paris, complementary round-trip travel on a private Gulfstream G550 jet, and other perks.
“Alec started the bidding at $100K, and his comedic chops got the room rocking,” the insider dished. “[He] ultimately sold the package for $250K…the highest price in the gala’s history.”
Another package that included French Open tickets also went for a jaw-dropping $250K. In all, the source says the event raised over $2 million.
Britney Spears‘ lawyer claims that her father, Jamie Spears, is trying to extort the pop star.
According to TMZ, which says they obtained copies of the legal documents, filed Tuesday, Britney’s law team claims that Jamie is requesting two million dollars from his daughter. While some of the funds would reportedly go toward paying the patriarch’s legal fees, Britney’s lawyer, Matthew Rosengart, stated, “The status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted.”
The “Toxic” singer’s team also suggested that the court suspend Jamie from the conservatorship if he doesn’t fully step away by September 29.
The claim comes just weeks after ABC News confirmed that Jamie filed paperwork to willingly step down as Britney’s conservator. Jamie has denied any claims he mistreated his daughter or otherwise acted against her interests, and has noted that he is stepping down without any grounds for his removal.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. is poised to begin rolling out booster shots in a matter of weeks, with still one major sticking point to resolve: It’s not entirely clear yet that third shots are needed.
President Joe Biden recently vowed to begin deploying boosters the week of Sept. 20, pending a green light from federal regulators.
But health experts advising the government on that decision say the August announcement by Biden’s political appointees came as somewhat of a surprise. It also was unclear, they said, why that date was chosen at all.
Evidence for boosters is still mixed, and announcing a timetable — while likely popular with much of the public — put independent government regulators in a corner by suggesting they would sign off no matter what.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t get out (of the decision), but I think the public expectation is that boosters are needed now,” said Dr. Henry Bernstein, a pediatrician at Northwell Health Cohen’s Children Medical Center in New York who has advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines.
“There’s a lot more data to be reviewed and work to be done in evaluating whether boosters are needed in various populations,” Bernstein added.
The question of whether America’s immunity is waning has become an urgent question in recent months with the rise of the delta variant and large pockets of the country still unvaccinated.
The latest analysis, released Monday by the CDC, found troubling signals on the ability of vaccines to prevent infections and to keep older people out of the hospital.
Whereas the vaccines were 90% effective in June at preventing hospitalization in people ages 75-plus, that number fell to around 80% in July.
But even with such a drop, the data still suggests extraordinary protection against becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. It also raises more questions than it answers: Is immunity waning with time? Is the delta variant making people sicker? Is this a problem mostly for older Americans, whose immune systems are less robust to begin with?
Young adults under age 49 are still 24 times more likely to end up hospitalized if unvaccinated. And the vast majority of people in the hospital are unvaccinated, suggesting the vaccines are holding up in real world scenarios.
“We don’t have a lot of evidence of reduced vaccine effectiveness against important outcomes in most of the population based on our current data,” said Dr. Beth Bell, a professor at the University of Washington and independent adviser to the CDC who will help decide whether to recommend boosters to Americans.
Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, who works with the CDC advisory panel on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was among those who said the Sept. 20 date was a surprise and that it’s unclear why it was chosen.
During a meeting of CDC advisers, Maldonado said she was fielding text messages from colleagues asking: “Why are we rolling out detailed plans for this when it sounds like we still don’t know?”
Typically, the Food and Drug Administration reviews data before announcing any decision on whether a vaccine can be administered. Then a CDC advisory group of experts weighs in, and the CDC director signs off on whether to recommend the vaccine to the public.
In this case, Biden’s political appointees involved in the pandemic response — including acting FDA chief, Dr. Janet Woodcock — agreed on the Sept. 20 date before that process played out. And with the crisis in Afghanistan still unfolding, the president switched gears to the pandemic, publicly unveiling his commitment to every American getting a booster shot eight months after their immunization.
Pfizer and BioNTech, which partnered to develop the nation’s first vaccine, have said they have early data suggesting that a booster dose anywhere from six to 12 months after the initial vaccination will help maintain a high level of protection. That data has not yet been shared publicly.
“The frustration too comes in part due to the sense of urgency here as well, because of the public pressure to get the booster. Everyone would like data that are still evolving,” Maldonado said.
On Tuesday, the FDA confirmed two longtime vaccine officials were planning to depart the agency. Their exit, addressed in a memo to staff, followed news reports citing the officials’ frustration with the process. Woodcock told colleagues she was confident in the leadership of the FDA’s vaccine chief Peter Marks, who planned to remain in his position.
“We have put together a plan that will allow us to continue prioritizing science, while meeting timelines that are important to ensuring the end of this devastating pandemic,” she wrote in the staff email.
Other top political appointees also defended the Sept. 20 date on Tuesday. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters during a White House press briefing that there was international data that will be presented and likely play a role in the regulatory decision on boosters.
Jeff Zients, Biden’s COVID coordinator, noted that the FDA and CDC had signed on to the plan for a Sept. 20 rollout.
“The bottom line, this virus has proven to be unpredictable, and we want to stay ahead of it, and plan for every scenario, and that’s been our approach from day one and will continue to be our approach,” he said.
Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Donahue is the final American service member to depart Afghanistan, Aug. 30, 2021. – U.S. Central Command
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — With the U.S. military and diplomatic withdrawal now complete after 20 years in Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken over the country, including the Kabul airport, the site of an often-desperate evacuation effort the past two weeks.
But even as the last American troops were flown out to meet President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline, other Americans who wanted to flee the country were left behind and the Biden administration is now focused on a “diplomatic mission” to help them leave.
When President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House on Aug. 18, he said he was committed to keeping the U.S. military in Afghanistan as long as needed. “If there are American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out,” he said.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Sep 01, 10:26 am
Taliban celebrates US departure
With all U.S. ground troops out of Afghanistan, scenes around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Wednesday showed Taliban fighters in Afghan National Army uniforms after the militant group seized the airport, with some firing celebratory gunshots into the air — a far different picture from the days preceding.
Hours before Biden addressed the nation on Tuesday and firmly defended the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban held a mock funeral in Kabul with show caskets draped with U.S., U.K. and French flags to symbolize what it has called the defeat of NATO allies after 20 years.
The Taliban also released a video overnight they say shows their troops flying over the Kandahar province in an Afghan military helicopter as the militant group works to maintain a hold on the country.
A defiant Biden on Tuesday said that he refused to extend a “forever war” and would not be “extending a forever exit.” The president on Wednesday is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and does not have any Afghanistan-related briefings on his public schedule.
Aug 31, 6:53 pm
1st plane to bring aid since Taliban took control landed Monday
As the U.S. prepared to evacuate from Kabul airport Monday, the World Health Organization flew a plane into the country with desperately needed aid.
On Monday, 12.5 metric tons of urgent medical supplies were flown from WHO’s warehouse in Dubai to Mazar-i-Sharif airport — not to Kabul, because of the “ongoing disruptions” there, according to WHO.
This is the first medical aid plane to land in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control, according to WHO — and it comes amid a growing need and deteriorating conditions.
“WHO is exploring more options to get further shipments into the country until a reliable humanitarian airbridge to scale-up collective humanitarian effort is established,” the UN agency said in a statement.
Aug 31, 6:17 pm
Top enlisted service member tells troops their service mattered
The military’s top enlisted service member sent a message to U.S. troops reassuring them that their service in Afghanistan mattered.
“You can hold your head high that we prevented an attack on the United States homeland,” writes Ramon Colon-Lopez, the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“To each of you, your service mattered,” he added. “This is personal to us, and we know it is personal to every one of you.”
He also praised those involved in the massive airlift from Afghanistan.
“Your actions honor the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters in arms who lost their lives or were wounded in Afghanistan,” he wrote. “Over the last two decades and the last 2 weeks. you embodied our American values of equality, liberty, and human dignity for all.”
Aug 31, 5:53 pm
US-funded journalists left behind, no updates on airport talks, overland routes
Some 500 Afghan journalists and their families who were employed by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) were left behind in Afghanistan — reporters, producers and more who worked for Voice of America and other U.S.-funded outlets, according to the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“We did not forget about USAGM employees and their families, nor will we. These individuals … have not only worked for us, they have worked with us,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. “We remain keenly focused on getting them out safely just as soon as we can.”
Price wouldn’t confirm how many there are or what the plans to evacuate them may be, saying it was “not prudent for us to speak to tactics.”
He cited the same reason for declining to say more about how the U.S. may help some Americans travel on overland routes to escape Afghanistan, saying only that it “reinforces the point that we’re looking at all available options to bring Americans to safety.”
Price also had no status update on the negotiations to reopen Kabul’s airport, no update on how many American citizens remain in Afghanistan and no update on a protecting power — a country that oversees U.S. interests where there is no embassy, like Switzerland in Iran or the Czech Republic in Syria.
On Sunday, the actress and activist took to Twitter to share her thoughts about the longtime television talk show host.
“I am glad more are seeing the ugly truth of @Oprah. I wish she were real, but she isn’t,” McGowan wrote, sharing an old photo Oprah kissing embattled producer Harvey Weinstein on the cheek. “From being pals with Weinstein to abandoning & destroying Russell [Simmons’] victims, she is about supporting a sick power structure for personal gain, she is as fake as they come. #lizard.”
McGowan’s tweet has also initiated a wider conversation surrounding Oprah’s ties toWeinstein and Simmons, both of whom have both been accused of sexual misconduct, with Weinstein criminally convicted of related crimes.
The derogatory tweet comes after an interview the TV icon did with Dolly Parton resurfaced, and social media users questioned the motive behind Oprah’s questions, which centered around the cosmetic procedures the country star had done and the depression she had faced.
One user commented, “i feel like oprah wanted her to be embarrassed but ms dolly said ‘nope.'”
Another added, “Oprah thought she was about to catch Dolly up with this one look at her looking into the camera,” making note of a moment in the clip that Oprah appeared to look at the camera while asking her questions.
On the other end, some users thought that people were reading too much into the snippet.
“I just can’t. People out here trying to cancel Oprah for a past Dolly interview Are we watching the same interview?” a third tweeted. “It was a great, fun interview. Also, these are things Dolly has openly talked about. I just can’t with all this. LOL.”
I am glad more are seeing the ugly truth of @Oprah. I wish she were real, but she isn’t. From being pals with Weinstein to abandoning & destroying Russell Simmon’s victims, she is about supporting a sick power structure for personal gain, she is as fake as they come. #lizardpic.twitter.com/RCuXNpWCU0
R. Kelly‘s sex trafficking trial continued Tuesday with Suzette Mayweather, former employee, taking the stand to testify against the singer, alleging he would force his live-in girlfriends to fight one another as a form of punishment.
New York Daily Newsreports that Mayweather, who is no longer employed by Kelly but worked for him for several years, claims women were forced to fight each other at Kelly’s 2016 birthday party.
“He didn’t like an incident where they were twerking for cake… He had to have them get on each other. I think they were fighting,” Mayweather recalled, but admitted she did not see the chaos and only heard the racket upstairs.
Mayweather also recalled another time when one of Kelly’s live in girlfriends allegedly came to her, revealing red marks where the singer allegedly spanked her. She also revealed Kelly became enraged when she broke one of his strict rules by speaking to one of his live-in girlfriends, noting, “It was the first time that I’d ever seen Rob really upset… It wasn’t the tone, it was the look in his eyes.”
She also backed up claims made by other witnesses that Kelly would withhold employees’ pay over small mistakes, saying he used to call it a “fine.” Mayweather also claimed Kelly would confine women to their rooms for days at a time.
Kelly, 54, whose birth name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces state and federal charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, coercion and other charges related to the alleged abuse and exploitation of six women — three of whom were underage at the time — over the course of 25 years. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
