Today is Bruno Mars‘ 36th birthday, but he had a special gift for his fans: a release date for his Silk Sonic album.
The world can finally enjoy the full project from Bruno and Anderson .Paak, An Evening with Silk Sonic, on November 12. The disc will feature the previously released hits “Skate” and “Leave the Door Open,” the latter of which won Best R&B Video at the MTV VMAs.
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate narrowly averted fiscal calamity Thursday evening in a late-evening vote to raise the federal borrowing limit, but the short-term solution has set the stage for a fierce political showdown in December.
While no Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling, 11 Republicans voted with Democrats to break a Republican filibuster so that the measure could advance.
The kicked-can deal comes a little more than a week before Oct. 18 — the date Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pegged as when the U.S. may no longer be able to cover its debts.
But the short-term solution is still not yet totally secured. The House is expected to return to Washington from its recess on Tuesday to approve the measure, where it is expected to pass on party lines before heading to President Joe Biden’s desk.
When the $480 billion debt hike is exhausted, the political gamesmanship from both parties that made a short-term solution difficult to achieve will likely be on heightened display, as lawmakers aim to deal with the lapse of their short-term extension of federal government funding at the same time.
In the weeks leading up to Thursday’s vote, Senate leadership was locked in a political staring contest over which party ought to bear responsibility for raising the limit.
Republicans for months said that Democrats would need to act on their own to raise the debt limit because they have total control of Washington and are planning to pass a multi-trillion social and economic package with zero input from Republicans. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said repeatedly that Democrats should have to hike the debt limit because of the high cost of Biden’s proposed agenda.
But Democrats have argued raising the debt limit is a bipartisan responsibility, in part because it covers spending that already took place under the Trump administration with unified GOP support.
Republicans blocked an earlier effort by Democrats to suspend the limit partially because they want Democrats to be forced to raise the limit by a specific dollar amount using a fast-track budget process budget tool called reconciliation. It would allow the majority to break a filibuster to pass certain legislation, but use of this arcane process is cumbersome, could take weeks and opens up Democrats to a series of potentially politically painful votes.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected the reconciliation option, arguing it would take too much time.
The stalemate was temporarily broken on Thursday when 11 Republicans, including McConnell, joined all Senate Democrats in casting a procedural vote to break a filibuster on the debt limit. Ten GOP votes were necessary to clear the way for a second, simple majority vote to raise the debt limit by $480 billion. No Republicans voted with Democrats in a subsequent vote on the debt hike.
McConnell offered the deal to allow Democrats additional time to use reconciliation to pass a more permanent debt limit fix without GOP support.
“This will moot Democrats’ excuses about the time crunch they created and give the unified Democratic government more than enough time to pass standalone debt limit legislation through reconciliation,” McConnell said in a statement Wednesday.
But Democrats have said they’re no more prepared to use reconciliation in December than they were this month.
“There’s not going to be reconciliation,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told reporters emphatically on Wednesday.
Following Thursday’s vote, Schumer took to the floor to lambast Republicans for holding the debt limit hostage, further committing that Democrats would not budge on reconciliation.
“Let me say that again. Today’s vote is proof positive that the debt limit can be addressed without going through the reconciliation process, just as Democrats have been saying for months,” Schumer said on the floor. “The solution is for Republicans to either join us in raising the debt limit or stay out of the way and let Democrats address the debt limit ourselves.”
Some Republicans, and a visibly frustrated Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., were miffed by Schumer’s victory lap.
“I was not in the chamber when he spoke, so I didn’t hear it first hand,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Thursday evening. “But I heard from others there was a fair amount of frustration.”
Republican Whip Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he told Schumer personally he was frustrated with his tone, calling it “out of line” and an “incredibly partisan speech after we had just helped him solve a problem.”
Many rank-and-file Republicans were also frustrated with McConnell for even offering Democrats a way to kick the can down the road on dealing with the debt limit.
“I believe it was a mistake to offer this deal. Two days ago Republicans were unified, we were all on the same page, we were all standing together and making clear that Democrats had complete authority to raise the debt ceiling, and to take responsibility for the trillions of debt that they are irresponsibly adding to this country,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said. “We were winning that fight and Schumer was on the verge of surrender. And unfortunately, the deal that was put on the table was a lifeline for Schumer. And I disagree with that decision.”
Discontent with the deal was on full display Thursday, as McConnell stood on the floor and counted his Republican “yes” votes to ensure the necessary 10 votes to proceed would be cast.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., gave a dramatic thumbs down at his turn — just steps away from McConnell.
McConnell had arrived on the floor moments after the vote began — a rare, early appearance for the leader who usually waits until later in the vote series to cast his. But this time clearly wanted his presence known. Rather than giving a thumbs up on his vote, he gave a bellowing and affirmative “aye” and stood in the well with other “yes” voters as they amassed, leaning over the center table as votes rolled in.
Rankling in the lower ranks of the GOP all but assures there won’t be a similar compromise coming in December when the parties will almost certainly find themselves in a similar stare down.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the Senate’s action Thursday “welcome steps forward” on the debt limit but reiterated the Democratic view that it should be a “shared responsibility” to raise the limit in December.
“We cannot allow partisan politics to hold our economy hostage, and we can’t allow the routine process of paying our bills to turn into a confidence-shaking political showdown every two years or every two months,” Psaki said.
(NOTE LANGUAGE, CONTENT) “If this is what being canceled is about, I love it,” Dave Chappelle told a cheering crowd of more than 18,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl Thursday night, where his documentary Untitled screened.
The Hollywood Reporter noted a galaxy of stars in the audience, including Brad Pitt, and Tiffany Haddish, while Chappelle was joined onstage by more, including Steve Wonder, Snoop, Talib Kweli, Lizzo and Jon Hamm.
Untitled untracks Chappelle’s series of comedy concerts he staged to help his Ohio hometown get back on its feed amid the pandemic.
“I don’t know what to tell you, except I’m a bad motherf*****,” Chappelle said to cheers, in statements that referenced recent controversy about The Closer, his final in a series of Netflix comedy specials. “F*** Twitter,” he added. “This is real life.”
Chappelle noted he was starting a “kindness conspiracy” to combat cancel culture, a theme Stevie Wonder highlighted in his on-stage comments. “What we need to cancel is hate,” the legendary performer said. “What we need to cancel is fear…”
Wonder added, “I want us to cancel the idea of feeling that we don’t want anyone to laugh because if we don’t laugh, we cry. And I don’t believe that was God’s intention — ever.”
The love fest for Mark Twain Award winner Chappelle comes after The Closer took flak on Twitter for jokes some claimed were transphobic. Former Dear White People showrunner Jaclyn Moore, who recently transitioned, took to Twitter to say she was done with Netflix, “as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content,” referring to Chappelle’s Untitled.
GLAAD also flamed what the organization called Chappelle’s “brand of ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities.”
The entire London Theatre performance, which featured Taylor joining Mitchell for the second half of the show, is one of a few full-length concerts that will be included on Joni’s forthcoming archival box set Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971), due out on November 12.
Taylor, who was dating Mitchell at the time of the London concert, had recently written “You Can Close Your Eyes” for Joni. He wound up recording his own version of the tune, which appeared on his classic 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.
Mitchell’s Paris Theatre show originally was broadcast in December 1970 on the BBC Radio program In Concert, which was hosted by famed British DJ John Peel.
In an interview with Cameron Crowe that appears in the Archives Vol. 2 liner notes. Joni reflected on performing with James in London. “That’s when we were dating,” she recalled. “He really locked up to my dulcimer, playing great with his guitar. Those two instruments together sound great. It sounded like one instrument. Musically, we were a great couple.”
As previously reported, Joni Mitchell: Archives Vol. 2, which you can pre-order now, is available as a five-CD set and a limited-edition 10-LP vinyl collection that features previously unreleased live, studio and demo recordings from Mitchell’s early career, leading up to the release of 1971’s Blue.
Netflix is prepping a spin-off of the hit Fox series That ’70s Show with a Gen-X twist, ABC Audio has confirmed.
That ’90s Show already has snagged ’70s vets Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, who played, respectively, Kitty and Red Forman, the parents of Topher Grace‘s Eric, for a show that will follow them into the ’90s as they tend to their visiting granddaughter.
The streaming giant notes, “It’s 1995 and Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna, is visiting her grandparents for the summer where she bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids under the watchful eye of Kitty and the stern glare of Red. Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll never dies, it just changes clothes.”
Original series creators Bonnie and Terry Turner are returning for the new show, and the thought is that some other familiar faces from the original series could appear.
That 70s Show, which also starred Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama, ran for eight seasons for Fox, wrapping up in 2006. Its 2002 spin-off That 80s Show lasted only one season.
Recently, Rupp appeared in Disney+’s WandaVision, and Smith will be seen in the Hulu series The Drop Out, about the Elizabeth Holmes Theranos scandal.
(NEW YORK) — The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of the nation, according to a new study published in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly journal, MMWR.
The CDC said that social isolation, coronavirus-related deaths and stress weighed heavy on Americans, forcing many to confront new mental health challenges.
Researchers noted that anxiety and depression scores fluctuated throughout the pandemic and reflected changes in COVID-19 cases. Throughout the study, they found that the more average daily COVID-19 cases there were, the more people experienced anxiety and depression symptoms.
From August 2020 to December 2020, there was a 13% increase nationwide in anxiety-related symptoms and a 14.8% increase in depression-related symptoms.
“We were really thinking about life or death,” said Dr. Panagiota Korenis, associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “The pandemic has certainly identified the need to not just take physical health in isolation and really needing to emphasize also people’s mental well-being.”
As the COVID vaccine has rolled out, from December 2020 to June 2021, anxiety-related symptoms decreased by 26.8% and depression-related symptoms fell by 24.8%.
However, the severity scores for both illnesses remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“As this is drawing out, we’re seeing the aftermath of a lot of burnout. … I do very much believe that we are in it for the long haul,” Korenis said. “If people take the time to self-reflect, and they’re open to getting help, getting treatment, and taking time to do things that bring them joy, I think that’s really critical.”
Researchers said this study emphasized the need to make mental health resources readily and easily accessible during the pandemic.
The study included more than 1.5 million adults, and took into account 19 different waves of COVID-19 to assess anxiety and depression symptoms with questionnaires and surveys.
Dr. Adela Wu, a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
(BOSTON) — A guilty verdict was reached Friday afternoon in the trial of John Wilson and Gamal Abdelaziz, two wealthy fathers charged with paying bribes to secure prestigious college spots for their kids under false pretenses.
Wilson and Abdelaziz were the first defendants among about five dozen to stand trial in Boston for charges stemming from the sweeping Operation Varsity Blues scheme.
They pleaded not guilty to fraud and bribery conspiracy charges in the case.
Abdelaziz, a former casino executive from Las Vegas, allegedly paid $300,000 to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit even though she didn’t make her high school varsity team.
Wilson, a former Staples executive, allegedly paid $220,000 to have his son designated as a USC water polo recruit and gave an additional $1 million to get his twin daughters into Harvard and Stanford.
While the two men argued they thought their payments to scheme mastermind Rick Singer were legitimate donations, the jury agreed with prosecutors that they amounted to bribes to buy their kids’ way into those schools.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Frank told jurors during closing arguments: “These parents were not willing to take ‘no’ for an answer, and to get to ‘yes’ they crossed a line. In crossing that line, they broke the law.”
Jurors deliberated for nearly 11 hours over two days. Abdelaziz will be sentenced Feb. 16 and Wilson on Feb. 17.
The trial featured audio recordings of phone calls between Singer, who pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the investigation, and each of the men. Prosecutors argued the calls showed that the fathers understood they were partaking in a scheme.
On a phone call where Abdelaziz is heard saying, “Sabrina is loving USC!” Singer also is heard saying, “I’m not going to tell the IRS that your $300,000 was paid to Donna Heinel at USC to get Sabrina into school even though she wasn’t a legitimate basketball player at that level.”
“You’re OK with that right?” Singer asked.
“Of course,” Abdelaziz replied.
“I’m going to say your $300,000 payment was made to our foundation to help underserved kids,” Singer said. “I just want to make sure you’re OK with that.”
“I am,” Abdelaziz replied.
Three other parents are expected to face trials in January, and three coaches are scheduled for trails in November.
Four dozen other defendants, including the actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, opted to plead guilty, and many have already served their sentences.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden has restored the original boundaries of three U.S. national monuments that had their size drastically reduced by former President Donald Trump, saying Friday that Americans must protect the country together.
“These protections provide a bridge to our past, but they also build a bridge to a safer, more sustainable future,” he said.
The White House said Biden’s move “is fulfilling a key promise and upholding the longstanding principle that America’s national parks, monuments, and other protected areas are to be protected for all time and for all people.”
The orders Biden signed on Friday, alongside Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, restore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments in Utah to their original boundaries and will restore protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine Monument in Rhode Island. Biden joked that making the changes “might be the easiest thing I’ve ever done so far as president.”
Haaland, the first Native American to ever serve as a Cabinet secretary, played a leading role in encouraging the restoration of the original boundaries.
“Thank you Mr. president, for the profound action you are taking today to permanently protect the homelands of our ancestors. Our songs, our languages, and our cultures are strong, and many people from many Indian tribes have sung and spoken in unison to protect this sacred place,” she said.
The monuments were created by former President Barack Obama using the Antiquities Act, which allows presidents to create national monuments. Trump was the first president to use that law to reduce protections for a monument.
Trump drastically reduced the size of the two Utah monuments in 2017, calling it an overreach of power to put so much land and resources under the control of the federal government. Native American tribes, conservation groups and scientists opposed the decision, saying the area needed protections to preserve the historic sites and sensitive ecosystems.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, confirmed reports about Biden’s move in a statement on Thursday, saying he’s disappointed about the decision.
Biden said he spoke to both Utah senators — Republicans Mitt Romney and Mike Lee — about the decision.
“The protection of public lands… must not become, I should say, a pendulum that swings back and forth depending on who’s in public office. It’s not a partisan issue,” Biden said in remarks Friday.
Conservation groups applauded Biden’s decision to restore the original boundaries of the monuments, saying it will preserve the important natural, historical and cultural resources in the area and shows respect to Native American tribes who first called for the creation of Bears Ears National Monument.
Starset has premiered another new song from the band’s upcoming album, Horizons.
The latest cut — or, as the sci-fi-themed group refers to them, “transmission” — is called “Earthrise,” and is available now for digital download.
Horizons also includes the previously released tracks “Infected,” “The Breach” and “Leaving This World Behind.” “Infected” currently sits in the top 25 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
You’ll be able listen to all of Horizons when it drops in full on October 22.
Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge revealed earlier this year that he planned to release a live album featuring performances from his stint as an opening act on the Yes-headlined 2019 Royal Affair Tour. Now official details about the record have been announced.
Titled The Royal Affair and After, the album will be released on December 3 on CD and digital formats, with a limited-edition blue-vinyl LP version due out January 28, 2022.
The 10-track collection, which you can pre-order now, features performances by John and his 10,000 Light Years Band from a Las Vegas stop on the tour, as well as select songs recorded during Lodge’s subsequent U.S. solo trek.
The Royal Affair and After includes renditions of several well-known Moody Blues songs written by Lodge, including “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)” and “Rise My See-Saw,” the latter of which features a guest appearance by current Yes frontman Jon Davison.
Also on the album, John pays tribute to his Moody Blues band mates Justin Hayward, Graeme Edge, Mike Pinder and the late Ray Thomas. Davison lends guest lead vocals to a version of the Hayward-penned classic “Nights in White Satin,” while Lodge and his group also perform The Moodies’ “Sunset” and “Legend of a Mind,” written by Pinder and Thomas, respectively.
In addition, The Royal Affair and After boasts a version of the Edge-penned Days of Future Passed interlude “Late Lament,” featuring a recording of Graeme reciting the spoken-word piece made especially for Lodge’s tour.
In other news, Lodge has announced initial dates for a 2022 solo tour that’s currently scheduled to kick off March 16 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Here’s the The Royal Affair and After live album’s full track list:
“Steppin’ in a Slide Zone”
“Saved by the Music”
“Legend of a Mind”
“Sunset”
“Late Lament” (with Graeme Edge)
“Nights in White Satin” (with Jon Davison)
“Gemini Dream”
“Isn’t Life Strange”
“I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)”
“Ride My See-Saw” (with Jon Davison)
