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News Daypop

Google has fired 50 employees after protests over Israel cloud contract

Google confirmed it has fired 20 additional workers that it says were involved in protests last week in NYC and Sunnyvale, CA, denouncing the tech giant’s cloud computing deal with the Israeli government, bringing the total number of workers fired to 50 (per CNN).

The group organizing the demonstrations, No Tech for Apartheid, told The Washington Post that Google had fired an additional 20 workers, on top of the 30 workers terminated last week, claiming that some of the workers fired were “non-participating bystanders” during last Tuesday’s sit-in protests at Google’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, and not actively involved in the workplace activism. The statement decried the mass firings as “an aggressive and desperate act of retaliation” by the tech giant. Jane Chung, a spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid, charged Google with trying to quash dissent within the company. The group has led demonstrations over Google and Amazon’s contracts with the Israeli government since 2021.

Google did not give specific numbers of how many were fired, it accused them of being involved in “disruptive activity,” with a spokesperson telling The Hill: “To reiterate, every single one of those whose employment was terminated was personally and definitively involved in disruptive activity inside our buildings. We carefully confirmed and reconfirmed this .. Google values its profits, and its $1.2 billion contract with the Israel government and military more than people.”  Google said it took longer to learn about others participating in the protests because masks partially concealed their identities and they were not wearing badges.

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News Daypop

DOJ announces $139M settlement with victims of ex-Team USA doctor Larry Nassar

The Department of Justice (‘DOJ’) announced on Wednesday said that a civil settlement had been reached with the victims of ex-Team USA doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts — resolving their claims of wrongdoing against the FBI in its failures to investigate allegations of sexual abuse.

ABC News reported that the claims were filed after the department said it was declining to pursue criminal charges against agents whom the DOJ’s inspector general found failed to properly investigate allegations of abuse by Nassar. The watchdog report found the FBI was notified of Nassar’s behavior but failed to act for more than 14 months, a period where Nassar is alleged to have abused at least 40 more girls and women.

Nassar had sexually abused hundreds of victims under the guise of performing medical treatments over the course of nearly two decades, ending in 2016. Once the settlement is finalized, it will resolve 139 tort claims filed against the DOJ and the FBI in 2022 by the long list of athletes and patients who reported abuse by Nassar, including Maggie Nichols, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.

Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a press release: “for decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability. These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset. While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing.”

Nassar, 61, pleaded guilty in 2017 in connection with crimes against several victims and was sentenced to 60 years behind bars for child pornography and other charges, and again pleaded guilty in 2018 and was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years.  He is currently serving a prison term of between 40-175 years for multiple cases of sexual assault involving gymnasts at the school, as well as with USA Gymnastics.

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Go Country 105

Chase Matthew on the success of his debut single, “Love You Again”

With “Love You Again” ascending to the top 20 of the country charts, Chase Matthew is grateful for its success and the new fans his debut single has garnered him.

“It’s really cool to see the [existing] fans and [create] new fans too, because I know the fans that already knew it before it went to radio, they’re really excited to hear it on their radio, you know?” Chase tells ABC Audio. “It’s an accomplishment for everybody, the whole fan base as a whole. So, definitely cool.”

Chase has also observed a shift in the way “Love You Again” is received at live shows as more people become familiar with it through the radio and the viral #BlackDressTrend on TikTok.

“I definitely like singing it live different. It evolves over time,” says Chase. “People are starting to learn all the lines. So some of the lines are becoming more fan-favorite than the normal ones or the obvious ones. So yeah, it’s definitely evolving and we’ve got new versions of it coming too, so it’s awesome.” 

You can find “Love You Again” on Chase’s Warner Music Nashville debut album, Come Get Your Memory, out now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Country Daypop

Kenny Chesney to release limited edition vinyl of new LP, ‘Born’

Kenny Chesney is releasing a limited -edition vinyl of his new album, ‘BORN;’ the 2 LP set will be available on May 24th.

Chesney shares: “I’m lucky. I have fans who still believe in the actual listening experience, starting an album at the beginning and taking the journey the songs are creating. Experiencing and asking ‘how does this music define a moment or a state of life? How does it color or reflect my mind?’ So much of my own life’s been defined by what I was listening to over the years, and still is. That’s a whole different way of consuming music than just a hit. Knowing that, I decided to go ahead and do vinyl. It’s a limited run, but it’s there for all the people who put on albums and make that kind of listening a destination. For anyone who sinks into the songs, this is for you.”

Chesney added: “It’s a lot of music, and a lot of life. I realized all that can be taken in in different ways. While we’re only doing a limited pressing, which will be available at select retail stores and through the website, I wanted this music to be in whatever form No Shoes Nation wants to experience it through…”

Chesney also just kicked off the Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Saturday April 20.   For ticket information, head here.

Fans can pre-order the “BORN” vinyl via the Warner Music Nashville online store – here.

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Country Daypop

Luke Bryan shares the song ‘Love You, Miss You, Mean It’

Luke Bryan has released “Love You, Miss You, Mean It”, which he teased back in February while performing during Country Radio Seminar in Nashville at Universal Music Group Nashville’s annual luncheon, later sharing snippets with his fans on social media.

Per Taste of Country, Bryan co-wrote the track alongside Rhett Akins, Jordan Minton, Jacob Rice and Ben Hayslip, with the romantic single ‘chronologically chronicling the storyline of a short-lived high school love story.’

Bryan shares that the song mirrors part of his love story with his wife, Caroline, sharing in a press release: “The first time I heard the song I felt like so many people would relate to it because we’ve all said that phrase ‘Love You, Miss You, Mean It.’ And the fact that the song just talks about young kids falling in love and the challenges of moving off to college and then finally reuniting is kinda my story with Caroline. I hope y’all love it.”

Take a listen to “Love You, Miss You, Mean It”: here.

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Pop Daypop

Megan Thee Stallion sued by former cameraman for harassment

Megan Thee Stallion’s former cameraman Emilio Garcia filed a lawsuit against her for harassment and creating a hostile work environment in Los Angeles County on Tuesday (April 23). Garcia became the rapper’s cameraman in 2018 and started working full-time for her in 2019. Garcia alleges that the rapper forced him to witness Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, engaging in sexual activities with another woman while confined in a moving vehicle during a trip to Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022. The claim seeks compensation for unpaid wages, interest, statutory penalties, and additional costs.

In an interview with NBC News describing the allegations, Garcia stated, “I felt uncomfortable. I was kind of frozen, and I was shocked. At kind of just be the overall audacity to do this right, right beside me,” recalling how Megan instructed him the next day to keep silent about the incident, saying, “Don’t ever discuss what you saw.”  The suit also accuses Megan of verbal abuse andfat-shaming comments towards Garcia, which he found hypocritical and degrading coming from someone who publicly advocates for body positivity. Garcia’s attorney said he suffered from “mounting anxiety, depression and physical distress stemming from the toxic work environment.”

Garcia was dismissed in June 2023 by Roc Nation (Megan’s management company) just before a scheduled job, who informed him that his services were no longer required. Additional allegations made in the lawsuit include employment and wage violations related to Garcia’s classification as an independent contractor, which purportedly deprived him of necessary healthcare coverage and other benefits.

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Pop Daypop

Dua Lipa drops the video for ‘Illusion’ ahead of upcoming album

Dua Lipa released the music video for her latest single “Illusion,” a new song from her forthcoming album, Radical Optimism, dropping on May 3rd.  ‘Illusion’ is the third single Dua has released of Radical Optimism, following the singles “Houdini” and “Training Season.”

The 28-year-old singer-songwriter celebrated the song’s release on Instagram, writing: “ILLUSION OUT NOW !!!!! I hope you love this song and video as much as we really truly loved and had fun making this. This song started everything for this album sonically and it was the first song I wrote with “the band” (@carolineailin @dannylharle @tobiasjessojr @tameimpala )it has just made me even more excited for Radical Optimism ~ aaaaahhh it’s all bloody kicking off!!! 🌀what a team, thank you I love you !! 💙

The Tanu Muino-directed music video for “Illusion” video shows Lipa perform alongside water polo players and artistic swimmers at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain, as she sings about taking her “rose-colored glasses off” and seeing a love interest for what they are.  Dua said in a press release: “Illusion was the first song we worked on together and it really broke the ice for the record. It’s about the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won’t fall for an illusion.”

The 11-track Radical Optimism album is Dua’s first full-length project since 2020’s Future Nostalgia. To pre-order, head here.
Take a look at the video for ‘Illusion’ – here.

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Go Country 105

Nashville notes: Kellie Pickler performs onstage + Josh Turner's career update

Kellie Pickler made her first public performance since her husband Kyle JacobsFebruary 2023 passing at Monday’s Walkin’ After Midnight: The Music of Patsy Cline tribute show. Held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the event featured a star-studded lineup that included Wynonna Judd, Ashley McBryde, Hailey Whitters and Mickey Guyton. Kellie performed her autobiographical, Patsy Cline-influenced “The Woman I Am,” which she co-wrote with Kyle. You can read more about the American Idol alum’s performance and watch a video of it at etonline.com.

Josh Turner has renewed his recording contract with his longtime label home, MCA Nashville. “Josh Turner has one of the most identifiable voices in country music. His music has touched generations of fans with his rich, deep voice paired with his deep connection to country music, family, faith and his fans,” shares UMG Nashville chair and CEO Cindy Mabe. Josh’s new song, “Heatin’ Things Up,” arrives Friday, April 26.

A new Johnny Cash album, Songwriter, is dropping June 28. The project will showcase Johnny’s songwriting prowess as the sole songwriter of all 11 tracks. Songwriter is available for preorder and presave now. While you wait, check out its first preview track, “Well Alright.”



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Go Country 105

Elle King is dropping new track, “Baby Daddy's Weekend”

Elle King will release a new track, “Baby Daddy's Weekend,” on Friday.

Of the forthcoming song, Elle tells the press, “I've been lucky enough to have lived, loved, and partied with the best of them. I've written songs for every era of my good times. My new song is for the people who deserve a good summer.”

“It's for people who need a break from their kids but miss them when they aren't around. It's for the people working two jobs, the people who never get to put themselves first!” she says of the track, which she co-wrote with Pillbox Patti. “It's a song for all the people who make this world go round. Life isn't always fun and games, but when it is, it's my Baby Daddy's Weekend.”

“Baby Daddy’s Weekend” will follow Elle’s latest album, Come Get Your Wife, which dropped in January 2023. The 13-track record spawned the chart-topping, Miranda Lambert-assisted single, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).”

“Baby Daddy’s Weekend” is available for presave now.

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Go Country 105

Jordan Davis, Old Dominion + more joining Parker McCollum for 2024 ACM Lifting Lives LIVE

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) has tapped more of your favorite country stars for this year’s ACM Lifting Lives LIVE.

Jordan Davis, Old Dominion, Ashley Cooke and Kameron Marlowe will join previously announced headliner Parker McCollum at the May 15 fundraising event.

“I am truly honored that ACM Lifting Lives has given me the opportunity to host the Parker McCollum & Friends: ACM Lifting Lives event this year at Topgolf in The Colony, TX,” says Parker. “The work they do to improve lives through the power of music and the funds they raise are vital to helping folks in and out of our Country music community.”

Tickets are available now at axs.com.

The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards will stream live on Prime Video May 16.

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