Month: January 2022

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News Daypop

Twitter permanently suspends Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account for spreading COVID-19 misinformation

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal Twitter account has been suspended for repeated violations of the platform’s policies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.  Greene still has access to her official congressional account — @RepMTG — which was not found to have violated the company policies. A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement: “We permanently suspended the account you referenced(@mtgreenee) for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy. We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy.”  Greene had shared a tweet Saturday that included a misleading chart created from unverified data pulled from a government database.  The post falsely said that there have been “extremely high amounts of COVID vaccine deaths.”

Twitter introduced its strike system in March to “educate the public on our policies and further reduce the spread of potentially harmful and misleading information on Twitter.” The strike system features five levels, with an escalating series of locks on a user’s Twitter account, beginning with a 12-hour suspension after receiving a second strike.  The 47-year-old Greene had landed her fifth strike after Twitter issued her the fourth one in August, suspending her account for a week. In the past, Greene has been suspended for publishing false information about COVID-19 vaccinations and wearing face masks.

Editorial credit: Fabio Principe / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive for COVID-19

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed in a statement on Sunday evening that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Austin, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, said:  “I tested positive this morning for COVID-19. I requested the test today after exhibiting symptoms while at home on leave.”  He added that his symptoms are mild and he is following his physician’s directions, referring to the CDC’s recently-updated isolation guidelines: “In keeping with those directions, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine myself at home for the next five days.”

Austin said he will be attending virtual meetings if possible while in quarantine: “I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President. My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week.” Austin said that his last meeting with President Biden was on Dec. 21, “more than a week before I began to experience symptoms. I tested negative that very morning. I have not been in the Pentagon since Thursday, where I met briefly – and only – with a few members of my staff. We were properly masked and socially distanced throughout.”

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Categories
Go Country 105

Darius Rucker relishes returning to the road & the enthusiasm of the fans

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Darius Rucker doesn’t hesitate at all when asked to consider the best moments of the past year.

“The highlight of 2021 was getting back on the road,” the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman tells ABC Audio. “You know, after being off for almost two years, actually going out and playing shows again was definitely the highlight of this year.”

In February, the South Carolina native is set to launch his Darius Rucker Live tour of iconic, intimate theaters, building on the intensity he felt from audiences in 2021.

“The fans have always been great, and my shows have always been fun parties and everything,” he explains. “But it just seems like it’s a whole new level now.”

“Everybody’s there to have fun from the first note to the last,” Darius continues. “And you could just tell people were so glad to be back out there seeing shows and being a part of that that, they just want to soak it all in.”

“So, yeah, the fan enthusiasm’s definitely up,” he adds. 

2021 also found Darius topping the charts with his tenth solo number one, “Beers and Sunshine,” which he followed with “My Masterpiece.” Both are from his follow-up to 2017’s When Was the Last Time, which should arrive sometime in 2022.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Country Daypop

Dolly Parton pays tribute to the late Betty White

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Dolly Parton took to social media to pay tribute to Betty White, who died on Friday morning (Dec. 31) at the age of 99. In a post on Saturday morning (Jan. 1) on Twitter, Parton says White “will live forever.”  She tweeted: “While watching the news last night I learned of Betty White’s passing. Betty will live forever not only in this world but the world here after. I will always love her as we all will!”   The feeling was mutual.  In a 2010 interview, White revealed that she was a country music fan, adding that Parton’s “9 to 5” was one of her favorite songs.  Said Betty: “I like Dolly’s whole approach to life with ongoing and uplifting songs. I never met Dolly but everything I ever heard about her she was a great gal to know and you could kind of get it in her music and her voice and her approach to lyrics.”

White was a television pioneer, becoming one of the first women to take control of her own career in a male-dominated industry. She became the first woman to produce a sitcom, and her work in sitcoms, as well as her extensive appearances on TV game shows, earned her eight Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Grammy Award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Television Hall of Fame inducted White in 1985.

White also devoted much of her life to animal activism. She “died peacefully in her sleep” at her home on Friday morning, her agent, Jeff Witjas, said in a statement.  White would have celebrated her 100th birthday on Jan. 17.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Kane Brown and wife Katelyn welcome surprise second baby, daughter Kodi Jane

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Kane Brown and his wife Katelyn surprised fans by welcoming their second daughter on Thursday in a Nashville hospital. “New Year, new family member,” Brown wrote on social media. “Welcome to the family Kodi Jane. Secret (is) finally out.”  Kodi weighed 7 lbs., 9 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. She joins big sister Kingsley Rose, 2.  Katelyn posted:  “Blessed with another beautiful angel Kodi Jane Brown… we love you so much 💕”

Kane and Katelyn Brown didn’t disclose the pregnancy.The couple married in October 2018 and welcomed their first child, daughter Kingsley Rose, one year later. This time around, the Browns chose to keep their pregnancy with Kodi private.

Shortly after their daughter was born, Brown opened up about wanting to have more children, adding that he hopes to also add a son to the family one day: “Kingsley has changed my life. She smiles at me and my heart melts.  I want a boy, too. I want a boy and a girl.”  However on Saturday, Brown embraced being a #girldad and added a family maternity photo to his Instagram, captioning it, “Been holding on to these pics ❤ I’ve always wanted a son until I had Kingsley and now I’m good with all my girls 😘”

Kane Brown and Wife Katelyn Welcome Baby Daughter Kodi Jane

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Janet Jackson documentary “Janet” shares new trailer, reveals release date

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A&E and Lifetime revealed that the first episode in their two-part documentary about Janet Jackson —titled “Janet” — will premiere on Jan. 28.   Made in cooperation with Jackson herself, Lifetime also shared a new three-minute trailer for Janet, which is being described as an “intimate, honest, and unfiltered look” at Jackson’s life and career.

The trailer also reveals many of the artists who were interviewed for the documentary: Missy Elliott, Janelle Monae (who also inducted Janet into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Mariah Carey, Teyana Taylor, Tyler Perry, and many more.  Janet also features exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage from throughout Jackson’s childhood and career, with the documentary taking her back to her hometown of Gary, Indiana to her independence with ‘Rhythm Nation’.  The documentary also touches on her infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction, as well as her close relationship with her late brother Michael, who she simply refers to as “Mike.”

The four-hour long Janet, which was “five years in the making,” was executive produced by both Janet and her brother Randy Jackson, and directed by Ben Hirsch. The documentary arrives on what marks the 40th anniversary of Jackson’s 1982 self-titled debut LP.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Charli XCX shares preview of her collaboration with Rina Sawayama

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Charli XCX has shared a new snippet of her long-promised Rina Sawayama collab. Charli shared another sneak peak earlier this month; included in it was a text exchange between herself and Sawayama, wherein the latter boasted that “our voices work so well together”. Charli echoed her excitement, telling Sawayama that she “seriously crushed it”.  Charli’s new preview of the as-yet-untitled track was shared in a TikTok video. “That’s that,” Charli said, gigging into the camera. “You don’t need anymore of that.”  You can take a look at the TikTok – here.

The collaborative track is set to appear on Charli’s forthcoming fifth studio album, ‘Crash’, which will drop March 18.  Charli has already shared two singles from ‘Crash’ thus far: ‘Good Ones’ (which she later had remixed by Perfume Genius) and ‘New Shapes’ (which featured Christine And The Queens and Caroline Polachek).

Shortly after the album’s release, Charli will take ‘Crash’ on the road for a world tour through North America, the UK and Europe. Charli is also gearing up to release a documentary about the making of her last album, ‘How I’m Feeling Now’, titled Alone Together, coming to theaters in January.

Charli XCX Previews Rina Sawayama Collaboration [Listen]

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