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Pop Daypop

Rihanna welcomes a baby boy with A$AP Rocky

Rihanna is officially a mom, giving birth to her first child – a baby boy – with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky on May 13 in Los Angeles, according to TMZ. Rihanna and A$AP have been dating since early 2020. They went public with their romance in November of that same year.

Rihanna’s pregnancy was revealed in late January after photographs emerged of the singer, 34, showing off her baby bump as she went for a stroll with Rocky, 33, in Harlem. A month before revealing the pregnancy, Rihanna had sparked rumors while dining at Carbone, with a source telling us she was “quite clearly drinking sparkling water and openly rubbing her baby bump.” The Fenty Beauty founder attempted to hide her pregnancy with oversize jackets and baggy clothes but began flaunting her baby bump with her trendy, maternity fashion.

A$AP Rocky — real name Rakim Mayers — opened up about one day becoming a dad during a May 2021 interview with GQ, saying, “I think I’d be an incredible, remarkably overall amazing dad. I would have a very fly child. Very.”

Editorial credit: Cubankite / Shutterstock.com

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Go Country 105

Nashville notes: Brian Kelley, Josh Turner and more

A new round of guest artists has been announced for Brian Kelley's May We All musical; among them are Michael Ray, Breland, Lainey Wilson and Lindsay Ell.

Josh Turner is celebrating the 19th anniversary of the release off his “Long Black Train” music video, and he rereleased it in high definition to mark the occasion.

Craig Morgan has been inducted into the U.S. Field Artillery Hall of Fame. A 17-year Army and Army Reserves veteran, Craig has scored country hits with songs like “Redneck Yacht Club” and “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost.”

It's officially been 30 years since Billy Ray Cyrus released his debut album, Some Gave All, featuring the hit “Achy Breaky Heart.” He marked the occasion on social media, giving special thanks to military service members who inspired the album title.

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Go Country 105

Brad Paisley's first band consisted of “senior citizens”: “My friends called them The Seniles”

Brad Paisley may be a big country star these days, but like a lot of his peers in the music business, he got his start as a young kid playing in bars before he was even old enough to drink.

Brad was 13, but his bandmates were on the opposite end of the age spectrum, he said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week. “I was this little guy that had a band of senior citizens,” he said.

“We were named the C-Notes, because that was our fee, $100,” Brad explains. “And my friends called them The Seniles. They were all Korean War veterans that were playing with me. It was an amazing experience.”

While the music was incredible, Brad admits that the onstage fashion left a lot to be desired. “They dressed me, too, which was kind of the problem. I sort of dressed like them,” he said.

Brad is one of several country stars making one final visit to the Ellen stage before the show ends at the conclusion of this season. For Brad, it's a sentimental visit: He's been going on the talk show ever since its first season.

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Go Country 105

Tim McGraw + Faith Hill probably won't reprise their '1883' characters

1883, the Paramount+ prequel to Yellowstone, might be complete, but the world of the show lives on — not only in its original Yellowstone setting, but also in a newly announced prequel, called 1932.

Still, fans of the show probably won't see Tim McGraw or Faith Hill on screen anytime soon. The country superstars recently told Entertainment Tonight that their characters, James and Margaret Dutton, are probably best left back in 1883.

“Oh, I don't know,” Tim said. “I think we like Margaret and James to sort of live in that atmosphere they created for 1883.”

That doesn't mean they're not sad to say goodbye — both Tim and Faith have spoken at length about how much they loved being a part of the show. But now it's time to make room for a new cast of characters, and for 1932, that means welcoming new stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

“They should know it's going to be one of the most incredible experiences of their lives — of their careers,” Faith said. “The people that work on the set, behind the scenes — they're gonna be well taken care of. It's the best of the best.”

The next Yellowstone prequel, 1932, will debut on Paramount+ in December.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Jimmie Allen hopes his success is “motivation” for people to chase their dreams

Jimmie Allen earned back-to-back chart-topping hits with his last two singles — “Make Me Want To” and the Brad Paisley duet “Freedom Was a Highway.” As he reflected on the achievement, he said he hopes he can be a source of inspiration.

“It feels great,” he said at an event celebrating the two hits, according to CMT. “Hopefully, it's motivation for people not to be afraid to chase things, even when it's different.”

As a Black country artist who's not afraid to mix other styles and genre influences into his work, Jimmie knows that he doesn't always fit the mold of what people expect a country star to be. But he's found success by following his inner muse, he said, and that sometimes means taking a song's chart placement with a grain of salt.

“No matter where the song is on a chart, it's not a real representation of what the song is doing for people because I know a lot of songs that were #1 but not hit songs,” he said. “I know a lot of hit songs that never reach #1.”

The true measure of success, he said, is in the fan engagement.

“I just kind of grade the song based off when I play shows, how many people sing it back?” he adds. “How many messages do I get?”

This summer, Jimmie will apply that approach to a whole new musical chapter. His next album, Tulip Drive, is coming out in June, and he'll take its songs on the road when he goes on tour with Carrie Underwood for her Denim & Rhinestones Tour.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Dierks Bentley + Elle King's “Worth a Shot” goes Wild West in new music video

Dierks Bentley and Elle King dive into the world of an 1800s-era Wild West town in the music video for their new duet, “Worth a Shot.”

The pair play a husband and wife drawn apart by Dierks’ gambling and outlaw ways. Elle catches wind of his misdeeds while she's at home with their baby — played by her real-life 8-month-old son, Lucky — but it turns out she's not quite the demure housewife she seems.

Cue a fun, 3 1/2-minute mini movie, which features a seedy saloon, Elle in disguise as a man and — ultimately — a reunion for the pair.

Elle came up for the concept of the music video in collaboration with directors Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone. At the end of the video, a director calls “cut,” and Elle and Dierks snap out of their Wild West selves, going back to being the artists and pals who collaborated on the song.

“Can we drink now?” Elle says, cracking up. “Was yours real whiskey or water?” Dierks says, referencing the shots they'd taken in a drinking contest in a prior scene. “I have actually been drinking alcohol this whole time,” Elle jokes.

“I'm going back to the brothel,” Dierks responds, standing up and walking out of the frame.

Dierks and Elle may not be real-life outlaws, but they are real-life pals: “Worth a Shot” is their second collaboration, following 2016's “Different for Girls.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

The Judds 2022 Tour will go on, with a star-studded new lineup featuring Faith Hill, Little Big Town + more

Before Naomi Judd's unexpected death in late April, she and her daughter Wynonna had made plans to launch a fall 2022 tour as legendary country act The Judds.

At Naomi's public memorial concert last weekend, Wynonna announced that The Judds: The Final Tour will continue, adding that it's what her mother would have wanted. Now, new details are emerging about the lineup for the re-imagined tour dates, which are scheduled to begin September 30 and last through the month of October.

The show is being reimagined as an all-star girls' night, with performances from Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood and Brandi Carlile. Martina McBride — who was originally scheduled to be the opener on the tour — is still on the bill, and she'll perform a set of her own music during the supporting act slot each night.

Additionally, a final arena stop in Lexington, Kentucky has been added to the tour for October 29. That's a particularly meaningful spot to close the show, as Kentucky is Wynonna and Naomi's home state. Faith Hill will join the bill for that date.

In a statement, Wynonna thanked fans for their outpouring of support and interest in attending the shows, even though the lineup will look very different than originally planned.

“I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38+ years, who continue to show up for me when I need them the most,” she said. “I am grateful that we will continue to honor the Judds legacy together.”

“I am so happy that in this time of grief for us all, Wynonna has agreed to move forward with this tour,” added Larry Strickland, Naomi's husband of 30+ years, “as my sweet wife Naomi would have wanted her to do.”

A limited number of tickets are still available for stops on The Judds: The Final Tour. Tickets for the Lexington, Kentucky show go on sale May 21.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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News Daypop

House Judiciary Committee holds hearing on the future of abortion care access

On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on abortion rights in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion indicating five justices are poised to reverse Roe vs. Wade. Abortion-rights supporters said that right is an individual liberty; while anti-abortion activists said there is no individual liberty unless government prevents abortions.

Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. said in opening remarks: “The decision to become a parent belongs to the individual. She may consult with her doctor or her loved ones to inform that decision, but the decision belongs to her.” Nadler said overturning Roe vs. Wade would take that power away from women and give it to the state: “Bodily autonomy is a prerequisite for liberty.”

Committee ranking member Rep Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, disagreed, stating in his opening remarks: “You never have a real liberty, you never have true freedom, if government won’t protect your most fundamental right, your right to live.”  Jordan also said Democrats in the House have blocked the House from considering a Senate-passed measure providing extra security for Supreme Court justices as the justices face protests at their homes over the leaked opinion.

Americans United For Life President and CEO Catherine Glenn Foster told the House Judiciary Committee: “The truth is, abortion is always damaging and deadly. To speak for the violence of abortion is to speak for injustice.” Foster said the anti-abortion rights movement wants “a true constitutional order that equally protects all members of the human family.”

University of California Irvine School of Law Professor Michelle Goodwin told the House Judiciary Committee that if Roe vs. Wade abortion rights are lost, poor women will suffer most: “For poor women, particularly women of color, the loss will be deadly. This is the coming of the new Jane Crow.”  Professor Goodwin said that over the past 15 years there have been nearly 50 bombings of abortion clinics, where doctors, nurses and security guards have been killed. in addition to threats and mass shootings at abortion clinics.

Editorial credit: Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

Ex-Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane pleads guilty to manslaughter in the death of George Floyd

One of the Minneapolis police officers involved in the deadly arrest of George Floyd two years ago has pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of aiding and abetting manslaughter in Floyd’s death.

The former police officer, Thomas Lane, entered the plea to second-degree manslaughter in Hennepin County court to Judge Peter Cahill, the same judge that presided over the criminal trial of Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for close to 10 minutes and caused his death during an arrest; he was convicted last year on state murder and manslaughter charges and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.

Lane pleaded guilty on Wednesday in exchange for a three-year prison sentence to be served concurrently with his federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. That sentence has not yet been imposed. Also as part of the plea, prosecutors will drop a charge of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder.

Former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng are also scheduled to stand trial next month on state charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. All three were found guilty in federal court in February of violating Floyd’s civil rights during the May 2020 arrest. Last week, a federal judge accepted a plea deal for Chauvin in which the former officer will receive a sentence of between 20 and 25 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Editorial credit: CHOONGKY / Shutterstock.com

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Go Country 105

Ingrid Andress' favorite hobby includes flowers, hearts and 'raunchy' rap lyrics: “It's just so funny to me”

When Ingrid Andress isn't writing new songs or touring, you can probably find her enjoying a hobby she picked up as a home-schooled kid: cross-stitching.

“I used to cross-stich when I was younger, and now I love cross-stitching rap lyrics,” the singer says. “It's just so funny to me. I don't know why my brain thinks that's hilarious, but cross-stitching weird, raunchy rap lyrics with, like, flowers and hearts around [them] just brings me so much joy, and I have no idea why.”

Hopefully Ingrid's friends and family feel the same way — she says she likes to spread that joy around, especially during the holidays.

“I used to do them as Christmas gifts,” she continues, explaining that she either keeps it in the hoop she uses to make it so the gift recipient can hang it on their wall, or she cross-stitches a pillow or napkin for them.

Ingrid says she's waiting for the perfect cross-stitch craft to make for herself. “I haven't kept one for me yet. Usually I just give them away,” she continues.

Ingrid may be cross-stitching in her free time, but she's currently hard at work on musical pursuits. She released her latest new song, “Seeing Someone Else,” earlier this month.

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