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Sen. Chuck Schumer calls for new elections in Israel, in criticism of PM Netanyahu

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership.  Schumer, D-N.Y., the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. ever, said in remarks on the Senate floor that “the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7.”  He charged that Netanyahu has “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel” and trying to hold his Israeli conservative coalition together during its war against Hamas and is on the verge of losing the sympathy of the world: “the world has changed, radically, since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”

Schumer said that Netanyahu has aligned himself with “far-right extremists” like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who he said are “pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.” Schumer called for the country to make a “course correction” and it cannot survive “if it becomes a pariah” of the world: “five months into the conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course? At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.”

The tone is a change from Schumer’s past remarks, where Schumer defended Israel as the past victims of anti-Semitic activities around the world as well as the right to defend itself and secure its future. Schumer called on Israel to embrace a two-state solution, saying without it that Israel could find itself in a constant state of war:  “[The United States] should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an Israeli government that includes bigots who reject the idea of a Palestinian state.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., denounced Schumer for his remarks, saying after his remarks on the Senate floor that it is “grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson added that“this is not only highly inappropriate, it’s just plain wrong for an American leader to play such a divisive role in Israeli politics while our closest ally in the region is in an existential battle for its very survival.”

In response to Schumer, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the White House is focused on ensuring Israel has the weapons it needs to defend itself “while doing everything that they can to avoid civilian casualties:  Said Kirby: “we’re still focused — laser-focused — on trying to get a temporary ceasefire in place so we can get the hostages out and get more aid into Gaza.”

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SpaceX loses Starship rocket during reentry after successful launch into orbit on test flight

A SpaceX Starship rocket was launched successfully on its third test flight from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, before losing contact on reentry over the Indian Ocean, likely breaking apart. The test flight occurred on SpaceX’s 22nd anniversary, according to a livestream.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hailed its entry into space, writing on X, “Starship reached orbital velocity! Congratulations @SpaceX team!!” and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote on X, “Congrats to @SpaceX on a successful test flight! Starship has soared into the heavens. Together, we are making great strides through Artemis to return humanity to the Moon—then look onward to Mars.”

SpaceX said on Thursday that the unmanned spaceship achieved multiple milestones and was still deemed a success as it advanced further than either of its previous test. During the first test in April 2023, the rocket was forced to self-destruct about three minutes after liftoff when the boosters failed to separate. At approximately 5,000 tons, Musk touted the spaceship as “the largest flying object ever made.” Thursday’s flight spent more than 45 minutes in space before the command center lost contact with the ship.

The rocket is being tested as SpaceX pushes to travel to the moon, and eventually, Mars. The company said: “As the most powerful launch system ever developed, Starship will be able to carry up to 100 people on long-duration, interplanetary flights. Starship will also enable satellite delivery, the development of a Moon base, and point-to-point transport here on Earth.”

The FAA said on Thursday that it would oversee the SpaceX investigation into the “mishap” with the third launch involving the Super Heavy booster and Starship vehicle: “No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is overseeing the SpaceX-led mishap investigation to ensure the company complies with its FAA-approved mishap investigation plan and other regulatory requirements.”

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Country Daypop

2024 CMT Music Awards nominees are announced

CMT has revealed the nominees for the 2024 CMT Music Awards, hosted again this year by Kelsea Ballerini and airing live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. CT on CBS. The 2024 CMT Music Awards will be also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. Performers, presenters and additional details about the show will be announced soon.

Ballerini, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney lead the nominations with three nods a piece. There are 14 first-time nominees across all categories, including Amber Riley, Ashley Cooke, Bret Michaels, Chayce Beckham, Hozier, Koe Wetzel, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tyler Childers, Warren Zeiders, Zach Bryan and 2024 CMT Next Women of Country members Anne Wilson, Ella Langley, The Castellows and Tigirlily Gold.

16 artists are nominated for the coveted ‘Video of the Year’ award in the first round of voting, including Jelly Roll, Jordan Davis and Parmalee making first-time appearances in the category. The top six nominees from the first round of voting for the Video of the Year award will be announced on April 1st; the final three nominees from the second round of voting will be announced on show day, April 7th; and final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.

Voting for nine categories is open now through April 1 at vote.cmt.com.

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Country Daypop

Scotty McCreery to release new album “Rise & Fall”

Scotty McCreery will drop his sixth studio album “Rise & Fall” on May 10th. McCreery shared the news in a short video on social media, writing: “Hey y’all…I’ve heard you. And I’m excited to say that “Slow Dance” is available everywhere TONIGHT at midnight ET…And my new album, Rise & Fall, will be coming out May 10th, which you can also pre-save, pre-add, and pre-order starting tonight at midnight!”

McCreery shared the 12-song LP’s tracklist as well as the cover art for the project, and also dropped the first single from the LP, titled Slow Dance – you can take a listen to the single: here.

To pre-order ‘Rise & Fall’ head here.

Scotty McCreery announces fifth studio album

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Entertainment Daypop

Eugene Levy joins cast of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4

Eugene Levy will appear in Season 4 of “Only Murders in the Building” at Hulu in a recurring role, joining previously announced Season 4 cast members Eva Longoria and Molly Shannon in the comedy series, alongside leads Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Meryl Streep is also set to reprise her role from Season 3.

Exact details of Levy’s role are being kept under wraps and plot details are also scarce for the new season, aside from the fact it is known the three main characters will make a trip to Los Angeles before returning to New York.

Levy won two Emmys for his work on the hit series “Schitt’s Creek,” which he co-created with son Dan Levy. He is also known for his work in the films of Christopher Guest like “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind” and for the “American Pie” film franchise. Levy currently hosts the Apple TV+ travel series “The Reluctant Traveler.”

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Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik to return for ‘Young Sheldon’ series finale

Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik will reprise their roles as Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler in the series finale of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ prequel series, ‘Young Sheldon.’

Parsons, who executive produces and provides voiceover for ‘Young Sheldon’, and Bialik last appeared onscreen together in the May 2019 series finale of The Big Bang Theory.  Additional details about the onscreen couple’s appearance are being kept under wraps ahead of the series finale of the CBS comedy.

Young Sheldon has featured a number of references to ‘Big Bang’, with series stars Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard) and Bialik all previously appearing via voiceover. News of Bialik and Parsons’ onscreen reunion comes shortly after CBS officially confirmed that the franchise would continue with a ‘Young Sheldon’ spinoff series following Emily Osment and Montana Jordan’s characters, Mandy and Georgie.

The series finale for Young Sheldon will air Thursday, May 16, on CBS.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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House passes legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S; sending it to the Senate

The House on Wednesday passed legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S., alleging that the China-based video-sharing app is a national security threat. The House fast-tracked the legislation, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, by bringing it up under a procedure that required the support of two-thirds of members for passage.

The bipartisan vote was 352-65, with one member, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, voting present. 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats voted to approve, while 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voted against the bill. It now heads to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate. President Joe Biden has said that if the bill reaches his desk, he will sign it into law, which would require ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or be banned from U.S. app stores and web-hosting services.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement after the vote: “Communist China is America’s largest geopolitical foe and is using technology to actively undermine America’s economy and security. Today’s bipartisan vote demonstrates Congress’ opposition to Communist China’s attempts to spy on and manipulate Americans, and signals our resolve to deter our enemies.”

TikTok, owned by China-based parent company ByteDance, arguing that the legislation would violate the First Amendment rights of its 170 million U.S. users and harm thousands of small businesses that rely on it. The company said on X: “This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban. We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”  Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also aid in a statement that “despite the lack of evidence proving TikTok poses a threat to US national security, the U.S. has continued to suppress TikTok. This practice of resorting to bullying tactics when unable to win in fair competition disrupts normal business operations, damages international investors’ confidence in the investment environment, and undermines the normal international economic and trade order, ultimately harming the U.S. itself.”

TikTok has repeatedly been targeted by lawmakers seeking to restrict the app over concerns that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over the data of its 170 million American users. However, TikTok has long denied it could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans.

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Hunter Biden declines House Republicans’ invitation to testify publicly

Attorneys for Hunter Biden told lawmakers on Wednesday that President Joe Biden’s son will not attend a public hearing on the House impeachment inquiry into his father that is scheduled for next week.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, wrote in a letter to House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., that his client “declines your invitation to this carnival side show” and will not appear at a March 20 public impeachment hearing. Lowell said: “I must confess my surprise by your hasty request. After that six-plus hour deposition on February 28, 2024, along with the realization that your inquiry was based on a patchwork of conspiracies spun by convicted liars and a charged Russian spy, I thought even you would recognize your baseless impeachment proceeding was dead.”

Lowell said that Republicans requested that Biden appear the day before he is to appear in court in California on a criminal tax charge, citing federal charges against Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant who prosecutors said lied about the Bidens’ involvement in Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Smirnov was re-arrested after prosecutors asserted there was a strong risk Smirnov would use Russian intelligence contacts to flee before his trial. Said Lowell: “Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended.”

Comer said in a statement that the hearing will proceed, and Republicans expect Hunter Biden to participate: “The House Oversight Committee has called Hunter Biden’s bluff. Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come.” Comer added that Hunter Biden confirmed “key evidence,” but contradicted testimony from former business partners who appeared before House investigators:  “The American people demand the truth and accountability for the Bidens’ corruption.”

Comer’s request for Hunter Biden to appear in public comes after he testified behind closed doors in a six-hour deposition on February 28 before members of two House panels. Biden said in an opening statement at the time that he never involved his father in his businesses.

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Country Daypop

Mickey Guyton shares the official video for ‘Woman’

Mickey Guyton recently shared the release of her song “Woman,” her first new music of 2024. Guyton wrote “Woman” with Victor Franco, Oliver Frid, Kameron Glasper and Tayla Parx, in celebration of International Women’s Day. To stream ‘Woman’, head here.

Guyton said in a statement: “I loved the idea of writing a song that celebrates the power women have. Throughout history and even today, women have taken pain, setbacks, and doubt, and they turn that into inner strength, and they persevere to achieve incredible things.” Guyton also shared the story behind the song: “The idea actually came from Tayla (Parx). At the time there was so much going on online about what defined a woman, and there was so many interpretations and the whole internet was ablaze, and we thought it was so important to release a song called ‘Woman’ on International Women’s Day. It’s funny how we wrote it. Tayla was actually in her Tesla driving from New York to L.A., so we literally wrote this song while she was in, while her Tesla was driving to L.A. and it was just a special moment and the song just felt so powerful. We wrote it about two years ago maybe, and so it’s just so really cool to finally seeing it have a little moment.”

Guyton has now dropped the music video for ‘Woman’, directed by Christen Pinkston and Wesley Stebbins-Perry. The video is said to be ‘inspired by and a tribute to women of all shapes and sizes, occupations, and heritages,’ with Guyton appearing in the video with ‘an array of strong women honoring the power within all.’

Take a look at the video for ‘Woman’ – here.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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Country Daypop

Justin Moore, Randy Houser embarking on 2024 co-headlining tour

Justin Moore and Randy Houser will launch their co-headlining Country Round Here Tonight Tour, playing 12 shows this fall.

The Country Round Here Tonight Tour kicks off in Charlotte, NC on September 5th and includes a show at the iconic Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. Moore and Houser will also perform in Raleigh, Philadelphia, Houston and more before wrapping in St. Louis, MO on October 12th.

Moore and Houser recently gave fans a preview of the upcoming joint tour during their surprise performance of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge in Nashville.  Meanwhile,Moore is currently on tour supporting Cody Johnson’s The Leather Tour.

Tickets for the Country Round Here Tonight Tour are on sale now; head to Moore’s website for more information.

Justin Moore & Randy Houser Announce Co-Headlining ‘Country Round Here Tonight’ Tour

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com