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Lamont Replaces Several Key Staff After First Budget Season

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has announced a shakeup in his office staff. It comes after Lamont had some challenges getting lawmakers to support some of his agenda in his first legislative session.




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Lamont Gets Support For Highway Tolls From Mass. And RI Governors

The governors of Rhode Island and Massachusetts encourage Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to pursue his highway toll proposal.




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Suffolk County Legislator Charged With Ethics Violations

Suffolk County prosecutors have charged a county legislator with perjury and ethics violations.




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Public Financing Hearing In New York Overshadowed By Fusion Voting Controversy

The first hearing of a state commission to implement a public campaign finance system for New York’s elections was overshadowed by the issue of whether to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines. Critics of the proposal say Governor Cuomo wants to strike against a left leaning party that he’s been feuding with, something the governor denies.




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Roy Horn Of Siegfried and Roy Dies of COVID-19 At Age 75

Magician and animal trainer Roy Horn, of the legendary Las Vegas duo Siegfied and Roy, died Friday from complications related to COVID-19. Horn tested positive last week. He was 75. "The world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend," Siegfried Fischbacher said of his partner in a statement. "Roy was a fighter his whole life including during these final days. I give my heartfelt appreciation to the team of doctors, nurses and staff at Mountain View Hospital who worked heroically against this insidious virus that ultimately took Roy's life." Roy Horn was born in Germany in 1944. He and Siegfried began their act in Las Vegas in 1967. In 1989 they began a 14-year run at the Mirage Resort performing illusions with exotic animals, making tigers, lions, even elephants vanish and reappear. In October of 2003, Roy Horn was performing with a 400-pound white tiger named Mantecore when the great cat grabbed him by the throat before a stunned audience and dragged him




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Anti-Vaccination Activists Join Stay-At-Home Order Protesters

Protests over stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19 have become more common around the country. In California, a surprising group is behind some of them: those who oppose mandatory vaccinations. On Thursday, a mash-up of people mingled on the sidewalk in front of California's state Capitol in Sacramento. There were Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats and waving American flags. There were Christians, singing along to religious rock songs and raising their hands in prayer. The event's MC. urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to tune into their event. "Everybody up at the Capitol, tell Gavin Newsom [to tune in to] 107.9 FM, if he wants to hear what we have to say," the MC told the crowd over loudspeakers. "It could be kind of good for him!" There were also mothers with their children at the rally. Many people were not wearing face masks or observing social distancing protocols. They'd all come out to protest California's stay-at-home order, put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. This week's




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Chief Medical Officer's Handling Of Coronavirus Inspires Alaskans To #ThinkLikeZink

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to pick up in Alaska, Dr. Anne Zink, the state's chief medical officer, faced a difficult choice. Should she continue in-person meetings and nightly briefings with Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy? Or should she opt for a more socially distant form of engagement? Zink chose the latter, saying she wanted to model the behavior that she has been appealing to residents to follow. She now appears at Dunleavy's briefings by video. And over the past two months, she has become a trusted voice as she urges Alaskans to follow the strict social distancing and other public health guidelines adopted by the state administration — which doctors groups have credited with keeping the state's COVID-19 numbers among the lowest in the country. Zink, who has a Facebook fan club and a #ThinkLikeZink hashtag , isn't the only public health official to acquire a cultlike following during the pandemic: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal infectious disease expert, has inspired a Saturday




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Reopening After COVID: The 3 Phases Recommended By The White House

President Trump wants states to begin relaxing stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses after the spread of the coronavirus pummeled the global economy and killed millions of jobs. The White House coronavirus task force released guidelines on April 16 to encourage state governors to adopt a phased approach to lifting restrictions across the country. Some states have moved ahead without meeting the criteria . The task force rejected a set of additional detailed draft recommendations for schools, restaurants, churches and mass transit systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it considered " overly prescriptive ." A number of states have already begun to lift restrictions, allowing for businesses including hair salons, diners and tattoo parlors to once again begin accepting customers. Health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could result in a potential rebound in cases. States are supposed to wait to begin lifting any restrictions until they have a 14




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Top 5 Moments From The Supreme Court's 1st Week Of Livestreaming Arguments

For the first time in its 231-year history, the Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments remotely by phone and made the audio available live. The new setup went off largely without difficulties, but produced some memorable moments, including one justice forgetting to unmute and an ill-timed bathroom break. Here are the top five can't-miss moments from this week's history-making oral arguments. A second week of arguments begin on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. Here's a rundown of the cases and how to listen. 1. Justice Clarence Thomas speaks ... a lot Supreme Court oral arguments are verbal jousting matches. The justices pepper the lawyers with questions, interrupting counsel repeatedly and sometimes even interrupting each other. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has sat on the bench for nearly 30 years, has made his dislike of the chaotic process well known, at one point not asking a question for a full decade. But with no line of sight, the telephone arguments have to be rigidly organized, and




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Week In Sports: Competitive Cornhole To Air On ESPN, NASCAR Slated To Return

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.




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Women Bear The Brunt Of Coronavirus Job Losses

Very briefly, at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020, there were slightly more women on American nonfarm payrolls than men. That's no longer true. The historically disastrous April jobs report shows that the brunt of job losses fell on women. Women now account for around just under half — 49% — of American workers, and they accounted for 55% of the increase in job losses last month. One way of looking at why that matters that is to look at the gap that opened up between women's and men's unemployment last month. The below chart shows women's unemployment rate minus men's unemployment rate since 2007. Usually, the line bumps around near or just below zero — meaning men's unemployment is usually near or slightly higher than women's. But that spike on the far right shows how women's unemployment leapt to be 2.7 points higher than men's in April. Women had an unemployment rate of 16.2% to men's 13.5% last month. That's uncommon for a recession. The below chart is a longer view, and the




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How The Approval Of The Birth Control Pill 60 Years Ago Helped Change Lives

Updated at 9:44 a.m. ET As a young woman growing up in a poor farming community in Virginia in the 1940 and '50s, with little information about sex or contraception, sexuality was a frightening thing for Carole Cato and her female friends. "We lived in constant fear, I mean all of us," she said. "It was like a tightrope. always wondering, is this going to be the time [I get pregnant]?" Cato, 78, now lives in Columbia, S.C. She grew up in the years before the birth control pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on May 9, 1960. She said teenage girls in her community were told very little about how their bodies worked. "I was very fortunate; I did not get pregnant, but a lot of my friends did. And of course, they just got married and went into their little farmhouses," she said. "But I just felt I just had to get out." At 23, Cato married a widower who already had seven children. They decided seven was enough. By that time, Cato said, the pill allowed the couple to




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U.K. Airlines, Airports Fear 'Devastating Impact' Of Possible Quarantine Rules

Airlines and airport operators in the United Kingdom are not waiting for the British government to publicly confirm their fears. Already, the groups representing major players in the U.K.'s air travel industry are pushing back on a proposal that would require travelers to quarantine after arriving from outside the country. A spokesperson for Airlines UK — a trade body with British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair as members — says the group understands from government officials that plans for a quarantine are in the works, but that details remain scarce at the moment. "We need to see the detail of what they are proposing. Public health must of course be the priority and we will continue to be guided by Sage advice," the group said in a statement emailed to NPR, noting that support measures will be necessary to ensure "that we still have a UK aviation sector once the quarantine period is lifted." "We will be asking for assurances that this decision has been led by the science and that




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County Commission Discussing Working Plans Moving Forward

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners will discuss tonight how they may move forward with county operations amid a COVID-19 crisis.




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Domestic Violence Shelters May See Surge Once COVID-19 Lockdown Is Lifted

Police are responding to an increased number of domestic violence calls during the coronavirus pandemic. An increase had been expected because many women have to shelter-in-place with their abusers. Shelters had prepared for an increase in service requests, but those calls aren't coming as frequently as anticipated. As WEMU'S David Fair found out from Safehouse Center executive director Barbara Niess-May, that is worrisome for a number of reasons.




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Issues Of The Environment: Washtenaw County Flood Greater In 2020

It's been forecast that this spring will be quite wet. That could bring flooding to portions of Washtenaw County. Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner Evan Pratt joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss planning for such issues and the proactive nature of work already underway on this week's "Issues of the Environment."




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#OTGYpsi: Sense Of Community And Encouragement Grows Out Of Ypsilanti COVID-19 Photo Project

It's safe to say that the COVID-19 crisis will be more than a footnote in world history. In fact, a new initiative is underway to see that this moment in time will be never be forgotten and that "we're all in this together." For this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi," WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg talk to local historian Kim Clarke about the "Ypsilanti Coronavirus Digital Archive," a new photo project designed to preserve memories of everyday life during the pandemic.




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The Ride Awarded $20.7 Million In Federal Funding To Help With COVID-19 Costs

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority is getting a boost in funding from the federal government to help cover operational costs during the coronavirus pandemic. We get the details from WEMU’s Taylor Pinson.




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WISD Expecting Decreased Revenue

The Washtenaw Intermediate School District expects to receive less state revenue sharing this year as a result of COVID-19.




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Ann Arbor Police Oversight Continues

The Ann Arbor Independent Community Police Oversight Commission continues to operate during the COVID-19 crisis. Their focus has changed a bit during the pandemic.




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Michigan Republicans Sue Whitmer Over Emergency Powers

The Legislature ’s Republican leaders are suing Governor Gretchen Whitmer . They say she’s exceeded her emergency authority to deal with the COVID-19 health crisis and violated the state constitution . We have more from Rick Pluta.




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Cinema Chat: Giving Tuesday Appreciation, Curbside Concessions, 'Driveways,' And More

In this week's "Cinema Chat," WEMU's David Fair talks to Michigan and State Theater executive director Russ Collins about all of the new flicks and special events the Michigan Theater is providing for your online viewing pleasure this weekend. Plus, they talk about how WEMU and the Michigan Theater fared during this week's National Day of Giving.




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Washtenaw County Commissioners Approve Hazard Pay

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has approved hazard pay for some of the county’s first responders as a result of COVID-19.




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Art & Soul: The Culinary Arts - Local Chefs Get Creative Helping Diners During Health Crisis

Restaurants were one of the first and hardest hit by our current health crisis and looks like they will remain closed for a while. WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with John Reyes of Eater.com about how Washtenaw County restaurants are evolving during the current health crisis and what they are doing to try and still serve customers and maintain their bottom line.




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TheRide Implements Additional Safety Measures During COVID-19

Additional safety measures are being implemented to help protect public transit users from COVID-19.




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State Senator Jeff Irwin Proposes Switching Michigan To A Vote-By-Mail System

State Senator Jeff Irwin wants all future elections to be done entirely with absentee ballots.




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EMU Planning To Have Students Back On Campus For Fall

Eastern Michigan University released information regarding its planning process for the Fall 2020 semester.




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Leaving Billions Behind In 'Lake Success'

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Gary Shteyngart spent a lot of time riding Greyhound buses and hanging out with hedge fund managers to research his new novel, "Lake Success." Barry Cohen, his main character, has lost nearly a billion dollars from his fund, and the feds are on his trail, and his 3-year-old son is diagnosed on the severe end of the autism scale. So Barry Cohen leaves behind his billions, his Amex Black Card, his overwhelmed wife and his ailing child and hits the road with just a few $20 bills in his pocket and his exquisite watch collection. He's in flight from his problems and, like all great road books, maybe in search of himself. Gary Shteyngart, the author of several best-sellers, including "Super Sad True Love Story" and "Absurdistan," joins us from New York. Thanks so much for being with us. GARY SHTEYNGART: Great to be here, thank you. SIMON: You know, I say this with respect - it's been a while since I enjoyed a novel as much that has




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Cajun Navy Volunteer Rescuer On Responding To Storm

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: And Tropical Storm Florence continues to drench the Carolinas. There's flooding, downed trees and buckled roads. Trillions of gallons of water have come down as rain. Nearly a million people are without power. At least five deaths have been linked to the storm. And, of course, rescue efforts are underway at this moment. Todd Terrell is with the Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue group, and he joins us from Wilmington, N.C. Mr. Terrell, Captain Terrell - whatever I call you - thanks so much for being with us. TODD TERRELL: Yes, sir. Thank y'all for having me. SIMON: And what are you seeing? How bad is this? And you have seen a lot. TERRELL: We've seen a lot. Last night, honestly, was about the scariest part I've been with a group of volunteers, even though it wasn't the worst weather we went through. In Wilmington, we - I guess, we caught the tail end of it. And as it came through here, they had some straight-line winds came through




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Red Sox Win AL East, Browns Win A Game And Vontae Davis Retires

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Now it's time for sports. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SIMON: The Red Sox take the AL East. The Cleveland Browns actually win a game. And Vontae Davis of the Buffalo Bills puts on a halftime no-show. Howard Bryant of espn.com and ESPN The Magazine joins us. Howard, thanks so much for being with us. HOWARD BRYANT, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. Is it really that much of a stretch to go from a toilet flushing to a team - The Cleveland Browns that hadn't won a game since 2016. I mean, is it... SIMON: No, no. Had the handoff... BRYANT: ...Really that much of a stretch? SIMON: been there,... BRYANT: (Laughter). SIMON: ...I would have made the turn. Well,... BRYANT: I know you would have. SIMON: Yeah. Well, let's talk about baseball first, though, if we can. The BoSox won the AL East this week with, I don't know, 200 victories or whatever. But is that going to mean much if they get into the playoffs and Chris Sale, their ace pitcher, has an




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W.Va. Plan Would Allow Some Service Members To Vote Via Smartphone

Copyright 2018 West Virginia Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit West Virginia Public Broadcasting . SCOTT SIMON, HOST: When it comes to making voting more secure, cybersecurity experts say the U.S. should move away from electronic voting machines back towards paper ballots. West Virginia's headed in the other direction. That state is experimenting with allowing service members deployed overseas to vote using an app on their smartphone. But as West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Dave Mistich reports, there are some big security concerns about that app. DAVE MISTICH, BYLINE: Here's the challenge for West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner - federal law says military and overseas voters have the right to cast an absentee ballot. But... MAC WARNER: The real issue here is the difficulty it takes to get that absentee ballot to a deployed soldier on a hillside in Afghanistan or to a sailor under a polar ice cap. The U.S. mail simply doesn't reach those places. And so they do have




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Phoenix Residents Respond To Flake And Kavanaugh

Copyright 2018 KJZZ. To see more, visit KJZZ . SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Jeff Flake and Rachel Mitchell, of course, are two of the featured players in this week's emotional and contentious back-and-forth over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. They both happened to be from Arizona. Will Stone of member station KJZZ took to the streets of Phoenix and Tempe to find out what Arizonans are thinking. WILL STONE, BYLINE: Lorraine Pellegrino had no qualms with how Republicans handled Judge Kavanaugh's contentious hearing with his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. LORRAINE PELLEGRINO: We as a party have been extremely accommodating and sensitive. STONE: Pellegrino was not the only one at the fall meeting of her organization, the Arizona Federation of Republican Women, who felt that way. She is proud of how the GOP has handled the confirmation hearings. PELLEGRINO: Including what the special... UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: The prosecutor... PELLEGRINO: ...Prosecutor... UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: ...Did a




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"Babyteeth" - cast: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Emily Barclay, Eugene Gilfedder, Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis, Andrea Demetriades, Charles Grounds, Justin Smith, Arka Das, Priscilla Doueihy, Zack Grech, Georgina Symes, Jack Yabsley

Release date : June 19, 2020
Synopsis : When seriously ill teenager Milla (Eliza Scanlen) falls madly in love with smalltime drug dealer Moses (Toby Wallace), it's her ...




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"The King of Staten Island" - cast: Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, Steve Buscemi, Pamela Adlon, Machine Gun Kelly, Jimmy Tatro, Ricky Velez, Kevin Corrigan, Domenick Lombardozzi, Mike Vecchione, Moises Arias,

Release date : June 12, 2020
Synopsis : Scott (Pete Davidson) has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was seven. ...




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"Becky" - cast: Lulu Wilson, Kevin James, Joel McHale, Amanda Brugel, Robert Maillet

Release date : June 05, 2020
Synopsis : The pic centers on Becky (Lulu Wilson), a rebellious 13-year-old who is brought to a weekend getaway at a lake ...




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"The High Note" - cast: Tracee Ellis Ross, Dakota Johnson, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Zoe Chao, Ice Cube, June Diane Raphael, Bill Pullman, Eddie Izzard, Diplo

Release date : May 29, 2020
Synopsis : Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a ...




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Mark Ronson Enlists Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa for Video Mixtape

The 'Uptown Funk' hitmaker announces live performances by a series of musicians for a new lockdown livestream event which he describes as a video mixtape.




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Shawn Mendes, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande Among Winners at Virtual Kids' Choice Awards

The complete winners for the 2020 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards have been announced at an online event which is hosted by 'Victorious' actress Victoria Justice.




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Camila Cabello Joins All In Challenge With Offer of Cameo Appearance in Music Video

Pearl Jam, in the meantime, takes part in the viral challenge by proposing to fans a chance to write their future setlist and be Eddie Vedder's personal guitar technician.




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Adam Lambert Comes Clean About Christina Aguilera Tour Plan Hampered by Coronavirus

The 'American Idol' alum serving as Queen frontman admits in a social media post that he and the 'Genie in a Bottle' hitmaker had tried to put together Summer tour before the COVID-19 lockdown.




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Cher Finds Herself Lucky Despite Coronavirus Shutdown of 'Here We Go Again' Tour

Using her time in quarantine to rework ABBA's classic 'Chiquitita', the 'Believe' hitmaker will debut her new track on May 8 and release its video as part of UNICEF's COVID-19 Virtual Special.




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Liam Gallagher Blasts Mark Lanegan Over Claim He Left Oasis Tour Due to Their Altercation

Through his tell-all memoir, the former frontman of Screaming Trees brands the 'Wall of Glass' singer 'an obvious poser' for bailing on the 1996 tour after he stood up to the latter's bullying.




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Watch: Doja Cat Treats Fans to Live Performance of 'Say So'

The 'Juicy' rapper releases the video as part of Vevo LIFT program just days after making public a dance visual promo for a remix of her hit song that features Nicki Minaj.




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Camila Cabello, Steve Aoki to Headline TikTok Livestream Supporting Coronavirus Relief

To be kicked off on May 5, the 'Happy at Home: #OneCommunity LIVE' event will run every evening at 8 P.M. ET until Saturday, May 9, on the social media platform.




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Travis Scott Tops Billboard Hot 100 Chart With Kid Cudi Collaboration

'The Scotts' has helped the ex-boyfriend of Kylie Jenner in joining an elite club of stars who have landed multiple No. 1 entrances, including Mariah Carey, Drake and Justin Bieber.




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Beyonce's Mom Loves 'Really Cute' Shout-Out in 'Savage' Remix

Tina Knowles Lawson is pleasantly surprised by her superstar daughter Beyonce Knowles' tribute in the updated version of Megan Thee Stallion's new single.




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Rocker Travis McCready Books America's First Live Concert Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The Bishop Gunn frontman has booked a concert in Arkansas as Governor Asa Hutchinson is relaxing lockdown restrictions in the state amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.




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Demi Lovato Pushes Scooter Braun to Make Tori Kelly Duet Happen

During a chat on Instagram Live, the 'I Love Me' singer and the 'American Idol' alum decide to show off their powerful vocals by performing an a capella duet of her 2016 single 'Stone Cold'.




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Katy Perry and Christina Aguilera Added to 'Disney Family Singalong: Volume II' Line-Ups

The sequel to Disney Family Singalong will be aired on Mother's Day with Jennifer Hudson and John Legend set to deliver their version of the 'Beauty and the Beast' theme.




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Ariana Grande Bothered by Carole Baskin Cameo in Justin Bieber's Duet Video Teaser

Counting down to the release of 'Stuck With U' music video, the 'Yummy' hitmaker puts out on social media a clip of the 'Tiger King' star slow-dancing with her husband Howard.