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Tag: country

  • Commentary: As Trump blows up supposed narco boats, he uses an old, corrupt playbook on Latin America

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    Consumer confidence is dropping. The national debt is $38 trillion and climbing like the yodeling mountain climber in that “The Price is Right” game. Donald Trump’s approval ratings are falling and the U.S. is getting more and more restless as 2025 comes to a close.

    What’s a wannabe strongman to do to prop up his regime?

    Attack Latin America, of course!

    U.S. war planes have bombed small ships in international waters off the coast of Venezuela and Colombia since September with extrajudicial zeal. The Trump administration has claimed those vessels were packed with drugs manned by “narco-terrorists” and have released videos for each of the 10 boats-and-counting it has incinerated to make the actions seem as normal as a mission in “Call of Duty.”

    “Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media and who just ordered an aircraft carrier currently stationed in the Mediterranean to set up shop in the Caribbean. It’ll meet up with 10,000 troops stationed there as part of one of the area’s biggest U.S. deployments in decades, all in the name of stopping a drug epidemic that has ravaged red America for the past quarter century.

    This week, Trump authorized covert CIA actions in Venezuela and revealed he wants to launch strikes against land targets where his people say Latin American cartels operate. Who cares whether the host countries will give permission? Who cares about American laws that state only Congress — not the president — can declare war against our enemies?

    It’s Latin America, after all.

    The military buildup, bombing and threat of more in the name of liberty is one of the oldest moves in the American foreign policy playbook. For more than two centuries, the United States has treated Latin America as its personal piñata, bashing it silly for goods and not caring about the ugly aftermath.

    “It is known to all that we derive [our blessings] from the excellence of our institutions,” James Monroe concluded in the 1823 speech that set forth what became known as the Monroe Doctrine, which essentially told the rest of the world to leave the Western Hemisphere to us. “Ought we not, then, to adopt every measure which may be necessary to perpetuate them?”

    Our 19th century wars of expansion, official and not, won us territories where Latin Americans lived — Panamanians, Puerto Ricans, but especially Mexicans — that we ended up treating as little better than serfs. We have occupied nations for years and imposed sanctions on others. We have propped up puppets and despots and taken down democratically elected governments with the regularity of the seasons.

    The culmination of all these actions were the mass migrations from Latin America that forever altered the demographics of the United States. And when those people — like my parents — came here, they were immediately subjected to a racism hard-wired into the American psyche, which then justified a Latin American foreign policy bent on domination, not friendship.

    Nothing rallies this country historically like sticking it to Latinos, whether in their ancestral countries or here. We’re this country’s perpetual scapegoats and eternal invaders, with harming gringos — whether by stealing their jobs, moving into their neighborhoods, marrying their daughters or smuggling drugs — supposedly the only thing on our mind.

    That’s why when Trump ran on an isolationist platform last year, he never meant the region — of course not. The border between the U.S. and Latin America has never been the fence that divides the U.S. from Mexico or our shores. It’s wherever the hell we say it is.

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro Urrego addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23 at U.N. headquarters.

    (Pamela Smith / Associated Press)

    That’s why the Trump administration is banking on the idea that it can get away with its boat bombings and is salivating to escalate. To them, the 43 people American missile strikes have slaughtered on the open sea so far aren’t humans — and anyone who might have an iota of sympathy or doubt deserves aggression as well.

    That’s why when Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. of murder because one of the strikes killed a Colombian fisherman with no ties to cartels, Trump went on social media to lambaste Petro’s “fresh mouth,” accuse him of being a “drug leader” and warn the head of a longtime American ally he “better close up these killing fields [cartel bases] immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”

    The only person who can turn down the proverbial temperature on this issue is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who should know all the bad that American imperialism has wrought on Latin America. The U.S. treated his parents’ homeland of Cuba like a playground for decades, propping up one dictator after another until Cubans revolted and Fidel Castro took power. A decades-long embargo that Trump tightened upon assuming office the second time has done nothing to free the Cuban people and instead made things worse.

    Instead, Rubio is the instigator. He’s pushing for regime change in Venezuela, chumming it up with self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and cheering on Trump’s missile attacks.

    “Bottom line, these are drug boats,” Rubio told reporters recently with Trump by his side. “If people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.”

    You might ask: Who cares? Cartels are bad, drugs are bad, aren’t they? Of course. But every American should oppose every time a suspected drug boat launching from Latin America is destroyed with no questions asked and no proof offered. Because every time Trump violates yet another law or norm in the name of defending the U.S. and no one stops him, democracy erodes just a little bit more.

    This is a president, after all, who seems to dream of treating his enemies, including American cities, like drug boats.

    Few will care, alas. It’s Latin America, after all.

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    Gustavo Arellano

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  • President Trump says he’s ending trade talks with Canada over TV ad

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    President Donald Trump said late Thursday that he was ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions.The post on Trump’s social media site came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s call for an abrupt end to negotiations could further inflame trade tensions that already have been building between the two neighboring countries for months.Related video above: Earlier this month, Trump explained why a deal with Canada is complicatedTrump posted, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”“The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”Carney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The prime minister was set to leave Friday morning for a summit in Asia, while Trump is set to do the same Friday evening.Earlier Thursday night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute posted on X that an ad created by the government of Ontario “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.” It added that Ontario did not receive foundation permission “to use and edit the remarks.”The foundation said it is “reviewing legal options in this matter” and invited the public to watch the unedited video of Reagan’s address.Carney met with Trump earlier this month to try to ease trade tensions, as the two countries and Mexico prepare for a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — a trade deal Trump negotiated in his first term, but has since soured on.More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.Trump said earlier this week that he had seen the ad on television and said that it showed that his tariffs were having an impact.“I saw an ad last night from Canada. If I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also,” he said then.In his own post on X last week, Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, posted a link to the ad and the message: “It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.”He continued, “Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.”A spokesperson for Ford didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night. But Ford previously got Trump’s attention with an electricity surcharge to U.S. states. Trump responded by doubling steel and aluminum tariffs.The president has moved to impose steep U.S. tariffs on many goods from Canada. In April, Canada’s government imposed retaliatory levies on certain U.S. goods — but it carved out exemptions for some automakers to bring specific numbers of vehicles into the country, known as remission quotas.Trump’s tariffs have especially hurt Canada’s auto sector, much of which is based in Ontario. This month, Stellantis said it would move a production line from Ontario to Illinois

    WASHINGTON —

    President Donald Trump said late Thursday that he was ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions.

    The post on Trump’s social media site came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s call for an abrupt end to negotiations could further inflame trade tensions that already have been building between the two neighboring countries for months.

    Related video above: Earlier this month, Trump explained why a deal with Canada is complicated

    Trump posted, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”

    “The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

    Carney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The prime minister was set to leave Friday morning for a summit in Asia, while Trump is set to do the same Friday evening.

    Earlier Thursday night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute posted on X that an ad created by the government of Ontario “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.” It added that Ontario did not receive foundation permission “to use and edit the remarks.”

    The foundation said it is “reviewing legal options in this matter” and invited the public to watch the unedited video of Reagan’s address.

    Carney met with Trump earlier this month to try to ease trade tensions, as the two countries and Mexico prepare for a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — a trade deal Trump negotiated in his first term, but has since soured on.

    More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.

    Trump said earlier this week that he had seen the ad on television and said that it showed that his tariffs were having an impact.

    “I saw an ad last night from Canada. If I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also,” he said then.

    In his own post on X last week, Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, posted a link to the ad and the message: “It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.”

    He continued, “Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.”

    A spokesperson for Ford didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night. But Ford previously got Trump’s attention with an electricity surcharge to U.S. states. Trump responded by doubling steel and aluminum tariffs.

    The president has moved to impose steep U.S. tariffs on many goods from Canada. In April, Canada’s government imposed retaliatory levies on certain U.S. goods — but it carved out exemptions for some automakers to bring specific numbers of vehicles into the country, known as remission quotas.

    Trump’s tariffs have especially hurt Canada’s auto sector, much of which is based in Ontario. This month, Stellantis said it would move a production line from Ontario to Illinois

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  • 9th Circuit rethinks ruling that bolstered Trump’s authority to deploy troops

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    Three of the country’s most powerful judges met in Pasadena on Wednesday for a rare conclave that could rewrite the legal framework for President Trump’s expansive deployment of troops to cities across the United States.

    The move to flood Los Angeles with thousands of federalized soldiers over the objection of state and local leaders shocked the country back in June. Five months later, such military interventions have become almost routine.

    But whether the deployments can expand — and how long they can continue — relies on a novel reading of an obscure subsection of the U.S. code that determines the president’s ability to dispatch the National Guard and federal service members. That code has been under heated debate in courts across the country.

    Virtually all of those cases have turned on the 9th Circuit’s decision in June. The judges found that the law in question requires “a great level of deference” to the president to decide when protest flashes into rebellion, and whether boots on the ground are warranted in response.

    On Wednesday, the same three judge panel — Jennifer Sung of Portland, Eric D. Miller of Seattle and Mark J. Bennett of Honolulu — took the rare move of reviewing it, signaling a willingness to dramatically rewrite the terms of engagement that have underpinned Trump’s deployments.

    “I guess the question is, why is a couple of hundred people engaging in disorderly conduct and throwing things at a building over the course of two days of comparable severity of a rebellion?” said Miller, who was appointed to the bench in Trump’s first term. “Violence is used to thwart the enforcement of federal law all the time. This happens every day.”

    The question he posed has riven the judicial system, splitting district judges from appellate panels and the Pacific Coast from the Midwest. Some of Trump’s judicial appointees have broken sharply with their colleagues on the matter, including on the 9th Circuit. Miller and Bennett appear at odds with Ryan D. Nelson and Bridget S. Bade, who expanded on the court’s June ruling in a decision Monday that allowed federalized troops to deploy in Oregon.

    Most agreethat the statute itself is esoteric, vague and untested. Unlike the Insurrection Act, which generations of presidents have used to quell spasms of violent domestic unrest, the law Trump invoked has almost no historical footprint, and little precedent to define it.

    “It’s only been used once in the history of our country since it was enacted 122 years ago,” California Solicitor General Samuel Harbourt told the court Wednesday.

    Attorneys from both sides have turned to legal dictionaries to define the word “rebellion” in their favor, because the statute itself offers no clues.

    “Defendants have not put forward a credible understanding of the term ‘rebellion’ in this litigation,” Harbourt told the panel Wednesday. “We’re continuing to see defendants rely on this interpretation across the country and we’re concerned that the breadth of the definition the government has relied on … includes any form of resistance.”

    The wiggle room has left courts to lock horns over the most basic facts before them — including whether what the president claims must be provably true.

    In the Oregon case, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut of Portland, another Trump appointee, called the president’s assertions about a rebellion there “untethered to the facts.”

    But a separate 9th Circuit panel overruled her, finding the law “does not limit the facts and circumstances that the President may consider” when deciding whether to use soldiers domestically.

    “The President has the authority to identify and weigh the relevant facts,” the court wrote in its Monday decision.

    Nelson went further, calling the president’s decision “absolute.”

    Upon further review, Sung signaled a shift to the opposite interpretation.

    “The court says when the statute gives a discretionary power, that is based on certain facts,” she said. “I don’t see the court saying that the underlying decision of whether the factual basis exists is inherently discretionary.”

    That sounded much more like the Midwest’s 7th Circuit decision in the Chicago case, which found that nothing in the statute “makes the President the sole judge of whether these preconditions exist.”

    “Political opposition is not rebellion,” the 7th Circuit judges wrote. “A protest does not become a rebellion merely because the protestors advocate for myriad legal or policy changes, are well organized, call for significant changes to the structure of the U.S. government, use civil disobedience as a form of protest, or exercise their Second Amendment right to carry firearms as the law currently allows.”

    The Trump administration’s appeal of that decision is currently before the Supreme Court on the emergency docket.

    But experts said even a high court ruling in that case may not dictate what can happen in California — or in New York, for that matter. Even if the justices ruled against the administration, Trump could choose to invoke the Insurrection Act or another law to justify his next moves, an option that he and other officials have repeatedly floated in recent weeks.

    The administration has signaled its desire to expand on the power it already enjoys, telling the court Wednesday there was no limit to where troops could be deployed or how long they could remain in the president’s service once he had taken control of them.

    “Would it be your view that no matter how much conditions on the ground changed, there would be no ability of the district court or review — in a month, six months, a year, five years — to review whether the conditions still support [deployment]?”

    “Yes,” McArthur said.

    Bennett pressed the point, asking whether under the current law the militia George Washington federalized to put down the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 could “stay called up forever” — a position the government again affirmed.

    “There’s not a word in the statute that talks about how long they can remain in federal service,” McArthur said. “The president’s determination of whether the exigency has arisen, that decision is vested in his sole and exclusive discretion.”

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    Sonja Sharp

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  • Commentary: Trump’s AI poop post caps a week of MAGA indifference to Hitler jokes

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    An estimated 7 million Americans turned out Saturday to peacefully protest against the breakdown of our checks-and-balances democracy into a Trump-driven autocracy, rife with grift but light on civil rights.

    Trump’s response? An AI video of himself wearing a crown inside a fighter plane, dumping what appears to be feces on these very protesters. In a later interview, he called participants of the “No Kings” events “whacked out” and “not representative of this country.”

    I’m beginning to fear he’s right. What if the majority of Americans really do believe this sort of behavior by our president, or by anyone really, is acceptable? Even funny? A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that 81% of Republicans approve of the way Trump is handling his job. Seriously, the vast majority of Republicans are just fine with Trump’s policies and behavior.

    According to MAGA, non-MAGA people are just too uptight these days.

    Vice Troll JD Vance has become a relentless force for not just defending the most base and cruel of behaviors, but celebrating them. House Speaker Mike Johnson has made the spineless, limp justification of these behaviors an art form.

    Between the two approaches to groveling to Trump’s ego and mendacity is everything you need to know about the future of the Republican Party. It will stop at nothing to debase and dehumanize any opposition — openly acknowledging that it dreams of burying in excrement even those who peacefully object.

    Not even singer Kenny Loggins is safe. His “Top Gun” hit “Danger Zone” was used in the video. When he objected with a statement of unity, saying, “Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together. We’re all Americans, and we’re all patriotic. There is no ‘us and them’,” the White House responded with … a dismissive meme, clearly the new norm when responding to critics.

    It may seem obvious, and even old news that this administration lacks accountability. But the use of memes and AI videos as communication, devoid of truth or consequence, adds a new level of danger to the disconnect.

    These non-replies not only remove reality from the equation, but remove the need for an actual response — creating a ruling class that does not feel any obligation to explain or defend its actions to the ruled.

    Politico published a story last week detailing the racist, misogynistic and hate-filled back-and-forth of an official, party-sanctioned “young Republican” group. Since most of our current politicians are part of the gerontocracy, that young is relative — these are adults, in their 20s and 30s — and they are considered the next generation of party leaders, in a party that has already skewed so far right that it defends secret police.

    Here’s a sample.

    Bobby Walker, the former vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans, called rape “epic,” according to Politico.

    Another member of the chat called Black Americans “watermelon people.”

    “Great. I love Hitler,” wrote another when told delegates would vote for the most far-right candidate.

    There was also gas chamber “humor” in there and one straight up, “I’m ready to watch people burn now,” from a woman in the conversation, Anne KayKaty, New York’s Young Republican’s national committee member, according to the Hill.

    Group members engaged in slurs against South Asians, another popular target of the far right these days. There’s an entire vein of racism devoted to the idea that Indians smell bad, in case you were unaware.

    Speaking of a woman mistakenly believed to be South Asian, one group member — Vermont state Sen. Samuel Douglass, wrote: “She just didn’t bathe often.”

    While some in the Republican party have denounced, albeit half-heartedly, the comments, others, including Vance, have gone on the attack. Vance, whose wife is Indian, claims everyone is making a big deal out of nothing.

    “But the reality is that kids do stupid things. Especially young boys, they tell edgy, offensive jokes. Like, that’s what kids do,” Vance said. “And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke — telling a very offensive, stupid joke — is cause to ruin their lives.”

    Not to be outdone, Johnson responded to the poop jet video by somehow insinuating there is an elevated meaning to it.

    “The president was using social media to make a point,” Johnson said, calling it “satire.”

    Satire is meant to embarrass and humiliate, to call out through humor the indefensible. I’ll buy the first part of that. Trump meant to embarrass and humiliate. But protesting, of course, is anything but indefensible and the use of feces as a weapon is a way of degrading those “No Kings” participants so that Trump doesn’t have to answer to their anger — no different than degrading Black people and women in that group chat.

    Those 7 million Americans who demonstrated on Saturday simply do not matter to Trump, or to Republicans. Not their healthcare, not their ability to pay the bills, not their worry that a country they love is turning in to one where their leader literally illustrates that he can defecate on them.

    But not everyone can be king.

    While the young Republicans believe they shared in their leader’s immunity, it turns out they don’t. That Vermont state senator? He resigned after the Republican governor put on pressure.

    Maybe 7 million Americans angry at Trump can’t convince him to change his ways, but enough outraged Vermont voters can make change in their corner of the country.

    Which is why the one thing Trump does fear is the midterms, when voters get to shape our own little corners of America — and by extension, whether Trump gets to keep using his throne.

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    Anita Chabria

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  • INTERVIEW: Ink Spills All About Her ‘BIG BUSKIN’’ EP, ‘Sweet Tea,’ & More!

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    If you think you’ve never heard Ink, we guarantee you that you’re wrong! This GRAMMY-nominated songwriter has already made it onto your playlists with songs like Beyoncé’s ‘16 CARRIAGES,’ Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘luther,’ and Lay Bankz’s ‘Tell Ur Girlfriend.’ But now, she’s proudly stepping onto the stage with her own narratives and voice on her debut EP, BIG BUSKIN’, which proves that Ink is a vital storyteller defining this generation in music. We need music that connects and transforms us more than ever, and she has the perfect pen for the job.

    Across 13 songs, Ink throws a moving ‘Hoedown’ that walks us through her love story with music, her views on persistence and tough times, and the passion that’s carried her through life. “They can steal your style, but they can’t steal your story,” she muses on the spoken opener, ‘Inktro,’ over a western-inspired soundscape. At the heart of each song lies Ink’s authenticity and pure, all-encompassing love for the music she makes, especially on emotive tracks like the incredible ‘God’s Been Drinkin’.’ Even the EP title is an ode to her love for her craft – some of her earliest musical pursuits involved busking and learning how to make her storytelling as moving as possible, and the ‘Tony Machine on 42nd’ interlude tells the story of one of those performances. 

    The hell with all that BS — press play and find out — real music is back!

    Ink

    We’re ‘Comin’ Back’ from our listening experience with some extra sweet news: we got to ask Ink all about BIG BUSKIN’, writing her truth, and her biggest inspirations! Press play on BIG BUSKIN’ then keep reading to learn more about the project from the musical genius who created it.

    Hey Ink, congratulations on the EP release! What has it been like for you to drop it and see how much fans are loving it?
    It’s been incredible to drop the EP! Finally being able to say it’s out now is surreal.

    There are so many thoughtful lyrics on your standout single ‘Sweet Tea,’ with one of our favorites being “we can’t take it back, so really we gotta live again.” Which line from the song are you most proud of?
    “Yeah, my granny never even cuss ‘til she got Alzheimer’s / Uh, real GOAT, greatest of all timers.”

    The ‘Sweet Tea’ music video includes so many sweet home movie clips and throwback moments. What was it like for you to revisit so many memories for the song and video?
    It was the best part about it. It just took me back down memory lane. It felt so good to be back home and just have the spirit of my family and those that aren’t here anymore still be there to celebrate.

    We’re so excited about your debut BIG BUSKIN’ EP! Which song were you most hyped for fans to hear and why? Which tracks are the most meaningful to you?
    They’re all meaningful to me, but I’m most hyped for fans to hear ‘Sweet Tea’ because they get to hear a little about the fam, and ‘All I Got’ since it really summarizes the EP. Plus all the inkerludes!

    Inspired by ‘Turquoise Cowboy,’ which color do you think best matches the energy of BIG BUSKIN’?
    Turquoise with a little wood grain.

    The BIG BUSKIN’ title nods to your own experiences busking around Atlanta, which you’ve described as “resilience in motion.” What’s something you learned during that phase of your musical journey that you’ve taken with you as you’ve grown?
    The world is a beautiful place, you’ve just gotta choose to see it.

    In your recent INKtionary post on Instagram, you listed one of the definitions of BIG BUSKIN’ as “to live loud, global, and unapologetic – outlaw energy with superstar reach.” How do you stay true to yourself and your roots as your star rises?
    I just carry on the memory of the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met as I go. I take my boots off, get my feet in the grass, and connect to nature.

    Alongside your own work, you have writing credits on iconic songs like Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘luther,’ Beyoncé’s ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,’ and Lil Nas X’s ‘STAR WALKIN’!’ How do you approach writing for another artist differently than writing for your own releases, and how do your experiences on those songs inform how you approach your music?
    Each artist has their own story, so I just see it as me being there to help serve them creatively. It helps me learn new things for my process, as each artist has a different process and story. They each teach me something different.

    You told Billboard that you wrote the lyrics to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on flash cards one day after school – as a publication run by fans, we love the passion! Is there a certain song on the album that has most influenced you and your music?
    I think the whole album – it gives you the sense of creating a body of work. Some artists can make a few great songs, but she really made a great body of work.

    From Beyoncé to Shaboozey and Post Malone, country is definitely ‘Comin’ Back’ to the mainstream spotlight lately! What do you feel makes country so moving, especially in a time when we need the magic of music more than ever?
    The storytelling!

    You’ve called yourself “a faucet of creative energy that never runs out” to The Tennessean. When do you feel most inspired, and what inspires you most?
    Life and the people and places in it make me feel most inspired. I can just open my eyes and there’s a song waiting.

    What can your fans look forward to in the rest of 2025/2026?
    Performing, pulling up, doing shows, and lots of great music. Next year I’ll also be dropping my debut album!

    Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on?
    Pull up when you see the spill!

    It sounds like BIG BUSKIN’ is just the very beginning, and we can’t wait to see what Ink will spill next! Thank you so much to Ink for answering our questions and pouring so much heart into every song you touch. 

    Now, honeybees, we have some questions for you! What are your favorite tracks on the BIG BUSKIN’ EP? Who do you hope to hear Ink write with in the future? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.

    Check out more sweet music recs! 

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INK:
    INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

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    Madison Murray

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  • Government shutdown enters fourth week, affecting federal workers, services, economy

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    The government shutdown is entering a fourth week as Democrats and Republicans blame each other for holding the country “hostage.” Caught in the middle, federal workers, government services, and the economy are all feeling the impact. Previous shutdowns have seen reduced overall economic growth, disproportionately affecting certain industries. National parks and museums remain closed, flight delays are mounting, and backlogs for new small business loans and flood insurance renewals are growing.Republicans continue to accuse Democrats of blocking paychecks by refusing to reopen the government, while Democrats argue that Republicans are unwilling to negotiate over the core issue of health care funding. “Congressional Democrats seem to want to keep the government shut down even though it would mean that a lot of you would not get your paycheck,” Vice President JD Vance said in remarks to an audience of Marines celebrating the 250th anniversary Saturday.Democrats pushed back in “No Kings” protests across the country.”They’re the ones acting like children refusing to negotiate with Democrats in the Senate who they know have to vote for a budget in order for it to become law,” Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview Saturday.The shutdown has had a sizable impact as uncertainty weighs on the federal workforce. Under the Trump administration’s direction, federal agencies have been planning not just furloughs but also permanent layoffs. However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the firings, deeming them potentially illegal.Public perception of who is to blame has been roughly evenly split. A new Associated Press poll finds that a majority, about 6 in 10 Americans, blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown. An even larger majority, three-quarters of Americans, believe both sides deserve at least a “moderate” share of the blame, suggesting that no one has truly escaped responsibility for the shutdown.Watch the latest coverage on the federal government shutdown:

    WASHINGTON —

    The government shutdown is entering a fourth week as Democrats and Republicans blame each other for holding the country “hostage.” Caught in the middle, federal workers, government services, and the economy are all feeling the impact.

    Previous shutdowns have seen reduced overall economic growth, disproportionately affecting certain industries.

    National parks and museums remain closed, flight delays are mounting, and backlogs for new small business loans and flood insurance renewals are growing.

    Republicans continue to accuse Democrats of blocking paychecks by refusing to reopen the government, while Democrats argue that Republicans are unwilling to negotiate over the core issue of health care funding.

    “Congressional Democrats seem to want to keep the government shut down even though it would mean that a lot of you would not get your paycheck,” Vice President JD Vance said in remarks to an audience of Marines celebrating the 250th anniversary Saturday.

    Democrats pushed back in “No Kings” protests across the country.

    “They’re the ones acting like children refusing to negotiate with Democrats in the Senate who they know have to vote for a budget in order for it to become law,” Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview Saturday.

    The shutdown has had a sizable impact as uncertainty weighs on the federal workforce. Under the Trump administration’s direction, federal agencies have been planning not just furloughs but also permanent layoffs. However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the firings, deeming them potentially illegal.

    Public perception of who is to blame has been roughly evenly split. A new Associated Press poll finds that a majority, about 6 in 10 Americans, blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown. An even larger majority, three-quarters of Americans, believe both sides deserve at least a “moderate” share of the blame, suggesting that no one has truly escaped responsibility for the shutdown.

    Watch the latest coverage on the federal government shutdown:

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  • Keith Urban has awkward moment with fan named Nicole at Nashville concert

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    Keith Urban gets two Father’s Days

    Keith Urban says his native Australia celebrates Father’s Day on a different date than the United States, so he gets to have two days dedicated to him.

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Keith Urban narrowly avoided an awkward situation during an interaction with a fan at his latest concert.

    In a fan-recorded video shared on TikTok, the 57-year-old country star can be heard having a conversation with a fan during his concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday, Oct.17, as part of his “High and Alive” tour.

    “I’m not going to like your name?” Urban can be heard asking the fan. She then responded, “It’s Nicole.”

    After hearing her name, the crowd laughed, as Urban fell backward and lay on the stage for a few seconds. He then got up and sidestepped the apparent reference to Nicole Kidman by asking the fan, “Did you say Nicole Richie?”

    NICOLE KIDMAN’S SIX-WORD TOM CRUISE DIVORCE JAB RESURFACES AFTER KEITH URBAN SPLIT

    Urban laughed off an awkward moment with a fan. (Terry Wyatt/WireImage)

    Urban then moved on and jumped into the crowd to help the fan announce her pregnancy after hearing that she and her sister had traveled from Greenville, South Carolina, where he had canceled a show at the last minute, to attend his Nashville concert.

    The video then panned to the jumbotron, which showed the fan standing next to Urban with a gray onesie which read, “Smallest Keith Urban fan” on the front. 

    The funny fan moment came one day after Urban canceled his Oct. 16 show in South Carolina due to a mild illness.

    “Keith Urban has been advised by his longtime laryngologist Dr. Gaelyn Garrett, from the Vanderbilt Voice Center, to cancel his performance in Greenville, SC tonight at Bon Secours Wellness Arena due to laryngitis which began earlier this week,” a statement on the venue’s website read. “He has been placed on complete vocal rest and Dr. Garrett is optimistic that he will be back onstage for his Nashville show.”

    keith urban on stage with his hand over his heart

    Urban previously canceled a show in South Carolina due to a mild illness. (Debra L. Rothenberg/Wireimage)

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    The potentially awkward encounter comes weeks after Kidman filed for divorce from Urban on Sept. 30.

    In the divorce filings, Kidman cited “irreconcilable differences” and ongoing “marital difficulties” as the reason for their split.

    Kidman and Urban first met in 2005 at an event in Australia and were married a year later in June 2006. During their marriage, they welcomed two daughters: Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14. They were last seen together in public at a FIFA Club World Cup match in Nashville in June 2025.

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    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban watching the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s final public appearance was during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group D match between Los Angeles Football Club and Esperance de Tunis at GEODIS Park on June 20, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

    Prior to her filing for divorce, Kidman seemingly hinted at a split between her and Urban during an interview with Vogue, which was published on Oct. 8.

    “How many times do you have to be taught that you think you know where your life is going and then it isn’t going in that direction?” she said when asked about life in her 50s. 

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    Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital. 

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  • ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump planned across the nation today

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    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “ No Kings ” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.They rallied with signs like “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism,” and in many places it looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the U.S. Constitution’s “We The People,” preamble that people could sign, and protesters in frog costumes, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.Demonstrators packed places like New York City’s Times Square, the historic Boston Commons, Chicago’s Grant Park, Washington, D.C., and hundreds of smaller public spaces.Many protesters were especially angered by attacks on their motives. In Washington, Brian Reymann said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was “pathetic.”“This is America. I disagree with their politics — but I don’t believe that they don’t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry,” Reymann said, carrying a large American flag.Trump himself is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.Organizers hope to build opposition movementMore than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.“Big rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.While protests earlier this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in the spring and Trump’s June military parade — drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers. In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations.Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now,” and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join others walking across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He said the recent deployment of the National Guard made him more wary of police than in the past.“I really don’t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country” for personal gain, McCormally said, “while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.”Republicans denounce ‘Hate America’ ralliesRepublicans have sought to portray Saturday’s protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day.From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.” They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”Many demonstrators responded to such hyperbole with silliness in part because they say Trump leans heavily on theatrics — like claiming cities he sends troops to are war zones — said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester.“So much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy,” said Kalbaugh, who wore a wizard hat and held a sign with a frog on it.Democrats try to regain their footingDemocrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government. It’s also a way to draw a moral line in the sand, said Murphy, the senator from Connecticut.“Trump does think that he’s a king,” Murphy said at the Washington rally, “and he thinks that he can act more corruptly when the government is shut down. But he cannot.”The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” said march organizer Levin. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”___Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Chris Megerian in Washington, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Safiya Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “ No Kings ” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.

    They rallied with signs like “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism,” and in many places it looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the U.S. Constitution’s “We The People,” preamble that people could sign, and protesters in frog costumes, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.

    This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

    Demonstrators packed places like New York City’s Times Square, the historic Boston Commons, Chicago’s Grant Park, Washington, D.C., and hundreds of smaller public spaces.

    Many protesters were especially angered by attacks on their motives. In Washington, Brian Reymann said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was “pathetic.”

    “This is America. I disagree with their politics — but I don’t believe that they don’t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry,” Reymann said, carrying a large American flag.

    Trump himself is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

    “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.

    Organizers hope to build opposition movement

    More than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.

    “Big rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.

    While protests earlier this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in the spring and Trump’s June military parade — drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

    “There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers. In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations.

    Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now,” and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.

    Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join others walking across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He said the recent deployment of the National Guard made him more wary of police than in the past.

    “I really don’t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country” for personal gain, McCormally said, “while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.”

    Republicans denounce ‘Hate America’ rallies

    Republicans have sought to portray Saturday’s protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

    From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.” They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

    “I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

    “Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

    Many demonstrators responded to such hyperbole with silliness in part because they say Trump leans heavily on theatrics — like claiming cities he sends troops to are war zones — said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester.

    “So much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy,” said Kalbaugh, who wore a wizard hat and held a sign with a frog on it.

    Democrats try to regain their footing

    Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.

    But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government. It’s also a way to draw a moral line in the sand, said Murphy, the senator from Connecticut.

    “Trump does think that he’s a king,” Murphy said at the Washington rally, “and he thinks that he can act more corruptly when the government is shut down. But he cannot.”

    The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

    “What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” said march organizer Levin. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Chris Megerian in Washington, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Safiya Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.

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  • ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump planned across the nation today

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    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people will gather Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday. He later departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.While the earlier protests this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.As Republicans and the White House dismiss the protests as a rally of radicals, Levin said their own sign-up numbers are growing. More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners. They said rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for most Americans.Overseas, a few hundred Americans already gathered in Madrid to chant slogans and hold signs at a protest organized by Democrats Abroad, with similar rallies planned in other major European cities.Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.”They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.In a Facebook post, Sanders of Vermont, himself a former presidential contender, said, “It’s a love America rally.”“It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations. The march Saturday will have more than 2,600 registered locations, Levin said.“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn’t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans’ characterization of the events.“What’s hateful is what happened on January 6th,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump’s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like, people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people.”Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed.

    WASHINGTON —

    Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people will gather Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies.

    This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

    Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

    “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday. He later departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.

    While the earlier protests this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

    “There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.

    As Republicans and the White House dismiss the protests as a rally of radicals, Levin said their own sign-up numbers are growing. More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners. They said rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for most Americans.

    Overseas, a few hundred Americans already gathered in Madrid to chant slogans and hold signs at a protest organized by Democrats Abroad, with similar rallies planned in other major European cities.

    Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

    From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.”

    They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

    “I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

    “Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

    Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.

    But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.

    In a Facebook post, Sanders of Vermont, himself a former presidential contender, said, “It’s a love America rally.”

    “It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”

    The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

    In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations. The march Saturday will have more than 2,600 registered locations, Levin said.

    “What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

    House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn’t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans’ characterization of the events.

    “What’s hateful is what happened on January 6th,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump’s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like, people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people.”

    Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed.

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  • Heightened sense of urgency around this ‘No Kings Day’

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    When millions of demonstrators took to the streets in June for “No Kings Day” — depicting President Trump as a wannabe monarch intent on violating American democratic norms — it was still fairly early in his administration.

    The immigration raids in Los Angeles were just getting under way and Trump had deployed military troops to the city to clamp down on protests.

    But four months later, many Americans feel Trump’s threats and norm-shattering actions have only gotten more intense as protesters prepare to take part Saturday in more than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations scheduled across the country.

    In that period, the Trump administration has ramped up immigration raids across L.A. and Chicago and deployed National Guard troops to Washington D.C. It has also pressured universities to comply with his agenda or lose funding, fired government officials he deems insufficiently loyal and embarked on an aggressive sweep of prosecutions of political opponents.

    “We’re seeing an escalation, right?,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for 50501, one of the “No Kings” coalition’s core organizing partners. “We are watching as ICE’s mass deportation program is speeding up and becoming even more aggressive than it was. What happened in Los Angeles is now happening in Memphis, in D.C., in Chicago.”

    But the second “No Kings” protest comes with some existential questions for organizers who trying to mount a sustained protest movement. What is the most effective way to challenge Trump? And how do you make noise without playing into the president’s hands?

    Saturday’s revival of the massive series of demonstrations — organized around the slogan “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings” — will voice left-wing concerns that the Trump administration is embracing authoritarian tactics and unraveling U.S. democracy. But it will also include a broader range of issues, including rising prices and rollbacks of environmental protections.

    For Dunn, a 22-year-old organizer in Los Angeles County who is part of a coalition of thousands of groups, the threat Trump poses goes beyond immigration. Trump, he noted, had used the Federal Communications Commission to try to silence broadcasters he does not like, brought “spurious” charges against protesters and demonstrators outside of ICE facilities and signed a so-called “big, beautiful bill” that Dunn said had funneled trillions of dollars from the average American to billionaires who supported the Trump regime.

    “We’re seeing the Trump administration repeatedly try and fail to shake the pillars of democracy, and in doing so, escalate the threat level,” Dunn said.

    The June 14 event inspired more than five million people to rally against Trump. One test will be whether they can increase that number on Saturday.

    In both Los Angeles and Chicago, Trump has tried to use protests — many of them peaceful — to claim that the streets are unsafe and in need of military troops. Trump pushed back against the underlying premise of the protest in an interview with Fox News Friday.

    “They’re referring to me as a king,” he said. “I’m not a king.”

    Protesters also face increasing attacks from Trump’s allies on the right, some of whom are branding their demonstrations as anti-American.

    “We call it the ‘hate America’ rally,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see Antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”

    Organizers expect a broad and diverse group of Americans to attend Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations. About 600 more events are scheduled than the 2,100 demonstrations that took place in June, and slightly more people have signed up, even though the organization is discouraging registrations.

    David S. Meyer, a professor of sociology at UC Irvine who studies social movements, said that people’s opinions about the Trump administration have not changed too much since June. Rather, he argued, people felt a higher level of urgency about the danger of the Trump administration.

    “What’s increased is the willingness of people to take more action, to do something,” he said. “I think there’s a hunger for action.”

    Meyer said he was surprised to see key GOP leaders falling into line with Trump and pushing the idea that “No Kings” is anti-American.

    “There are plenty of presidents who’ve encountered protests against their policies,” Meyer said. “That’s part of what America is all about. And usually presidents say, ‘I have to represent everybody and do what I think is best for the country. And I understand that there are other Americans who disagree with me.’”

    In an attempt to broaden the scope of “No Kings,” Meyer noted, organizers are appealing to Americans upset over the rising cost of living, gutting of environmental protections, sweeping overhauls of federal agencies and the government shutdown over looming healthcare cuts. These issues, Meyer argued, are connected to the theme of American democracy.

    “Trump doesn’t consult with people who disagree with him … and the people surrounding him, and this is by design, are explicitly chosen because of their loyalty rather than their specific competencies,” Meyer said. “The strategy of the ‘No Kings’ organizers is to provide a kind of large and inclusive bucket for all the grievances to fit into and for people with all kinds of different gripes to show up.”

    Another reason “No Kings” touches on so many issues, Dunn said, is in response to the Republican tactic — articulated by Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon as “flooding the zone” — of overwhelming the public with a barrage of information, disinformation and controversy.

    “Republicans’ strategy is to worsen the economy for everyone, to worsen the cost of living for the average American… to try to weaken the American people and make it harder for them to stand up against this administration’s abuses,” Dunn said. “So that’s why we’re standing up on all those fronts, because we have to meet them at every front that they’re using to harm the American people.”

    The goal of “No Kings” goes beyond just getting Americans out on the streets together in solidarity against Trump. They want to connect people who are upset and frustrated with the Trump administration to local organizing groups.

    “Getting involved in those groups, making those face to face connections and joining them will have a much larger impact over the next few days, the next few weeks, next few months, the next few years, than just one day of protest,” Dunn said.

    Going forward, Dunn said, one of the key questions facing the Trump resistance movement is how to pressure leading Democratic elected officials to get on board.

    While legislators such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen had done a lot to resist the Trump administration, he said, he wanted to put more pressure on mainstream Democrats across the country.

    “How do we get support from what is supposed to be the opposition party?”

    Dunn said he was not worried about the prospect of violence Saturday when millions take to the streets. The rallies and demonstrations that took place on the June demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful, he noted. Organizers put a major emphasis on de-escalation and protest safety, bringing in community and faith leaders and training tens of thousands of volunteers across the country in de-escalation. He scoffed at the idea extremists might hijack any of the demonstrations.

    “The biggest threat to safety at every protest I’ve ever been at — unless law enforcement gets involved — is always dehydration and heat exhaustion,” Dunn said.

    Olivia Negron, 73, an organizer with Studio City Rising who has protested in that L.A. neighborhood every weekend since April, said she was alarmed not just by the president’s rhetoric, but by the Trump administration’s actions against immigrants through the courts and in the streets.

    “The president doesn’t know what it is to be American,” said Negron, a Latina and the child of a U.S. Navy officer. “The American dream is about inclusivity and making sure that immigrants are welcomed into the United States.”

    Negron, who marched against the war in Vietnam, said she felt the people in power have taken away what it means to be American and made it difficult to fly the American flag. But she said she was hopeful that the Trump administration’s actions since the last “No Kings” day would push more people to protest.

    “We need to turn the ship of state around and get this democracy heading in the right direction,” Negron said. “Absolutely more inclusion, more equity, more diversity. Diversity is our strength and empathy is our superpower.”

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    Jenny Jarvie, Nathan Solis

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  • Keith Urban forced to cancel South Carolina concert last minute

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    Keith Urban was forced to cancel his South Carolina concert as he recovers from a mild illness.

    The 57-year-old country singer had been scheduled to perform Thursday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, as part of his High and Alive tour but canceled at the last minute.

    The venue’s website released a statement saying, “Keith Urban has been advised by his longtime laryngologist Dr. Gaelyn Garrett, from the Vanderbilt Voice Center, to cancel his performance in Greenville, SC tonight at Bon Secours Wellness Arena due to laryngitis which began earlier this week.  He has been placed on complete vocal rest and Dr. Garrett is optimistic that he will be back onstage for his Nashville show.”

    The statement also included a personal message from Urban apologizing to fans for the sudden cancellation.

    KEITH URBAN SEEN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE NICOLE KIDMAN DIVORCE FILING

    Keith Urban was forced to cancel his upcoming show due to a mild illness. (Terry Wyatt/WireImage)

    “Hey Greenville,  I’m so SO sorry to have to cancel the show …. I know all the logistics it takes to get to a concert these days and I’ve never taken any of that, or any of YOU for granted,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting back there when we can!!!!!”

    The cancellation comes just weeks after Urban and his estranged wife, Nicole Kidman, filed for divorce after nearly 20 years of marriage.

    News of their separation broke Sept. 29, with Kidman filing for divorce the following day. According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Kidman cited “irreconcilable differences” and ongoing “marital difficulties” as their reason for their split and listed Sept. 30 as their date of separation.

    “Nicole’s sister [Antonia] has been a rock, and the entire Kidman family has come together to support one another,” a source told People when the news broke.

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban at CMAs

    Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from Keith Urban after nearly 20 years of marriage. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

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    “She didn’t want this,” the source added. “She has been fighting to save the marriage.”

    In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, published Oct. 9, Kidman discussed how she copes with difficult situations by drawing comparisons to similar experiences she has had in the past.

    “Hey Greenville, I’m so SO sorry to have to cancel the show …. I know all the logistics it takes to get to a concert these days and I’ve never taken any of that, or any of YOU for granted.”

    — Keith Urban

    While she didn’t name Urban outright, she explained that she has learned new ways to deal with hardship as she gets older, saying, “The best part is the experiences that you’ve accumulated,” because, at a certain point, she can look at a situation and think, “Oh, I’ve been here before. I actually know how to handle this now.

    “There’s something to knowing that no matter how painful or how difficult or how devastating something is, there is a way through,” she told the outlet. “You’re going to have to feel it. You’re not going to be able to numb it. You are going to have to feel it, and it’s going to feel insurmountable at times. You’re going to feel like you’re broken, but if you move gently and slowly — and it can take an enormous amount of time — it does pass.”

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    Nicole Kidman with her daughters Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret at the Chanel fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in October 2025.

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban share two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. (Dominique Charriau/Getty Images)

    Urban and Kidman first met in 2005 at an event in Australia and were married in June 2006. They share two daughters: Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14.

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    Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital. 

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  • Cincinnati faces Oklahoma State, seeking sixth straight victory

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    (Photo credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)

    In the AP Top 25 for the first time since Week 13 of the 2022 season, and the first time with head coach Scott Satterfield, the No. 24 Cincinnati Bearcats can clinch bowl eligibility with a win at Oklahoma State Saturday night.

    Cincinnati (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) has won five straight games, including a 20-11 win over Central Florida last week. It’s Cincinnati’s longest winning streak since winning six straight games in 2022.

    ‘We have something to prove each and every time we step on the field,’ Satterfield said. ‘What we did in the past doesn’t matter this week. We have to stay in the moment. Every time you step on the field you have something to prove. We have great leaders in guys like Dontay Corleone, Gavin Gerhardt, Joe Royer and Brendan Sorsby.’

    Bearcats quarterback Sorsby continues to be not only one of the Big 12’s and country’s most prolific quarterbacks, but he’s also one of the most efficient. He has just one turnover all season, an interception back in a Week 1 loss to Nebraska.

    A two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week this season, Sorsby has 1,448 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns through six games, while leading the conference with an 84.1 quarterback rating. In addition, Sorsby has rushed for 327 yards and five touchdowns.

    ‘Football is pretty much everybody in this organization’s life, so you have to take care of it,’ Sorsby said. ‘Us taking care of the ball has been a huge part of our success, so we just have to continue to do that.’

    Sorsby is aided by a strong Bearcats’ running game, a unit that ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 190.2 rushing yards per game. The Bearcats lead the Big 12 and are fifth in the country with 6.23 yards per carry.

    Oklahoma State (1-5, 0-3 Big 12) has already experienced a head coaching change this season when Mike Gundy was fired three games into the season. In his place is interim head coach and offensive coordinator Doug Meacham.

    The Cowboys are 0-3 since the head coaching change, and they are still last in the Big 12 in total offense and total defense. Starting quarterback Hauss Hejny broke his foot in the season-opener, and his status is up in the air for Saturday night. If he can’t go, either Zane Flores or Sam Jackson is likely to start.

    ‘[Our goal is to] compete, man,’ defensive lineman Aden Kelley said. ‘I think that’s the biggest deal. Things don’t always go your way. That’s a part of life. However, we’ve just got to come together and keep working, keep putting our best foot forward and find a way to execute.’

    Saturday is homecoming at Oklahoma State, an event referred to as ‘America’s Greatest Homecoming.’

    ‘We got a lot of reminiscing, bringing your kids up, trying to relive the time from when you were here before,’ Meacham said. ‘Hopefully, we can give those guys something to be proud of and something they enjoy. So, we’ll forge ahead and keep working.’

    Saturday’s game is the fifth meeting all-time between Cincinnati and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys lead the series 3-1, including a 45-13 win in Stillwater in October 2023.

    -Field Level Media

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  • Jelly Roll calls out Christian singer over controversial awards show boycott stance

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    Jelly Roll isn’t holding back.

    After Christian singer Forrest Frank shared a video on Instagram earlier this week about his decision against attending awards shows or accepting awards for his music – something he said is “from Jesus and for Jesus” – Jelly Roll commented with what he seemed to think was a flaw in Frank’s logic.

    “Won’t receive trophy for something from Jesus for Jesus but will take the profits from something from Jesus for Jesus. Maybe im missing something here lol,” the country star wrote.

    JELLY ROLL’S FARM LIFE BRINGS PEACE AND HEALING FROM DARK TIMES

    Jelly Roll seemed to call out comments from Christian singer Forrest Frank about his stance on accepting awards for his music. (Getty Images)

    The reactions to Jelly Roll’s comment were divided, with one person criticizing him, writing, “Wow, your true colors are really showing through with that comment.”

    Another person commented, “The Holy Spirit moves uniquely and Forrest is just expressing his personal conviction towards the awards. One persons convictions may not be a conviction to others, and that has to accepted and equally challenged in good faith. You are both incredible vessels for the Lords work and you’re both crushing it!!”

    One person seemed to be critical of Frank, telling Jelly Roll, “Wait until you see how much he’s charging for a hoodie… sniff test ain’t passing.”

    Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives for Jelly Roll and Frank.

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    Forrest Frank on stage pointing upward

    Forrest Frank performs at Coca-Cola Coliseum on April 1, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario.  (Jeremy Chan Photography/Getty Images)

    In his video, Frank explained, “As Christians, it’s hard to know where the line in the sand is between being in the world and not of the world.”

    He acknowledged that the way he dresses and presents himself looks to be “of the world,” but said that for him, he believes his line in the sand can be drawn when it comes to award shows.

    CHRISTIAN SINGER FORREST FRANK LOSES 30,000 FOLLOWERS AFTER SPEAKING OUT ON CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION

    “I will not receive a trophy for something that is from Jesus and for Jesus,” he said.

    Forrest Frank

    Forrest Frank said that he’d been struggling for a while with the concept of accepting awards for his music. (Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images)

    Frank admitted that the issue is something he’s been “struggling with,” and said that he struggled with it last year when he won an award for best new artist at the Dove Awards.

    “I said, ‘I’m still struggling with the concept of receiving this award, but all glory to Jesus, every name will fade away, including mine, except for one name.’”

    Now, he explained, “I feel a conviction to go even a step further and say I don’t know if I even want to step on the stage. I don’t know if I want to step in the room. And so I have decided to take a stance of non-participation.”

    He shared that he wouldn’t be attending the Dove Awards or the Grammy Awards, and added, “I hope to be an example to the youth that the trophy is our salvation. The trophy is that my name is listed in the book of life and I get to have eternal life. What good is a piece of metal going to do compared to that?”

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    Meanwhile, this year’s Dove Awards were held on Oct. 7, and Jelly Roll made a passionate speech after receiving the song of the year award for “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” a song he recorded with Brandon Lake.

    Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll sing together at Stagecoach Festival in California

    Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll perform at the T-Mobile Mane Stage during the 2025 Stagecoach Festival on April 26, 2025, in Indio, California.  (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach)

    “The world is hearing about Jesus like they haven’t in decades right now,” he said in part. “There is a revival happening in the United States of America where you can’t go on a corner and not hear about Jesus right now, and while we are hearing about Jesus, I encourage you to put faith on your feet and feet on your faith and walk out of this building and go do for the least.”

    The Dove Awards shared the video of Jelly Roll’s speech on Instagram, and Frank left a comment Friday that read, “Congrats bro!! Keep going for Jesus.”

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    Emily Trainham is an entertainment editor for Fox News Digital.

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  • Reba McEntire calls out AI-generated fake pregnancy photos and Dolly Parton ‘deathbed’ images

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    Reba McEntire is firing back at the use of AI-generated images.

    The “Fancy” singer posted a message on her Instagram stories Thursday to slam the use of AI-generated images in support of fellow country music star Dolly Parton.

    “You tell ’em, Dolly,” McEntire wrote. “That AI mess has got us doing all kinds of crazy things. You’re out there dying, I’m out here having a baby. Well, both of us know you’re too young, and I’m too old for any of that kind of nonsense.”

    McEntire was referring to AI-generated images that showed the star, 70, and fiancé Rex Linn posing with an ultrasound photo as Linn cradles McEntire’s pregnant stomach.

    Reba McEntire is supporting friend Dolly Parton amid the AI-generated photo craze. (Getty Images)

    DOLLY PARTON GIVES KELLY CLARKSON, REBA MCENTIRE ADVICE ON COPING WITH GRIEF AFTER BRANDON BLACKSTOCK’S DEATH

    Another fake photo making the rounds online recently featured Parton lying in a hospital bed attached to a tube as McEntire sits at her bedside praying and wiping away tears from her eyes.

    Reps for McEntire did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

    “You’re out there dying, I’m out here having a baby. Well, both of us know you’re too young, and I’m too old for any of that kind of nonsense.”

    — Reba McEntire

    The image of Parton on her “deathbed” began circulating after Parton announced last month that due to certain “health challenges,” her scheduled six-night residency in Las Vegas would be postponed from December 2025 to September 2026.

    In response to the images, Parton posted a video on Instagram telling her followers, “If I was really dying, I don’t think Reba would be the one at my death bed,” adding she hopes McEntire “might come visit me earlier.”

    Dolly Parton

    Parton’s sister asked fans to pray for her amid concerns about her health. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

    The singer’s sister, Frieda, further raised concerns about Parton’s health when she asked fans to join her in prayer for the songstress.

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    “Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Frieda wrote on Facebook. “I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.” 

    Parton took to Instagram earlier this week to dispel rumors she was dying, telling her fans, “I’m not ready to die yet.”

    “I didn’t take care of myself, so I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of,” Parton explained. “When I got around to it, the doctor said we need to take care of this, we need to take care of that. Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt where I’m kind of having some treatments here and there.”

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    Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire on the red carpet at the CMA Awards in November 2019.

    McEntire said she is praying for Parton. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

    McEntire also touched on the health concerns Parton alluded to in her recent Instagram story, letting her friend know, “You better know I’m praying for you. I love you with all my heart, and I can’t wait to see you soon. Love you!”

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    Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital. 

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  • Country star Zach Bryan’s anti-ICE lyrics add to growing list of public controversies

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    Country star Zach Bryan’s condemnation of ICE raids is the latest entry in his long list of controversies.

    Bryan recently took to Instagram and shared a short clip of an unreleased song titled “Bad News.” The post, which is captioned “the fading of the red, white, and blue,” includes lyrics referencing ICE is “gonna come bust down your door.” 

    “My friends are all degenerates, but they’re all I got, the generational story of dropping the plot. I heard the cops came, Cocky motherf—–s, ain’t they?” 

    “And ICE is gonna come bust down your door, try to build a house no one builds no more, but I got a telephone, Kids are all scared and all alone.”

    John Rich reacted to Zach Bryan’s anti-ICE song. (Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage/Getty Images)

    “The bar stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling, the middle fingers rising, and it won’t stop showing. Got some bad news. The fading of the red, white, and blue,” the lyrics state.

    COUNTRY STAR ZACH BRYAN TEASES NEW SONG ‘BAD NEWS’ CONDEMNING ICE RAIDS, ‘FADING’ OF THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE

    Country music star, John Rich, took to social media to share his opinion on Bryan’s latest track. “Nashville is full of guys like this,” Rich posted on X.

    Fox News Digital has reached out to a rep for Bryan for comment. 

    The country musician’s politically charged lyrics mark his latest firestorm, following an arrest for obstruction of an investigation and emotional abuse allegations. 

    Zach Bryan playing

    Zach Bryan released a snippet of a new song slamming ICE raids. ( Keith Griner/Getty Images)

    2023 arrest

    In September 2023, the “I Remember Everything” singer was arrested for obstruction of investigation after he said he had gotten “too lippy” with a police officer. Bryan explained that he had been driving through Oklahoma to Boston to go see a concert with his security guard in another car. 

    After his security guard was pulled over by an officer behind him, he said he turned around and pulled over near them, eventually getting out of his car for a smoke after waiting for several minutes.

    He said when the officer told him to get back in his car, he said, “I’m not the one who’s getting pulled over.” Bryan was told again to get back in his car and warned that if he did not, he would be taken to jail.

    WATCH: Country singer Zach Bryan seen telling cops he’s a ‘famous musician’ in new bodycam footage

    “Like a dumba–, I’m like ‘You’re going to take me to f—ing jail? What do you mean?’” he continued.

    After calling his behavior “ridiculous and immature” and saying he “felt like a child,” he said, “I just pray everyone knows that I don’t think I’m above the law, I was just being disrespectful and I shouldn’t have been, and it was my mistake.”

    “So I’m just getting more angry and angry, which is like the worst thing you can possibly do. So 15 minutes goes by, they finally let me out of the vehicle, and I’m just mouthing off like an idiot, like an actual child. I’m like, ‘Man, someone’s got to get a hold of you guys, why are you using your authority like this, this is so wrong,’ when in reality they were doing their jobs, I was just upset.”

    Zach Bryan mug shot

    Zach Bryan was arrested for alleged obstruction of an investigation in Craig County, Oklahoma on September 7, 2023. (Craig County Jail)

    Bryan continued, “He looks at me and says, ‘Man, look, I’m going to tell you this, and don’t interrupt me,’” and then admitted that he did interrupt him.

    “So he said, ‘I’m going to take you to jail,’ and he took me to jail.”

    Emotional abuse allegations

    Bryan and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia’s break-up turned messy in 2024 when she accused him of emotional abuse.

    In October 2024, hours after Bryan said on his Instagram Story that they had broken up, LaPaglia took to her YouTube page to say she had just woken up to his post and “had no idea” he planned to make their separation public. 

    “He didn’t text me, he didn’t call me,” LaPaglia said through tears in the video. “So, I’m like completely blindsided by that.” In November 2024, she took to her “BFFs Podcast” to detail the alleged emotional abuse she received from the country music star.

    Zach Bryan smiling with Brianna

    Zach Bryan and Brianna LaPaglia broke up in Oct. 2024. (Zach Bryan/Instagram)

    “The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life dealing with the abuse from this dude. I’m still scared right now because I’m scared of him,” she continued. “My brain’s rewired and I’m scared to make him mad and last week, I didn’t want to talk about it ’cause I was scared,” LaPaglia said. 

    Addressing the alleged abuse, she said it was a cycle that would “build you up, beat you down, apologize over and over.”

    “There was always another excuse as to why he was treating me so poorly and why I’m crying myself to sleep every night.”

    “Why he’s screaming at me and then you wake up, it’s the apology, it’s the ‘I’m going to be better like I need you in my life,’ but if you’ve been through this — I don’t expect people to understand emotional abuse if you haven’t been through it. I hope you never have to go through it but if you’ve been there you know what I’m talking about,” she said. 

    Brianna LaPaglia smiles in a dress with lace sleeves at the Grammys with boyfriend Zach Bryan sitting at a table

    Brianna LaPaglia accused Zach Bryan of emotional abuse. (John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

    LaPaglia claimed she was offered $12 million and a New York City apartment to “not talk about the relationship.”

    “It came down to the point of I’m not the people before, and I was someone before you, and you made the women before me believe that they had no other choice than to take money from you, sign their experiences away, sign what they went through away,” she said at the time.

    The influencer continued, “You get to go skip off and sing your little f—– songs on stage like you’re a good dude. You get to treat people around you like s—. Sorry, I’m not them. I don’t want your money; I don’t want in two years to buy a f——house and think, ‘Oh, this is the money from the dude that literally f—– destroyed me and broke me for a year.’”

    Hot water with Swifties

    In September 2024, Bryan was in hot water after he compared Taylor Swift to Kanye West in a now-deleted social media post. 

    At the time, Bryan posted on X, “eagles > chiefs, Kanye > Taylor, who’s with me,” according to Variety. 

    In the social media post, Bryan appeared to target a few elements in Swift’s life — including her fiancé, Travis Kelce, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. 

    Zach Bryan Taylor Swift post

    Zach Bryan apologized for offending Taylor Swift’s fans. (Zach Bryan/Instagram)

    Swift additionally has a tense history with West, especially after he interrupted her at the 2009 MTV VMAs, and she’s been the subject of several of his diss tracks. 

    Following the incident, the country star deactivated his X account and apologized to Swift fans for his tweet. 

    “For the record guys I wasn’t coming for Taylor the other night,” Bryan wrote on top of a screengrab of Swift’s song with Post Malone, “Fortnight,” on Instagram. “I was drunkenly comparing two records and it came out wrong.”

    The “Heading South” singer acknowledged the longtime feud between Swift and West, as he continued to explain, “I know there’s a lot of stuff that clouds around Ye and I was speaking purely musically. I love Taylor’s music and pray you guys know I’m human and tweet stupid things often.”

    Taylor Swift looked to the audience in her black "Reputation Era" jumpsuit, following her announcement the Eras Tour will end in December 2024.

    Swifties were offended on Taylor’s behalf after Zach Bryan’s tweet last year. (Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

    Bryan added that he hopes one day to explain to Swift about his controversial social media post. He additionally apologized to Swifties and detailed why he deactivated his X account.

    “Twitter gets me in trouble too much and I’d say it’s best I stay off it,” he penned. “I’m sorry to any Taylor fans I p—ed off or let down. Love you guys and I’m trying my best!”

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    He acknowledged the social media post may have come off “as rude and desensitized to Taylor.”

    “I respect her so much as a musician that the last thing I want is people thinking I don’t appreciate and love what she has done for music,” Bryan praised Swift.

    Gavin Adcock feud 

    Last month, Gavin Adcock shared a video of Bryan yelling at him from behind a chain-link fence at the Born & Raised Festival, where both musicians were slated to perform along with Parker McCollum and Cody Jinks. 

    “You want to fight like a man? Open the gate,” Bryan said before slamming his hands against the fence separating the country music stars. The “Pink Skies” singer climbed over the fence and into the venue before being held back by security personnel in another video shared online. 

    Split photo of Gavin Adcock, Zach Bryan

    Gavin Adcock and Zach Bryan were both on the same festival bill. (Amy E. Price/Getty Images; Lorne Thomson/Redferns/Getty Images)

    Adcock addressed the incident in an Instagram video captioned “Rotten fruit falls on its own,” shared in September with his nearly 1 million followers. 

    “Well, like I already said, I don’t think Zach Bryan’s a very good person. He wasn’t locked out of the festival,” Adcock said in the clip. “He had been there all day with his multiple security guards.”

    “He saw me standing between my buses when he got out here, and saw me walk on my bus when I went to watch the Georgia game, proceeded to go to other artists and ask them, ‘Where is Gavin, where’s Gavin,’ and their guests, and treat them like dog s—, flipping them birds and saying, just d—-ebag stuff.”

    Adock said Bryan “had plenty of opportunity through the whole day to do whatever he wanted to do, but decided he was going to wait like an hour before my set while I was standing out there.”

    He continued, “No artist that cares about their fans is going to fight right before their set, missing going on and disappointing fans that spent way too much money to be there.”

    The “Deep End” musician said he didn’t have “a single reason to fight,” and admitted that after Bryan started giving out “threats,” he decided “to stir him up to the point where he jumped over the fence.”

    “I don’t think anyone’s scared of Zach Bryan,” Adcock continued. “I’m just an adult, and fighting him would have only meant going to jail, missing my set, and falling into a Zach Bryan lawsuit – and we all know he likes to manipulate people with money.”

    Gavin Adcock performing at 2025 Country Thunder Wisconsin in July.

    Gavin Adcock shared a video of Zach Bryan trying to fight him at a music festival. (Joshua Applegate/Getty Images)

    “He knew where I was all day, he knew my set time, he knew where I’d be standing, and he created this whole ‘I’m bad a–‘ jump over the fence narrative, just to try to make himself look bigger, tougher even though he could have just walked in the gate – he had been in there all day.” 

    He added, “And at the end of the day, I know my decision I made was right. I didn’t take the Zach Bryan bait, and I’ll be praying for him to get better because he sure needs it.”

    Vowed to never again play in Kansas City 

    In August, Bryan – who is a known Philadelphia Eagles fan — took to social media to stir up some drama with fellow NFL fans. 

    After the Kansas City Chiefs failed to become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls due to their loss to the Eagles earlier this year, Bryan took to X and in a since-deleted post wrote, “Where are all the three peat people from last year:/.”

    Zach Bryan in a black cutoff shirt strums the guitar on stage

    Zach Bryan vowed to never perform in Kansas City again. (Scott Legato/Getty Images)

    Shortly after one fan pointed out that the singer had “singled out one fanbase” which “sells out his shows,” the country star made a shocking remark. 

    “Please understand I will never play in Kansas City,” the musician wrote in a since-deleted post.

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    People were quick to point out that Bryan had already played in Kansas City in the past. The country star had performances there in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

    Bryan followed up on his previous comment, “I’ll be about to finish my show and then get a taunting call if I play at that stadium.” This post has also been deleted. 

    Scolds crowd for throwing objects

    During a show in Washington last November, Bryan stopped his show after a fan threw an object on stage.

    As seen in a video shared on Instagram, the country star can be seen walking promptly toward a microphone to seemingly address what had happened before turning around and retrieving the object, now lying on the ground.

    WATCH: Zach Bryan scolds fan for throwing object on stage during concert

    Bryan walked across the stage to another standing mic, pointing out to the crowd looking for the culprit. “Who threw this?” he asked. “Who was it? Does anybody know?” the 28-year-old continued. “Who we pointing at?”

    “Don’t throw s— at concerts, huh?” he said, scanning the venue before walking off to join his bandmate at center stage. However, Bryan then changed his mind, realizing he had one more thing to add. 

    “And if you guys do know who threw it, we can get ’em out of here,” he said. “If we ever find out who did.”

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    Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to janelle.ash@fox.com. 

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  • Nicole Kidman makes first public appearance since Keith Urban divorce filing

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    Nicole Kidman put on a brave face Saturday, just days after she filed for divorce from Keith Urban.

    The Oscar-winning actress was on hand to present Taylor Sheridan with the Award of Inspiration at the amfAR Dallas Gala. 

    Kidman, 58, rocked a long black gown for her first public appearance following the end of her 19-year marriage with Urban, 57.

    KEITH URBAN’S GUITARIST MAGGIE BAUGH SPARKS ROMANCE RUMORS AS NEW DETAILS ABOUT HER LOVE LIFE EMERGE

    Taylor Sheridan accepted an award Saturday presented by Nicole Kidman. (Ryan Emberley)

    The “Let It Roll” singer was seen on Thursday ahead of his gig at the Giant Center in Hershey as part of his “High and Alive” tour. Urban was seen without his wedding band in the pictures.

    KEITH URBAN SEEN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE NICOLE KIDMAN DIVORCE FILING

    Days before Kidman filed for divorce from Urban, Maggie Baugh — a 25-year-old country star who is currently on tour with Urban and his band — posted an eyebrow-raising video from a recent show that left fans questioning the nature of her relationship with the country star. 

    “When they’re tryna get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player,” Urban sang onstage — replacing the original line, “When they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter.”

    Taylor Sheridan holds onto Nicole Kidman

    Nicole Kidman made her first public appearance since filing for divorce from Keith Urban. (Ryan Emberley)

    She wrote in her caption, “Did he just say that,” accompanied by the eyes emoji.

    However, according to People, Urban often ad-libs when performing the song live. For example, while singing “The Fighter” with Carrie Underwood at the 2017 CMT Music Awards, he interjected, “Carrie Underwood, I’m gonna be your fighter!”

    While an insider confirmed to Fox News Digital that there have been whispers of another woman, TMZ was first to report that the country star may already be involved with someone else, with a source close to Kidman saying, “All the signs point to the fact Keith is with another woman. Let’s just say Nicole doesn’t dispute that, but she’s still shocked over it.”

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    Another source claimed to the outlet the news of Urban’s rumored new fling is “all over Nashville.”

    Maggie Baugh

    Maggie Baugh, born in Florida, moved to Nashville when she was 18 years old.  (Maggie Baugh Instagram)

    On Sept. 30, Kidman filed for divorce from Urban, ending 19 years of marriage. She cited “irreconcilable differences” and ongoing “marital difficulties,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

    Kidman listed Sept. 30 as the couple’s date of separation.

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    In the filing, the “Big Little Lies” star asked to be named the primary residential parent of the couple’s two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. Additionally, she petitioned the court to approve a parenting plan for their daughters, which allocated 306 days per year with her and 59 days each year with Urban.

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are dressed in elegant, coordinated looks as they depart for the 2024 Met Gala.

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were married for 19 years. (Ilya S. Savenok)

    The former couple were last publicly seen together in June at a FIFA Club World Cup match in Nashville between Los Angeles Football Club and Esperance de Tunis. The Oscar-winning actress first met Urban in 2005 at an event in Australia. One year later, the couple married in Sydney.

    Before tying the knot with Urban, Kidman was married to actor Tom Cruise, whom she met on the set of “Days of Thunder.” The former couple adopted two children together — Isabella and Connor — before divorcing in 2001.

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    Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.

    Tracy Wright is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to Tracy.Wright@fox.com.

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  • FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center after criticism from conservatives

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    FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias for decades.It comes after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and increased attention on the group he founded, Turning Point USA. SPLC included it as a “case study in the hard right” in its report titled “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024.”Video above details the charges against the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death.Patel said on Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the SPLC, asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States. Criticism of the SPLC escalated from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump in the weeks after Kirk’s assassination. Prominent figures including Elon Musk condemned the SPLC this week for its descriptions of Kirk and the organization.Many of those political figures were also connected to the group in the Turning Point USA case study.”Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA is a well-funded, hard-right organization with links to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists and a tremendous amount of influence in conservative politics,” the SPLC case study states. “While the group was previously dismissed by key figures within the Republican National Committee (RNC), Trump attended several TPUSA events across the country throughout 2024, and several of his nominees have ties to the organization.”The case study characterized the organization as “authoritarian, patriarchal Christian supremacy dedicated to eroding the value of inclusive democracy and public institutions.” It stated that Turning Point USA exploited fear and “embraced aggressive state and federal power to enforce a social order rooted in white supremacy.”The August 2025 Intelligence Project Dispatch also named a leader of Turning Point Action, stating that former Arizona Rep. Austin Smith had been charged with election fraud.Video below: Charlie Kirk’s widow vows to continue his mission after his murderA spokesperson for the SPLC, a legal and advocacy group founded in 1971 as a watchdog for minorities and the underprivileged, did not directly address Patel’s comments in a statement Friday but said the organization has for decades shared data with the public and remains “committed to exposing hate and extremism as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.”The FBI also cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights antisemitism. It faced criticism on the right for maintaining a “Glossary of Extremism.” The organization announced this week that it was discontinuing that glossary because a number of entries were outdated and some were being “intentionally misrepresented and misused.”What is the SPLC?The Southern Poverty Law Center was created by lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin in Montgomery in 1971.Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond was named the first president and people from across the country created the financial base for the organization, according to the SPLC website.”In the decades since its founding, the SPLC shut down some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups by winning crushing, multimillion-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of their victims,” the website states about the organization’s history. “It dismantled vestiges of Jim Crow, reformed juvenile justice practices, shattered barriers to equality for women, children, the LGBT community and the disabled, protected low-wage immigrant workers from exploitation, and more.”During the 1980s, the SPLC began monitoring white supremacist activity and what is now known as the Intelligence Project tracks hate and extremist groups across the country. This report is known around the world.

    FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias for decades.

    It comes after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and increased attention on the group he founded, Turning Point USA. SPLC included it as a “case study in the hard right” in its report titled “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024.“

    Video above details the charges against the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death.

    Patel said on Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the SPLC, asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States.

    Criticism of the SPLC escalated from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump in the weeks after Kirk’s assassination. Prominent figures including Elon Musk condemned the SPLC this week for its descriptions of Kirk and the organization.

    Many of those political figures were also connected to the group in the Turning Point USA case study.

    “Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA is a well-funded, hard-right organization with links to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists and a tremendous amount of influence in conservative politics,” the SPLC case study states. “While the group was previously dismissed by key figures within the Republican National Committee (RNC), Trump attended several TPUSA events across the country throughout 2024, and several of his nominees have ties to the organization.”

    The case study characterized the organization as “authoritarian, patriarchal Christian supremacy dedicated to eroding the value of inclusive democracy and public institutions.” It stated that Turning Point USA exploited fear and “embraced aggressive state and federal power to enforce a social order rooted in white supremacy.”

    The August 2025 Intelligence Project Dispatch also named a leader of Turning Point Action, stating that former Arizona Rep. Austin Smith had been charged with election fraud.

    Video below: Charlie Kirk’s widow vows to continue his mission after his murder

    A spokesperson for the SPLC, a legal and advocacy group founded in 1971 as a watchdog for minorities and the underprivileged, did not directly address Patel’s comments in a statement Friday but said the organization has for decades shared data with the public and remains “committed to exposing hate and extremism as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.”

    The FBI also cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights antisemitism. It faced criticism on the right for maintaining a “Glossary of Extremism.” The organization announced this week that it was discontinuing that glossary because a number of entries were outdated and some were being “intentionally misrepresented and misused.”

    What is the SPLC?

    The Southern Poverty Law Center was created by lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin in Montgomery in 1971.

    Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond was named the first president and people from across the country created the financial base for the organization, according to the SPLC website.

    “In the decades since its founding, the SPLC shut down some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups by winning crushing, multimillion-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of their victims,” the website states about the organization’s history. “It dismantled vestiges of Jim Crow, reformed juvenile justice practices, shattered barriers to equality for women, children, the LGBT community and the disabled, protected low-wage immigrant workers from exploitation, and more.”

    During the 1980s, the SPLC began monitoring white supremacist activity and what is now known as the Intelligence Project tracks hate and extremist groups across the country. This report is known around the world.

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  • HARDY details terrifying moment he thought he was ‘dead’ in devastating tour bus crash

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    HARDY is recounting the traumatic tour bus accident that nearly took his life. 

    During Wednesday’s episode of the “Nashville Now” podcast, the country singer and songwriter, 35, opened up about the terrifying ordeal that landed him in the hospital and impacted his mental health moving forward. 

    “I was in a tour bus accident a couple of years ago, and I think just since then, [death] has just been really on the back of my mind,” said HARDY, who recently released his album “Country! Country!” 

    HARDY, MORGAN WALLEN’S SONGWRITER, INJURED IN TOUR BUS CRASH

    HARDY, the country singer and songwriter, details the traumatic aftermath from his near-fatal tour bus crash in 2022.  (Omar Vega/WireImage)

    “Don’t think that it can’t happen whenever, because it very much can … Live your life because we’re going to die,” he continued. “And I just think that’s a head space I’ve lived in for the last couple of years because I was, in a moment, it’s the only moment I’ve ever had where I thought I was dead.”

    In 2022, HARDY — whose full name is Michael Wilson Hardy — and three other members of his team were involved in a near-fatal tour bus accident just outside of Nashville. 

    During the podcast interview, HARDY recalled something being “off” with his bus driver after they made a quick pit stop on the side of the road. 

    “I said, ‘You good?’ And he said, ‘Yep,’ and I said, ‘How much longer do we have?’ And he said, ‘Yep,’” HARDY said. “We got about two more miles down the road, and he had either an aneurysm or seizure while driving and we barreled off the side of the road. The bus flipped over three times.”

    HARDY in concert

    HARDY has written songs for Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane. (Terry Wyatt)

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    “It went from being a bus to a movie set, like a bomb went off,” he continued. “I crawled out of the front windshield, which was busted open… The bus had gone so far down the hill that you couldn’t see it from the highway. So, all these trucks and cars were flying by and they couldn’t see us.”

    “I had a black hoodie with a big white circle on it and all I could think to do is take that hoodie off and try to wave people down. I did that for about 30 minutes and I could not get somebody to stop,” he added.

    While all four survived, they sustained major injuries. 

    Hardy poses at 15th Annual Academy Of Country Music Honors

    HARDY said there was a moment after the bus crash when he thought he was “dead.” (Terry Wyatt)

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    One year after the accident, HARDY was hospitalized due to ongoing panic attacks tied to the accident’s aftermath. 

    “I need to be honest with everyone for a second,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “I’ve been dealing with some serious anxiety since the bus accident last year, and over the last two weeks it has taken control of my life.”

    “It’s caused me to suffer many panic attacks, which have landed me in the hospital,” he continued. “I need a moment to focus on me and to make myself better for my wife, family and you, the fans.”

    HARDY on stage with his guitar

    The country star has undergone various forms of therapy since the near-fatal crash. (Keith Griner/Getty Images)

    Over the past couple years, HARDY has focused in on his mental health and has participated in several forms of therapy after the accident, including EMDR.

    “After this whole experience I’ve got no shame. It was so overwhelming for me that I really just don’t wish that on anybody… It’s more taboo for men to speak out on it and I know that there’s guys out there that are just eating it every day, and that’s not good for you,” he said.

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    Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this post. 

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  • Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman divorce sends shockwaves amid whispers of ‘another woman’

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Nicole Kidman filing for divorce from Keith Urban sent shockwaves among fans, and now there are rumors swirling there may be a new woman in the country star’s life.

    An insider told Fox News Digital that they have heard whispers of another woman.

    TMZ was first to report that Urban may already be involved with another woman, with a source close to Kidman saying, “All the signs point to the fact Keith is with another woman. Let’s just say Nicole doesn’t dispute that, but she’s still shocked over it.”

    Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from Keith Urban on Sept. 30. (Emma McIntyre/WireImage)

    Another source claimed to the outlet the news of Urban’s rumored new fling is “all over Nashville.”

    NICOLE KIDMAN FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM KEITH URBAN CITING ‘MARITAL DIFFICULTIES’

    People magazine reported that Kidman feels “very betrayed” by her marriage of 19 years coming to an end. 

    Keith Urban nuzzles up to wife Nicole Kidman

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were married for 19 years. (Angela Weiss)

    “Nicole’s hurt and feels betrayed. It’s devastating to her. She’s shocked,” a source told the outlet. 

    On Sept. 30, Kidman filed for divorce from Urban, ending 19 years of marriage. She cited “irreconcilable differences” and ongoing “marital difficulties,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

    Kidman listed Sept. 30 as the couple’s date of separation.

    Although Kidman and Urban’s split may seem sudden to fans, those close to the couple said it was a long time coming.

    Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban smile at awards show

    Sources close to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban said their divorce was “inevitable.” (Francis Specker)

    It “really hasn’t been a secret,” a source told People, adding they “have been living separately for a while now.”

    “People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable,” the source claimed. 

    Insiders close to the couple said they had already been living separate lives, emotionally and physically, for some time.

    “Their lives were moving in different directions, and once he quietly set up his own place, it felt like the writing was on the wall,” another source told the outlet.

    Nicole Kidman smiles next to Keith Urban

    Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban share two daughters. (Michael Buckner)

    In the divorce filing, the “Big Little Lies” star asked to be named the primary residential parent of the couple’s two daughters.

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    She also requested the court approve a parenting plan that would give her 306 days a year with the children, leaving 59 days annually with Urban. Kidman and Urban share two daughters: Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret.

    Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman backstage a concert.

    The Oscar-winning actress first met Urban in 2005 at an event in Australia. One year later, the couple married in Sydney. (John Shearer/Getty Images for Concert for Carolina)

    The Oscar-winning actress first met Urban in 2005 at an event in Australia. One year later, the couple married in Sydney.

    Fox News Digital has reached out to reps for Kidman and Urban for comment. 

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    Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright and Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.

    Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to janelle.ash@fox.com. 

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  • Both sides dig in ahead of threatened government shutdown

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    WASHINGTON — Washington is barreling toward a government shutdown Tuesday night, with few signs of an off-ramp as Democrats and Republicans dig in for a fight over government spending.

    Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill is insisting on an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits as part of a package to fund the government. At least seven Democratic votes are needed in the Senate to pass a seven-week stopgap bill that cleared the House last week.

    But Republican lawmakers and the White House have dismissed the proposal, with senior officials in the Trump administration threatening to use unique legal authorities granted during a government shutdown to conduct yet more mass firings of federal workers.

    Bipartisan congressional leadership met with President Trump at the White House on Monday afternoon in a last-minute effort to avert the crisis. But neither side exited the meeting with expectations of a breakthrough. On the contrary, Republican leaders in the House told the GOP caucus to plan to return to work next week and said they would hold a news conference on Wednesday anticipating the government’s closure.

    “We are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans, period, full stop,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Monday.

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer talk to reporters outside the White House.

    (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

    Vice President JD Vance said he thought the country was “headed to a shutdown,” labeling Democratic calls for healthcare tax credits an “absurd” demand that amounts to an “excuse for shutting down the people’s government.”

    “You don’t use your policy disagreements as leverage to not pay our troops,” Vance said. “That’s exactly what they’re proposing out there.”

    When the government shuts down, the law requires all nonessential government services to cease, requiring most federal workers to go on furlough or work without pay. Essential services — such as national security functions and air traffic control — are not affected.

    Ahead of the meeting, Trump told reporters he hoped Democrats would agree to “keeping our country open,” before proceeding to criticize their proposals.

    “They’re going to have to do some things, because their ideas are not very good ones,” Trump said. “They’re very bad for our country. So we’ll see how that works out.”

    But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he thought his message was beginning to resonate with the president after their meeting Monday afternoon.

    “We have very large differences, on healthcare, and on their ability to undo whatever budget we agree to, through rescissions and through impoundment,” Schumer said. “I think for the first time, the president heard our objections and heard why we needed a bipartisan bill. Their bill has not one iota of Democratic input. That is never how we’ve done this before.”

    “We’ve made to the president some proposals,” Schumer added. “Ultimately, he’s a decision-maker.”

    Schumer faced widespread ridicule from within his party in March after reversing course during the last showdown, choosing then to support the Trump administration’s continuing resolution to fund the government at the height of an aggressive purge of the federal workforce.

    At that point, Schumer feared a shutdown could accelerate the firings. But Schumer is now defiant, despite the renewed threat of layoffs, after the White House Office of Management and Budget circulated a memo last week directing federal agencies to relieve workers on discretionary projects that lose funding after Oct. 1.

    “This is an attempt at intimidation,” Schumer said in response to the memo. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government.”

    Vice President JD Vance talks to reporters as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune listen.

    Vice President JD Vance talks to reporters as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune listen.

    (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

    Still, Schumer began gauging his caucus Monday afternoon on the prospects of a continuing resolution that would in effect delay a shutdown by a week, briefly extending government funding in order to continue negotiations.

    Betting markets had chances of a shutdown soaring above 70% by the end of the day on Monday.

    Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the president’s position was “the reasonable and commonsense thing to do,” calling on Democrats to continue funding to the military and its veterans.

    “All we are asking for is a commonsense, clean funding resolution — a continuing resolution — to keep the government open,” Leavitt said. “This is a bill that keeps the government funded at the exact same levels as today, just adjusted for inflation.”

    “So there is zero good reason for the Democrats to vote against this,” she added. “The president is giving Democrat leadership one last chance to be reasonable.”

    But Jeffries dismissed Leavitt as “divorced from reality” in a podcast interview.

    “In what world will any rational American conclude, after we’ve been lectured throughout the year about this so-called mandate that the Republican Party has in this country, and their complete control of government in Washington, that because Democrats are unwilling to gut the healthcare of the American people as part of the Republican healthcare crisis, that it’s us shutting the government down?” Jeffries said.

    “Nobody’s buying that,” he continued, “outside of the parts of the MAGA base who basically, seemingly, will buy anything that Donald Trump has to peddle.”

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he would call a vote on funding the government Tuesday afternoon.

    “This is purely and simply hostage-taking,” Thune said Monday. Whether it passes or fails, he said, is “up to the Democrats.”

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    Michael Wilner

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