U2 Stays Put
The legendary U2 is planning to set up shop in the desert for a slate of shows. The announcement was made during a 15-second spot that aired during Super Bowl LVII. The Las Vegas residency is being dubbed U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere and will be held at the MSG Sphere at the Venetian hotel. In anticipation of the residency, U2 is also set to release a collection of 40 songs called Songs of Surrender. Drummer Larry Mullen, however, will be out with a scheduled surgery.
France-Wakanda Relations
France is unhappy with the way French soldiers were depicted in Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Defense minister Sebastien Lecornu took to Twitter to denounce a scene that showed captured soldiers with their hands tied behind their backs. The soldiers were apparently dressed similarly to French troops that were deployed to Africa's Sahel region to fight terror groups. "I am thinking of and honouring the 58 French soldiers who died defending Mali, at its request, in the face of Islamist terrorist groups," he said. He went on to say that troops were being misrepresented.
RiRi's Return?
After seven long years, Rihanna's Navy was treated to a dazzling Super Bowl halftime performance. It was filled with her hits, visuals that could make your palms sweat, and even a baby announcement! But for fans who were expecting this performance to be the kickstart to a Rihanna era, brace yourselves. In an interview leading up to the big performance, she revealed that a new album "would probably take some time" but that she was open to dropping loose songs here and there.
Anyone who gets vaccinated at select state-run vaccination sites in New York next week will receive a lottery scratch ticket with prizes potentially worth millions, as the state tries to boost slowing vaccination rates.
Amazon says it will extend its ban on police use of its face-recognition technology beyond the one-year pause it announced last year.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 444,000, a new pandemic low and a sign that the job market keeps strengthening as consumers spend freely again, viral infections drop and business restrictions ease.
Jill and Carlo talk about the EU's plan to open borders and fantasize about what a national summer holiday would look like. Plus, a troubling rise of anti-Semitism as signs emerge of a possible ceasefire in Gaza, and how a band of curious 5-year-olds foiled a hijacking in progress.
The European Union has taken a step toward relaxing travel for visitors from outside the bloc, with EU ambassadors agreeing on measures to make it easier for fully vaccinated visitors to get in.
New York dives back into normalcy, strong vax uptake among teens, latest from Gaza, Americans go shopping and Jill talks about the trials of modern parenting.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo has disclosed that he was paid a $3.1 million advance to write his COVID-19 leadership book last year and will make another $2 million on the memoir over the next two years.
Biden dips into the vax supply to donate abroad, no signs of a ceasefire in Gaza, the media industry getting smaller, and the biggest complaint from Starbucks baristas.
China has landed a spacecraft on Mars for the first time in the latest step forward for its ambitious space program.
An evacuation order remains in place for part of a northwest Iowa town as firefighters work to extinguish a burning train after a weekend derailment.
