Celine Dion has formally announced the cancellation of her Courage World Tour due to her ongoing fight against an intractable neurological disorder.
The iconic 55-year-old singer updated followers on her health condition via Instagram, as Fox News reported.
"It is with tremendous disappointment that we have to announce today the cancelation of the Courage World Tour," Dion began her in-depth post.
"I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%," she added.
"It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up … and I can’t wait to see you again!
"Tickets purchased for the forty-two cancelled dates will be refunded via the original point of sale. For further ticket inquiries or options, ticketholders should reach out to their original point of purchase," the post said.
In December, the "My Heart Will Go On" singer shocked admirers by revealing that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, which she noted "affects something like one in a million people."
According to the Cleveland Clinic, stiff person syndrome is a rare autoimmune movement disorder that affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). People with this condition initially experience a stiffening of their trunk muscles, followed by the gradual development of stiffness and rigidity in their legs and other body muscles.
Dion continued to instruct supporters on how to receive a ticket refund.
Last year, Dion revealed to her followers in an Instagram video that she had been experiencing mobility issues and that her vocal had been affected by the condition.
"While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what has been causing all of the spasms I've been having," she said.
"Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to."
In January 2022, Dion canceled the remainder of her "Courage" tour dates in North America due to "severe and persistent muscle spasms" that rendered her unable to perform.
Dion's tour dates for February 24 to April 11, 2023, have been rescheduled for March 6 to April 22, 2024, and her summer performances from May 31 to July 17, 2023, have been canceled.
According to the results of a study that was published on Thursday, two-thirds of Americans believe that Joe Biden being elected to a second term as president would be detrimental to the country.
According to a poll conducted by CNN, sixty-six percent of respondents questioned stated that a victory for Joe Biden would be either a "disaster" or a "setback." The same might be said for Donald Trump, who served as the 45th President of the United States.
The overall favorable rating for Vice President Biden is 35%, which is a drop from January's figure of 40%, as The Daily Caller reported.
The survey showed that just sixty percent of Democrats indicated that they would choose him as their first option if the primary were held today. This indicates that the president is up against substantial competition in the race for the Democratic nominee for president.
According to the results of the survey, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer and contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, is in second place with 20% of the vote. Marianne Williamson, a well-known author, finishes in third place with 8%.
According to the results of the survey, almost the same proportion of respondents would choose someone who is neither Biden nor Kennedy nor Williamson. Five percent of respondents indicated that they have "no opinion."
Five hundred and fifty percent of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats stated that they "might change their mind" about the candidate they now support.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) has come under fire for refusing to host debates among candidates for vice president despite the strong polling numbers of Biden's opponents.
Both Kennedy and Williamson have voiced their dissatisfaction with the lack of discussion, despite the fact that parties typically do not conduct debates while there is an incumbent in office.
“Disappointed certainly, because I believe in democracy. I believe that the political party should stay out of the issue until the primary voters have weighed in, and then whoever wins the primaries, that’s who the DNC, or the RNC for that matter, should support,” Williamson said.
“Mr. Kennedy believes the American people want and deserve debates. He continues to ask President Biden to join in free and open discussion of those range of important matters which concern all Americans,” Kennedy’s campaign told the Daily Caller.
CNN delivered the "horrible news" of their polling data for Biden as the network's latest polling offered a grim forecast ahead of his 2024 reelection bid.
"Horrible news, horrible for Joe Biden," CNN anchor Jake Tapper reacted to the poll. "Those are some bad numbers," he later added.
CNN political director David Challian offered an analysis of the poll saying "[Trump's] hardcore supporters are more into him than perhaps Biden's hardcore supporters are into him."
"Yeah, it's worse for Biden but for both of them, most of the American people think electing them would be a disaster or a setback for both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the current Democratic and Republican frontrunner," Tapper told Chalian, to which he replied, "This is not an election the American people want."
Protesters stormed the New Hampshire stage where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) was speaking, chanting "Jews against DeSantis!"
During the largest annual fundraising dinner for the New Hampshire Republican Party, DeSantis spoke about his electoral and legislative victories in Florida as governor, according to a report by Breitbart News.
“I got elected governor in 2018 by 32,000 votes out of more than eight million votes cast — less than one-half of one percent was my margin of victory,” DeSantis said. “To be honest, that was not out of character for Florida.”
Then, as DeSantis described prior election cycles in Florida, two female demonstrators with Hebrew signs and chants of "Jews against DeSantis!" rushed the stage.
“The previous decade, if you looked at governor races, presidential races, 2010, 2012, ’14, ’16, ’18,” DeSantis said as he looked over at the protesters, who were nabbed by security. “Yeah, thank you.”
“You got to have a little spice in the speech. You got to have a little fun,” DeSantis joked as the protesters were taken off the stage by security. “Why you’d want to pay the ticket just to get in to do that I don’t know, but different strokes for different folks.”
DeSantis has not yet declared his candidacy for president in 2024, but he is expected to enter the Republican field, which currently includes former President Donald Trump and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Jews in America have long been known to vote Democrat, with a historical propensity dating back to the early 20th century.
According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, around 71% of Jewish Americans identified as Democrats or leaned towards the Democratic Party, while only 25% identified as Republicans or leaned towards the Republican Party.
This trend is rooted in the Jewish American community's alignment with progressive values and issues.
Historically, Jewish immigrants to the United States were drawn to the Democratic Party's support for labor unions, social welfare programs, and civil rights.
Additionally, the Republican Party's alignment with conservative Christian values and their support for policies such as deregulation and tax cuts have not resonated with many Jewish Americans.
However, this trend has not been absolute, as there have been notable exceptions, such as the late Senator Joseph Lieberman, who was a Democrat for most of his career but became an independent in 2006 and endorsed Republican John McCain for president in 2008.
As the political landscape continues to shift, it remains to be seen whether the historical propensity of Jews to vote Democrat will continue or whether there will be a shift towards more conservative values.
According to reports, Google is scrambling to integrate AI into its range of products in an effort to keep up with rivals like OpenAI's infamous ChatGPT and Microsoft's "unhinged" Bing AI.
Bloomberg reports that Google is working hard to catch up to its competitors in the field of generative AI, including OpenAI and Microsoft, according to Breitbart News.
Despite being incredibly advanced, OpenAI's ChatGPT has been immensely popular.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said that the impact of ChatGPT will be “more profound than fire or electricity,” prompting Google to scramble to catch up.
Yet, the rapid success of OpenAI has given Google the perception that it may be losing momentum in a field it had previously considered a critical strength. Most of the research underpinning the current craze of AI-powered chatbots was undertaken at Google's labs.
A "code red" issued by management requires all of the company's most important products with more than a billion users to include generative AI over the next six months.
According to one former employee, the mobilization around the drive for generative AI at Google has caused Pichai to start commenting directly on product features, reliving his days as a product manager.
The company previously experienced a significant failure when its initial, hurried AI presentation provided the incorrect response to a question, resulting in a $100 billion loss in market value of the internet giant in a single day.
Google's drive for AI inclusion has already started with its statement that viewers of its YouTube video platform would soon be able to virtually switch between outfits.
While some Google employees are ecstatic about the project, others are concerned that it may repeat the company's history of engaging in speculative research only to fail to commercialize it.
The mobilization surrounding Google's drive for generative AI is similar to the company's drive to integrate social components into each of its core products beginning in 2011 with Google+. Although there is no denying Google's leadership in AI, it has never been considered as the social networking leader.
Current and former Google employees believe that some evaluations and reviews will likely be affected by their ability to apply generative AI to their work.
It's not just Google that thinks AI will be important in the future. Businesses are witnessing surging stock values after unveiling AI integrations, and venture capitalists and company owners in Silicon Valley have suddenly proclaimed themselves to be AI visionaries, moving their emphasis away from current obsessions like the blockchain.
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, changed the company's emphasis away from the metaverse, which he said was so crucial to the company that it required a name change, and toward AI.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has revealed the extent of potential criminal evidence against Hunter Biden that has been shared with Congress.
The senator disclosed to Attorney General Merrick Garland that lawfully protected whistleblower disclosures to his office indicate that the Justice Department and FBI had over a dozen sources who provided potentially criminal information relating to Hunter Biden, according to The Daily Caller.
Grassley said that the alleged volume and similarity of the information would demand that the Justice Department investigate the truth and accuracy of the information.
He also asked Garland what steps the Justice Department has taken to determine the truth and accuracy of the information given to Grassley’s team.
Grassley made the disclosure during a hearing with Garland held by the Senate Judiciary Committee after asking hypothetical questions about protections for whistleblowers who match the description of the people who came forward to his office.
The senator asked Garland what steps the Justice Department has taken to determine the truth and accuracy of the information given to Grassley’s team. Garland largely refused to give detailed answers about the active investigation into President Joe Biden’s adult son, deferring to Delaware’s U.S. Attorney David Weiss.
The attorney general said any information about Hunter Biden should have gone to Weiss and the “FBI squad” assisting him.
He insisted that if Weiss needed to go to another jurisdiction to bring a case, he would “assure” that the U.S. attorney would be able to do so.
While Hunter Biden has said he expects to be cleared of wrongdoing, Republicans have raised concerns about influence peddling, particularly regarding his Chinese business dealings and access to areas where classified documents have been located.
Hunter Biden, 53, is under federal investigation for possible tax fraud, illegal foreign lobbying, money laundering, and lying about his drug use on a gun-purchase form.
Investigators reportedly believe they have enough evidence to charge him with tax crimes and lying on the gun form. Hunter and his uncle, first brother James Biden, have a history of seeking business in countries where Joe Biden holds sway over US policy, such as China, Russia, Mexico, and Ukraine, creating conflicts of interest and corruption concerns.
Grassley later cast doubt on Garland’s claims that the probe by Weiss — one of the few still-serving US attorneys appointed by President Donald Trump — was truly independent.
Grassley asked if Weiss, the US attorney in Delaware, sought permission from another US Attorney’s Office, such as in the District of Columbia or California, to bring charges. Garland didn't know the answer to that but insisted that Weiss has been told that he is not to be denied anything that he needs.
Hunter Biden reportedly still owns a 10% stake in BHR Partners, which manages $2.1 billion in assets. The company has “unique mixed ownership,” which combines the resources and platforms of China’s largest financial institutions, and the networks and know-how of the US-based investment fund and advisory firm shareholders. In 2016, BHR Partners facilitated a deal in which a Chinese firm bought a Congolese cobalt mine from US and Canadian companies.
Sen. John Fetterman's office reported that after reaching a "solution" with the "intelligence community" and Office of Senate Security, the senator's auditory processing difficulties were accommodated during secret briefings.
According to reports, Fetterman's Hill staffers employ mobile devices with text-to-speech capabilities to help the senator with his auditory processing issues, according to Fox News.
FOX News Digital asked Fetterman's office whether he uses these portable devices for voice-to-text closed captioning during confidential briefings because of the damage done by a stroke he had in May 2022.
Joe Calvello, a Spokesperson for Fetterman's office, told FOX News Digital that "Senator Fetterman requested assistance from the Office of Senate Security for an appropriate accommodation in a classified setting."
"Senate Security, in coordination with the Intelligence Community, identified a solution that exceeded all requirements for safeguarding classified information," Calvello said.
FOX News Digital followed up with a question to Fetterman's office seeking clarification on the agreement reached between Fetterman, the "intelligence community," and the Office of Senate Security.
When FOX News Digital emailed the Office of Senate Security on Friday afternoon to inquire whether Fetterman's accommodation allowed the use of a gadget, they did not respond right away.
This year, there have already been a number of secret briefings in Congress held in sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) or other places with comparable security restrictions.
Due to security reasons, electronic devices, including phones and mobile devices, are not permitted in certain places. It's not known if Fetterman will be able to utilize an electronic gadget as part of his lodging.
When a senator's health declines, there are several special accommodations that can be made to allow them to continue working in the Senate. These accommodations are designed to ensure that the senator can continue to perform their duties. Some of the most common special accommodations made for senators in this situation include:
Remote voting is sometimes provided for those who are unable to attend senate sessions in person due to health reasons.
Special Access to Committee Hearings if a senator is unable to attend committee hearings in person due to health reasons may be given special access to these hearings through teleconferencing or other means.
Priority Seating, meaning that senators with health concerns may be given priority seating in the Senate chamber to allow them to attend sessions and participate in debates without undue strain.
Senators may also be given Special Scheduling, in some cases, which would allow them to set their own schedules or have more flexible schedules to accommodate their health needs.
Richard Belzer, the comic and actor best remembered for portraying the sarcastic Detective John Munch throughout the course of several NBC crime series, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, has passed away. He was 78.
According to his manager, Eric Gardner, Belzer “passed away peacefully” early on Sunday morning local time at his residence in France, according to CNN.
Belzer had “lots of health issues” according to writer Bill Scheft, a devoted friend of the performer, who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter.
Belzer best known for his role as Munch in Law & Order: SVU, was a series regular from 1999 to 2016, appearing in 326 episodes. Despite the fact that his character retired in 2013, he made a comeback in two more episodes.
Detective Munch shared Belzer's tendencies toward conspiracy, Jewish heritage, and dry humor. His lanky, witty, glasses-wearing detective eventually rose to the status of one of the most recognizable police officers in the annals of TV crime drama.
“I would never be a detective, but if I were, that’s how I’d be,” he said in a recent interview with The Boomer Tube. “The character is very close to how I would be. They write to all my paranoia and anti-establishment dissidence and conspiracy theories, so it’s been a lot of fun for me. It’s been a dream actually.”
Besides acting in SVU, Belzer was a comedian and author. He also appeared as Munch in Homicide: Life on the Street.
His career in the entertainment industry dated all the way back to the 1970s.
Belzer got his start in comedy in the 1970s, performing in clubs in New York City alongside other comedians such as Andy Kaufman and Robert Klein. He made his first television appearance in 1976 on the sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live."
In the 1980s, Belzer began to transition to acting, appearing in small roles in films such as Fame and Scarface. He also appeared in a number of television series, including Miami Vice and Moonlighting.
His role as Munch in Homicide: Life on the Streets was a breakout role for him and carried over to SVU.
Based on the book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon, Homicide was critically acclaimed and helped to establish Belzer as a leading character actor.
Belzer has also made guest appearances on a number of other television series, including The X-Files and Arrested Development.
In addition to his work in television and film, Belzer is also an author and has written several books, including a collection of humorous essays titled UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe.
He was an outspoken advocate for animal rights and worked with several animal welfare organizations throughout his career.
Overall, Belzer's career was marked by versatility and range, with his comedic talents and acting abilities making him a beloved figure in the entertainment industry.
According to records examined by the Daily Caller News Foundation, high-ranking Treasury Department officials met with and received emails on their personal accounts from members of a climate financing organization led by Democratic donor Michael Bloomberg.
According to a report by The Daily Caller News Foundation, which outlined emails proving the connection, Bloomberg is the current chair of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
The TCFD is an organization that advocates for businesses to disclose "risks related to climate change" in their financial statements. Bloomberg is a former mayor of New York, the founder of the financial data juggernaut Bloomberg LP, and a significant Democratic donor.
According to a review of documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the non-profit Energy Policy Advocate, representatives of this organization, many of whom are present or former Bloomberg LP employees, communicated with high-level Treasury Department officials.
This included Secretary Janet Yellen's Chief of Staff Didem Nisanci and the department's former Climate Counselor John Morton, who were at times contacted using their personal Gmail accounts.
The Treasury Department is responsible for managing the nation's finances and economic policy. The department is responsible for a wide range of functions, including overseeing the collection of taxes, managing the national debt, and enforcing economic sanctions against foreign countries.
Members of the Treasury Department are responsible for a variety of roles within the agency, depending on their specific area of expertise.
Some may work on economic policy development, while others may be responsible for financial regulation, international finance, or tax enforcement.
One of the most important responsibilities of members of the Treasury Department is to maintain the integrity and impartiality of the agency.
This means that they are required to act in the best interests of the public, rather than for the benefit of private individuals or lobbying firms.
In order to ensure this, members of the Treasury Department are prohibited from accepting gifts or other forms of compensation from private lobbying firms, and are required to adhere to strict ethical standards.
If a member of the Treasury Department were found to have violated these ethical standards by complying with requests from private lobbying firms, they could face serious consequences.
These might include disciplinary action within the agency, such as suspension or termination, as well as legal consequences such as fines or imprisonment.
Additionally, the reputation of the agency as a whole could be compromised, potentially undermining public trust in the government's ability to manage the nation's finances and economic policy.
Tom Sizemore, an American actor best known for his part in the iconic war movie Saving Private Ryan, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after experiencing a brain aneurysm.
According to Sizemore's spokesperson, the injury happened in the wee hours of the morning, and the actor is in critical condition.
“He is in the hospital,” Sizemore’s representative Charles Lago told Fox News. “His family is aware of the situation and are hoping for the best. It is too early to know about [a] recovery situation as he is in critical condition and under observation.”
Aneurysms can vary from causing brain damage to death, and in some cases can see a partial or complete recovery.
The representative told TMZ that Sizemore was at home in Los Angeles at around 2 a.m. when he collapsed unconscious. Someone found him and called 911. When paramedics arrived they took him to a hospital.
The actor appeared in a wide variety of film and television roles over the course of his career. He is perhaps best known for his role as Sergeant Horvath in the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, which earned him critical acclaim and helped to establish him as a leading character actor.
Sizemore got his start in the entertainment industry in the mid-1980s, appearing in a number of small film and television roles.
He began to gain more recognition in the early 1990s, with supporting roles in films such as Born on the Fourth of July and True Romance.
In 1995, he had a major role in the film Heat, which starred Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.
His performance in Saving Private Ryan in 1998 earned him critical acclaim and established him as a leading character actor. He went on to appear in a number of other high-profile films, including Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, and Natural Born Killers.
Sizemore's career has been marked by personal struggles, including drug addiction and legal troubles. In 2003, he was sentenced to probation and drug rehabilitation after being convicted of domestic violence.
He has since been involved in a number of rehabilitation programs and has continued to work in the entertainment industry, appearing in films such as The Last Lullaby and Company of Heroes.
Despite his personal struggles, Tom Sizemore's talent as an actor has helped to establish him as a respected and versatile performer in the industry.
He continues to be recognized for his work in Saving Private Ryan and other films, and his career serves as a reminder of the importance of talent, hard work, and perseverance in the face of personal challenges.
According to a local report, a Democratic city council member in California has been arrested and charged with election fraud.
According to CBS Sacramento, Shakir Khan, a member of the Lodi City Council, was arrested last week after already facing additional criminal charges, according to The Conservative Brief.
Khan resigned from his position on Friday, according to the outlet, and then claimed that his resignation was coerced. According to reports, the new vote fraud charges are related to the 2020 election.
“We became aware of Shakir Khan’s arrest this morning and I had the opportunity to speak with him here at the county jail and asked for his resignation, effective immediately. He agreed to resign,” Lodi Mayor Mikey Hothi noted in a statement, according to the outlet.
“The city is fully cooperating with the investigation. I want to thank the sheriff’s office and everybody involved, ensuring a fair and thorough process.”
Khan's attorney told CBS13 that his client was coerced into resigning from his position without legal representation because he was under duress at the time.
The sheriff's office, on the other hand, claims that there is substantial evidence that Khan betrayed the public's trust.
Khan has been charged with multiple offenses related to voter fraud, including causing, procuring, or allowing false voter registration of himself or another person, submitting fraudulent voter registration to the Secretary of State, submitting a fraudulent candidacy petition, aiding and abetting fraud in any election, subscribing fictitious names to nomination petitions, making a false nomination or declaration of candidacy, fraudulently casting votes, and procuring, assisting, counseling, or advising another person who is not qualified to vote.
The local affiliate went on to point out:
Back in 2021, Khan was arraigned on charges relating to illegal gambling, money laundering, tax evasion, and unemployment claim fraud. The San Joaquin County Registrar’s Office said they are fully cooperating with the sheriff’s office with its investigation. They also say they are re-evaluating their systems in an effort to prevent voter fraud in the future.
According to FOX40, he will appear in court on Tuesday to answer to the 2021 charges.
The charges against Khan are the outcome of an investigation that started in 2019 in response to earlier allegations against him, according to San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow. Withrow went on to say that the public's expressed concerns about the election's integrity led law enforcement to look into the situation.
“Our investigation uncovered that councilman Shakir Khan has attempted to undermine, manipulate and violate one of our most fundamental rights here in our country, and that is the right to free and fair elections,” Withrow noted during a press conference Thursday.
“It appears councilman Shakir Khan has targeted members of his own community, our Pakistani community in the north county,” Withrow continued.
“And we are doing everything we can to work with them to make sure that they are protected and that any damage done to them or their families is corrected by this man’s actions,” he concluded.