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Earlier this month, BTS announced that the group would be going on a hiatus so that individual members could pursue solo projects. The announcement came after they released their 35-track anthropology project, Proof, but the report was clarified by a representative of the group who said that a hiatus was not in order for BTS. The rep said that the group will just “take time to explore some solo projects at this time” and they assured that they will “remain active in various different formats.” Less than two weeks after that news arrived, we now know which member of BTS will be the first to release a solo project.

J-Hope announced his debut album and even shared when its lead single will arrive. Jack In The Box is set for a release on July 15 and its first song will touch down on July 1, according to Billboard. A statement about the upcoming project said that it “represents [J-Hope’s] aspirations to break the mold and grow further.” The album will also feature “diverse content to show J-Hope’s creative identity as an artist will be introduced.”

Jack In The Box will arrive just in time for J-Hope’s headlining set at Lollapalooza’s Chicago festival at the end of next month. J-Hope’s headling gig will make the first time that a “South Korean artist will headline a main stage at a major U.S. music festival.”

You can view J-Hope’s Instagram post about Jack In The Box above.

The Detroit Pistons have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Deandre Ayton. Following the trade that sent Jerami Grant to Portland earlier this week, Detroit seemed prime to use their considerable cap space to send the restricted free agent a max offer sheet, which the Phoenix Suns would have to either match for a player they reportedly do not want to have on a max or watch as the former No. 1 overall pick leaves for nothing.

Despite the fact that Ayton apparently has some interest in heading to the Motor City to play alongside Cade Cunningham, a new report from James Edwards III of The Athletic indicates that might not be in the cards anymore. Detroit was viewed as one of the winners of the 2022 NBA Draft for its selection of Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and its acquisition of Memphis center Jalen Duren, and according to Edwards, the thought of signing one gigantic free agent is less appealing now.

The Pistons now move into the next phase of their “restoration” with one of the more intriguing young cores in the NBA — Cade Cunningham, Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Duren — as well as enough cap space to make a run at a max-level player. However, while all signs have pointed to Detroit making a serious run at Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton over the last few days, that appears less likely after the Pistons walked away with two of the players highest on the organization’s big board.

Edwards reports that the Pistons would rather use their cap space to acquire “multiple veterans” as opposed to going all-in on one guy like Ayton. It makes a ton of sense from their perspective, especially if they believe that Duren has the potential to become the perfect frontcourt compliment alongside Cunningham and Ivey.

Pusha T has spent most of 2022 promoting his fourth album It’s Almost Dry. The 12-track project is his first full-length effort since 2018’s Daytona, and it’s a body of work that Pusha thinks very highly of. He’s billed the project as 2022’s rap album of the year, something Tom Brady agrees with, and he’s made sure to remind fans about that at every chance he gets. One of those moments came during a recent interview with HotNewHipHop where he spoke about a number of topics regarding It’s Almost Dry. Pusha also took a second to speak about a recent album from one of his rap competitors, that being Kendrick Lamar.

During the interview, Pusha was asked for his opinion on Kendrick Lamar’s fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. “I think he made a strong album,” Pusha replied. “I think his album is definitely a conversation piece, for sure. I think that Kendrick does what he does lyrically. I think… man, it was impressive. I think it was impressive, for sure.”

He continued, “I think it’s great competition. It’s a matter of what you want to hear. I feel like for what it is that I do and what I was going for, and like I said, this is rap album of the year to me. It’s Almost Dry. That is the mood and that is the energy. I think I put out that type of energy. I don’t think me and Kendrick made the same type of album, at all. It’s two different listens.”

Both Pusha and Kendrick are responsible for big moments in hip-hop this year thanks to their respective 2022 albums. Another big moment came last weekend when Pusha T and his brother Malice — a duo better known as Clipse — reunited to perform together for the first time since 2010.

You can read Pusha T’s full interview with HotNewHipHop here.

Russell Westbrook struggled during his first season in Los Angeles and made clear that he thought lines were crossed with how people responded to that, going as far as to say that his family did not feel comfortable going to Lakers games at one point. One issue, in particular, that Westbrook had was people using the nickname “Westbrook,” a not exactly kind way to highlight the issues he’s long had as a consistent jump shooter.

The nickname is hardly new, but Westbrook told the press that “Westbrick, to me, is now shaming. It’s like shaming my name. It’s my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means more, not just to me, but to my wife, my mom, my dad are he ones that kind of paved the way for me.” One person who has gotten a whole lot of mileage out of that nickname over the years is Skip Bayless, and after the Lakers drafted Max Christie of Michigan State, the Fox Sports personality saw an opportunity to get that joke off.

Westbrook caught wind of this a day later and told Bayless to tread carefully.

His wife, Nina, was likewise clear that Bayless repeatedly crosses a line with his use of the nickname.

Bayless has not issued up a response.

Republicans are none too happy about the Jan. 6 committee hearings, and no wonder: Not only are they unveiling one damning bombshell after another, but they’ve been ratings hits. There’s been little pushback, partly because there’s not much they can say. But some have been trying the “I know you are but what am I?” approach. Tucker Carlson bizarrely described some late night comedy creators, including a dog puppet, staying a bit too long on Capitol Hill an “insurrection.” And now Marjorie Taylor Greene has done the same to peaceful protests over the end of federal abortion rights.

After the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade after half a century, throwing the nation into chaos, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of the Democratic lawmakers seen speaking with protesters in D.C. That really got to Greene, who was one of the GOP lawmakers alleged to have sought pardons after the events of Jan. 6. “AOC just launched an insurrection,” Greene tweeted. “Any violence and rioting is a direct result of Democrat marching orders.”

But Ocasio-Cortez, who in the past has been harassed by Greene, didn’t let that one go unanswered. “I will explain this to you slowly: exercising our right to protest is not obstruction of Congress nor an attempt to overturn democracy,” she wrote. “If one were a heinous enough person to do that, they’d likely seek a pardon for it too. But only one of us here has done that. And it ain’t me.”

Greene was but three days into her tenure as a Georgia representative when the Capitol was stormed by violent Trump supporters, all revved up on election fraud lies spread by Greene and many others. Since then she’s done very little actual congressional work, having been booted from committees over her incendiary comments and actions, leaving her plenty of time to make bizarre news on an almost daily basis. For instance, on Thursday she went off on a British journalist over gun control, claiming that the U.K. is rife with “mass stabbings.”

Los Angeles Football Club is on the verge of acquiring arguably the best player to ever play in Major League Soccer. According to a report by MLS insider Tom Bogert, LAFC will bring former Tottenham and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale on board, making the Welsh free agent the second high-profile acquisition the team has made in recent months.

The report was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, while ESPN’s Taylor Twellman brings word that Bale and the team’s other recent acquisition, Italian center back Georgio Chiellini, will debut on July 8 when LAFC takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

While the last few years of Bale’s career have seen things grow increasingly tense between himself and supporters in the Spanish capital, he is among the greatest players of his era and perhaps the greatest Welsh footballer of all time. Bale went to Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 on a transfer worth €100.8 million, a world-record at the time of his move.

He was part of three La Liga-winning sides and won Champions League five times with the club. Across all competitions, Bale scored 106 in 258 appearances for the club. In 2018, Bale scored one of the best Champions League final goals of all time with a breathtaking overhead kick that put Madrid ahead — he would go on to score one more time en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool.

Bale had been linked to moves to both Cardiff City and Getafe in recent weeks, with reports indicating that he wanted to get consistent playing time ahead of Wales’ first appearance in the World Cup since 1958. Instead, he’ll head to America with an eye on getting in form ahead of his national team’s opener in Qatar on Nov. 21 against the United States.

Donald Trump only served a single term in office, but he radically changed America. Arguably his most lasting effect will be that he put three far right justices on the Supreme Court. Sure enough, they spent last week dropping one jaw-dropping decision after another, including bringing Roe v. Wade to an end after nearly half a century, prompting horror and even shock by those who should have known better. While Trump has praised them in public, sources claim that in private he has buyer’s remorse.

As per Rolling Stone, a Trump insider said he’s been fuming about the end of safe and legal abortion ever since the decision was leaked in early May. Allegedly even he’s worried about the tidal wave of extremist limitations on women’s rights that’s already begun — not for moral or ethical reasons, mind you, but because he perhaps rightly fears a massive backlash against the GOP for a stance that’s incredibly unpopular.

“He keeps sh*tting all over his greatest accomplishment,” the insider told Rolling stone. “When you speak to him, it’s the response of someone fearing the backlash and fearing the politics of what happens when conservatives actually get what they want [on abortion].” They added, “I do not think he’s enjoying the moment as much as many of his supporters are, to be honest with you.”

That’s very different from Trump’s public statements. After the ruling, Trump gloated, saying it was “only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.”

But maybe now that women’s lives are in danger and maternity deaths are bound to skyrocket, he’s secretly more in line with what Danny DeVito thinks of the Supremes.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Last week, people were shocked to learn Donald Trump had invited a documentary crew to film him as he tried to overturn the 2020 election. Who was the most shocked? Some Trump insiders, who said they had no idea it existed and were worried about what the cameras captured. (It’s coming to television later this summer.) But they weren’t the only non-fiction filmmakers recording potentially damning acts.

In March, it was revealed that Roger Stone — the longtime Republican fixer, who allegedly played a key role in the failed Jan. 6 insurrection — also invited documentarians to follow him around in the wake of the election Trump lost. Now, as per The Washington Post, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot want to see it, just as they did the doc about Trump. But that might not be so easy.

The documentary, which is still being assembled, was made by Danish filmmakers Christoffer Guldbrandsen and Frederik Marbell, who shot 170 hours of footage of Stone, who has a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. Among the reported gets are Stone communicating with leaders of far-right groups over an encrypted messaging app, as well as being in contact with Trump as the Capitol was stormed.

But the filmmakers have refused to relinquish their footage, despite several requests by the committee. (They have yet to subpoena them.) Their reason? They maintain their need for journalistic independence. “These are legitimate and important investigations, not only for Americans but for anyone in a democracy,” Guldbrandsen said in an interview, “but our independence from government and law enforcement is impossible to compromise.”

Stone has denied any involvement with the Jan. 6 riot. But given that there’s not one but two documentaries following alleged attempted insurrectionists, it sure seems like these guys crave attention even more than they crave power. It’s not even the first time Stone has asked documentarians to film his dodgy shenanigans.

(Via The Post)

On Friday, the Supreme Court decision people knew was coming finally arrived: In a 6-3 ruling, the highest court in the land overturned Roe v. Wade, which for the last half century has kept abortion safe and legal. The ruling had been leaked in early May, causing widespread panic about the chaos that will now ensue. When they day finally came, people were righteously angry. Meanwhile, two people who played a key role in the ruling at least claimed to be shocked: senators Susan Collins and Joe Manchin.

Collins, a moderate Republican, had infamously helped appoint two Trump-chosen justices: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. In both cases, she asked them point blank about whether or not they would one day overturn Roe v. Wade. She believed both when they said they wouldn’t. Meanwhile, Manchin, a conservative-leaning Democrat, has been one of the few (okay, just him an Kyrsten Sinema) to break with his party on such issues as codifying Roe v. Wade when the party had the chance. And in public statement after it was obliterated, both claimed to be gobsmacked that the two justices weren’t exactly truthful.

“This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents that the country has relied upon,” Collins said.

As for Joe Manchin, he declared, “I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh when they testified under oath that they also believed Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent and I am alarmed they chose to reject the stability the ruling has provided …”

Are Collins and Manchin simply gullible? Are they lying? Or is it a bit of both and they believe their own BS? Whatever the case, after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the justices that had told them it was “legal precedent,” an angry nation took to social media to drag them but good.

Some argued they knew well and good that they were being lied to.

Luckiy for Collins and Manchin, some people had some practical solutions to fix the mess they’ve helped make.

Or maybe they’re okay with just being shocked and alarmed till the end of time.

Last night, Billie Eilish brought her talents to England for the annual Glastonbury Festival. This year’s edition was headlined by Eilish herself as well as Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar, and for the showcase’s first night, Eilish closed things out with a grand performance at the festival’s Pyramid Stage. She’s Glastonbury’s youngest ever solo headliner and the first born after 2000 to top the bill. On the flip side, Paul McCartney is the festival’s oldest solo headliner after he turned 80 last weekend. During an interview with NME, Eilish expressed what it felt like to share a festival headlining spot with Lamar and McCartney and how the latter influenced her at a young age.

“My name next to theirs and being on the same level as them… it’s bonkers,” Eilish said, referring to Lamar and McCartney. “I remember Kendrick headlined a festival I went to when I was 14, and I couldn’t believe he was headlining this small festival because he was so huge. And now I’m headlining the same festival as him and Paul McCartney… are you kidding me?”

She continued, “The Beatles were what raised me. My love for music I feel 95 percent owes to the Beatles and Paul. It’s insane to think about.”

Speaking of festivals, Billie’s performance at Glastonbury comes after she admitted that she used a body double to sneak around Coachella earlier this year.