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Vice President Harris gets ready to speak to campaign staff at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on Monday.

Vice President Harris gets ready to speak to campaign staff at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on Monday. Harris won the crucial backing of Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pelosi to lead the party against former President Donald Trump in November after President Biden's stunning exit from the 2024 race. As the endorsements stacked up, the 59-year-old Harris made her first public appearance since Biden's announcement in a ceremony at the White House, where she warmly praised the outgoing president's "unmatched" achievements. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Music

Harris walks out to Beyoncé’s 'Freedom' in her 1st appearance as a presidential candidate

The vice president, an avid Beyoncé fan, received a rare clearance to use the superstar's music before delivering a speech at her campaign headquarters in Delaware.

Duke Fakir holds his life time achievement award backstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2009. Fakir, the last of the original Four Tops, died Monday of heart failure at age 88.

Duke Fakir holds his life time achievement award backstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2009. Fakir, the last of the original Four Tops, died Monday of heart failure at age 88. Matt Sayles/AP hide caption

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Matt Sayles/AP

Obituaries

Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, last of the original Four Tops, dies at 88

Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving original member of the beloved Motown group the Four Tops that was known for such hits as “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” has died at age 88.

The 2024 Kennedy Center honorees, clockwise from left, The Apollo theater; the Grateful Dead (Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Billy Kreutzmann); jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval; blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, Bonnie Raitt; and director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

The 2024 Kennedy Center honorees (clockwise from left): the Apollo Theater; the Grateful Dead (Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann); jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval; blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt; and director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Apollo Theater, Jay Blakesberg, Jeremy Lock, Ken Friedman, Chad Keig/The Kennedy Center Honors hide caption

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Apollo Theater, Jay Blakesberg, Jeremy Lock, Ken Friedman, Chad Keig/The Kennedy Center Honors

Culture

Grateful Dead, Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt on 2024 Kennedy Center Honors list

The award for lifetime artistic achievements will also recognize jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval. The Apollo Theater will receive a special Honors as "an iconic American institution."

Grateful Dead, Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt on 2024 Kennedy Center Honors list

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Five men sing at a microphone with their hands on their hearts, against an American flag backdrop.

Sixwire performs the national anthem at the Music City Grand Prix in August 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. Catherine Powell/Getty Images hide caption

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Politics

What to know about Sixwire, the RNC band supplying the dad rock each night during prime time

So far, the group has entertained viewers with renditions of such hits as "Life is a Highway," "All Star," "What I Like About You," "Don't Stop Believin' " and "Reelin' in the Years," among other "dad jams."

Taylor Swift performs during the European leg of her Eras Tour at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 4, 2024, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Taylor Swift, seen onstage in Amsterdam earlier this month during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour, has broken another record with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images hide caption

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Music

This may sound like a broken record, but Taylor Swift has broken another record

Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has been the biggest album in the country for 12 consecutive weeks, the longest run atop that chart of her career.

BILLBOARD STORY 6

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Young Thug performs at half time at the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics on November 17, 2021 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Young Thug performs during halftime of a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics on Nov. 17, 2021, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images hide caption

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Music

Why the judge in Young Thug’s trial was just recused from the case

Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville was taken off the YSL RICO case this week after his actions in an ex parte meeting were deemed damaging to public perception of the case.

Marshall Allen performs at the 2024 A Great Night In Harlem Gala at The Apollo Theater in New York City in March 2024

Marshall Allen, who will be included in the class of Jazz Masters awarded by the NEA next year, performs onstage at the 2024 A Great Night In Harlem Gala at the Apollo Theater in New York City in March. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images hide caption

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Music

Marshall Allen and Chucho Valdés included in 2025 class of NEA Jazz Masters

A saxophonist of otherworldly gusto, two pianists of impulsive eloquence and a critic with a pen nearly as sharp as his ears are the latest selections for the the nation's highest honor for jazz.

Shaboozey performs during the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June 2024.

Shaboozey performs during the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June 2024. Michael Tran/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Tran/Getty Images

Music

Shaboozey's slow-burning hybrid of hip-hop and country is finally the biggest song in the land

This week, Shaboozey becomes only the second Black artist ever to top Billboard's pop and country singles charts at the same time. The first, earlier this year, was his collaborator, Beyoncé.

BILLBOARD STORY 5

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Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

Megan Thee Stallion performs during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival. Rich Fury/Getty Images hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

A lot has happened to rapper Megan Thee Stallion over the last couple of years including a highly publicized trial after being shot by a former friend, a messy breakup, and a feud with artist Nicki Minaj. She confronts all of that and more on her boastful and vulnerable new album Megan. But she also has fun on playful tracks like 'Down Stairs DJ' and 'Otaku Hot Girl' that are odes to self-pleasure and her anime nerddom.

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

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Post Malone has reclaimed the throne this week.

Post Malone has reclaimed the throne this week. Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach hide caption

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Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach

Music

Post Malone recaptures the No. 1 song spot with 'I Had Some Help'

After briefly ceding to Sabrina Carpenter, “I Had Some Help" is back on top of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is still No. 1 over on the Billboard 200 albums chart — she’s holding strong at ten weeks.

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy
Victor Boyko; Michael Tran / AFP/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy

The internet freaked out when Charli XCX and Lorde revealed - and put to rest - their pop girl rivalry on Charli's "Girl, so confusing" remix. That same day, Brandy and Monica seemed to settle their decades long feud when they appeared on the remix of Ariana Grande's version of "The Boy is Mine." But while the pop girls are healing, a lot of fans still seem to want blood - can this music heal us? To break it all down, Brittany is joined by NPR Music Editor Hazel Cills, and Pop Pantheon podcast host, DJ Louie XIV.

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy

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"Beethoven" (1936). A new study suggests the German composer and pianist may have suffered from lead poisoning. The Print Collector/Getty Images hide caption

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The Print Collector/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal

Virtuosic pianist and composer Beethoven suffered from several debilitating ailments. A new study suggests lead poisoning may be at least partly to blame.

Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal

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Sabrina Carpenter’s ascent is complete — this week, she scored her first No. 1 hit.

Sabrina Carpenter’s ascent is complete — this week, she scored her first No. 1 hit. Nina Westervelt/Billboard via Getty Images hide caption

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Nina Westervelt/Billboard via Getty Images

Music

Sabrina Carpenter scores her first No. 1 single with 'Please Please Please'

The pop star caught the top spot while her other single, “Espresso,” is still holding strong at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile: yes, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is still No. 1 over on the Billboard 200 albums chart — we’re at week nine and counting.

Protesters attend a rally against a death sentence given to Toomaj Salehi, a popular rapper in Iran, and to support to the women of Iran, in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Iran's Supreme Court overturned Salehi's death sentence on Saturday, June 22, 2024, his lawyer Amir Raisian said.

Protesters attend a rally against a death sentence given to Toomaj Salehi, a popular rapper in Iran, and to support to the women of Iran, in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Iran's Supreme Court overturned Salehi's death sentence on Saturday, June 22, 2024, his lawyer Amir Raisian said. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP hide caption

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Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Middle East

Iran overturns rapper Toomaj Salehi's death sentence for criticizing the government

The rapper came to fame over his lyrics about the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Iran's Supreme Court ruled the sentence was more than what is allowed by the law.

Taylor Swift on stage in France in May, during the European leg of her Eras Tour. Since its release in April, Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been the top album in the United States for eight consecutive weeks.

Taylor Swift on stage in France in May, during the European leg of her Eras Tour. Since its release in April, Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been the top album in the United States for eight consecutive weeks. Julien de Rosa/Getty Images hide caption

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Taylor Swift and Post Malone top the charts again. How long can their dominance last?

One song has ruled the pop chart for over a month. One album has topped the album chart for two months. But there are signs this week that both could face serious challengers soon.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 12: Wynton Marsalis performs during

Wynton Marsalis performs during "Live from Here" at The Town Hall on Oct. 12, 2019, in New York City. Taylor Hill/Getty Images hide caption

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A Juneteenth album captures the rhythm of life

Wynton Marsalis, Bryan Stevenson and a host of musicians release a record that captures the rhythm of life

A Juneteenth album brings 'Freedom, Justice and Hope'

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