Music Review: RM of BTS has a new solo album, ‘Right Place, Wrong Person,’ an elastic experiment (2024)

Friday

A young American couple who devoted their lives to missionary work in Haiti were killed Thursday night, along with the Haitian director of their non-profit, after two armed groups attacked their mission in the country’s volatile capital.

A battle is under way for the future of Ohio’s $94 billion teacher pension fund. The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio is facing intense scrutiny, including state investigations and a lawsuit. Would-be reformers are attempting to deliver long-promised benefits to retirees, but the governor and attorney general say they enlisted the help of an aggressive and untested investment firm with its eyes on AI-driven trading. Wall Street and the pension fund's half a million members are watching the drama unfold. A special meeting has been called for Thursday, where next steps could be determined.

Investigators in the New York City suburbs continue to scour the home of a Manhattan architect charged in a string of slayings known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Friday marked the fifth straight day of the renewed search at Rex Heuermann’s dilapidated, single-family home in Massapequa Park on Long Island. Police in the early afternoon were seen removing a large rectangular object covered in a blue cloth. Other officers carried cardboard boxes of evidence back into the home. Vess Mitev, a lawyer representing Heuermann’s two adult children, said the family hasn’t been told when they’ll be able to move back in.

Even Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t tell you exactly what’s been wrong with his right forearm, the part of his body that is responsible for his thunderous forehands. It also is responsible for sidelining him during nearly all of April and May as the French Open approached. He is a bit scared to hit every forehand with full force. And he is just one of the top players in men’s tennis who enters the year’s second Grand Slam tournament with some doubts about what form they will be in when competition begins at Roland Garros on Sunday.

Friday

At the rear of Rio de Janeiro’s polluted Guanabara Bay, thousands of mangroves rise as tall as 13 feet, or about 4 meters, from a previously deforested area. The 30,000 trees were planted by non-profit organization Instituto Mar Urbano over four years in the Guapimirim environmental protection area. They stand as an example for cities seeking natural means to improve climate resilience. Such ecosystems are vital for protection against floods that have become increasingly frequent around the world. Mangroves slow sea water’s advance into riverbeds during storm surges by soaking it up, and protects the land by stabilizing soil that otherwise could be washed away.

Spanish golfer Nacho Elvira has shot a 7-under 64 for the second straight day to take the lead of the Soudal Open after the second round in Antwerp. Elvira had seven birdies in a bogey-free round at Rinkven International Golf Club. He's one stroke ahead of Ross Fisher, who carded an eight-birdie 63. Romain Langasque is three strokes back in third after a 67. Elvira is seeking his second victory on the European tour after winning the Cazoo Open in 2021.

The final wrongful death lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott and others for the crowd surge disaster at the 2021 Astroworld music festival in Houston has been settled, a lawyer said Thursday.

Morgan Wallen's new bar won't feature one of those neon signs that are ubiquitous among the honky-tonks in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

The 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, are being remembered as the second anniversary of the one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is marked. Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement, "we are remembering their stories, standing with their loved ones, and thinking of their community.” Community members are set to gather Friday evening at a vigil to remember those killed on May 24, 2022, when a teenage gunman burst into classrooms at Robb Elementary School and began shooting. Other events have included a bell ringing and butterfly release at a local church.

Boeing is now aiming for its first astronaut launch at the beginning of June. Officials for the company and NASA said Friday that weeks of review show that the capsule can safely fly with two test pilots, despite a small propulsion system leak. The helium leak was discovered following the first launch attempt on May 6 that was scuttled by an unrelated rocket problem. Boeing's Starliner capsule is already years late in transporting astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. SpaceX has been launching crews since 2020.

DETROIT — Singer, songwriter and Motown legend Smokey Robinson will be honored ahead of the Chevrolet IndyCar Grand Prix on June 2 and serve as the event’s grand marshal.

After months of silence post election suspension, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she’d vote for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Now, he’s saying there is a place for her on his team.

The NewsNation television network completes its transition to an all-news outlet next week. When acquired by Nexstar, the former WGN America network began its shift to news in 2020. Starting June 1, a three-hour news block anchored by Adrienne Bankert on Saturday and Sunday afternoons will displace reruns of the drama “Blue Bloods.” NewsNation has been adding news programming on the weekends over the past year, including a political talk show hosted by former Fox News executive Chris Stirewalt. NewsNation's most popular programming has been a weekday prime-time lineup hosted by news veterans Dan Abrams, Ashleigh Banfield and Chris Cuomo.

Kate Martin was right there as her best friend and former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark became the face of women’s college basketball the past two years. Martin was in the building when Clark was selected first in this year’s WNBA draft by Indiana. Martin also was drafted that April night. She went 18th to the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Martin is able to adjust to the WNBA without a high level of scrutiny that Clark receives. They see each other on Saturday night when the Fever visit the Aces.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rapper and singer Sean Kingston and his mother were arrested on fraud and theft charges Thursday after a SWAT team raided his home in Southwest Ranches.

Federal agent testifying in Boston's Karen Read murder trial describes flirtatious texts he exchanged with the defendant.

If truth has the power to set one free, then Rapsody’s new album, “Please Don’t Cry,” has removed her from emotional imprisonment and gifted her immeasurable liberation. The three-time Grammy nominee is not only frequently lauded by critics as the best female lyricist, but also as one of the best in the genre. But the recognition hasn’t translated into the commercial success of some female peers. But her plight isn’t unusual for rappers labeled as “continuous” or extremely lyrical, regardless of gender. She says “I was looking at what everybody else was doing instead of worrying about myself.” “Please Don’t Cry" is by far the most personal of her four studio albums.

Don Waddell has stepped down as president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes. The team announced the move Friday. Waddell built a roster that reached the NHL playoffs for six straight years. The team said assistant general manager Eric Tulsky would work as interim GM until a permanent successor was found. Waddell joined the franchise in July 2014 and was named GM in May 2018. Carolina has gone from missing the playoffs for nine straight years to getting to the postseason six straight times.

There’s a moment in “Babes,” the likable buddy-pregnancy comedy directed by Pamela Adlon, that’s wonderfully illustrative of what it means to be a best friend. Eden (Ilana Glazer), a free-spirited yoga teacher who’s gotten accidentally pregnant after one night with a man who’s no longer in t…

The United Nations peacekeeping chief argued against the latest calls for international troops to deploy in Gaza, saying the post-war state of affairs was too uncertain and that any operation would require agreement from Israel, which has been highly critical of the UN’s work in Palestinian …

Workers at a Georgia school bus manufacturer have approved their first union contract. The United Steelworkers union won a union vote in May 2023 at Blue Bird Corp.'s plants in Fort Valley. The steelworkers and company said union members have voted to approve a three-year contract between the company and union. The union says the contract will provide all 1,500 covered workers with at least a 12% raise. The union says the company will contribute to a retirement plan for workers, share profits, and improve health and safety. The negotiations had been closely watched by President Joe Biden’s administration. Blue Bird has gotten federal aid to build electric school buses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited his Belarusian counterpart and close ally for talks in Minsk. After their meeting on Friday, Putin questioned in remarks to reporters whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy would have the legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf in potential peace talks. According to Putin, Zelenskyy’s five-year term in office was supposed to end May 20. However, Zelenskyy has ruled out holding new presidential elections while his country is at war — something Putin apparently ignored while speaking to teh media in Minsk. Ukrainian legislation bans elections during martial law that has been in place since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. The country would have to amend the law to elections during a state of war.

J.B. Bickerstaff didn’t do anything wrong to deserve being fired by the Cavs. A day after Bickerstaff was canned despite winning 99 games the past two seasons and taking the Cavs into the second round of the NBA playoffs despite numerous injuries in 2024, president of basketball operations Koby Altman tried to explain the reasons behind the shocking dismissal. Altman said the team needs a “different voice” to chase a championship. The Cavs were eliminated in the second round by the Boston Celtics. They played the last two games of the series without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who can sign a contract extension with Cleveland this summer.

Police and a religious group say that a U.S. missionary couple was shot and killed by gangs in Haiti’s capital who ambushed them as they left a youth group activity held at a local church. Police union head Lionel Lazarre says a third person also was killed during the attack Thursday evening in the community of Lizon in northern Port-au-Prince. The slayings occurred as the capital crumbles under the relentless assault of violent gangs that control 80% of Port-au-Prince while authorities await the arrival of a police force from Kenya as part of a U.N.-backed deployment aimed at quelling gang violence in the troubled Caribbean country.

A federal immigration officer has been convicted of using a cellphone to record a video and take photos under the skirt of a flight attendant as he escorted an immigrant who was being deported. Billy Olvera was convicted Wednesday in Miami’s federal court of interfering with a flight crew. He faces up to 20 years in prison, though it is unlikely the 48-year-old Texas resident’s sentence will be that long. His sentencing is scheduled for August. Olvera and his deportee were aboard a November 2023 Americans Airlines flight when a flight attendant noticed he appeared to be recording up her skirt. He was arrested and a search of his cellphone proved her suspicion.

The dog that skyrocketed to internet fame and became the face of the cryptocurrency dogecoin has died. The Shiba Inu named Kabosu passed away in Japan at 18 years old, a number of outlets reported. The dog’s owner, Atsuko Sato, said in a post that Kabosu died in her sleep. The account for dogecoin on X also said she had died, calling her an inspiration. Sato, a 62-year-old kindergarten teacher in Japan, adopted the dog from an animal shelter in 2008. Sato posted pictures of Kabosu online regularly. It was a picture of Kabosu, her head tilted in a seemingly quizzical fashion, that captured the attention of early adapters of cryptocurrency and she became a meme almost overnight.

DALLAS — The Vatican this week reinstated a Texas nun accused of violating her vow of chastity with a priest.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2024--

Friday

Young missionary couple from US among 3 killed by gunmen in Haiti's capital who opened fire on a home, police say.

China’s latest artificial intelligence chatbot is trained on President Xi Jinping’s doctrine in a stark reminder of the ideological parameters that Chinese AI models should abide by. China’s cyberspace academy CAC earlier this week announced the chatbot trained on Xi Jinping Thought. It said the doctrine promotes “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The chatbot was trained on databases that were mostly related to information technologies provided by the China’s internet watchdog as well as Xi Jinping Thought. The large language model is the latest effort by authorities to spread Xi’s ideology and ideas. The chatbot is currently only for internal use. It was created primarily to demonstrate the development and practical applications in cybersecurity and information technology research.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told U.S. Naval Academy graduates that they will be leading future sailors and Marines “through tension and uncertainty.” Austin noted in his speech Friday how two graduates from last year were just aboard the USS Carney in the Red Sea, where they helped shoot down missiles and drones. The Navy has stationed multiple ships in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7. The secretary said the two ensigns, who only just graduated last year, were aboard the destroyer and “helped defend the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

Kyle Walker had been dropped for the biggest game of his club career, had issues in his personal life and an offer was on the table from one of Europe’s biggest clubs. It was decision time for the England defender last summer as he weighed up whether to leave Manchester City? He couldn’t be happier that he opted to stay. Walker will lead City out at Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday with a chance to add another title to the Super Cup, Club World Cup and Premier League he has already lifted this season. Walker says “four trophies in your first year of being captain would not be bad."

Andrea Vendrame's solo downhill attack has won him the 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia. Overall leader Tadej Pogacar avoided any risks on the rain-slicked roads on Friday. It was the second win of Vendrame’s career at the Giro after also taking a stage in 2021. Vendrame clocked just under four hours on an undulating stage that included three categorized climbs in the final 60 kilometers. Vendrame got in an early breakaway and then attacked on the descent from the penultimate climb to Sella Valcalda. Pogacar remained 7:42 ahead of second-placed Daniel Martinez and 8:04 ahead of third-placed Geraint Thomas.

All seven members of BTS are currently serving South Korea’s compulsory enlistment for men of a certain age. In what should feel like an absence, the K-pop boy band is keeping their fans occupied with a steady release schedule of eclectic solo material. Next up is rapper RM’s second solo full-length album, “Right Place, Wrong Person.” The thoughtful leader of BTS, RM is usually philosophical in his solo work, often unafraid to take big sonic risks, sometimes with big rewards. On “Right Place, Wrong Person,” he continues to ask the big questions atop elastic, genre-averse production, writes Associated Press music critic Maria Sherman.

LOS ANGELES — Morgan Spurlock, the Oscar nominated filmmaker who in “Super Size Me” documented the physical and psychological effects of eating only McDonald’s fast-food meals for a month, has died at 53.

Friday

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has added his voice to those calling for ways to improve overtaking at the Monaco Grand Prix. Formula 1’s wide and heavy cars have almost nowhere to pass and often follow each other around the sinewy 3.3-kilometer street circuit. Horner says "there needs to obviously be some evolution.” F1’s iconic race has been part of the principality’s history since 1929 and it remains a firm driver’s favorite. The race is engrained in Monaco traditions. Film and sports stars still flock there on race weekends yet Sunday’s race often has an anti-climatic and processional feel to it.