Month: May 2023

Singer Tina Turner has died at age 83. Turner died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland (Turner became a Swiss citizen a decade ago). Turner’s manager said in a statement posted to social media: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.” 

Born Anna Mae Bullock, Tina got her start after moving to St. Louis when she was 16. She became involved in the music scene and met her future husband, Ike Turner. Tina and Ike were married in 1962, and he changed her name to Tina Turner; she became the lead vocalist for what became known as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. They went on to become a huge success together, releasing hits like “Proud Mary” and “Get Back.”

Ike was physically abusive to his wife throughout their entire relationship, and controlled their finances and trademarked Tina’s name – so she had no access to her own income. Tina eventually filed for divorce in 1976 and went on to sign with Capitol Records, with whom she would release a number of popular songs, including her iconic 1984 album, Private Dancer. The single “What’s Love Got to Do with It” won the GRAMMY for Record of the Year in 1985.nTina released nine full-length studio albums, winning eight GRAMMYs, three GRAMMY Hall of Fame Awards and the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — the first time in 1991 with Ike, and the second time in 2021, weeks ahead of her 82nd birthday.

In 1986, Tina met German music executive Erwin Bach; rhe two married in a civil ceremony in July 2013, after dating for more than two decades. Tina is survived by her adopted sons Michael and Ike Jr. Her sons, Ronnie and Craig, died in December 2022 and July 2018, respectively.

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U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said on Tuesday that social media use could lead to mental health issues among children and teens. Murthy called on policymakers to enact stricter guidelines, writing in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” 

Murthy said the advisory is not meant to be exhaustive on the topic, rather it draws on available public evidence.  He tweeted: “Nothing’s more important to parents than keeping our kids safe. And when it comes to protecting kids’ wellbeing on social media, parents need more support.”

In the advisory, Murthy points to a 2019 longitudinal study that concluded adolescents spending more than than three hours per day on social media “faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety…Our children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s impact. To date, the burden of protecting youth has fallen predominantly on children, adolescents, and their families.”

A general advisory is a public statement that calls attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations on addressing it. The Surgeon General’s document listed several suggestions for parents, lawmakers and tech companies, which included creating so-called “tech free” zones and establishing scientific advisory committees to help craft policy.

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The National Park Service announced on Tuesday the identity of the man who crashed a rented box truck into the security barricade outside of Lafayette Park near the White House on Monday. The crash occurred shortly before 10 p.m. on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street.

The U.S. Park Police said they took 19-year-old Sai Varshith Kandula, of Chesterfield, Missouri into custody and charged him with assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, threatening to kill/kidnap/inflict harm on a president, vice president, or family member, destruction of federal property, and trespassing. No weapons were found inside the truck, a Park Police spokesperson said.

The U.S. Secret Service said Kandula was driving a box truck that crashed into the security barricades near the White House. Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said in a statement on Twitter that a preliminary investigation indicates the driver may have intentionally struck the barriers to the iconic square, adding: “there were no injuries to any Secret Service or White House personnel.” Unnamed law enforcement sources report that Kandula told investigators he wanted to take over the government and kill the president; authorities were looking into the suspect’s mental health.

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