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NEED TO KNOW

• Ross "The Boss" Friedman has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

• The founding member of rock band The Dictators and heavy metal band Manowar was diagnosed with the nervous system disease after several months of various symptoms

• "It's difficult to know what lies ahead, and it crushes me not to be able to play guitar, but the outpouring of love has been so, so strong," he said in a statement

Ross "The Boss" Friedman has been diagnosed withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS).

The founding member of the rock band The Dictators and heavy metal band Manowar, 72, was diagnosed with the nervous system disease after several months of various symptoms.

"It's difficult to know what lies ahead, and it crushes me not to be able to play guitar, but the outpouring of love has been so, so strong," Friedman said in a statement.

Lorne Thomson/Redferns

"I'm absolutely blown away by the love and support from family, friends and fans. I love you all," he continued.

Friedman, before his official diagnosis, experienced weakness in his hands and legs.

A press release stated that the rocker had a series of "very minor strokes" that were thought to be the cause of his symptoms. However, dietary changes, exercises and physical therapy "did nothing to slow the progression or increase his strength."

ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according toMayo Clinic. The disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, causes loss of muscle control.

There is no cure for ALS and it is ultimately fatal.

Lorne Thomson/Redferns

Friedman co-founded the hard rock band The Dictators in 1973 with his friends Andy Shernoff and Scott Kempner. Years later, in 1980, he started the heavy metal band Manowar with bassist Joey DeMaio.

The New York City native has also played in the bands Shakin' Street, Death Dealer, The Spinatras and The Brain Surgeons.

He formed Ross The Boss Band in 2009, and was inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame in 2017.

Friedman has contributed to several albums, includingThe Dictators Go Girl Crazy,Manifest DestinyandBattle Hymns. Ross the Boss Band released theirLegacy of Blood, Fire & Steelcompilation album in 2023, followed by their single "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" in 2025.

According to Friedman'swebsite, he has a son who was born in 1991.

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In a 2022 interview withGuitar World, the rocker reflected on his musical inspiration, saying "Oh, I loved the Monkees."

"As a kid, seeing them on TV was really exciting. They had amazing songs. I could really relate to Last Train to Clarksville. What a solo! Of course, I didn't know it was studio musicians on those first records, and it didn't matter. The playing was incredible," he shared.

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THE RUNDOWN

• BTS will be releasing new music in March 2026.

• Members Jin, Jimin, V, Jungkook, RM, Suga, and J-Hope have focused on solo projects and completing their mandatory military service for the last three years.

• In November 2025, Jimin revealed the group had just finished recording their new album.

Now that BTS's members Jin, Jimin, V, Jungkook, RM, Suga, and J-Hope have allcompletedtheir mandatory South Korean military service, the boys are back together—and preparing for their musical comeback as a group.

The K-pop band has beenon hiatussince 2022, with members focusing on solo projects when not in service. They reunited as a group in June andbegan recording their upcoming albumweeks after. They recently finished it, Jimin revealed on Nov. 1, 2025, and it's coming in March 2026.

Here's everything we know so far about their new music.

When is BTS's album coming out?

During a November 1 livestream on social media, Jimin announced that their upcoming album is complete and will likely be released in spring 2026. "Guys, we just finished recording," he said, perComplex. "It can come out next spring. Seeing you today, I really feel like promoting our music."

On Jan. 1, 2026, BTS's entertainment company, BigHit, revealedthe exact dateof their comeback: "March 20th comeback confirmed," they wrote in Korean.

[기사]#방탄소년단, 3월 20일 컴백 확정https://t.co/hnSw4o4RVp

— BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC)January 1, 2026

Have other members said anything about the upcoming album?

In an April 2025interviewwith Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, J-Hope spoke about how their solo endeavors will affect the group's next project. "I think that over time, we each refined our unique identities as each of us work on their own music, come out with their solo projects and do their own thing," he said. "The funny thing for me is when our identities, which have taken shape in various ways, come together as BTS. I'm curious to see how it'll look like…. I think it's going to be a massive energy."

In a November 2025Weversepost, RM shared another update about the album. "Above all, the music is really good," he said, per the English translation. "Everyone is working hard, so please look forward to it."

Will BTS be going on tour?

It sure seems like it. According toRolling Stone, the seven members confirmed in July 2025 that they're going to tour. "We're also planning a world tour alongside the new album," they said in a statement. "We'll be visiting fans all around the world, so we hope you're as excited as we are."

What is the title of BTS's new album?

On January 16, BTS revealed the title of their upcoming album:ARIRANG. The announcement came via an official press release and followed weeks ofteaserstied to the project.

"'Arirang'is a traditional Korean folk song renowned both in Korea and around the world," the statement reads. "Transcending time and generations, the song has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion."

What have collaborators said about BTS's upcoming album?

In early February 2026, Diplo spoke publicly about working on BTS's upcoming album,ARIRANG, while attending a Fanatics Super Bowl party. He teased exciting things ahead, tellingTMZ, "I just feel so lucky because I've been working for three decades and to link up with a group like that, and have them trust me and do some awesome music…honestly, it's gonna shock the world."

He described the project as "the craziest album ever" later, saying, "For sure, it's gonna be the biggest thing I've ever done."

Diplo also shared insight into BTS's recording process. "They're so hands-on," he said. "They're so creative. I can't believe it." He singled out Jungkook in particular, noting, "Jung Kook—no autotune. Perfect voice."

This story will be updated.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Two months after winning Dancing with the Stars season 34, Robert Irwin has revealed if he's interested in more reality TV gigs

• The Australian wildlife conservationist, 22, specifically weighed in on rumors that he might be the next eligible man to lead The Bachelor

• Irwin admitted that his life is "a lot more boring than you might think" amid the speculation

Robert Irwinis not shutting down speculation about a potential return to reality TV.

TheDancing with the Starsseason 34 winner, 22, was asked about rumors that he could potentially lead a future season ofThe Bachelor... and he didn't say no.

In terms of the possibility of any kind of return to reality TV, Irwin toldEntertainment Tonight, "Never say never, I'm in this realm right now where I'm like, never say never."

As for his thoughts onThe Bachelorin particular, he teased, "You know what? Watch this space. Who knows."

"It's a strange world," Irwin said. "Anything could happen."

Cindy Ord/Getty

He did admit that it's been shocking to see the speculation about him ever since he won over America's hearts onDancing with the Stars. "I feel like some of the rumors flying around duringDancing with the Stars— like, Robert's gonna be the next Bachelor — I'm like, oh my goodness. I'm a zookeeper."

"I'm an animal conservationist. That's my thing. My world is very different from most of the things that are reported on about me," he said.

In his mind, he said his life is "a lot more boring than you might think," and when it comes to romance in particular, "I'm pretty vanilla," he said.

Irwin's comments about his dating life came after fans speculated that he might be romantically involved withXochitl Gomez, who joined him and his partnerWitney Carsonfor theDWTS20th birthday celebration episode in November.

Gomez, 19, was also in attendance at the finale, and was seenholding a big bouquet of flowers as she greeted Irwinoutside his trailer inphotos shared by TMZ.

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The actress, whowon season 32ofDWTS, was asked about her relationship status by pros Jan Ravnik and Brandon Armstrong on the show'sTikTok livestream, though, andconfirmed that she was single.

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty

Irwin has been candid about his desire to find a life partner, as he told PEOPLE that he sees his parents' relationship as the "perfect" example. "I look at my mom, I look at my dad, and I'm like, that's it. That's who I want to be," Robert said of his parents,Terri Irwinand the lateSteve Irwin, whodied in 2006.

He has a similar admiration for his sisterBindi's marriage toChandler Powell.

"My mom and dad met when she was this American tourist coming over to Australia, and that's also how my sister met her husband," Robert said. "I've been saying, when is that going to happen for me?! I'm still waiting for it. That American tourist is not quite lined up."

Read the original article onPeople

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal judges around the country are scrambling to address a deluge of lawsuits fromimmigrantslocked up under the Trump administration'smass deportationcampaign.

Under past administrations, people with no criminal record could generally request a bond hearing before an immigration judge while their cases wound through immigration court unless they were stopped at the border. PresidentDonald Trump's White House reversed that policy in favor ofmandatory detention.

Immigrants by the thousands have been turning to federal courts by using another legal tool: habeas corpus petitions. While the administration scoreda major legal victoryFriday, here's a look at how that's affecting federal courts and what some judges have done in response:

Judges are raising the alarm

In one federal court district in Georgia, the enormous volume of habeas petitions has created "an administrative judicial emergency," a judge wrote in a court order on Jan. 29. U.S. District Judge Clay Land in Columbus said the Trump administration was refusing to provide bond hearings to immigrants at Georgia's Stewart Detention Center despite his "clear and definitive rulings" against mandatory detention. Instead, the court had to order the hearing in each individual case, wrote Land, a nominee of Republican President George W. Bush.

In Minnesota, where the administration'simmigration enforcement surgecontinues, U.S. DistrictChief Judge Patrick Schiltzsaid in a Jan. 26 order Trump officials had made "no provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result." The court had received more than 400 habeas petitions in January alone, according to a filing by the government in a separate case.

Schiltz, who was also nominated by Bush, said in a separate order two days later that the government since January had failed to comply with scores of court decisions ordering it to release or provide other relief to people arrested during Operation Metro Surge.

And in the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said in an opinion in December that the district had been "flooded" with petitions for relief from immigrants who posed no flight risk or danger but were nonetheless imprisoned indefinitely. Subramanian, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and presides in New York City, granted a 52-year-old Guinean woman's habeas petition and ordered her release.

"No one disputes that the government may, consistent with the law's requirements, pursue the removal of people who are in this country unlawfully," he wrote. "But the way we treat others matters."

The administration defends its actions

TheDepartment of Homeland Securitysaid in a statement on Friday that the administration was "more than prepared to handle the legal caseload necessary to deliver President Trump's deportation agenda for the American people."

DHS and the Justice Department, which also emailed a statement, slammed the judiciary.

"If rogue judges followed the law in adjudicating cases and respected the Government's obligation to properly prepare cases, there wouldn't be an 'overwhelming' habeas caseload or concern over DHS following orders," the Justice Department statement said.

On Friday, a federal appeals court backed the administration's policy of detaining immigrants without bond. The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marked a major legal victory for the government and countered a slew of recent lower court decisions that argued the practice was illegal.

Immigration attorneys accuse the administration of flouting a key court decision

In November, a federal judge in California ruled that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy was illegal. U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, who was also nominated by Biden, later expanded the scope of the decision to apply to detained immigrants nationwide.

But plaintiffs' attorneys said the administration continued to deny bond hearings.

"This was a clear cut example of blatant defiance, blatant disregard of a court's order," Matt Adams, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Associated Press in January.

According to Sykes, the government argued her decision was "advisory" and told immigration judges, who work for the Justice Department and are not part of the judicial branch, to ignore it. The judge said she found the latter instruction "troubling."

In its statement, DHS said "activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people's mandate for mass deportations."

Judges are trying to find ways to ease the burden

Land, the federal judge in Georgia, directed other judges in his district to immediately order the government to provide bond hearings to immigrants who meet criteria established by two previous habeas cases.

Maryland District Court Chief Judge George L. Russell III has ordered the administration not to immediately remove any immigrants who file habeas petitions with his court, under certain conditions. Russell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, said in an amended order in December that the court had received an influx of habeas petitions after hours that "resulted in hurried and frustrating hearings."

In Tacoma, Washington, U.S. District Judge Tiffany Cartwright ordered the administration last month to give immigrants detained at a processing center in Tacoma notice of her ruling that the mandatory detention policy was illegal. Cartwright, who was also nominated by Biden, said the high volume of habeas filings had put a "tremendous strain" on immigration attorneys and the court.

Lawyers for the Venezuelan men who were sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador last year argued in court Monday that due process for their clients would mean giving them the immediate right to return to the U.S. for a court hearing, or have remote hearings about their cases.

The men, who were detained by federal immigration authorities, were held for four months in the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, aSalvadoran megaprisonknown for its harsh conditions. They were sent back to Venezuela in July as part of a prisoner swap between the two nations, andhave said they suffered physical and psychological abuse while imprisoned in CECOT.

In December, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration should not have sent the 137 Venezuelan men to CECOT after invoking the Alien Enemies Act, finding that the men were denied due process.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the federal government to either facilitate the return of the men to the United States or otherwise follow due process and provide them with hearings. The men are now living in Venezuela or in nearby countries.

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who is representing the plaintiffs in this case, argued Monday that his clients who have made it out of Venezuela and to a third country should have the immediate right to either return to the U.S. for a hearing, have a remote hearing, or at the very least be able to file habeas claims on paper.

For those still in Venezuela, a paper filing is probably the best place to start given the turmoil in the South American country, the lawyer said.

Boasberg asked Department of Justice attorney Tiberius Davis why the 137 men shouldn't be treated the same asKilmar Abrego Garciaand returned to the U.S., especially because the Supreme Court previously ordered Abrego returned to the same condition he was in before he was mistakenly deported.

"Obviously, if the court ordered that, we could do that," Davis said. He said trying to coordinate remote hearings, for legal, jurisdictional, and practical reasons, would be the "worst" option.

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Davis said the Trump administration would prefer if any of the 137 individuals arrived at a U.S. port of entry or had boarding letters, saying "that is the least problematic" pathway here.

Gelernt and Davis both agreed that these individuals, if they were to present themselves at a port of entry, would not be allowed into the U.S. freely. They would be taken into U.S. custody and their individual immigration proceedings would continue from there, Davis said.

Boasberg said he would rule on how the government is to proceed within the next week or so.

The men were sent to CECOT in March after Trumpinvoked the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law,declaring the Venezuelan gangTren de Aragua an invading force.Their removal to El Salvador cameeven as Boasberg, in a ruling at the time,blocked the deportations and ordered any flights carrying migrants subject to the presidential invocation to return to the United States.

Trump said heinvoked the Alien Enemies Actto target members of the gang, which the administration deems a foreign terrorist organization and accuses of engaging in "mass illegal migration to the United States to further its objectives of harming United States citizens." By invoking the law, Trump was able to swiftly detain and remove immigrants he claimed were members of the gang at the time.

The men who spoke to NBC News,as well as the families of former detainees and their attorneys,strongly denied any ties to gangs and said they were unfairly targeted because oftattoos that may be popular in Venezuela and are unrelated to Tren de Aragua.

A New York Times investigation, which relied on interviews with prosecutors and law enforcement officials as well as court documents and media reports in multiple countries, found that most of the men sent to CECOT did not have criminal records in the United States or in the region. It found at least 32 of the more than 200 men sent to CECOT, including the 137 under the Alien Enemies Act, faced serious criminal accusations or convictions in the United States or abroad. Very few of them appeared to have any documented evidence connecting them to Tren de Aragua.

Three of the Venezuelan men told NBC Newsafter their release from CECOT and return to Venezuela that they experienced physical and psychological torture, including one man's allegation that he was sexually assaulted at the prison.

By Renju Jose

SYDNEY, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Australian leaders on Tuesday urged calm and called on protests to remain peaceful after clashes between police and demonstrators opposing Israeli President Isaac ​Herzog's visit to Australia erupted in Sydney.

Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for ‌allegedly assaulting officers, after violence broke out on Monday evening when people failed to leave a planned protest site in central Sydney ‌and police moved to clear access for pedestrians.

There were no reports of serious injuries, New South Wales state police said in a statement.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was "devastated" by the violence and urged protesters to express their views peacefully.

"Australians want two things. They don't want conflict brought here. They want killing to stop, ⁠whether it's Israelis or Palestinians, but ‌they do not want conflict brought here," Albanese told radio station Triple M.

"The causes are not advanced by these sorts of scenes - they are undermined."

Thousands gathered in central ‍Sydney on Monday to protest against Herzog's visit to Australia, which comes after a mass shooting at a Jewish religious event at Bondi Beach in December that killed 15 people.

Police had been authorised to use rarely invoked powers during ​the protest, including directing crowds to move, restricting their entry to certain areas and searching vehicles. A ‌legal challenge to those restrictions was dismissed by a Sydney court on Monday. Herzog was not present at the protest site.

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Television footage showed some protesters trying to push through blockades as officers forced them back. Some were seen lying on the ground while police tried to restrain them.

Police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns defended police actions, saying officers were ⁠required to make rapid decisions in tense and volatile situations, ​and urged calm.

"The circumstances are difficult for the police, who ​are trying to keep the public and public safe," Minns told the ABC.

In a statement, the Palestine Action Group Sydney said protesters were unable to leave the event because ‍they were surrounded by ⁠police on all sides.

"The police began charging the crowd with horses, indiscriminately pepper spraying the crowd, punching and arresting people," the group said.

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said police actions were justified and ⁠that they showed restraint.

"It was really quite precarious at times for our officers who were significantly outnumbered by the protesters and ‌the people who wanted to act in a violent and offensive manner," McKenna said.

(Reporting ‌by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Lincoln Feast.)

Reba McEntireandRex Linnaren't in a hurry to tie the knot. The couple have been engaged for some time, but becoming husband and wife isn't the top priority for either right now. The pair have agreed that their careers come first before committing to one another for the rest of their lives.

The two have co-starred in the show Happy's Place since 2024. The second season of that program ended in late January. Reba and Rex have a long history together, having first met in 1991 on the set of The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.

Reba McEntire and Rex Linn got engaged on Christmas Eve 2024

They waited a long time to strike up a romantic relationship, and Reba and Rex seem more than happy to wait for the right moment to say I do. In an interview withE! News, Reba says that he fiancé's mantra is "Work comes first."

It has been a long journey for the two to be together. After meeting in 1991, the two reconnected nearly 30 years later when the country singer appeared on Young Sheldon. Rex had a recurring role on that show. The two have been engaged since December 2024, withDolly Partonreportedlyhelping Rexby convincing him to finally propose.

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While it seems like a long time to wait to get married, Rex says that the two are "enjoying our engagement time." He says they are having a blast sharing their days both on and off set. He adds that they like being around each other both on the way to work and getting home from it. Reba previously said their wedding will be non-traditional. Rex will be the Queen of Country's third husband, with the Better Call Saul actor marrying for the first time.

Happy's Place was renewed for a third season earlier this month.

TELL US – DO YOU THINK REBA MCENTIRE OR REX LINN ARE GETTING COLD FEET ABOUT THEIR ENGAGEMENT?

The postWhy Reba McEntire and Fiancé Rex Linn Are Postponing Their Weddingappeared first onReality Tea.