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Born 114 Years Ago Today in North Carolina, the “Greatest Country Music Visionary You’ve Never Heard Of” Who Basically Invented the Genre (And Discovered Jimmy Dean and Patsy Cline)
Connie B. Gay, born 114 years ago today (22 August 1914) in Lizard Lick, North Carolina, is credited as one of the founding figures of modern country music, having coined the term “country music” itself and transformed what was then dismissively called “hillbilly music” into a major commercial industry. He served as founding president of…
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Senator launches assault on illegal immigration gaps as GOP races midterm clock to lock in key wins
Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana has told Fox News Digital he is pushing a package of seven bills aimed at permanently enshrining President Donald Trump’s immigration policies into US federal law before the November midterm elections. Banks argues that many of Trump’s signature immigration measures currently rest on executive action or regulation rather than…
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Sammy Gravano reveals the moment he decided to cooperate with the government against John Gotti
Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, the former Gambino crime family underboss, has described the moment he decided to turn government informant against Mafia boss John Gotti. Speaking on Fox News, Gravano recounted how a secretly recorded conversation and Gotti’s apparent plan to pin blame on him convinced him that the mob’s code of loyalty no longer…
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Holly Humberstone Sets Biggest Australian Tour Yet for 2027
Holly Humberstone will return to Australia in early 2027 for her biggest headline tour of the country to date, promoter Secret Sounds has announced. The four-date run comes as the Lincolnshire singer-songwriter rides the momentum of her second album, Cruel World, and a live résumé that has recently included support slots for Taylor Swift and…
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The blueprint for Burnham’s plan to ‘rewire Britain’ could be found 700 miles away
Andy Burnham’s early weeks as prime minister have centred on a plan to radically decentralise power away from Westminster, an approach he has termed “Manchesterism”. The former Greater Manchester mayor wants to shift decision-making and funding to local communities, giving city-region mayors a share of income tax revenue and pursuing public control of essential services,…
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From Booker-listed Marlon James to a memoir by Michael Douglas – the biggest books this autumn
The Guardian has published its guide to the biggest books of autumn 2026, spotlighting fiction from Booker-listed authors alongside anticipated memoirs from Hollywood and stage figures such as Michael Douglas, Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench. The preview highlights a season heavy with big literary names returning to familiar territory, from historical fiction to family sagas,…
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Unions worry Labour’s plan for zero-hours contracts may break manifesto pledge
Trade unions have warned the prime minister, Andy Burnham, that Labour’s plans to restrict zero-hours contracts risk falling short of the party’s manifesto commitment. Union leaders, including from Usdaw, the GMB and Unite, are pressing the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, for reassurances after a government consultation document proposed limits on who would qualify for new…