Lionel Richie Reveals His Favorite Performance from Taylor Swift Night on “American Idol”: 'Religious Experience'

Lionel Richie praised Jordan McCullough's performance of "Tim McGraw," calling it a "religious experience" during Taylor Swift night

NEED TO KNOW

• McCullough was surprised by how many Taylor Swift songs he knew, joking that he might be a "Swiftie"

• By the end of the episode, McCullough advanced to the Top 5

One particular performance stuck out toLionel RichieonAmerican Idol'sTaylor Swiftnight.

During the Monday, April 17 episode of the singing competition show, the Top 7 took the stage to perform a Taylor Swift song of their choice. Speaking with a small group of reporters after the live show, the "Hello" singer revealed his favorite of the night.

"Oh my God — that's tough," Richie, 76, said. "You know what, Jordan [McCullough]. Jordan put some BBQ sauce."

"He has an ability to turn everything into a religious experience," he continued. "Even a Taylor Swift song."

McCullough performed "Tim McGraw" from Swift's debut album. Going into Taylor Swift night, he was shocked by how many songs he knew.

"I can't believe how many songs I actually knew... maybe I am a Swiftie," he said.

Advertisement

By the end of the episode, McCullough was voted into the Top 5, alongside Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Hannah Harper and Chris Tungseth. Brooks Rosser and Daniel Stallworth were sent home.

Regarding the elimination, the "All Night Long" singer shared some words of wisdom for those no longer in the running.

"Oh my God — from this point on, enjoy it," he said. "So at this point on it's — what do you do immediately after this? You go get a hit record. Don't worry about anything else. Find a manager that is for you. Find your hit record and enjoy the rest of your life."

Richie added, "As soon as you get one hit record, they're going to ask for the next one. So in other words you're never going to be comfortable... I'm 97 years int this business and I'm still not comfortable."

"There's always another day, another challenge, another opportunity," he concluded.

American Idolairs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read the original article onPeople

byAdministrator

in

April 30, 2026

Lionel Richie Reveals His Favorite Performance from Taylor Swift Night on “American Idol”: 'Religious Experience'

Lionel Richie praised Jordan McCullough's performance of "Tim McGraw," calling it a "religious experience" duri...

Read More

US charges governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state for ties to cartel

MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. ‌Justice Department said ‌on Wednesday it has ​charged the governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state, Ruben Rocha, and ‌other current ⁠and former officials for their alleged ⁠involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Advertisement

The ​Justice Department ​said ​Rocha and the ‌others allegedly conspired with leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel to import massive quantities ‌of narcotics into ​the ​U.S. ​in exchange for ‌political support and ​bribes.

(Reporting ​by Kylie Madry in Mexico City ​and ‌Luc Cohen in New ​York; editing by ​Stephen Eisenhammer )

byAdministrator

in

April 30, 2026

US charges governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state for ties to cartel

MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. ‌Justice Department said ‌on Wednesday it has ​charged the governor of Mexico's Sinaloa ...

Read More

Pistons-Magic takeaways: Detroit's problems are coming to a head as Orlando aims to dunk No. 1 seed

Can we just talk about Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain's dunk on Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren?

I mean, seriously, look:

Do we even care about the game? Like, who actually won? I genuinely don't remember.

That is one of the nastiest throw-downs ever and not just in a playoff context. Cain kept climbing and dunked on Duren, a man built like a Greek god, so hard the All-Star center backpeddled after coming down back to Earth.

(OK,the Magic took a commanding 3-1 series lead by winning 94-88, but that's definitely just a B-story to Cain's jam.)

In all seriousness, let's dive into Orlando's big win Monday night as it tries to become the seventh No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 in NBA history.

Cade Cunningham's turnovers are a team issue

As Cunningham entered Game 4, he had totaled 19 turnovers in the the series.

By halftime, he was up to 25 after turning it over six times in the first half.

While Cunningham is ultimately responsible for hanging on to the ball, the Pistons' roster construction isn't doing him any favors.

With both Duren and Ausar Thompson being almost entirely non-threats from the outside, Orlando has the freedom to double- and even triple-team Cunningham, swarming him whenever his feet are inside the 3-point line.

While Tobias Harris has done a solid job of adding spacing and overall scoring, the bottom line is simple: It shouldn't be this difficult for the Pistons to generate offense through Cunningham, but they have no other creators on the roster.

Advertisement

Perhaps they should have made a play for someone at the trade deadline, instead of sitting still.

But here they are, shooting 37.8% from the floor and 20% from 3 in a crucial Game 4 as their season appears to be slipping away.

Wendell Carter Jr. is eating Jalen Duren's lunch

Throughout the regular season, it was never in doubt who, among Carter and Duren, had the best season. Duren was an All-Star, a double-double machine and one of the most exciting young players in the league.

Carter, who is far more of a role player than a featured star, apparently didn't get the memo.

During this series, the 6-foot-10 Carter has constantly outhustled, outworked and outdone Duren. It's not always reflected in his raw line (Carter had 12 points and 11 rebounds in Game 4), but his effort has put a spotlight on Duren as he enters free agency this summer.

Duren has struggled mightily all series, scoring a grand total of 39 points over the course of the four games, finding it difficult to get up shots, getting beat by Carter on backdoor lobs and overall having one heck of a troublesome series, which could cost him millions this July.

Dear Jamahl Mosley, make better use of Paolo Banchero

I may sound like a broken record here, but giving Banchero the ball high out on the floor and asking him to "do stuff" (which I'm guessing is his directive, because there doesn't seem to be anything close to a plan), is aching for punishment.

Banchero isn't a natural shooter, nor is he particularly effective as a spacer.

He is, however, ridiculously good near the rim, and when he ducks in for layups and dunks, he draws a ton of fouls and converts plays.

Orlando has one of the most inconsistent offenses in the league, and its plan is to use its most versatile offensive player, who is an athletic 6-10, 250-pound powerhouse, as an outside-in option?

It's been nonsensical for a while now, and it only looks worse after Banchero shot 4-of-18 from the floor and missed all four of his 3-point attempts Monday night.

byAdministrator

in

April 30, 2026

Pistons-Magic takeaways: Detroit's problems are coming to a head as Orlando aims to dunk No. 1 seed

Can we just talk about Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain's dunk on Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren? I mean, seriously, look...

Read More

Soto and Bichette go deep as slumping Mets break out at the plate in 8-0 win over Nationals

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a two-run homer that capped a seven-run fourth inning and the New York Mets breezed to an 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Nationals Mets Baseball

Bo Bichette also homered and drove in two runs, and Clay Holmes combined with two relievers on a three-hitter as the banged-up Mets (10-19) won for only the third time in 18 games — perhaps taking a little heat off manager Carlos Mendoza.

Before the game, Mendoza said Soto is dealing with left forearm tightness. An MRI came back clean, but the left fielder has been the designated hitter in all six games since he returned last Wednesday from a right calf strain.

The homer was Soto's second this season and first since the calf injury sidelined him for 15 games. In the second season of a record $765 million contract, the star slugger felt tightness while throwing prior to games against Colorado on Friday and Sunday.

Advertisement

Bichette launched a leadoff homer against Zack Littell (0-4) and added a sacrifice fly in the fourth, New York's biggest inning all year.

The Mets totaled four runs last weekend in a three-game sweep by the Rockies at Citi Field.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

Soto and Bichette go deep as slumping Mets break out at the plate in 8-0 win over Nationals

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a two-run homer that capped a seven-run fourth inning and the New York Mets breezed to an 8-0 victory ove...

Read More

Top Trump figures at odds over future of Secret Service chief amid claims of lax security at dinner, report claims

New scrutiny is fallingon the shoulders of the Secret Serviceand its chief, Sean Curran, after Saturday night’sshooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Publicly, members of the administration praised the Secret Service for agents’ quick response on Saturday after a suspected gunman charged the ballroom in the basement of the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists and administration VIPs including the president and vice president were seated for the annual event. No persons inside the ballroom were injured, and the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled before getting inside.

In private, however,Real Clear Politicsreports that seasoned security officials are raising alarms over the Secret Service and the agency’s ability to protect the president. Numerous sources familiar with presidential security protocolsbashed Saturday night’s security apparatusat the Hilton in comments to the publication, echoing some criticism leveled by attendees and politicians on social media after the event.

The report also claimed that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles plans to blame the president’s sons, who reportedly pushed for Curran’s appointment, if the president decides to fire him. Wiles, as Trump’s top aide, oversees the Secret Service and also faced some criticism for allowing Curran to remain in his job this long.

Curran took over the agency last year, just months after the president was nearly assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania during a campaign event.

Multiple sources reportedly toldReal Clear Politicsthat Wiles has told other administration officials that “it’s on the boys” – supposedly referring to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump – if Curran screws up.

“It’s failure after failure after failure, and she gets no blame,” one source complained to the publication.

Advertisement

The new report of a rift between Wiles and the presidents’ sons could be blown open if Saturday evening’s incident results in turnover at the Secret Service. Attendees at the White House Correspondents Dinner were required to show tickets and pass through a metal detector, but CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported that the suspect appeared to make it through a metal detector with his weapon.

A witness who described the scene toThe Independenton Saturday eveningsaid that a man withdrew a “long gun”and began firing just inches away from where she and another worker were pushing a service cart into an elevator.

Wilesis currently undergoing treatmentfor breast cancer. She previously served as one of the heads of Donald Trump’s successful 2024 election campaign, where she earned a reputation for running a tight ship and being a no-nonsense boss.

The Secret Service, however, has been facing growing scrutiny and criticism for years. The near-assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024 was another incident wherein the agency was sharply criticized afterwards for not establishing a proper perimeter around a stage where Donald Trump was set to speak.

As Saturday night’s event concluded with a lockdown and confused attendees spilling out into the city, numerous pro-Trump figures and others described the Hilton’s layers of security as lax and porous, with some claiming they weren’t asked to show a ticket.The Independentattended the dinner, and its reporters were asked for tickets at multiple checkpoints.

That lax image is likely to prevail, however, given thatthe suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allenhimself is alleged to have written extensively about the Secret Service’s security failures in a purported manifesto obtained by authorities and published by news outlets on Saturday.

“The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before. Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again. Like, if I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed shit,” Allenwrote in his alleged manifesto.

Another incident in recent weeks saw the Secret Service fail to locate a vehicle its officers were tracking after gunshots were reported near the White House. Rifle casings were recovered,according toReal Clear Politics,and a vehicle identified, but no images of the suspected shooter were recovered and the case reportedly went cold after agents were unable to track the vehicle due to it bearing stolen tags.

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

Top Trump figures at odds over future of Secret Service chief amid claims of lax security at dinner, report claims

New scrutiny is fallingon the shoulders of the Secret Serviceand its chief, Sean Curran, after Saturday night’sshooting at the White Ho...

Read More

White House drafts guidance to bypass Anthropic's risk flag for new AI models, Axios reports

April 28 (Reuters) - The White House is developing guidance that could allow federal agencies to sidestep Anthropic's supply-chain risk designation ‌and onboard newartificial intelligencemodels, including Mythos, Axios reported ‌on Tuesday.

A draft executive action under consideration could provide the Trump administration with a pathway ​to de‑escalate its dispute with Anthropic, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Anthropic declined to comment, while the White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request ‌for comment.

This development comes ⁠as Anthropic faced a fallout with the Pentagon earlier in the year after the startup refused to remove ⁠guardrails against using its AI for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance, and the department designated the Claude-maker as a supply-chain risk.

U.S. President Donald Trump last ​week ​said Anthropic was "shaping up" in the ​eyes of his administration, after ‌CEO Dario Amodei met White House officials in an attempt to repair the strained relationship.

Advertisement

When asked if a deal was on the horizon with the Pentagon, Trump told on CNBC's "Squawk Box", "It's possible. We want the smartest people."

Trump's comments and the draft guidance come just weeks after Anthropic ‌unveiled Mythos, its most advanced AI system ​to date.

Experts have said the tool ​holds a potentially unprecedented ability ​to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and devise ways to exploit ‌them.

While key players in the Pentagon ​are dug in ​on the issue with Anthropic, other stakeholders believe the fight has been counterproductive and are ready to find an offramp, Axios ​said, citing multiple sources.

It ‌is possible that both sides could end up right back ​in contentious negotiations, according to the report.

(Reporting by Chandni Shah ​in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

White House drafts guidance to bypass Anthropic's risk flag for new AI models, Axios reports

April 28 (Reuters) - The White House is developing guidance that could allow federal agencies to sidestep Anthropic's supply-chain ...

Read More

Rescuers trying to reach 3 people trapped in damaged train car after crash in Indonesia

BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers were working to reach three people still trapped Tuesday in a badly damaged commuter train car after a crash outside Indonesia's capital that killed at least seven people.

APTOPIX Indonesia Train Crash

A long-distance train crashed into the rear car of a stopped commuter train Monday at Bekasi Timur Station outside Jakarta. The car was one designated for women only, a common accommodation to stop harassment.

A total of 81 injured people were taken to hospitals for treatment, said Bobby Rasyidin, CEO of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia. “The evacuations are taking a long time ... and we’re doing it very carefully,” Rasyidin told reporters of the rescue efforts.

All 240 passengers on the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train were safe, officials said.

Advertisement

Police were investigating the cause of the accident, Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri told reporters at the scene.

Rasyidin said another commuter train struck a stalled taxi on a crossing near the station and a rail system disruption was suspected.

“As for the chronology of events, we are leaving it to the National Transportation Safety Committee to investigate the cause of tonight’s train accident in greater detail,” Rasyidin said.

Accidents are common on Indonesia’s aging railroad network. InJanuary 2024, two trains collided in West Java province, killing at least four people.

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

Rescuers trying to reach 3 people trapped in damaged train car after crash in Indonesia

BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers were working to reach three people still trapped Tuesday in a badly damaged commuter train car after ...

Read More