Lady Gaga, Adopted Kids, Trump’s Energy Woes: Top Stories

Lady Gaga, Adopted Kids, and Trump’s Energy Woes: A Week in Headlines

Lady Gaga made headlines with her dramatic entrance at the premiere of “Lady Gaga: Apple Music Live (MAYHEM Requiem).” The special captured her one-night-only Los Angeles performance earlier this year. It reimagined songs from her Grammy-winning album “Mayhem.”

In other news, an Associated Press investigation reveals a surprising demographic shift in tough-love boarding schools. These schools, traditionally for rebellious teenagers, now target adopted kids. Adoptees account for an estimated 25-40% of those in residential treatment.

Energy Crisis in West Virginia

President Trump promised to cut electricity bills. Instead, prices have risen. Many in West Virginia now face utility costs surpassing rents and mortgages. The state contributes to the problem by relying on coal-fired plants.

ICE Employees Face Charges

At least two dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020. Their wrongdoing includes patterns of physical and sexual abuse, corruption, and other abuses of authority, according to a review by The Associated Press.

Safety Concerns at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works

After the August blast at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, some current and former steelworkers raise concerns. They say management’s investment decisions have left workplace safety and pollution issues to linger. The plant operates with little margin for error.

Lainey Wilson and Devlin Hodges’ Red Carpet Debut

Lainey Wilson and her husband Devlin “Duck” Hodges made their first official red carpet appearance since getting married at the 2026 ACM Awards. They stepped out together at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Wilson stunned in a vibrant red dress with fringe. Hodges complemented her look in a black suit with a white shirt and a mallard green bolo tie. The pair celebrated their first ACM Awards appearance as husband and wife.

This isn’t the first time the beloved couple has stepped out on the ACM Awards red carpet for a major milestone. They made their red carpet debut at the 58th Annual ACM Awards in May 2023. That marked their first public appearance together as an official couple.

A Star-Studded ACM Awards

Wilson and Hodges quietly married in a breathtaking waterfall ceremony at Ruskin Cave in Dickson, Tennessee, on May 10. After five years together, the country superstar and former NFL quarterback exchanged vows in an intimate celebration.

The ceremony was officiated by Wilson’s friend Wes Williams. It was surrounded by a star-studded guest list. The list included family, close friends, and fellow country artists like Luke Bryan, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Wynonna Judd, HARDY, and others.

Hodges proposed to Wilson in February 2025 on the steps of late country legend George Jones’ former estate. The couple first met in Nashville in 2021 through mutual friends and began dating soon after.

ACM Awards Nominations and Performances

Wilson is among the most-nominated artists at this year’s ACM Awards with seven nods. These include Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (Artist and Songwriter) for “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Single of the Year for “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Music Event of the Year for “Trailblazer” with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert, and Visual Media of the Year for “Somewhere Over Laredo.”

Wilson will also take to the ACM stage during the ceremony. She will perform her energy-filled hit, “Can’t Sit Still.”

Cannes Film Festival: ‘Hope’ Review

South Korean director Na Hong-jin returns with ‘Hope,’ a sci-fi creature feature that polarizes Cannes audiences. The film premiered in competition on May 17 to a reported seven-minute standing ovation mixed with audible bewilderment.

The 160-minute epic marks the first South Korean entry in the main slate since Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave” in 2022. It’s already polarizing audiences and critics. Some hail it as a delirious action masterpiece. Others dismiss it as an overlong mess undone by questionable visual effects.

Set in the fictional Hope Harbor, a ramshackle South Korean hamlet perilously close to the Demilitarized Zone, the story opens with a grisly cow carcass. Rumors of a man-eating tiger slipping south from the North circulate.

Local police chief Bum-seok, played with hangdog charisma and perfect comic timing by Hwang Jung-min, investigates. He works alongside hot-headed hunter Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) and rookie officer Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon of “Squid Game” fame).

Chaos and Human Stakes

What starts as a rural procedural quickly explodes into all-out chaos. Wildfires cut off communications and reinforcements. The town’s elderly residents face something far more terrifying than a big cat.

Na, who also wrote the screenplay, keeps the first hour hurtling forward. He presents one sustained, exhilarating set piece after another: cars flipping, walls crumbling, shotguns blazing through doors with darkly comic consequences.

Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, reuniting with Na after “The Wailing,” captures the mayhem with gliding, insolent grace. Long tracking shots weave through narrow alleys and sunlit forests. They turn the destruction into a balletic frenzy.

Michael Abels’ throbbing score amplifies the panic. It blends orchestral swells with guttural pulses that make daylight chases feel nightmarishly vivid. The human stakes land thanks to a colorful ensemble of Korean actors. They ground the escalating action.