Beyoncé has reportedly become the latest star upset with former President Donald Trump for using her song as part of his presidential campaign. The 42-year-old singer’s record label and publisher issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign after it used her song “Freedom” in a social media video featuring Trump, Billboard magazine reported. In a video posted on X, Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung shared a clip with the song being played as images showed Trump stepping off a plane. Shortly after news broke about the singer’s label threatening to block the use of the song by the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign, the video was deleted, The Guardian noted. It comes after Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign had started using the song at campaign events and even unveiled a new a cappella version in an ad played at the DNC, the outlet noted. The singer reportedly gave Harris permission to use the song during her campaign. Per CNN, a source close to Harris revealed that the team asked to use the song from the 2016 album “Lemonade.” Beyonće has sent the Donald Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter over the use of her song ‘Freedom’—which has become Kamala Harris’ unofficial campaign song—in a video on social media. READ MORE: https://t.co/UytEpgDNbd pic.twitter.com/CWaUIpUWXF — The Project (@theprojecttv) August 22, 2024 The “Single Ladies” hitmaker is only the latest celebrity performer to get mad that Trump used their song during his campaign. On August 11, the family of late singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes sued the Trump campaign for what it said was the unauthorized use of one of Hayes’ songs at presidential “campaign rallies from 2022-2024,” as previously reported. Hayes’ family is demanding “not less than” a “$3 million payment” in licensing fees from Trump and his campaign for using the song the late singer co-wrote with David Portner in 1966 for Sam & Dave, called “Hold on, I’m Coming,” at his rallies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you. Earlier this month, Celine Dion’s management team on behalf of Dion and her record label released a statement about how her song, “My Heart Will Go On,” from the “Titanic” soundtrack, was played at the Trump-JD Vance rally in Bozeman, as previously reported. “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” the statement read.   “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” the statement added. “…And really, THAT song?” Other artists who have gotten upset at Trump using their songs include the Rolling Stones, Rihanna, and Axl Rose, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Related: Beyoncé Gives Kamala Harris Permission To Use Song ‘Freedom’ For Campaign: Report

The fan bragged about the experience on social media then got caught

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With all the recent Aerosmith news focused on Steven Tyler’s throat injury and the sad news that the band is being forced to retire from live performances, we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit their entire studio catalog and pick our favorite song from each record. Aerosmith stands as one of our favorite bands of all time and could quite possibly be the greatest American rock band to ever grace the concert stage. Of course, there have been some great ones over the years—true legends like The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Beach Boys, and many more—but when The post Aerosmith’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Rising grocery store prices over the last few years aren’t the fault of farmers or “greedy” corporations, a conservative North Carolina research organization concludes in a new documentary series and report. Instead, higher energy prices and more regulations are the culprit, according to the John Locke Foundation documentary series Sowing Resilience. It recommends a list of changes including streamlining the zoning and permitting process and building coalitions to fight overly restrictive federal and state mandates. The series examines policy decisions on agriculture that were made during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and the policy reactions to it exposed supply-chain and other vulnerabilities that still require solutions,” states a foundation’s report that accompanies the series. “The pandemic also worsened the growing food insecurity problem in North Carolina. Over 10% of North Carolinians struggle to secure enough food for a healthy lifestyle, according to the USDA. Only about 6% of adults in the state report consuming at least two servings of vegetables or fruits per day. Meanwhile, over one-third are obese, according to the Body Mass Indexes.” At the same time, grocery prices skyrocketed 25% from 2019-2023, the Foundation said. The last three years are in the Biden administration, which pushes Vice President Kamala Harris and her first price gouging federal law on food suppliers and grocers. “Climate policies such as carbon pricing add significant expenses to farmers’ operating budgets, translating to an annual increase in a family of four’s grocery bills by $1,330,” the John Locke Foundation, a conservative North Carolina think tank, said. “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting requirements and emissions monitoring increase participating farms’ annual operating expenses by an estimated 34%, beyond the reach of many smaller farms despite their need for market access.” The report challenges the assertion that higher food prices are the result of corporate greed. “There is competition across the many segments of the food industry,” the foundation states. “Widespread and coordinated price gouging is unlikely.” It cites higher fuel costs as a key reason for rising prices at the grocery stores. Overly restrictive zoning and permitting requirements have also hampered food production in North Carolina, the foundation report concludes. “One of the most substantial challenges with zoning regulations is their complexity and cost of compliance,” the reports say. “Farmers often face a maze of rules and regulations that require time, money, and expertise to navigate – diverting resources away from essential farming activities and placing an undue strain on farmers, particularly smaller operations with limited staff and financial resources.” Originally published by The Center Square. The post Report Challenges Harris’ Assertion Higher Food Prices Equal Corporate Greed appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The 2024 Democratic National Convention is a theatrical political gathering that spans four days and attracts the highest-ranking elected officials from across the nation. These include President Joe Biden, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as well as just about every major political personality you can think of. When I say that it is a theatrical event, I mean it. The DNC is an expensive platform for Democrats — and Republicans, at the Republican National Convention — to showcase who they are and what they stand for. Yet, without fail, these national conventions repeatedly do not address the important matters that impact all Americans. Strip away the excessive display, allure and drama of the convention, and what remains is a collection of highly influential and well-connected people, all proclaiming to the public the shortcomings of the opposing party, the exceptional qualities of their own candidates, and just how bad you’re going to have it if the other party wins. But Americans don’t need the extravagance and theatrics. They don’t need to be told who’s good and who’s bad. What they need are tangible solutions to real problems that they face on a daily basis. They don’t need to hear how incompetent or dictatorial their opponent is. They don’t need disparagement. That doesn’t help anyone, and it is absolutely detrimental to today’s polarized America. We need speeches that emphasize that we are all Americans, irrespective of our race, color, gender or creed. We need candidates to acknowledge their faults and shortcomings but let their supporters understand that nobody, not even themselves, is perfect. This issue is not limited to the DNC. The RNC is no better. The purpose of these conventions is not to discuss solutions. Their purpose is to unite in support of a political party and to deepen the division between the viewers and supporters of the opposing party. Let’s be clear, Democrats know what they are doing. Republicans know what they are doing. If they wanted to end the divisions in America next week, they could do so with ease. Worse, both parties lie and lie and lie. During the DNC, a woman who was sexually assaulted by her uncle at the age of 12 spoke on stage. She and the Democrats argued that former President Donald Trump would endorse policies such as a nationwide abortion ban, which would have prevented her from obtaining an abortion at age 12. The crowd enthusiastically applauded her while expressing strong disapproval toward Trump. They did this notwithstanding the abundance of statements and interviews from Trump wherein he explicitly states his lack of support for a nationwide abortion ban and his consistent endorsement of exceptions for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. How many times did Democrats talk about Trump’s participation in Project 2025, a policy guide produced by the Heritage Foundation that Trump has explicitly refused to endorse, had no involvement in, and even disagrees with much of? As expected, par for the course for any party, Project 2025 was given a grossly inaccurate and compelling name: “Trump’s Project 2025.” Let’s also not forget the numerous instances in which Trump was characterized as a dictator or a king, despite the fact that he was literally president for four years and no dictatorship or kingship came even close to arising. We must transcend these falsehoods and theatrics, and address the substantive matters at hand, as the reality is that we are on the brink of a civil war. The country is evenly polarized along party lines, with the moderate factions of each party progressively shifting toward the extreme ends. This is not due to a sudden divergence in people’s opinions. The reason for this is that each political party engages in falsehoods and ridicules the opposing party, something not seen in our nation’s history. And when each party is given a microphone that broadcasts them to millions of American households, what do they do? They divide even more. During the convention, Biden delivered a speech that could possibly be regarded as his farewell address. Despite the fact that he has several months remaining in his term, this entire speech — along with the speeches delivered by his wife, Jill, and daughter Ashley leading up to it — was merely a sentimental goodbye. Prior to Biden’s speech, the crowd burst into chants of gratitude and affection, exclaiming “Thank you, Joe” and “We love you, Joe.” They also displayed signs bearing these messages, which were distributed to all the spectators in the state and the United Center just before Biden took the stage. However, those expressions of gratitude were not commendations for Biden’s accomplishments as president. When the crowd chanted “thank you,” they were expressing gratitude to him for dropping out of the race. What a slap in the face. Insiders will tell you: Biden is resentful. Biden believes he was ousted by former President Barack Obama and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, because they are the only ones with the political sway to do that. It is the unspoken issue at the DNC. Everyone in the know knows there’s a major rift between Biden and the party leaders — that he feels betrayed — but they won’t dare make it public. It’s clear that Biden is putting on a happy face for the sake of the nation, cameras and his own party — a party that orchestrated a coup d’etat against him. The current state of affairs in America appears daunting. Today’s America does not evoke feelings of security, happiness and safety. Americans desire an America that embodies the essence of what America is — a nation unlike any other. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post All Theater, No Class at National Conventions appeared first on The Daily Signal.