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England’s Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, a major summer event featuring top musical acts from the U.K., U.S. and beyond, has become a topic of political controversy over comments made by two acts concerning the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the British government. The musicians, as well as the BBC network that broadcast their Glastonbury performances live, now face anger from members of the public and British politicians, as well as a potential legal investigation.

‘Death to the IDF’ and ‘‘’F**k Keir Starmer’ chants cause controversy

The most controversial moments from this year’s Glastonbury festival came during the Saturday performance by English rap/punk duo Bob Vylan, who led the crowd in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.

BBC director : “Cut Kneecap, show someone else, use anyone.”BBC editor : “That Vylan guy?”BBC director : “Anyone!”Bob Vylan : [crowd chanting] “Death, Death to the IDF, Death Death to the IDF”🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/7g8zQot15G— Julian Sayarer (@JulianSayarer) June 28, 2025

Who are Bob Vylan as a group?

Bob Vylan is a London-based punk-rap duo made up of vocalist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan. Known for their raw, politically charged lyrics and high-energy performances, the group blends elements of grime, punk, and hardcore to tackle issues like racism, police brutality, and systemic injustice.

The Glastonbury performances from Bob Vylan and Kneecap

Bob Vylan’s performance followed the Irish rap trio Kneecap. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other politicians had called for the group to be removed from the lineup due to one of its members facing criminal charges for allegedly expressing support for the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, which he denies.During Kneecap’s set, one of the band’s members told the crowd, “The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer,” with members of the crowd repeating the expletive toward the Labour Party leader.

After the performances, the Campaign Against Antisemitism announced that it was filing a formal complaint over the “outrageous decision” by the BBC to air the Bob Vylan performance. Local police have also stated they’re investigating whether either of the festival acts committed a crime. Starmer reiterated his opposition to the musicians’ message, saying, “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.”

He added, “I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.”

The prime minister also criticized the BBC for airing the performances, saying, “The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.”

What festival organizers said

Festival organizers released a statement saying, “With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.”

They, however, clarified that they were “appalled” by the anti-IDF comments.

“Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

Glastonbury is a major, 5-day-long music festival held most summers in Pilton, Somerset, England. This year’s lineup included Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart, Charli XCX, Shaboozey and Doechii, among many others. Several other acts referenced Palestine during their performances. Singer CMAT, band the Libertines and footballer Gary Lineker all yelled “Free Palestine” during their appearances, while other acts displayed Palestinian flags or keffiyeh scarves. In the aftermath of the performances and complaints made by the Israeli embassy, British Health Secretary Wes Streeting agreed that the “death” chant was “appalling” but added, “I’d also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank.” Streeting criticized Israeli policy, saying, “I think there’s a serious point there by the Israeli embassy I take seriously. I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously.”

It remains to be seen whether the Glastonbury performances will lead to charges against Bob Vylan or additional legal trouble for Kneecap. Deadline reported that United Talent Agency has dropped Bob Vylan. The Trump administration also revoked the group’s United States visas just as they were set to do stateside shows.

The controversy is one of the major stories to come out of this year’s festival, with the harsh words and political debates demonstrating the impact of the war in Gaza and the larger Israeli/Palestinian conflict that continues not only in that region but around the world.

A gang member convicted of delivering the fatal stab in the gruesome killing of 15-year-old Bronx teen, Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, died Friday at a New York correctional facility.

PIX 11 reported that Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 31, was found dead in his cell at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility around 1:16 p.m., according to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision website.

A spokesperson for DOCCS confirmed that state coroners and medical examiners will determine Martinez-Estrella’s official cause of death.

In May, Martinez-Estrella was resentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in Guzman-Feliz’s death. He was initially convicted of first-degree murder on Oct. 11, 2019, for delivering the fatal stab wound that killed the 15-year-old and was sentenced to life without parole. The Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in March 2023, per PIX 11 and Blavity.

Martinez-Estrella was one of five defendants convicted in the fatal stabbing of Guzman-Feliz on June 20, 2018. Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, Jose Muniz, Manuel Rivera and Elvin Garcia were also convicted and remain in prison.

Police initially arrested 13 men in connection with the attack, and all are currently serving their respective prison sentences.

Martinez-Estrella remained in prison on a second-degree murder charge, in addition to conspiracy and gang assault, ABC 7 New York reported.

Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman-Feliz’s death explained

The deadly confrontation occurred on June 20, 2018, after Guzman-Feliz was mistakenly identified as a rival gang member seen in a sex tape circulating on social media, allegedly involving the sister of a Trinitarios gang member. He was killed at 11:40 p.m. that night after exiting Cruz and Chiky Grocery, located at 526 E 183rd St. in the Bronx, New York.

Several men from the Dominican gang approached the teen and began stabbing him repeatedly with machetes, which was also captured on surveillance footage. The men later admitted on Facebook that they had killed the wrong person and apologized for what happened.

Since then, Guzman-Feliz’s death has affected not only the Bronx community but all of New York City and nationwide. People rallied on social media with the renowned hashtag #justiceforjunior, hoping that would lead to some relief for the teen’s mom, Leandra Guzman, and his older sister, Genesis Collado-Feliz, who was 19 at the time.

Keeping Junior’s memory alive

In November, Guzman-Feliz was honored in a ceremony outside of the 45th precinct in the Bronx, New York, held by the NYPD, along with family and friends, in celebration of what would have been the teen’s 22nd birthday, Blavity reported. The teen had signed up for the NYPD’s Explorers Program just days before his death.

At the time, his mother shared that she wanted to keep her son’s memory alive and that people wouldn’t forget him.

“My son is not coming back,” Feliz said. “Every day, I miss him more and more.”

“I don’t want people to forget him,” she added.

Americans looking forward to starting their new lives after retirement may need to reconsider, as the latest Social Security retirement age could require them to work longer to maximize their benefits.

The new retirement age will be set at 67 years old starting in 2026, The Independent reported, marking the first time it has reached this level since the agency’s inception 90 years ago.

When was the Social Security Act signed into law?

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, establishing an insurance program to provide workers aged 65 and older with steady retirement income, per The Independent.

Is Social Security ending soon?

While some Americans may be anticipating retirement soon, recent reports warn that the main Social Security trust funds could run out of money by 2034, a year earlier than expected, according to the Social Security Board of Trustees’ annual report.

“Trust fund depletion dates are a common way of tracking the status of the trust funds since, if annual income is not sufficient, full scheduled benefits in the law cannot be paid after trust fund reserves are depleted,” the report states.

As Blavity reported, the average retirement age is 65; however, the official retirement age was gradually increased to 67 under the 1983 amendment to the Social Security Act. The agency calculates the retirement age using a person’s birth year.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Social Security retirement age and how your birth year could determine the amount you receive each month.

Social Security retirement benefits by age

Americans can start receiving benefits as early as age 62, although they are permanently reduced. Those born in 1960 or later will have a full retirement age of 67; delaying retirement until age 70 further increases monthly benefits.

The earliest age to claim Social Security benefits is 62, but doing so results in a reduced payout, which is 70% of the full benefit, or about $1,260 per month, according to The Independent.

At age 65, retirees can receive approximately 87% of their full benefit, or $1,560 per month.

Those who retire at the full retirement age of 67 qualify for the full benefit amount of $1,800 per month.

If some wait until 70, the monthly payments increase to around $2,232, or 124% of the base benefit.

During a recent Health Care and Financial Services hearing, California Rep. Lateefah Simon shut down her colleague’s wrong interpretation of a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote.

As a subcommittee of the government department, the area these representatives oversee and help regulate is federal healthcare policies, according to Atlanta Black Star. On June 25, a preceding event called “Sacrificing Excellence for Ideology: The Real Cost of DEI” was held by the group. A video clip of Simon challenging the remarks from some members of Congress who sided with Trump’s denunciation of DEI laws and initiatives nationwide, deeming them an organizational framework with negative impacts on society, is spreading across the internet.

Why did Congresswoman Simon criticize her colleague’s use of Martin Luther King’s quotes?

Republican Virginia Rep. John McGuire was one of the congressmen who supported the Trump Administration’s stance on DEI. During his 4 1/2-minute speech, he explained his views. 

“To me, DEI stands for ‘didn’t earn it,’” McGuire said before saying DEI programming is “disastrous… Marxist, it destroys innovation and motivation.” 

This led McGuire to reference a section from King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. He asked the panel whether they stood by the activist’s belief that people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

Furious about the lack of education, the recording of Simon’s response showed her addressing the continued tactic by her counterparts of taking King’s words out of context.

“Very few of you have read and studied and have sat in Ebenezer Baptist Church, so I would ask you: You keep Dr. King’s name out of your mouth,” she said.

Additionally, Simon, who is legally blind and made history as California’s first Muslim member of Congress, noted what the hearing revealed from her perspective about the state of American politics under Trump’s leadership as a Black “disabled woman.”

“Today’s hearing says quietly, and actually out loud, who the majority believe is allowed to belong in this country,” she said. “They used Dr. King’s name in deep vein, who has a place in the hierarchy that was never meant to be questioned.”

“It is a bigotry. It is a hypocrisy,” she added. “Republicans, like I said before, will quote Dr. King all day, will bring forth Lincoln and will talk about Frederick Douglass in the same breath that they are gutting civil rights offices in our governments, in the same breath where they seek to ban AP African-American studies that tells the true story of this country.”

Simon received praise in the comments section via Instagram.

“So proud she is my representative!” one person commented.

“THIS!!! TRUTH BE TOLD, QUEEN. 🔥🔥🔥,” someone else wrote.

“SO many strong women coming out blazin I LOVE IT,” another person added.

Beyoncé faced a terrifying mishap during her Cowboy Carter Tour in Houston on Saturday. She was suspended in the air while trying to put on an aerial show for the crowd during the performance of her hit single “16 Carriages.” After she was lifted into the air while sitting in a red Cadillac, Beyoncé was unable to come back down, ABC 13 reported. As Beyoncé noticed that the car was tilting sideways while hovering above the crowd, she said, “Stop, stop, stop.”

A short time later, security rushed to the singer to unbuckle her from the car and bring her back down safely.

What happened after Beyoncé came back down safely at the Houston concert?

Beyoncé continued with the performance after she came back down from the suspended car. She also joked with the crowd after the scary moment.

“I know if I fall, y’all will catch me,” she told the Houston crowd, per ABC 13.

Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, later said in a statement that the interruption happened due to a “technical mishap.”

“Tonight in Houston, at NRG Stadium, a technical mishap caused the flying car, a prop Beyoncé uses to circle the stadium and see her fans up close, to tilt,” the team wrote on its Instagram Story. “She was quickly lowered and no one was injured. The show continued without incident.”

What’s next for Beyoncé?

Beyoncé is set to continue with her 22-show Cowboy Carter tour after performing in Houston on Saturday. Her next stop is at Northwest Stadium in Washington D.C., where she will perform on July 4 and July 7. Beyoncé will then travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the final two performances of her tour on July 10 and July 11.

Cowboy Carter earned three Grammy Awards in 2025. The album earned the award for Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “II Most Wanted.” It was also named Album of the Year, making Beyoncé the first Black female artist to earn that award since 1999. Lauryn Hill, who won album of the year for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, was the previous Black female artist who earned that recognition.

Legendary outfielder Dave Parker, who played 19 seasons in the MLB, has died at age 74. The league announced that Parker, who was scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this month, died on Saturday after living with Parkinson’s disease for years.

“Dave Parker was a gifted all-around player whose numerous accomplishments led to his upcoming induction in Cooperstown this summer,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, per Cleveland.com. “We will remember the Cobra forever, especially as his name soon officially joins the legends of our National Pastime.”

What were some of the accolades Dave Parker earned during his career?

Parker, who was named the 1978 National League MVP, earned two World Series championships in his career. He won the first title with the Pirates in 1979, then took another championship with the Oakland Athletics in 1989. The seven-time All-Star also earned multiple National League batting titles, along with three Gold Glove awards and Silver Slugger titles.

Parker added the All-Star Game MVP award to his resume in 1979. He also won the first-ever MLB Home Run Derby in 1985. Parker totaled 2,712 hits in his career with a batting average of .290. His legendary career also includes 339 home runs and 1,493 RBIs.

Parker made history in 1979 when he signed a five-year, $5 million contract. With that deal, Parker became the first MLB player to get paid $1 million a season. After being elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024, Parker will be posthumously inducted along with the Class of 2025 on July 27.

How did Dave Parker get his start in sports?

Parker played football at an early age but decided to focus more on baseball after sustaining a knee injury in high school. The Cincinnati native saw his dream come true when he was selected by the Pirates in the 1970 Draft. Parker later signed with his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds. He also played for the Athletics, Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays. Parker retired in 1991.