Washington explosion heard as 'US Air National Guard' sonic boom leaves windows rattling

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Multiple gunshot victims were reported as being treated after violence broke out in a campground at the site of the Gorge amphitheater in Washington state Saturday night, while performances were still going on inside the venue as part of the Beyond Wonderland festival. After initial reports of an active shooter, local authorities reported that a suspect had been apprehended. Information on the victims’ condition was not released prior to a scheduled law enforcement press conference set for 11:30 p.m. PT. But at 10:52 p.m., the Grant County Sheriff’s Office tweeted: “We have five confirmed injuries. The suspect is in custody. The scene has been secured.”

Daniel Ellsberg, a onetime advisor to Nixon Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara and RAND corporation analyst who leaked the 7,000-word secret history of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times and Washington Post, has died. That, according to multiple reports. He was 92.

Amber Heard relocated to Spain with her 2-year-old daughter, Oonagh, following her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp — and she’s thriving in the new locale.

Angelique Jackson As the American Black Film Festival kicks off its 27th edition in Miami Beach, Fla. on Wednesday night, the company behind the fest, ABFF Ventures, is announcing a rebrand. The events entertainment company, led by founder and CEO Jeff Friday and president Nicole Friday, will now be called Nice Crowd, evoking the brand’s dedication to spotlighting BIPOC culture and achievements while emphasizing the power of gathering. In addition to the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and the annual ABFF Honors ceremony, Nice Crowd will expand its annual offerings to include comedy, health & wellness, food and fine art-focused events. The first new event under the Nice Crowd banner will be “Because They’re Funny” (BTF), a comedy festival showcasing comedic talent within BIPOC communities that will launch this October in Washington, D.C.

Johnny Depp is planning to donate a large sum of the settlement from his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard to multiple charities.Depp sued Heard over a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, where she wrote about being a survivor of domestic violence.Come the end of their highly publicised court case last year, Heard was instructed to pay Depp $10million (£8.4m) in compensatory damages and $5million (£4.2m) in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2million (£1.6m) after the jury found that Depp had defamed her through his attorney.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Depp will donate $1million (£782,000) of the settlement to five different charities, giving $200,000 (£156,000) to each one.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic No one could deny that there were star-driven aspects to this past weekend of shows at one of America’s most beloved outdoor venues, the Gorge, all of them headlined or organized by Brandi Carlile. That was apparent soon enough for anyone driving out of Seattle-Takoma Airport to make the three-hour drive to the remote amphitheater in the middle of Washington state, as the freeways were dotted with cars with “Brandi or Bust!” (or messages about the “Bramily”) emblazoned on their rear windshields. And Carlile wasn’t the biggest star appearing over the three nights. No one lords over a cult of personality right now, actively or passively, quite like Joni Mitchell. Not so very long ago, Mitchell was more or less seen as one boomer icon among many, yet she has somehow just in the past few years graduated — with no campaigning on her part, but with valuable microbursts of assistance from Carlile — to being arguably the most revered North American singer-songwriter of any generation. Bob Dylan can only be looking on a little jealously at how his old friend and rival has kind of quietly been pushed ahead of him in the line, even as she did not much more than stay out of sight and work to recover from a debilitating aneurysm.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Fred Ryan, publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, announced that he is stepping down after nine years at Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper. Ryan cited “the decline in civility” in political discourse — and “more broadly across our society” — for his decision to leave the Post to lead the newly created nonpartisan Center on Public Civility, launched by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. In an earlier era, “Political leaders on opposite sides of the aisle could find common ground for the good of the country,” Ryan wrote in a memo to Washington Post staff announcing his departure. “Today, the decline in civility has become a toxic and corrosive force that threatens our social interactions and weakens the underpinnings of our democracy. I feel a strong sense of urgency about this issue.” (Read his memo below.)

pic.twitter.com/qwnMcY9dzs“Many of us can recall an era when people could disagree without being disagreeable,” he continued, adding that current dialogue is “a toxic and corrosive force that threatens our social interactions and weakens the underpinnings of our democracy.”He explained he will be leading the nonpartisan Center on Public Civility that is being launched by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute and that Jeff Bezos is “personally providing support for the planning and design phase” and “supports my decision to make this move.”The Washington Post is owned by Nash Holdings LLC, a private company owned by the Amazon CEO.

Fred Ryan, the publisher and CEO of The Washington Post for the past nine years, is stepping down.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Washington Heights, a neighborhood in northern Manhattan that’s best known to theater lovers as the setting of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first hit show, played host to thousands in the Broadway community on Sunday night. The 76th annual Tony Awards moved uptown to the United Palace Theater, the third venue change in three years for Broadway’s biggest night. This one surprised even Miranda, who excitedly dolled out high-fives to those camped outside the venue as he walked to the red carpet. Once he was inside the lavishly decorated theater (“It looks like Beyonce’s screening room,” Nathan Lane later observed while presenting an award with his “Producers” partner-in-crime Matthew Broderick), Miranda jokingly thanked everyone for coming all the way to 176th Street. “Never in my wildest dreams…” he said before presenting a life achievement award to “Cabaret” composer John Kander during the non-televised portion of the Tonys.

Melissa Etheridge attended the 2023 Tony Awards the same day she shared some very exciting Broadway news of her own.

Dylan Mulvaney is switching up her look, and she’s showing it off at the 2023 Tony Awards.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Several crew members were injured on the Morocco set of the sequel to “Gladiator” on June 7 while filming a stunt sequence for the action film. “While filming a planned stunt sequence on the set of the ‘Gladiator’ sequel, an accident occurred during which several crew members experienced non-life-threatening injuries,” a spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, said in a statement. “The safety and full medical services teams on-site were able to act quickly so that those who were impacted immediately received necessary care. They are all in stable condition and continue to receive treatment.” A total of six people received treatment, four of whom remain in the hospital. All of the impacted crew members were treated for burn injuries, according to an individual with knowledge of the production. Two other crew members were treated locally and then discharged. The accident occurred towards the end of the shooting day. No cast members were harmed.

Sophia Scorziello editor What does it mean to be a funny girl? Actors Elle Fanning (“The Great”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), Gina Rodriguez (“Not Dead Yet”) and Kerry Washington (“UnPrisoned”) discuss being a woman in comedy at Variety TV FYC Fest’s Disney Women of Comedy panel, moderated by Variety’s Angelique Jackson. Each TV character they play — whether she’s an empress of Russia, a public school principal, a family therapist or a journalist who talks to the dead — is layered and complicated. Through comedy, these actors have found the freedom to be contradictory, to not have it all together and to be a little messy.

woke up to find their cities engulfed in smoke,which as the day progressed turned into a hazy, deep orange sky— a result of the smoke traveling south from ongoing wildfires in Nova Scotia, Canada. With the Manhattan skyline and its landmarks eerily disappearing into the yellow fog, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality health advisory through Thursday, citing "unhealthy" quality levels, which have now been deemed the worst of any city in the world, according to according to IQAir, a Swiss monitoring service.

“Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd is stepping down after nine years as host of the NBC political talk show at the end of the summer. Kristen Welker will replace him as host in September.“The key to the survival of any of these media entities, including here at ‘Meet the Press,’ is for leaders to not overstay their welcome.

In an open letter in support of the actress Amber Heard, Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Ernaux denounces “the vilification” and “ongoing online harassment” of the actress.

Nobel Prize-winning writer Annie Ernaux has signed an open letter in support of Amber Heard, decrying “the vilification” and “ongoing online harassment” of the actress.

Endeavor-owned WME has acquired the Ross Yoon Agency, a Washington, D.C.-based literary firm.

Amber Heard has confirmed she’s moved to Madrid in her first Spanish-speaking interview since her very public legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp.