Names and faces
Country star Jason Aldean brought the party back Thursday in his return to the stage after the deadly mass shooting that broke out while he was performing in Las Vegas, though the fun was tempered by the sting of the tragedy. Three songs into his show in Tulsa, the singer launched into a five-minute speech that honored the 58 killed and nearly 500 hurt in the deadliest mass shooting in modern
U.S. history. But Aldean took a defiant tone in telling concertgoers to resist living in fear, and he called for more of the national unity he’s seen since the attack. “These people are going to continue to try to hold us down,” Aldean said. “To those people that keep trying to do that, I say f*** you, we don’t really care.” Fans pumped their fists and held up American flags as Aldean continued. “I want to play the show for you guys that the people in Las Vegas came to see and didn’t get a chance to,” he said. The Georgia native is one of country music’s biggest stars, touring in support of his album They Don’t Know, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 in 2016. Much of his catalog includes Southern rock, pop and hip-hop influences, a mix of hard-charging party anthems and ballads with lyrics about farm work, drinking and small-town life. He blasted through hits including “Big Green Tractor,” “Fly Over States” and “She’s Country,” and popped open a can of beer onstage after the encore. Aldean canceled shows in California last week to mourn those killed Oct. 1 at the outdoor Route 91 festival. He resumed his tour in an arena where concertgoers walked through metal detectors, and police presence was visible. He played in North Little Rock on Friday night. Authorities have said Stephen Paddock targeted the country music festival, opening fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel before killing himself. They are still trying to determine a motive.
MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough has made his departure from the GOP official. The Morning Joe anchor said on Twitter on Thursday that he became an independent and he added a picture of himself with an elections official in New Canaan, Conn., smiling while holding a form. Scarborough announced that he would leave the party in July and accused Republicans of abandoning their fiscal principles. Scarborough has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, who has targeted Scarborough and his fiancee and co-host Mika Brzezinski on Twitter. Scarborough was elected to four U.S. House terms from Florida starting in 1994.