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Usher put on a halftime show at the Super Bowl marked by impressive choreography and several guest appearances.

He performed a 13-minute show at the Super Bowl halfway point at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, starting with Caught Up and moving on to U Don’t Have To Call, Superstar and Love In The Club.

Alicia Keys joined him in front of a red piano resembling an abstract sculpture for her song If I Ain’t Got You, which morphed into My Boo.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.

Usher and Alicia Keys. Pic: Mark J Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Usher and Alicia Keys. Pic: Mark J Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Usher and Alicia Keys during the halftime show. Pic: Reuters
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Usher and Alicia Keys during the halftime show. Pic: Reuters

Usher performs with Alicia Keys. Pic: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Usher performs with Alicia Keys. Pic: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Usher also brought out several other guests including HER and Jermaine Dupri, with Lil Jon joining for Turn Down For What that became Yeah! and Ludacris put in a guest appearance.

Usher and Lil John perform together. Pic: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Usher and Lil John perform together. Pic: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Usher performs alongside Ludacris. Pic: Reuters
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Usher performs alongside Ludacris. Pic: Reuters

Taylor Swift was repeatedly shown on the big screens of Allegiant Stadium and the cameras caught her winning what appeared to be a beer-chugging contest, prompting cheers through the stadium.

The 14-time Grammy winner cuddled with Blake Lively during Post Malone’s performance of America The Beautiful after she flew halfway around the world to see her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his team the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers.

Taylor Swift reacts during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Swift flew halfway around the world to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his team play. Pic: AP

Taylor Swift. Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Swift made it to the stadium after flying on a private plane across nine time zones from the last of four shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, with self-proclaimed ‘Swifties’ across the globe speculating about the potential strain on her schedule for weeks.

The singer has been criticised for her use of private jets by climate activists and appears to have sold one of her two personal planes over a dispute with a student who had been tracking her flights.

Taylor Swift cheers during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Taylor Swift cheers during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Travis Kelce. Pic: AP
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Travis Kelce. Pic: AP

The 34-year-old and Kelce have been dating since September 2023.

The “Queen of Country” Reba McEntire sang The Star-Spangled Banner before kickoff, while Andra Day sang Lift Every Voice And Sing, a song that has become known as the black national anthem.

Adverts during the Super Bowl also saw Beyonce tease a new album, with her ad for Verizon ending with the superstar saying: “They ready, drop the new music.”

Later, a cryptic Instagram video appeared on her page teasing Act II – her previous album Renaissance is frequently referred to as Act I: Renaissance – and she released two new country tracks.

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.

The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.

It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.

One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
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One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP

In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.

Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”

Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.

But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.

The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.

In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.

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Trump knows all publicity is good publicity

They say all publicity is good publicity, and Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is certainly notching up the column inches, especially now Donald Trump has intervened.

The US president must have been breathlessly excited when he found out Sweeney was a registered Republican because he wrote a Truth Social post in support of her before deleting it twice and reposting three times to correct various spelling and grammatical errors.

He clearly could not wait to get involved in the discourse.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” he wrote. “Go get ’em Sydney!”

In any other era, the president weighing in so heavily on one side of a pop culture issue would’ve been unusual.

But the current president knows people are talking about the ad around their dinner tables and at parties right now. By injecting himself into the discussion, they will now be talking about him too.

In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.

“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.

Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.

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Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

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Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

Soulja Boy has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.

The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was a passenger in the car that was stopped in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles early on Sunday morning, the LAPD said.

“A passenger was detained and police arrested DeAndre Cortez Way for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” the statement added.

Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a felony.

The 35-year-old was booked into jail in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division shortly after 6am. It is not clear if he has since been released.

Police did not provide information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle with Way.

Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident.

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Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and landed him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys.

The rapper was arrested and charged with a felony in 2014 for carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop in LA.

In April this year, the Chicago hip-hop artist was ordered to pay more than $4m (£3m) in damages to his former assistant after being found liable for sexually assault, as well as physically and emotionally abusing them.

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Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

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Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.

Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.

After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.

Kevin Wade O'Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
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Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.

Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.

Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O'Neal's home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
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Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

Kevin Wade O'Neal's home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
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Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.

He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.

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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.

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