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Foo Fighters have reacted after Donald Trump used one of their songs during his presidential election campaign.

The American rock band’s song, My Hero, blared as Robert F Kennedy Jr walked onto the stage at Mr Trump’s campaign event in Arizona on Friday after the Republican presidential candidate introduced him.

Mr Kennedy, whose father was presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy and uncle President John F Kennedy, appeared at the rally shortly after he announced he was suspending his independent campaign for the presidency to lend his support to Mr Trump in certain states.

Asked on social media if they had given Mr Trump permission to use the 1997 track, Foo Fighters’ official Twitter account responded simply saying: “No”.

Foo Fighters performing at festival in Denmark in July. Pic: AP
Image:
Foo Fighters performing at festival in Denmark in July. Pic: AP

The rock band also reposted a screenshot of their comment to their page on X with the caption “let us be clear”.

A spokesperson for the band told the PA news agency: “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it.”

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The group join a long list of artists who have spoken out against Mr Trump using their music without prior consent.

Here are some of the big names on that list:

Celine Dion

The pop star condemned him for playing her classic song My Heart Will Go On during a campaign rally earlier this month.

Her management team released a statement on behalf of the Canadian artist and her record label saying the use of the song was “in no way” authorised, adding: “… And really, THAT song?”

The Smiths

Earlier this year, The Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr slammed Mr Trump after the band’s hit Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want was played at a rally.

Responding to a video where the song could be heard playing in the background of one of his rallies, Marr wrote: “Ahh…right…OK. I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now.”

Tom Petty

The family of late singer Tom Petty issued Mr Trump with a cease and desist notice in 2020 after he played his hit rock song I Won’t Back Down at a comeback rally in Oklahoma.

In a damning statement, Petty’s family said the song was written “for the common man” and they didn’t want it used for a “campaign of hate”.

The Rolling Stones

The iconic British band threatened to sue Mr Trump after his use of You Can’t Always Get What You Want at a 2020 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

They’d been sending cease and desist directives to his campaign team since 2016.

Neil Young

The singer-songwriter attempted to sue Mr Trump’s re-election campaign for copyright infringement in 2020, alleging that his music has been used at the president’s rallies without his permission.

In court, Young objected to Rockin’ In The Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk being played “numerous times at rallies and political events for the entertainment and amusement of those attending”.

But his lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice later that year, meaning it cannot be brought again. It was not clear if the case had been settled.

Linkin Park

The American band issued a cease-and-desist order in 2020 after the song In The End appeared in a video supporting the then-president.

X, then known as Twitter, took the video down shortly after it was uploaded, citing a copyright complaint.

Black Sabbath

Band member Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon Osbourne sent a notice to Mr Trump in 2019 banning him from using Black Sabbath music in his campaign videos, after he used the song Crazy Train without their permission.

Aerosmith

In 2018, the band’s lead singer Steven Tyler sent a letter to the then-president ordering him to stop playing the band’s songs at political rallies, after their 1993 hit Livin’ On The Edge was played at a rally in West Virginia.

The singer had previously sent the Trump campaign two cease-and-desist letters in 2015 for its use of the band’s music.

Prince

Mr Trump’s team included the late star’s hit song Purple Rain in a campaign rally playlist in the lead-up to the November 2018 midterm elections, prompting his family to hit out at the billionaire.

Omarr Baker, Prince’s half-brother, tweeted: “The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or The White House to use Prince’s songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately.”

Rihanna

The R&B singer issued a cease-and-desist letter after he played her 2007 hit Don’t Stop The Music at an event in Tennessee in 2018.

Responding to a tweet saying her track was being played “as aides toss free Trump T-shirts into the crowd”, the SOS singer said: “Not for much longer… me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up Philip!”

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Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks ‘were lessons learned’?

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Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks 'were lessons learned'?

A woman who saw a man falling from an upper tier at Wembley Stadium says a similar incident at an Oasis concert over the weekend in which a fan died makes her wonder whether lessons have been learned.

Stephanie Good, 39, said a man fell during a Euro 2020 match between England and Croatia at Wembley in June 2021.

He landed “right next to where we were” on the “stairwell between rows of seats”, she said.

Named as Jon, he reportedly survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and fractured pelvis just before kick-off.

Ms Good said she tried to give feedback but was unable to and felt the “emergency response was really lacking”.

Oasis, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley concert on Saturday.

The man reportedly fell from the stadium’s upper tier.

In his 40s, he was found with “injuries consistent with a fall” and pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police said.

Ms Good, an NHS manager from east London, said what happened at the Oasis gig was “so similar” to what she witnessed that it made her wonder “were lessons learned”?

Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans
Image:
Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans

During that incident, among stadium staff “nobody seemed to know what to do”, she told the Press Association.

She thinks the man may have been trying to attach a flag to the front of a stand and “somehow managed to fall straight over”.

She said: “They (staff) didn’t seem well-trained in terms of how to respond to a really big emergency.

“Their stewards were kind of paralysed a little bit by fear, or they just weren’t well trained and didn’t know how to call for paramedics.

“It was us who were sort of shouting at them that they needed to get some paramedics.

“The first person on the scene wasn’t a stadium paramedic or St John Ambulance. It was an off-duty firefighter who had seen the guy fall and ran down to just try and offer some help.”

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Regarding the follow-up, Ms Good said staff moved spectators to other seats but did not ask for witness statements.

She added: “They didn’t seek any input from people who’d seen the incident or the aftermath of it. They didn’t seem interested in speaking to anybody about it.

“I was a bit concerned, because I felt that the emergency response was really lacking.”

She then tried to get in touch to give feedback, but was unable to do so and did not receive a response to a message on social media, she said.

A Wembley spokesperson said: “Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard.

“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders – including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the police – to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue.”

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TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

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TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

TV presenter Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape, police have confirmed.

West Mercia Police said the 55-year-old is due to appear in court next week.

The force said: “Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

“He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.”

Blades found fame on the furniture restoration programme The Repair Shop after he started presenting in 2017.

A furniture restorer, he was the face of the popular BBC show that featured people having their treasured objects repaired and rejuvenated.

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Blades was also the presenter of the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020 and took part in Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off, and Comic Relief.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail ahead of his sentencing on prostitution-related charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip-hop mogul had failed to show sufficient evidence he is not a flight risk and also cited admissions of previous violence made during his trial.

Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest in September last year.

During a two-month trial, jurors heard allegations that he had coerced former girlfriends, including singer and model Cassie Ventura, into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers, while he watched and filmed them.

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
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Diddy fell to his knees after the verdict was delivered last month. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.

The rapper’s legal team hailed this a “victory” and immediately applied for bail ahead of sentencing, citing his acquittal on the top charges.

After this was denied, they submitted another application last week. Judge Subramanian has now rejected the request again.

In denying the motion for bail, the judge found Combs had failed to show sufficient evidence to counter arguments he is a flight risk, writing in a court filing: “Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears.”

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How the trial unfolded
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian gives legal instructions to the jury, during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City
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Judge Arun Subramanian heard Diddy’s trial and will also sentence the rapper

He also found that an argument by the music star’s legal team that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being held, did not warrant release.

“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” the judge wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”

As well as Combs’s bail application, his legal team has also filed a motion calling for him to be acquitted or given a new trial on the prostitution-related charges only.

The judge has not yet responded to this application.

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How the Diddy trial unfolded

How long could Diddy be jailed for?

Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Discussions on sentencing guidelines which followed the jury’s verdict suggest it is unlikely he will be jailed for this long, with an estimate of around two to five years, taking into account time already served.

However, it is ultimately up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide the rapper’s punishment.

On Friday, Donald Trump was asked during an interview about a potential pardon for Combs following speculation about the issue.

The president said it was unlikely, adding that the rapper was “very hostile” during his presidential campaign.

Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture – a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.

As well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.

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