CMA Heading into Wednesday’s 54th Annual CMA Awards, Ashley McBryde has an impeccable record: she’s taken home every trophy for which she’s ever been nominated.
Last year, the Country Music Association named her its New Artist of the Year, and in 2020, she could add Album, Female Vocalist, and Musical Event to her collection.
For Album, Ashley competes against Miranda Lambert‘s Wildcard, Luke Combs‘ What You See Is What You Get, Jon Pardi‘s Heartache Medication, and Old Dominion‘s self-titled record.
“I was really excited to see Miranda’s record and Luke and Jon,” Ashley tells ABC Audio. “I mean, Heartache Medication is a fantastic record and I was really happy to see it get some recognition, too.”
“And I was speaking to Caylee Hammack,” Ashley continues, “and she said, ‘I had no idea how important nominations were until I had so many people I truly love and care about that are in these categories.'”
“And that’s definitely the way I feel,” Ashley reflects, “especially about Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year, because those are albums that I love and I get to go sit with them in that category.”
For Female Vocalist, it’s Ashley, Miranda, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, and Kacey Musgraves. But there’s no denying a win for the diverse Never Will would mean a lot.
“It’s a nice pat on the back and it’s a really good ‘Well done!’ stamp…” Ashley says. “If it was bluegrass, it was bluegrass. If it was bone country, we did it that way. If it was rock and roll, then we head-banged a little bit. And I’m so glad that it’s resonated and it’s getting some recognition.”
Ashley’s also set to perform on Wednesday’s show, which starts at 8 p.m. ET live from Nashville on ABC.
(WASHINGTON) — As Puerto Ricans voted on Tuesday for their local leaders, there was another decision they had to make: Whether or not the island nation should be admitted as the newest U.S. state.
The non-binding referendum was not expected to change Puerto Rico’s status anytime soon but was still seen as a barometer of Puerto Ricans’ appetite for statehood.
At Tuesday’s plebiscite, residents narrowly favored statehood with 52% of the vote while about 47% of voters were against it, according to the election commission’s website.
This was actually the sixth time Puerto Ricans had a choice to make on statehood.
In past plebiscites, independence and Commonwealth have been included as options for Puerto Rican voters to choose.
Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1898. In 1952, the island’s governor at the time, Luis Muñoz Marín, proclaimed the establishment of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with the idea that the island would have a relationship with the U.S., while still having some independence.
For years, groups in favor of breaking the relationship with the U.S. have tried to push for Puerto Rico to become independent and self-sufficient without success.
Puerto Rico has been unincorporated territory since then, something that will likely not change, experts say.
“It is unlikely that the question of Puerto Rico as a state will be taken up by the Congress,” says political scientist and researcher Carlos Vargas Ramos.
Although the U.S. mainland still sees Puerto Rico as a commonwealth, many Puerto Ricans, including the island’s Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González, a Republican, say the island is constantly treated as a colony.
“Sometimes it’s a little bit ironic that the beacon of democracy in the world, which is the United States, is fighting for equality and fighting for democracy and yet you get it in your own backyard — the oldest colony, with more than 120 years without allowing Puerto Ricans to vote for president, to vote in Congress or to even have federal laws apply equally to American citizens on the island,” said González, who was reelected as commissioner last Tuesday.
The resident commissioner is Puerto Rico’s sole representative in Congress, but does not have a vote.
In the 2012 and 2017 referendums, statehood prevailed. But the legitimacy of the results were questioned due to the confusing configuration of the status question and voter turnout.
The Republican commissioner said she is ready to take this year’s referendum results to Congress.
“We’re gonna push for this now, but we’re gonna push for this in January, as well. … It doesn’t matter who is the president-elect,” Gonzalez told ABC News on Wednesday. “We’re gonna move with Republicans and Democrats as well, because it’s a bipartisan issue in law.”
The commissioner, who actively supported Donald Trump for reelection, recently reacted on Twitter to Joe Biden’s victory as President Elect of the United States saying that she is ready to work with him and “find common goals & reach bipartisan solutions” for Puerto Rico.
Although González said she is ready to start working with Congress to push statehood forward, Ramos Vargas is sure Congress will not act on this referendum.
“Congress is just looking for any pretext not to have to take up the question of the status for Puerto Rico,” said political scientist and researcher Carlos Vargas Ramos.
Aside from being a nonbinding referendum, Ramos said voter turnout in this referendum could still be an issue for Congress.
As of September 2020, there were around 2.3 million eligible voters on the island, according to the election commission’s website. From those eligible voters, nearly 1.2 million people answered the statehood plebiscite.
“It’s gonna be difficult for advocates of statehood to argue that this is a clear mandate to push for statehood, particularly when you have a Congress that is reluctant to take up the question,” added Vargas Ramos.
Democratic New York Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez recently raised the issue of Puerto Rican statehood in Congress. In August 2020, the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act 2020 was introduced in the House of Representatives.
This bill would allow Puerto Ricans to “exercise their natural right to self-determination” through a status convention created by the island’s legislature and with delegates chosen by residents.
Some Puerto Ricans believe that becoming a state should be the No. 1 priority on island politicians’ agenda. But it’s still an open debate as Puerto Rico grapples with several internal issues: the recovery from Hurricane Maria, devastating earthquakes on the island’s southern coast and the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have to solve our internal issues first,” said 26-year-old voter Natasha Doble, who was driven to the polls not for the referendum, but looking for a change at a local level. “This referendum is not valid. … It doesn’t matter if we vote it’s not going to be taken into consideration.”
While the final decision of adding Puerto Rico as a state resides in Congress, Ramos Vargas said that until there is clear proof that a vast majority supports statehood it is unlikely there will be a change.
“Because there hasn’t been a conclusive plebiscite in Puerto Rico, that indicates convincingly that Puerto Ricans favor one option over another, the Congress of the United States can continue kicking the can down the road,” Vargas Ramos said.
(BOSTON) — An earthquake struck Sunday off the coast of Massachusetts, jolting residents throughout New England, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale struck at 9:10 a.m. in the Atlantic Ocean about 8 miles off the coast of New Bedford in Buzzards Bay at a depth of 9.3 miles, the USGS reported.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
The USGS initially measured the quake at 4.2 magnitude before downgrading it to a 4.0 and finally to a 3.6.
Numerous people reported feeling the jolt across southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, and Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire, officials said.
The Massachusetts Department of Emergency Management Agency said in a statement posted on Twitter that there is no danger of a tsunami occurring as a result of the earthquake.
Police in Fall River, Massachusetts, about 15 miles east of New Bedford, reported receiving numerous calls from local residents startled by the quake.
“Police communications received numerous calls regarding minor damage inside people’s homes that consisted of items falling off of shelves. There were also reports of two street signs that became uprooted. There have been no reported injuries associated with the earthquake,” Fall River police said in a statement on the department’s Facebook page.
The last time New England experienced an earthquake of 4.0 or stronger was on Oct. 16, 2012, when a 4.5 magnitude temblor struck near Saco, Maine, according to USGS records.
Sunday’s quake came just ahead of the 265th anniversary of the Cape Ann earthquake, the most destructive earthquake to hit New England, which damaged more than 1,000 homes. The Cape Ann quake struck on Nov. 18, 1755, about 30 miles off the north coast of Boston and sent shockwaves all the way to Montreal. Studies by the USGS estimate the earthquake was a magnitude 6.0 to 6.3.
Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Alex Trebek, the popular TV personality best-known for hosting the game show Jeopardy! for over 30 years, has died at the age of 80 after being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in March 2019.
A statement from Jeopardy!‘s producers Sunday says Trebek “passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.” The show’s executive producer, Mike Richards, called Trebek “a legend of the industry” whose death is “an enormous loss.”
“Working beside him for the past year and a half as he heroically continued to host Jeopardy! was an incredible honor. His belief in the importance of the show and his willingness to push himself to perform at the highest level was the most inspiring demonstration of courage I have ever seen,” Richards also said. “His constant desire to learn, his kindness, and his professionalism will be with all of us forever,”
A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Trebek began his TV career in the early 1960s, reading news and covering various sports events for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He eventually moved on to hosting games shows for the network.
In 1973, Trebek moved to the U.S., where he landed a job hosting the NBC game show The Wizard of Odds, followed by the popular High Rollers a year later. Those stints were followed by the short-lived CBS game show Double Dare, the syndicated The $128,000 Question, as well as Card Sharks, Battlestars, Classic Concentration, To Tell the Truth and, ultimately, Jeopardy, which was being revived after nine years off the air. Trebek hosted Jeopardy! from the revival’s 1984 debut until his death.
Trebek also made appearances in numerous television series, including the comedy How I Met You Mother, usually playing himself. He was also regularly spoofed on Saturday Night Live, with former cast member Will Ferrell playing Trebek.
In March of 2019, Trebek announced he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. “Now, normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging but I’m gonna fight this,” he said at the time. “And I’m gonna keep working and with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers, also, I plan the beat the low-survival-rate statistics of this disease.”
He then joked, “Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years! So help me! Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”
Trebek told People magazine in May 2019 that as a result of chemotherapy, his tumors had shrunk by a “mind boggling” 50% or more. After announcing in August that he’d completed chemotherapy, Trebek returned to Jeopardy! for the show’s 36th season a month later. However, shortly after the season premiere, he revealed needed to undergo another round of chemotherapy.
Still, Trebek remained upbeat, telling ABC’s Good Morning America, “I realize that there is an end in sight for me, just as there is for everyone else.”
Trebek added: “One line that I have used with our staff…is that when I do pass on, one thing they will not say at my funeral is, ‘Oh, he was taken from us too soon.’ Hey guys. I’m 79 years old. I’ve had one hell of a good life.…the thought of passing on doesn’t frighten me.”
Trebek had also suffered several other significant health issues. In January of 2018, he announced that he’d undergone surgery over the Christmas holiday to treat a subdural hematoma — a blood clot within the lining of the brain — which he suffered as a result of a fall. He also suffered a mild heart attack in 2012 and underwent knee surgery in 2015.
Trebek is survived by Jean, his wife of more than 30 years, as well as three children.
Scott Olson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — ABC News can characterize Joe Biden as the apparent winner in Pennsylvania, giving him 273 total electoral votes — a win that makes him president elect. Based on these numbers and those in other states, Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.
ABC News was able to characterize Biden as the apparent winner of Pennsylvania after the state, as of 11:35 a.m., put Biden ahead with 49.6% of ballots cast (3,345,724) over President Trump’s 49.1% (3,311,310 votes).
Biden said in a statement Saturday, “I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”
Saturday marks 48 years to the day that Biden, then 29 years old, was elected in his first Senate race on November 7, 1972.
For first time in history, the first and second in line to the presidency will be women: Sen. Kamala Harris as vice president, followed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, tweeted, “So proud of you” with a photo of him embracing his wife, the vice president elect. Sen. Harris’ win makes her husband the first ‘second husband’ in U.S. history.
For his part, President Trump released a defiant statement through his campaign, claiming, “this election is far from over” and blasting Biden for “rushing to falsely pose as the winner.”
Trump also promised a coming legal fight. “Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” he said. “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots.”
The president again pushed unfounded claims that “Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room — and then fight in court to block their access.”
Check ABCNews.com for continuing election coverage and updates.
CMA Heading into Wednesday’s 54th Annual CMA Awards, Ashley McBryde has an impeccable record: she’s taken home every trophy for which she’s ever been nominated. 
