The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including carving out a stand-alone category for best album cover — a day after Sabrina Carpenter sparked considerable discourse unveiling what is believed to be the cover for her next album.
The academy on Thursday announced that the best recording package and the best boxed or special limited edition package categories will be combined into the best recording package category, with best album cover spun out on its own. The last Grammy for best recording package went to "Brat," the Charli xcx album whose distinctive cover was immediately embraced by pop culture and meme creators.

Khaby Lame, the world's most-followed TikTok personality who left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents, went to Brazil where he's been spending some time with friends, local authorities said Thursday.
Lame is staying with AC Milan player Emerson Royal, and has been enjoying time with local fans, Paulo Eduardo Dias Junior, a city councilman from Americana, about 78 miles (125 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo, told The Associated Press.

Dua Lipa has confirmed her engagement to the English actor Callum Turner, months after speculation began.
She went on the record about the engagement in a cover story for British Vogue's July issue, published Thursday, calling it "very exciting." The 29-year-old said she was obsessed with the ring Turner had made for her.

When Pope Leo XIV stepped out on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to greet the crowd for the first time after his May 8 election, liturgical fashion aficionados around the globe took note: Gone was the simple white cassock and silver cross favored by Pope Francis. Back was the red satin mozzetta shoulder cape, the burgundy stola with gold embroidery and a gold cross held by a double-stranded silken gold cord.
Over Leo's first few weeks, the excitement grew among liturgical fashion-conscious Catholics as they noticed new additions to the wardrobe, or rather a return to the old additions of the papal wardrobe: cufflinks, white pants, lace.

The drama in the audience rivaled the spectacle on stage on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where President Donald Trump went to the opening night of "Les Misérables" as he tightens his grip on the venerable performing arts institution.
It was his first time attending a show there since his election, and he was booed and cheered as he took his seat alongside first lady Melania Trump. Near the end of the intermission, someone loudly cursed his name, drawing applause. Several drag queens were in the crowd, their presence a protest against Trump's complaints that the Kennedy Center had hosted too many drag shows in the past.

Eager customers lined up outside electronics stores in Tokyo hours in advance to collect their pre-ordered Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles.
The much anticipated Switch 2, being released around the world Thursday, is an upgrade to its eight-year-old predecessor with new social features meant to draw players into online gaming. Nintendo is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales.

May saw the death of a retired U.S. Supreme Court justice who came the high court as a Republican but became a favorite among liberals during his time on the bench.
David H. Souter was was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1990. But he offered a reliably liberal vote on issues such as abortion and freedom of expression. Souter retired from the court in 2009.

A red Ferrari glides by as techno music blasts from fancy bars full of dressed-up revelers sipping ice-cold spritz. The party is in full swing in Moscow's posh Patriarch Ponds neighborhood.

Israeli soldiers on Monday barred journalists from entering villages in the West Bank on a planned tour organized by the directors of the Oscar-winning movie "No Other Land."
The directors of the film, which focuses on Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory, said they had invited the journalists on the tour Monday to interview residents about increasing settler violence in the area.

Elon Musk is leaving Washington after a short but turbulent stint in government and getting back to his numerous businesses, each with their own set of issues for the billionaire to address.
Start with his electric car company Tesla. While how much Musk accomplished in his role as President Donald Trump's chief cost-cutter is up for debate, it's clear his association with right-wing politics damaged Tesla's brand and tanked sales.
