CBS News
Trump campaign must stop using Isaac Hayes song after lawsuit from family
A federal judge in Atlanta ruled Tuesday that former President Donald Trump and his campaign must stop using the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” while the family of one of the song’s co-writers pursues a lawsuit against the former president over its use.
The estate of Isaac Hayes Jr. filed a lawsuit last month alleging that Trump, his campaign and several of his allies had infringed its copyright and should pay damages. After a hearing on the estate’s request for an emergency preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash ruled that Trump must stop using the song, but he denied a request to force the campaign to take down any existing videos that include the song.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, and David Porter co-wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming,” a 1966 hit for soul duo Sam & Dave — made up of Sam Moore and the late David Prater Jr.
Ronald Coleman, an attorney for Trump, told CBS News that the former president and his campaign had already ceased using the song.
“We’re very gratified that the court recognized the First Amendment issues at stake and didn’t order a takedown of existing videos,” Coleman said.
Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, told reporters he was “very grateful and happy” for the judge’s decision.
“I want this to serve as an opportunity for other artists to come forward that don’t want their music used by Donald Trump or other political entities and continue to fight for music artists’ rights and copyright,” he said.
A string of artists and their heirs have objected to Trump using their songs during his events. After a Trump campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, last month featured a video of Celine Dion performing “My Heart Will Go On,” her team put out a statement saying the singer didn’t endorse that use of her song and saying “in no way is this use authorized.”
Ahead of the 2020 election, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Panic! at the Disco, R.E.M. and Guns N’ Roses all objected to Trump using their songs.
When he learned in 2022 that Trump had used “Hold On, I’m Coming” at an NRA rally, Porter tweeted “Hell to the NO!” But Sam Moore, of Sam & Dave, had performed “America the Beautiful” at a pre-inauguration concert for Trump and suggested in a sworn statement filed with the court over the weekend by Trump and his campaign that he was opposed to the action sought by Hayes’ estate.
Tuesday’s ruling was a preliminary one and the litigation remains ongoing.
The lawsuit filed by the estate of Isaac Hayes Jr. and Isaac Hayes Enterprises says Hayes and Porter were the owners of all rights to the song, including the copyright, and that Isaac Hayes Enterprises is the current owner.
The lawsuit says Trump and his campaign began using the song in 2020 as “outro” music for his appearances and campaign events and has used it at least 133 times since then. Universal Music Group and Warner Chappell music, publishers contracted by Isaac Hayes Enterprises, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign in 2020, it says.
Trump and his campaign never sought permission or consent from Hayes’ estate or Isaac Hayes Enterprises until this year and have not obtained a valid public performance license for it, the lawsuit says. The song’s use by Trump and his campaign constitutes “false and/or misleading” uses of Hayes’ “widely recognized celebrity and legacy” and could deceive the public into believing there is an endorsement or business relationship between the plaintiffs and Trump and his campaign, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says the plaintiffs have “incurred significant economic damages” as a result and argues that they should get actual and punitive damages for each proven infringement.
Lawyers for Trump and his campaign wrote in a filing with the court that the Hayes estate and Isaac Hayes Enterprises, have failed to show that they own the copyright at issue and cannot show that they have suffered any harm. The campaign obtained a license from BMI Music in November 2022 authorizing it to use “Hold On, I’m Coming,” the filing says.
The fact that the song can be heard as background music in some campaign videos is protected by the principle of fair use and “cannot possibly have an effect on the market value of the Song,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
A sworn statement from Trump campaign deputy manager Justin Caporale submitted to the court says that “out of respect for the pending litigation” the campaign will no longer play the song at its events.
In his statement filed with the court, Moore said Hayes’ estate has made his biography and legacy the focus of the litigation, but that “Isaac’s is not the only significant biography and legacy involved in this matter.” As one of the singers on “Hold On, I’m Coming,” Moore said that the public associates his voice, name and identity with the song “at least as much, if not more, than the name of Isaac Hayes.”
Moore said all licensing for the song is controlled by Universal Music Group Publishing.
Moore said he fears that if the court were to grant the wishes of Hayes’ estate that he might be prohibited from ever appearing and performing the song at a Trump event during or after the election.
contributed to this report.
The death toll was rising in Central European countries on Sunday after days of heavy rain caused widespread flooding and forced mass evacuations.
Several Central European nations have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Slovakia and Hungary might come next as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday.
Six people have died in the floods in Romania. In Austria, a firefighter died during a flood rescue, and, in Poland, one person died from drowning, the BBC reported. In the Czech Republic, police said four people were still missing after being swept away by floodwaters.
Officials declared the Austrian province that includes Vienna a disaster area, calling the weather “an unprecedented extreme situation,” while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged residents to cooperate with rescue teams in an announcement Sunday confirming the death in that country, according to the BBC.
Most parts of the Czech Republic have been affected as authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. But the situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border.
Petr David Josek / AP
In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to leave their homes for higher ground. Rescuers used boats to transport people to safety in a neighborhood flooded by the raging Opava River.
“There’s no reason to wait,” Mayor Tomáš Navrátil told Czech public radio. He said that the situation was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the “flood of the century.”
“We have to focus on saving lives,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech public television on Sunday. His government was set to meet Monday to assess the damages.
The worst “is not behind us yet,” the prime minister warned as the flooding made its way through the country.
President Petr Pavel sounded more optimistic, saying “it’s obvious we’ve learned a lesson from the previous crisis.”
Thousands of others also were evacuated in the towns of Krnov, which was almost completely flooded, and Cesky Tesin. The Oder River that flows to Poland was reaching extreme levels in the city of Ostrava and in Bohumin, prompting mass evacuations.
Ostrava, the regional capital is the third-largest Czech city. Its mayor, Jan Dohnal, said the city is facing major traffic disruptions in the days to come. Almost no trains were operating in the region.
Petr David Josek / AP
Towns and villages in the Jeseniky mountains, including the local center of Jesenik, were inundated and isolated by raging waters that turned roads into rivers. The military sent a helicopter to help with evacuations.
Jesenik mayor Zdenka Blistanova told Czech public television that several houses in her and other nearby towns have been destroyed by the floods. A number of bridges and roads have been also badly damaged.
About 260,000 households were without power Sunday morning in the entire country, while traffic was halted on many roads, including the major D1 highway.
A firefighter died after “slipping on stairs” while pumping out a flooded basement in the town of Tulln, the head of the fire department of Lower Austria, Dietmar Fahrafellner, told reporters on Sunday.
Authorities declared the entire state of Lower Austria in the northeastern part of the country a disaster zone, while 10,000 relief forces have so far evacuated 1,100 houses there. Emergency personnel have started setting up emergency accommodation for residents who had to flee their homes due to the flooding.
Krzysztof Zatycki / AP
Addressing reporters after a crisis meeting at the interior ministry in Vienna on Saturday afternoon, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the situation “continues to worsen.”
He said 2,400 soldiers were ready to support the relief effort in Austria. Of those, 1,000 soldiers will deploy to the disaster zone in Lower Austria, where dams were beginning to burst.
Nehammer was expected to visit the disaster zone in Lower Austria later Sunday.
“We are experiencing difficult and dramatic hours in Lower Austria. For many people in Lower Austria these will probably be the most difficult hours of their lives,” said Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who was on his way to the disaster zone in Lower Austria, said that 2,400 soldiers were ready to support the relief effort.
In Vienna, the Wien River overflowed its banks, flooding homes and forcing first evacuations of houses in the river’s proximity.
Heinz-Peter Bader / AP
Romanian authorities said Sunday that another two people had died in the hard-hit eastern county of Galati after four were reported dead there a day earlier, following unprecedented rain.
In Poland, one person was presumed dead in floods in the southwest, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday.
Tusk said the situation was “dramatic” around the town of Klodzko, with about 25,000 residents, located in a valley in the Sudetes mountains near the border with the Czech Republic. Helicopters were used to pick up people from roofs in a few cases.
In Glucholazy, rising waters overflowed a river embankment and flooded streets and houses. Mayor Paweł Szymkowicz said, “we are drowning,” and appealed to residents to evacuate to high ground.
A threatened bridge in the town collapsed under the flood pressure and a police station building was knocked down in Stronie Śląskie, after floodwaters burst through the town’s dam. Submerged cars could be seen in many places in the Kłodzko Valley region bordering the Czech Republic, while a new flood wave was expected there.
Energy supplies and communications were cut off in some flooded areas, and regions may resort to using the satellite-based Starlink service, Tusk said.
The weather change arrived following a hot start to September in the region. Scientists have documented Earth’s hottest summer, breaking a record set just a year ago.
A hotter atmosphere, driven by human-caused climate change, can lead to more intense rainfall.
CBS News
Trump “safe” after gunshots fired in his vicinity in Florida, campaign says; Secret Service investigating
Donald Trump is safe after gunshots were fired in his vicinity on Sunday, his campaign said in statement. The U.S. Secret Service says it is investigating the incident.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” Steven Cheung, Trump campaign communications director, said in a brief statement, noting that no further details were available yet.
The Secret Service said it was investigating the incident, which occurred just before 2 p.m., with local authorities.
“The Secret Service, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. The former president is safe,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is expected to give a briefing with more details shortly.
The incident comes two months after an assassination attempt against the former president during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This is a developing story.
Former President Donald Trump took aim at Taylor Swift in a Truth Social post Sunday, declaring his distaste for the superstar after she endorsed his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump wrote in the post.
His announcement emerged online less than a week after Swift revealed publicly for the first time her plans to vote for Harris, the Democratic nominee in this year’s presidential election. Her endorsement followed the first debate on Sept. 10 between Trump and Harris, which saw the two candidates face off during a televised showdown in Philadelphia that covered issues like abortion, immigration, the economy and foreign policy.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift said in an Instagram post. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Swift also voiced her support for Walz, the Minnesota governor tapped to be Harris’ vice presidential running mate, noting how he “has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
The artist signed off as “Childless Cat Lady” to end her post, which accompanied a photo of Swift holding a cat, echoing 2021 comments from Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, that recently surfaced. In a 2021 interview, Vance lamented that the country was being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.” Vance later said he was being sarcastic.
Swift acknowledged the post that Trump had recently shared AI-generated images to his Truth Social account that showed women wearing “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts and falsely suggested she had endorsed him. They included a satirical post that claimed fans of Swift were “turning to Trump” after security concerns led to the cancellation of her concerts in Vienna in August.
“I accept!” Trump wrote when he posted the false images.
Swift said the incident triggered her “fears around AI, and and the dangers of spreading misinformation.”
“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” she said. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
While it’s unclear what or any impact Swift’s endorsement could have, her Instagram post drove 405,999 users to visit the site vote.gov over the course of the following day.
At least 8 dead, 4 missing as torrential rain and flooding hits Central Europe
Trump “safe” after gunshots fired in his vicinity in Florida, campaign says; Secret Service investigating
Trump’s campaign says candidate is safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity in Florida
At least 8 dead, 4 missing as torrential rain and flooding hits Central Europe
Trump “safe” after gunshots fired in his vicinity in Florida, campaign says; Secret Service investigating