Stevie Wonder

NEW YORK —

Stevie Wonder released two new songs reflecting the current times that he hopes inspires change.The piano-playing icon dropped the tracks “Where Is Our Love Song” and “Can't Put It In the Hands of Fate” on Tuesday.Wonder, 70, also gave an update on his health, saying he “was blessed with a new kidney” last December.“I feel great. My voice feels great,” he said. “I feel like I'm about 40 right now and I just thank everyone for the prayers and the love.”Wonder said he started writing “Where Is Our Love Song” when he was 18. “Then came this year,” he said, “with all the confusion and all the hate and all the east versus west, left versus right. It's just a hard break.”All proceeds from “Where Is Our Love Song” will benefit Feeding America.Rappers Busta Rhymes, Rapsody, Cordae and Chika appear on “Can't Put It In the Hands of Fate” and Wonder said he plans on including the songs on a new EP.He explained that “Can't Put It In the Hands of Fate” was a song originally about a relationship, but then he updated the lyrics after “thinking about where we (are) in the world and thinking about how this is the most crucial time.”———

NEW YORK — <b>Laila Ali</b> is applauding athletes who speak out about social issues. She thinks her father would, too.Ali, 42, hosted the virtual Women's Sports Foundation awards on Wednesday night, recognizing athletes and leaders working toward social justice and racial equality.“I think all people should take a stand,” Ali said. “Whether they're an athlete or not or a celebrity or not. Our voices, collectively, are what's going to make a difference.”WNBA players will receive the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award for raising awareness about the police killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky., the hometown of her father, <b>Muhammad Ali</b>.“I think he'd have similar feelings that I have,” Ali said. “I think it is great athletes now are aware they can use their voice and they can make a difference.”Ali, who went 24-0 with 21 knockouts in her boxing career, is married to former NFL player <b>Curtis Conway</b>. They have two children and live in Los Angeles.———

NEW YORK — <b>Stacey Abrams</b>, the voting rights activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, also has a career in writing novels. Her next one, the Supreme Court thriller “While Justice Sleeps,” comes out May 25.Announced Wednesday by Doubleday, her book centers on a young clerk for an ailing Supreme Court justice who unexpectedly learns of possible wrongdoing in “the highest power corridors” of Washington. Abrams, widely seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, draws upon her background in law and politics.“A decade ago, I wrote the first draft of a novel that explored an intriguing aspect of American democracy — the lifetime appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Abrams said in a statement. “As an avid consumer of legal suspense novels and political thrillers, I am excited to add my voice into the mix.”