Commanders exec criticizes NFL fans, players, leadership in undercover video
Washington Commanders Vice President of Content Rael Enteen has been suspended after an undercover video of him, recorded by the O’Keefe Media Group, surfaced online. The footage, which was filmed in June but released this month, captures Enteen making controversial remarks about the NFL, its players, fans, and leadership during what he believed was a date.
“The language used in the video runs counter to our values at the Commanders organization,” said Sean Debarbieri, Commanders vice president of Football Communications. “We have suspended the employee pending an internal investigation and will reserve further comment at this time.”
Throughout the recording, Enteen expressed criticisms about various aspects of the league, including statements about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, whom he referred to as a “$50 million puppet.”
He also took aim at the league’s players, describing some as “dumb as hell” and saying the Commanders roster was made up of “low-income African American(s)” that come from “very homophobic communities” and others as “white, religious,” with derogatory views on the LGBTQ+ community.
Enteen further disparaged NFL fans, characterizing them as “high school educated alcoholics” and “mouth breathers” prone to violence. His comments also extended to the NFL’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which he claimed were disingenuous and primarily for show.
“I think the NFL cares about the bottom line like any corporation above all else,” Enteen told the O’Keefe Media Group’s undercover reporter. “They don’t need to really pinch pennies because they make so much revenue, therefore they can faux prioritize DEI for the sake of good publicity.”
Georgia school shooting suspect was questioned over online threats: FBI
We have new details about the suspect and the victims in the deadly shooting at a Georgia high school. And Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft is set to begin its trip back to Earth without its crew. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.
FBI: Suspect in Georgia school shooting was questioned over online threats
Authorities have released more details about the shooter who opened fire in a Georgia high school on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Two teachers and two students were killed, and nine others were wounded.
Just before 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, gunfire was reported at Apalachee High School in a small town about 45 miles from Atlanta. A sheriff’s deputy working as a school resource officer engaged with the shooter, who has been identified as Colt Gray, and the teen immediately surrendered.
Officials said Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult.
The victims were two 14-year-old students, a 53-year-old math teacher, and a second math teacher, a 39-year-old who also coached as the defensive coordinator for the school’s football team, according to the school’s website.
The school will remain closed for the remainder of the week and crisis counselors are on school campus as students grapple with the tragedy they have now experienced.
“I was listening, and you can hear gunshots just ringing out through the school and you’re just wondering which one of those is going to be somebody that you’re best friends with or somebody that you love,” said Landon Culver, a junior at the school. “You hear about this kind of stuff and you never think it’s going to happen to you until it’s happening. And then once you’re in that, it’s like this really happened. It’s like a surreal experience.”
Authorities said Gray, then 13, was a possible suspect in connection with threats made online last year using photos of guns and threatening to shoot up a school. They said he denied making the threats and there was no probable cause to arrest him, however, local schools were told to “continue monitoring the suspect.”
Gray’s father was also interviewed a year ago over the online threats. Investigators said his father told them he had hunting guns inside the home, but his son did not have unsupervised access to them.
Trump holds town hall in PA; Harris talks economy in NH
During the interview, Trump highlighted Harris’ stance on fracking, saying in 2019 she would ban it if elected but she would not ban it now.
Trump was in Pennsylvania and kept much of the focus on the battleground state. Hannity asked Trump how the 2024 election differs from the election he won in 2016.
“It’s not that different,” Trump said. “It’s still about the forgotten man and forgotten woman. People are being treated horribly in the country. We’re a country that’s being laughed at all over the world. It’s very simple and it starts with make America great again, that’s what we have to do.”
Meanwhile, Harris was in New Hampshire discussing more of her tax plan if elected in November.
“My plan will make our tax code more fair while also prioritizing investment and innovation,” Harris said. “So let us be clear: billionaires and big corporations must pay their fair share in taxes.”
Harris is proposing an increase to the long-term capital gains tax rate but not as high as what was in President Joe Biden’s reelection agenda. Harris said she wants to raise the tax rate to 28% from its current 20% rate. Biden had called for a 39.6% tax rate.
Trump is looking to cut the corporate tax rate to 15% if elected for a second term.
Trump, Harris agree on rules for debate
There’s less than a week now until the first debate between Trump and Harris and they’ve now agreed on the rules. The debate, hosted by ABC, will be moderated by World News Tonight anchor David Muir and ABC News anchor Linsey Davis.
Trump won a virtual coin flip held on Tuesday, Sept. 4, and chose to make the last closing statement. They’ll get two minutes each.
Each candidate will also get two minutes to answer each question with a two-minute rebuttal and one additional minute for a follow-up, clarification, or response.
Because Trump got to choose the closing statement order, Harris chose the podium placement. She’ll be at the right podium on the screen.
CPSC wants to investigate Shein and Temu kids’ products
They want the commission to investigate how the websites comply with U.S. safety laws, citing “recent media reports” that dangerous products meant for kids are easy to find on both sites.
This is just the latest probe into the companies, both of which have been under scrutiny for how they’re able to sell things for such low prices and how much environmental waste they create, as well as concerns over the potential use of forced labor.
Boeing’s Starliner to return to Earth empty on Friday
The return will mark the final phase of a test flight that did not go as planned.
Starliner’s first crewed trip to space was supposed to prove Boeing could reliably bring astronauts to and from the International Space Station so NASA could certify it to do so.
But issues that popped up just after launch have left astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stuck on the space station since June. Their mission was only supposed to last about a week.
The game will start a weekend of football action, including the first NFL game to be played in Brazil when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Green Bay Packers Friday night. That game will be a streaming exclusive available only on Peacock.
Then the first Sunday of the NFL calendar, Sept. 8, will see 13 games played, with another first: Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin will be starting during the team’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. This will be Hamlin’s first start since suffering a cardiac arrest on the field in January 2023.
Australian breakdancer Raygun responds to Olympic performance backlash
Australian breakdancer Rachel Gunn, widely known by her stage name “Raygun,” has spoken out for the first time about the significant backlash she received following her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In an interview with Channel 10, Gunn discussed the criticism and allegations that emerged after her appearance at the Games.
Gunn, who represented Australia in breakdancing’s Olympic debut, revealed that she was advised by her media liaison to step away from social media due to the mounting negative reactions.
“As soon as I finished my rounds, my media liaison from the [Australian Olympic Committee] said, ‘Oh, there’s a bit of a storm brewing on social media. You might want to go off socials,’” Gunn recounted. “And then I did preview some comments, and I was like, ‘Oh no.’”
The backlash against Gunn was wide-ranging. In addition to critics of her breaking abilities, she faced accusations of manipulating the qualifying process to secure her spot in the Olympics and performing poorly on purpose during the competition.
In her interview, Gunn expressed her disappointment with the response, emphasizing that her approach was not unusual within the breaking community.
“It was really sad how much hate that it did evoke,” she said. “In the breaking community, what I did actually wasn’t very shocking. You know, it’s just a different approach in breaking.”
Gunn also firmly denied what she called “conspiracy theories” that suggested she had manipulated the entry process in her favor or intentionally underperformed.
“That was really upsetting because it wasn’t just people that didn’t understand breaking and were angry about my performance. It was people that are now attacking our reputation and our integrity,” she explained.
Looking ahead, breakdancing will not be returning to the Olympic stage in 2028 when the Games take place in Los Angeles, and Gunn says she has no immediate plans to compete again.
“I’m really happy that it gets to go back to being my medicine. I can kind of finally feel free again,” she said.
DraftKings fined after online slot machine has no winners for a week
DraftKings and White Hat Gaming have been fined over $22,000 after an incident last summer involving 522 online casino players. What happened to those players may have seemed like a case of bad luck at first, but had nothing to do with the laws of probability. It was a problem with the slot machine.
According to a report from Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection’s Gaming Division recently provided to the outlet CT Insider, from Aug. 15-21, 2023, players wagered over $24,000 on Deal or No Deal’s Banker Bonanza with more than 20,000 spins and produced zero wins.
However, the game advertised the average payout to be nearly 95 cents for every dollar wagered.
“Effectively, it was impossible for any Connecticut patron to achieve a win on the game for a period of 7 days, while live on the gaming platform,” the report said.
A state investigation found a file in the game’s software had not been loaded properly, leading it to be impossible for a player to win any amount of money.
The lack of winnings did not go unnoticed by players, and one reached out to DraftKings on Aug. 20, 2023.
“I believe this is a problem as I have never played a slot game where I haven’t won a single cent in over 100 spins,” the player said.
“I understand it can be frustrating to have a bit of a cold streak, but I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with the game itself,” a DraftKings representative replied.
According to the investigation, when DraftKings sent that reply it was already aware of other complaints and White Hat Gaming already had identified a glitch in the game.
The game was relaunched on Aug. 22, 2023. According to the report, a week later, all users were refunded for their play during the affected week without DraftKings giving the players an explanation.
The investigation found neither DraftKings nor White Hat notified the DCP of what was happening until Aug. 31, 2023, after the issue was fixed and regulators had reached out over player complaints.
In Jan. 2024, White Hat agreed to pay a $3,500 in fines and, in April, DraftKings paid a $19,000 fine over the companies violating state regulations and failing to comply with reporting obligations.
Both companies released statements to CNBC this week in response to the details of last year’s incident being released.
“The issue in Connecticut arose from an error on the game developer’s side,” DraftKings said. “We identified a possible issue within 48 hours of launch and immediately escalated it for investigation.”
“All impacted customers were fully refunded within days of concluding there was an issue, and we have not encountered any similar issues with this vendor,” DraftKings continued.
“Regarding the technical fault concerning one of our games live with DraftKings in Connecticut in 2023, we took immediate action as soon as we became aware of the situation,” White Hat said. “It was a one-off incident and all affected players were fully refunded by DraftKings.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection told CNBC that this incident is “a great example of something that, if we were not there to intervene, may not have been taken seriously until our investigators got involved.”
Caesars cyberattack, days before MGM, may have exposed millions’ personal data
Studies highlight dangers of legal sports betting as NFL season gears up
The 2024 NFL season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 5, and it is expected to be the biggest year ever for legal sports betting in the U.S. The American Gaming Association (AGA) predicts $35 billion in legal wagers will be placed this season, up 30% from the 2023 season.
Five years ago, the Supreme Court ruled it was up to individual states whether to allow sports betting. It is now legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C., with more likely to follow.
More than 70 million Americans are expected to make sports bets in 2024. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel do not keep track of how much is bet on each individual sport, but the AGA said more money is wagered on the NFL than any other league.
🚨🏈 JUST IN: Ahead of NFL #Kickoff2024, new AGA data previews consumer betting trends, including American views on industry responsibility and our first-ever legal wagering estimate for the @NFL season.@CNBC’s @contessabrewer covers the numbers ⤵️ https://t.co/uACKiZFI8i
While the main argument for legalizing sports betting is that it makes it safer and increases tax revenue, new studies find it is not necessarily a complete jackpot.
Researchers also found allowing sports betting online or on mobile devices has a negative impact on nearly every financial health indicator they studied. They said nearly 90% of all legal sports betting is done online or via mobile device.
Still, more states are lining up to roll the dice on bettors, with plans to make sports betting legal. Additionally, some states where sports betting is already legal are looking to expand it further.
US charges 6 Hamas leaders with terrorism over Oct. 7 attack
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced terrorism charges against senior leaders of Hamas. And with the kickoff to a new NFL season a day away, betting on the games is expected to break records. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024.
US charges 6 Hamas leaders with terrorism over Oct. 7 attack
The Department of Justice has announced charges against six senior Hamas officials for killing at least 43 Americans since the terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel. Nearly a year later, there are mass protests taking place in the streets of Israel after six more bodies of hostages were recovered.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the federal charges unsealed Tuesday, Sept. 3, won’t be the last efforts by the DOJ to hold Hamas accountable for its heinous crimes.
Justice Department Announces Terrorism Charges Against Senior Leaders of Hamas pic.twitter.com/z8gS2lUGvV
“On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists murdered nearly 1,200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians,” Garland said. “They perpetrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last.”
The recovery of the bodies of Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages in Gaza sparked a massive round of protests in Israel. Thousands of people are calling for more action to be taken to see the release of the remaining hostages.
The charges filed against six Hamas leaders include conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. Nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
However, of the six Hamas officials charged, three of them are already dead. The other three have not yet been captured.
Zelenskyy: Ukraine to hold onto Russian territories ‘indefinitely’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv will be holding on to the Russian territories it seized last month indefinitely as its war with Russia stretches on. It’s part of a plan to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
Almost a month ago, Ukrainian troops took over Russia’s Kursk region in an unexpected operation. Ukraine now claims it controls nearly 500 square miles of Russian territory and has taken hundreds of Russian prisoners of war.
In an interview with NBC News, Zelenskyy would not discuss whether Ukraine planned to try to seize more Russian territory.
The interview aired hours before Ukraine’s foreign minister resigned Wednesday, Sept. 4, as a Ukraine parliament deputy warned it would be the “day of resignations,” with more than half of Zelenskyy’s cabinet members expected to be replaced.
Harris to announce economic plans, Trump to hold town hall
There are now less than nine weeks until Election Day and both presidential candidates will be on the road today.
The Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, is set to give a speech in New Hampshire, unveiling plans for new benefits for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Those plans are set to include a tax deduction of up to $50,000 for starting a small business; ten times the $5,000 amount currently granted to small businesses in their first year.
She is also set to announce a goal of 25 million small business applications during her first term if she’s elected president. That would surpass the 19 million new small businesses under the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump will be holding a town hall in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
He’ll take questions during the event at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The town hall will air Wednesday night on the network.
Both vice presidential candidates are also holding events Wednesday. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is set to be in Pennsylvania and Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance in Arizona.
Federal judge won’t intervene in Trump’s New York criminal case
A federal judge has rejected former President Trump’s request to intervene in his New York criminal case. Trump’s lawyers were hoping to move the case to federal court so they could try to have his conviction overturned in the wake of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling.
The lawsuit brought by six Republican states and led by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey alleges they have documents proving the Biden administration plans to begin canceling loans this week, even though a cancellation plan technically does not exist yet.
Usually, states cannot file to block federal regulation until it’s officially in place, but in this case, the states say they have proof the secretary of education is implementing the plan without one officially being in place.
The lawsuit claims the administration has been planning this move since May. The Education Department has not commented on the pending litigation.
$35 billion expected to be bet on NFL this season
The NFL’s 2024 season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 5, and the American Gaming Association predicts Americans are about to dish out the big bucks betting on games. They say $35 billion will be placed in legal wagers this season.
If the association is right, that would be a roughly 30% increase from the amount bet on the NFL in the 2023 season.
Last season there was nearly $27 billion spent on legally betting on NFL games. Since then, even more states have passed laws to allow for legal betting markets, including North Carolina, Maine, and Vermont.
Betting is now legal in 38 states and Washington D.C.
The American Gaming Association said more bets are placed and more money is wagered on the NFL than any other league.
Philadelphia Eagles say team is not behind ‘counterfeit political ads’ of Kamala Harris
The Philadelphia Eagles kick off their 2024 season Friday, Sept. 6, in the first NFL game ever to be played in Brazil. As the Eagles prepare to face the Green Bay Packers abroad, they are facing another issue off the field here at home — tackling a problem described by the team as “counterfeit political ads.”
While the link is real, the Eagles said the poster and the endorsement are not. The team sent out a message on social media on Monday, Sept. 2, saying “We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed.”
The Eagles do have official partners like convenience store chain Wawa being the team’s official hoagie and Dunkin’ being the official coffee of the team. But there is no official Eagles candidate, despite what these ads say.
The affected bus shelters in the battleground state are owned by Intersection, a media company. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement that someone tampered with the shelters, replacing a paid advertisement with “unauthorized copy.”
The spokesperson said that while there are locks to prevent vandalism like this, “occasionally people find a way to unlock the ad box and insert unauthorized copy.”
The City of Philadelphia also released a statement saying, “This was not a digital breach; whomever is responsible for the illegally placed posters, broke into the securely covered shelter ad space and somehow put the posters in the space.”
The city began removing the posters Monday and will conduct a full inventory of its bus shelters. At last check, there have been at least six counterfeit ads reported across the city.
Pressure builds for cease-fire deal after 6 hostages killed in Gaza
Calls continue to grow for a cease-fire deal after the bodies of six hostages were recovered in Gaza. And thousands of hotel workers are on strike at major hotel chains across the country. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024.
Pressure builds for cease-fire deal after 6 hostages killed in Gaza
When asked by reporters on Sunday, Sept. 1, President Joe Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not making enough progress toward an agreement.
The U.S. is increasing its pressure on Netanyahu. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with their hostage negotiation team Monday. Biden indicated he plans to speak with Netanyahu “eventually.”
At a news conference, Netanyahu expressed regret for not being able to bring the hostages back alive but firmly rejected the mounting pressure against him. Netanyahu addressed President Biden directly, urging the international community to focus its pressure on Hamas.
On Monday, thousands gathered in Jerusalem for the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American among the six hostages found dead.
In the meantime, nearly 50 Palestinians have been reported killed this week according to health officials, amid ongoing strikes in Gaza and raids in the West Bank.
Netanyahu has vowed that Hamas will face “severe consequences.”
The United Kingdom has announced it will suspend some of its weapons exports to Israel due to concerns over potential violations of international humanitarian law. However, the U.K. emphasized that this is not a comprehensive ban, noting that its arms exports to Israel are relatively small compared to those from other countries, like the U.S.
President Biden joined Vice President Harris in their first joint appearance since Harris became the Democratic nominee on Monday. Before Biden and Harris met with supporters in Pittsburgh, Harris was in Detroit speaking to union leaders who are backing her bid for the White House.
While most major unions are supporting Harris, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters remains undecided. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, has stated they will not make an endorsement until Harris meets with their members.
Also on Labor Day, Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz held a campaign event in Milwaukee. Vehicles in his motorcade collided on the way to the event, resulting in minor injuries to some staffers and reporters, who were taken to nearby hospitals.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance are gearing up for a busy week ahead. Trump is scheduled to visit Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin later this week.
Harris will be heading to New Hampshire to prepare for her upcoming debate with Trump.
🚨🚨Thousands of hotel workers with @unitehere across the country are now on strike! Hotel workers are fighting for higher pay, manageable workloads, and increased staffing that were eroded through COVID-era cuts by the major hotel operators.🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/IhXTVPsFUD
The dispute has taken center stage during tense contract negotiations in cities across the U.S. this summer, with at least 15,000 members threatening strikes this fall in 12 cities.
The first of the strikes began on Sunday, when thousands of workers in 25 cities walked off the job after contract negotiations with major hotel chains Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott stalled without a deal. Organizers say the strikes are set to last between two and three days.
Judge issues arrest warrant for Venezuelan opposition leader
The warrant was issued at the request of authorities, who accused González of various crimes including conspiracy, falsifying documents and usurpation of powers. The move is the latest against the opposition since election officials declared president Nicolás Maduro won a third six-year term in office.
Meanwhile, a plane belonging to Maduro is in Florida after being seized by U.S. authorities in the Dominican Republic. The Justice Department says the plane was illegally bought for $13 million and smuggled out of the U.S. in violation of sanctions and export rules.
ESPN and Disney go dark for millions of DirecTV customers
ESPN was in the middle of airing the U.S. Open tennis tournament and just minutes away from the start of the college football game between Louisiana State University and the University of Southern California.
The dispute centers on the carriage fees DirecTV pays Disney to broadcast its programming.
DirecTV accuses Disney of “taking an anti-consumer approach” by demanding a new deal include bundled services. DirecTV wants to allow customers to be able to take an a-la-carte approach to subscribing to specific networks, making it easier to lower their costs.
In a statement, Disney said, “We will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs.”
Joey Chestnut eats 83 hot dogs to win Netflix’s livestreaming contest
Kelces sign $100 million deal to bring ‘New Heights’ to Amazon’s Wondery
Famous NFL brothers Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce cashed in on the success of their podcast. The hosts of “New Heights” signed a 3-year, $100 million deal with Amazon’s Wondery.
Wondery will now have exclusive rights to sell ads and distribute the weekly show hosted globally by the Kelces. Starting this week, when the show returns from a brief hiatus, Wondery will also have access to all previous episodes of the podcast and rights to create international adaptations of the podcast. Subscribers to Wondery+, the company’s paid subscription service, will have access to a commercial-free version of the show.
“New Heights” will still be produced by Wave Sports + Entertainment and available on all platforms. The video version will remain on YouTube.
“We couldn’t be more excited to team up with Wondery for the next phase of ‘New Heights,’” the brothers said in a statement. “We love this show, and the fanbase that has grown with us over the last two seasons. Wondery understands the shared vision and will offer a wealth of experience and resources to take us to ‘New Heights!’ We are going to create some groundbreaking moments together through this partnership. We are thrilled to start Season 3 — see you soon, 92%ers!”
The 92%ers comment is a reference to fans of “New Heights,” named after the 92% success rate of the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback sneak, which is also known as the “tush push””or “brotherly shove.”
Both Kelces are Super Bowl champions. Travis won his third with the Kansas City Chiefs last season while Jason retired from the Eagles after 13 years in the NFL. While Travis is attempting to win a third consecutive Lombardi Trophy and hosting a game show on Amazon Prime Video, Jason will be joining ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” this season.
The success of the podcast has made them household names outside of football. The show took off because of their likable personalities and got a bump from the fanbase of Travis’ better half, Taylor Swift.
Very excited to be teaming up with my brother as part-owners of Garage Beer. We’ve had a lot of love for this 🍺 for a while and know that you guys will too. Cheers!
The fame spread the wealth to the family as well. Their mom, Donna Kelce, affectionately known as “Mama Kelce,” became something of a pitch-woman herself. Jason’s wife, Kylie, also has a massive social media following and partnered with major brands like Dove.
To learn more about podcast popularity, check out the full story here.
Podcasts have become a huge moneymaker in recent years. Alex Cooper, host of the sex-positive program “Call Her Daddy,” recently signed a multi-year deal worth $125 million with SiriusXM that starts next year. That deal doubles the $60 million deal she made with Spotify in 2021.
SiriusXM also took “Smartless” from Wondery earlier this year in a 9-figure deal, a huge win for the interview show hosted by actors and friends Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.
Conan O’Brien sold his entire podcast network “Team Coco” to SiriusXM for $150 million in 2022. O’Brien brought his show, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” along with a number of other podcasts produced by his company to the satellite radio company.
Meanwhile, one of the best-performing podcasts ever made the biggest deal to date. Joe Rogan re-upped with Spotify in February 2024 in a deal estimated to be worth $250 million. That deal also removed Spotify’s exclusive rights to carry “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is now available on all podcast platforms.
Russia launches largest air assault on Ukraine since start of war
Russia launches its largest air assault against Ukraine since the war began, targeting critical infrastructure in the country. And the Department of Justice is appealing a judge’s decision last month to toss out former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Russia launches largest air assault on Ukraine since start of war
At one point the entirety of Ukraine was under air raid alerts and residents were warned to take cover. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there were more than 200 drones and missiles launched at Ukraine’s “critical civilian infrastructure.”
The main target appears to have been Ukraine’s power grid. While one missile missed, another one hit a dam that was providing electricity to Kyiv, causing widespread power outages. The strike also puts millions at risk of devastating flooding.
Civilians’ homes were also hit. At least seven people were said to have been killed in the attack.
While Ukraine says its forces have advanced nearly two miles into the area and seized two more villages, Russia is also making gains in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow’s air assault on Ukraine was the largest seen in more than two and a half years since the war began.
Federal judge temporarily blocks Biden admin’s new ‘parole in place’ policy
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s new “parole in place” policy. The ruling sides with 16 Republican-led states that challenged the policy.
Parole in place allows unauthorized immigrants to apply for temporary work permits and deportation protections under an immigration benefit known as “parole” if they’re married to U.S. citizens, have lived in the country for at least 10 years, and pass background checks. The policy also offers a path to citizenship for up to half a million undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens.
The judge said the Republican states’ complaint raised legitimate questions about the authority of the president to bypass Congress and set immigration policy.
The Biden administration can keep accepting applications for the program, but it can’t approve them, under the judge’s order. That order is set to remain in place for 14 days while both sides submit arguments in the case, but it could be extended.
DOJ appeals to revive Trump’s classified docs case tossed by judge last month
Special Counsel Jack Smith is pushing to revive the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. This comes after judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case last month.
Smith is now arguing that Cannon’s decision was flawed and lacked merit.
In a new court filing, Smith contends that Cannon’s ruling — which claimed the prosecutors’ office did not have the constitutional authority to pursue the case — was incorrect. Judge Cannon had ruled that the Justice Department couldn’t appoint or fund special counsels like Smith without congressional approval.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is now reviewing this decision.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign has responded to the DOJ’s appeal, calling for all charges against Trump in different cases to also be dismissed.
1 killed in Alaska landslide; authorities concerned more landslides to come
So far, we know four homes were critically damaged, but homes next to where the landslide went through are still being assessed.
The National Weather Service said Ketchikan got more than 2.5 inches of rain in about 36 hours over the weekend, but rainfall totals at higher elevations ranged from 5 to 9 inches.
Australian airline accidentally sells first-class tickets 85% off
An airline accidentally sold hundreds of first-class tickets for about 85% cheaper than usual — and it wasn’t some sort of sale. A coding error that caused a glitch in its system and customers took advantage of it while they could.
Here’s how that happened: on June 26, Danny Jansen was on the Toronto Blue Jays and up to bat in their game against the Boston Red Sox when the game had to be suspended because of bad weather. On July 27, Jansen was traded from the Blue Jays to the Red Sox.
The unfinished June game finally picked up Monday after a two-month delay, with Jansen behind home plate playing catcher for the Red Sox. So, while it was months apart, it was technically still the same game, earning Jansen a spot in the MLB history books.