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.
Stadium spending: Is it ever a good use of taxpayer money?
In two days during the week of June 23, two cities committed nearly $1.5 billion in public money to keep their respective NFL teams in town. But taxpayers didn’t get a say. In both Charlotte and Jacksonville, city councils made the calls.
Charlotte committed $650 million in taxpayer dollars for stadium renovations to keep the Carolina Panthers in town for the next 20 years.
Jacksonville City Council is giving $775 million in public funds to renovate the Jaguars EverBank stadium. That’s in exchange for a 30-year commitment to squash those pervasive relocation rumors.
As for why stadium projects have more success getting past city councils than voters, sports economist Victor Matheson had this to say: “The entire city council of Jacksonville can fit in the owner’s box. The entire electorate of Jacksonville can’t.”
Before Jacksonville City Council voted 14-1 in favor of the funds, Jacksonvillians stepped up to the mic at the council meeting.
“Many of us who came out here today took off work just to tell you how repulsed we were about this new stadium,” one resident said.
“Not one dime is going to the community that this proposal was made around. It’s shameful,” another added.
The entire city council of Jacksonville can fit in the owner’s box. The entire electorate of Jacksonville can’t.
Sports economist Victor Matheson
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan sang a different tune.
“We can reach historic generational progress when we focus and we work together for a singular goal,” Deegan said following the vote.
But does it do what she said: create generational progress? Matheson breaks down the math in an interview with Straight Arrow News Business Correspondent Simone Del Rosario.
The following has been edited for length and clarity. You can watch the interview in the video at the top of this page.
Simone Del Rosario: The argument to taxpayers – when you put up these levels of public funds for a stadium – is that the city will get it back in the economic benefit. Do you find that to be the case?
Victor Matheson: Economists who are not associated with the leagues or the teams have been looking at this idea for over 30 years now, and it is the overwhelming consensus of independent economists that spending money on public stadiums, spending taxpayer money, is an extremely poor use of public money. The approximate amount of economic impact you get from stadiums is somewhere between zero and very low.
Simone Del Rosario: Would you say that there’s not a single case where public funds for a stadium are worthwhile?
Victor Matheson: So you can probably argue for some level of public funding. It’s a level of public funding that is way below what we’re seeing in cases like Jacksonville and Charlotte this year and the amount that are being proposed for other stadium proposals, for example, a new Kansas City stadium for both the Royals and the Chiefs.
There is a public role for things like infrastructure, certainly putting in millions, or even tens of millions of dollars to make sure that people can get to the businesses they want to get to. That’s a core function of government. We can also understand that, to at least some extent, sports teams are a public good that are enjoyed by everyone, not just the fans of the team.
We have studies about the feel-good effect that a team has. As a matter of fact, we have an academic study on Jacksonville itself, talking about what the feel-good effect was back when the original stadium was built, and it was about $30 million. So in today’s money, $50 million, $70 million, maybe even $100 million you could justify, but nowhere close to the $600 million in subsidies that we’ve been seeing recently for NFL stadiums.
Simone Del Rosario: Okay, you’ve caught my interest. What is the feel-good economics behind it? What goes into that?
Victor Matheson: We know how much people are willing to pay for tickets because we can actually see those people buy tickets. But what you do is you ask a bunch of people who aren’t season ticket holders, who don’t buy jerseys, who don’t go to games, and you say, ‘Well, how much would you be willing to spend in the way of increased taxes every year just to have this team in town, even if you never plan on going?’
So that captures what people, who aren’t otherwise paying for the stadium and for the team, would be willing to spend. And people fill out questionnaires asking those sorts of questions. We see this all over the place.
And again, for Jacksonville, the Jacksonville folks 20 years ago said that they valued the team, collectively as a city, at about $30 million; even if you don’t go to the games, even if you don’t watch the games at home on TV.
Simone Del Rosario: And it stretches a lot farther than just the city in question. I was looking into this a little bit more and when you add in tax-exempt bonds, this ends up being federally subsidized, doesn’t it? So someone in Nebraska could be paying for a little piece of a different stadium project that’s nowhere near them.
Victor Matheson: It gets even worse, right? So a deal like the Buffalo Bills, it’s not just that someone in Nebraska is paying for the Buffalo Bills. Someone in Boston, who’s a Patriots fan, pays for part of the stadium of their arch-rivals. Someone in Boston, who’s a Red Sox fan, pays for part of Yankee Stadium. So obviously, that’s great for the Yankees, great for the Bills, not so great for taxpayers around the rest of the country.
Simone Del Rosario: And Victor, you can explain that phenomena better than I can about why these taxpayers across the country are paying for this.
Victor Matheson: Sometimes it’s just explicit, right? Sometimes the tax subsidies that you’re getting for billing stadiums are being paid for not just by the city or the county in which a stadium takes place, but might be state subsidies.
So that’s pretty obvious, right? In the case of the Buffalo Bills, about half of the subsidy for the stadium came from New York state money. Most of that money is coming from folks on Long Island, most of that money is coming from folks in New York City, because that’s where all the money is in New York. It’s not in Buffalo, it’s not in Albany, it’s not in Rochester. So that’s coming from places outside of upstate New York.
The other thing that can happen is if a stadium is paid for, at least in part, with tax-exempt bonds, what that means is that the owners of those bonds are getting a lower interest rate because they don’t have to pay taxes on those bonds. But guess what that means? The federal government that runs on taxes has to collect taxes some other place because they’re not collecting taxes on this set of bonds.
A group of economists worked on that a few years ago and published that work and found that the total amount of municipal bond subsidy was in the billions of dollars of subsidies to professional sports teams from regular taxpayers all across the country, whether they have a professional franchise in their state or not.
Simone Del Rosario: Let’s take it back down to the city level. Why do public funds continue to be used when, to your point, independent economists prove that it’s bad economics?
Victor Matheson: One of the reasons is because owners are terrible to their customers, and in order to get an opportunity to make more money, they are willing to sell out their existing customers.
All of the leagues, all of the big leagues, the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, these leagues have exactly the same number of teams today that they had 20 years ago, which means that essentially, when you set a fixed number of franchises, that means that gives a lot of leverage to every franchise, because if someone else wants a team, they have to steal it from another city.
Jacksonville was a place that could be very high on the list of franchises that could be stolen. Same thing with Buffalo Bills. These are both small metropolitan areas. And there’s probably other, better places in the country to put a team.
If you were a regular business, you’d just open up a new team there, a new shop there, a new business there, right? But if you’re the NFL, you want to extract money out of local taxpayers by threatening relocation of that team, and that’s exactly and explicitly what was done in Jacksonville.
The city leaders say we are justifying this, not on economic reasons, but because we are terrified that we’ll lose this team if we don’t give into the extortion of Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jaguars.
Simone Del Rosario: And I’m speaking as a San Diego Chargers fan who dealt with what happens when voters do not approve stadium funds and the team goes.
Victor Matheson: Right, so you lose your team. And that’s San Diego. Of course, the big difference there between what went on in Jacksonville and what went on in San Diego is San Diego voters had the option to decide how they wanted to spend their money.
And they said, ‘Hey, we love the Chargers but we don’t love spending a billion dollars of our taxpayer money to enrich a billionaire team owner. We’d rather spend that money on, for example, a better convention center to keep so that we can continue to have a great Comic-Con.’ Tony Hawk was there campaigning against the stadium. He said, ‘Hey, you’d rather have that money spent on skateboard parks around San Diego than on a new stadium.’
So the voters got a chance, but the voters in Jacksonville didn’t get a chance because the team owners and the City Council, they know that these stadium projects are unpopular. The voters in Charlotte, also another stadium project that was approved this week, they didn’t get a chance. So it’s taxpayers not getting the opportunity to actually have a say about how their money gets spent.
Of course, one of the reasons that city councilors are much more giving of funds than taxpayers is the city councilors, they get wined and dined by the team owners. The entire city council of Jacksonville can fit in the owner’s box, the entire electorate of Jacksonville can’t.
Simone Del Rosario: When they put this issue in front of voters, increasingly, voters are saying no. We’re seeing that in Kansas City right now. Voters rejected that sales tax for the new downtown ballpark and renovations to Arrowhead, and now there’s talk of potentially moving the Kansas City teams over to Kansas City, Kansas. What would Kansas gain by giving those teams the state benefits that they would be looking for?
Victor Matheson: So from a dollars and cents issue, not much. The amount of additional economic activity that Kansas will gain because of the Chiefs moving across the state line is, by every measure, less than what they will lose in taxpayers subsidies building that stadium. So this is not a great deal for them.
And again, no one’s considering putting this in front of Kansas voters. They’re only considering putting it in front of Kansas lawmakers. Taking it out of the hands of the taxpayer and putting it into the hands of politicians is what team owners want, because it’s a whole lot easier to convince a small number of legislators than it is to convince a large number of taxpayers that you should enrich the already-billionaire owners in the NFL or Major League Baseball or the NBA.
Simone Del Rosario: Who decides whether it goes to vote or it goes to city council?
Victor Matheson: Often, it’s the city council itself. Occasionally, you do get things that taxpayer coalitions will force things to go to the ballot, but often, owners will use a tricks to try to keep things off the ballot.
Even if it’s a complete demolishing of a stadium and rebuilding a new stadium in the same place, you might just keep a tiny bit of the stadium in place so you can laughably call it a remodeling. Therefore the city council says, ‘Oh, no, no, this isn’t a new stadium project. This is just repairs and maintenance of the existing stadium.’ Therefore, this doesn’t have to come before a vote.
As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what happened in Chicago when the new Soldier Field was built. At the time, just the rehabilitation of the old Soldier Field cost more than any stadium in U.S. history, yet they cleverly called it a remodel by keeping a handful of old stone columns from the original stadium in the new design. Therefore, it didn’t have to go before the voters where it was looking very unlikely like the voters wanted to hand over their money, again, to a billionaire owner.
Simone Del Rosario: I’m going to ask us to put on our devil’s advocate hat. What does a stadium project do for the area? There has to be some economic benefit, even if it doesn’t pay for itself.
Victor Matheson: We do know that stadiums, first of all, they are going to generate some revenue in the area. They just generally don’t generate enough revenue to pay for the bond payments on a billion-dollar stadium or a $2 billion stadium.
Generally not in the NFL but in other in other leagues where you have games more often, such as Major League Baseball or NBA, they often cause some level of gentrification of the local area around the stadium. You’ll get money being spent at local bars and restaurants, at retail right around in the area.
We do know that professional sports are pretty good at changing where money is spent in a local economy. The problem is they’re just not very good at generating new economic activity in an economy. So either they’re just having people spend money at the stadium or the area around the stadium rather than in other entertainment options in the area, or they serve to have people spend money on football rather than other types of entertainment options.
Simone Del Rosario: I’m glad you brought this up because now we get to talk about the transfer of wealth. Research shows that the regional economy remains unchanged if a stadium moves, say, 20 minutes down the road. So it’s just the specific location that gets the boom in economic benefit, but it’s flat for the rest of the region, right?
Victor Matheson: There’s no doubt that you will have a change in how money is spent in a local area. If you’re in Atlanta, a new baseball stadium in Cobb County really relocates some economic activity out of Fulton County, downtown, up to Cobb County, where the new stadium is. It also relocates money within Cobb County from restaurants and bars around the county to a small, more concentrated district called The Battery, right around where the stadium is.
Same thing happens when the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals float the idea of moving out of D.C. into Virginia. Again, it doesn’t change the total amount of economic activity that occurs in the metro area, but it does change where some of that spending occurs. And importantly, in the cases both of Kansas and Missouri as well as Washington, D.C., and Virginia, it changes the side of this imaginary line. It does have, certainly, some economic impact, but again, it’s more changing up who gets the money, not how much money is actually out there.
Simone Del Rosario: We’ve got the Olympics coming up in a month now, and there’s always a lot of conversation where Olympics are being hosted about the investment that goes into that for certain infrastructure projects, stadiums, etc.
We just talked to someone who was crucial in getting the ’96 Atlanta Games there, and he made a really good point that while that was actually largely a privately-funded affair, the investment that was made for the Atlanta Olympics wouldn’t have been spent otherwise. It was an infusion of spending in the area that was done specifically because the Olympics were coming to town.
Can the same argument be made for stadiums? Would Jacksonville not be spending $775 million on some other benefit to the city if it weren’t for the stadium renovations?
Victor Matheson: In the Atlanta case, you did spend several billion dollars bringing the event there in terms of construction, and you also brought in several billion dollars of tourist money that was part of that. With all these cases, it’s not as if that tourist money’s not a good thing.
This is a little different than the case of Jacksonville. Jacksonville Jaguars regular season games, most of the people coming to those games are local residents who are just spending their money there rather than elsewhere in the Jacksonville economy.
When you’ve got a mega event like the Atlanta Olympics or the Paris Olympics coming up, this is bringing new money from the outside into the city. So of course that is a benefit to the economy. The question though, is, how much did it cost you to bring that money in?
A typical Summer Olympic Games will definitely bring in at least $5 billion of additional spending into the city that hosts them. The problem is, most of the recent summer Olympics have cost in excess of $10 billion to host them.
No one’s denying that you’re bringing in a lot of economic activity. The question is, what is it costing you to bring in that activity? And do you get any sort of lasting legacy of a cost? If it costs you more to bring this in than you’re getting right away, do you at least get some sort of legacy out of that?
Most of the evidence suggests there’s not a particularly big legacy either, because in the case of the Olympics, no one needs a 10,000-seat swimming pool after the Olympics is done. No one needs a world-class track facility or a velodrome after all the Olympic fans are gone.
Backlash after Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial college speech
An online petition called for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to fire its kicker, Harrison Butker, over a commencement speech. The petition, which has been widely circulated, accuses Butker of making sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist remarks.
“As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audiences like this one today,” Butker said during the speech. “I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather, a place of experience.”
The story has received national attention, with dozens of headlines dedicated to the controversy:
CNN: “Chiefs Player Faces Backlash for Dissing Working Women in Controversial Speech.”
The Huffington Post: “NFL Pushes Back on Harrison Butker’s Bigoted Graduation Speech.”
So, what did Butker say and why is it receiving so much backlash?
Benedictine College in Kansas, a Catholic institution, invited Butker, a conservative Catholic, to give the commencement speech. The school considers its religious affiliation an important component of its stated mission: “The education of men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.”
During his speech, Butker made comments critical of President Biden, abortion, IVF, Pride Month and the media. He also discussed gender roles in society.
The part of his speech receiving the most pushback is his comments to the female graduates:
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment,” Butker said. “You should be proud of all you’ve achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who’ve had the most diabolical lies told to you.
“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you’re going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess, the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you’ll bring into this world. I am beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me but it cannot be overstated that all of my success has been made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”
The audience proceeded to clap for nearly 20 seconds straight.
Butker’s supporters noted he did not say that women should not have careers and did not say being a wife and mother is all there is for women.
His supporters note that he believed the women sitting in the audience at a Catholic institution are probably most excited about the families they will create with their future husbands.
Butker also encouraged the men and women in the audience to embrace the most important title of all: a Catholic.
“I don’t see what’s controversial about what he said there,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
“Good for him,” another user wrote. “I have no problem with anything he had to say. Diversity of thought is what academia has left behind.”
However, critics voiced their concerns with Butker’s speech, prompting the petition.
“I hope you miss every kick this season,” one user wrote on X.
Even the official Kansas City account decided to tell followers where Butker resides.
“Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the city of Lee’s Summit,” the city posted.
The city has since removed the post and apologized.
“These comments reinforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress,” the petition to fire Butker said. “They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society. It is unacceptable for such a public figure to use their platform to foster harm rather than unity.”
The petition received over 130,000 signatures and continues to gain momentum.
The NFL also responded to Butker’s speech.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” the league said in a statement. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
The graduates and their families in the audience appeared to not take issue with Butker’s speech as they applauded him with a standing ovation.
Chiefs, Royals mull KC exit as vote on taxpayer-funded stadium upgrades looms
Residents of Jackson County, Missouri, are facing a vote on April 2 that may determine the future of their local sports franchises — the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. The question posed to voters on the ballot asks whether or not they would be in favor of implementing a ⅜-cent sales tax over the next 40 years to help fund stadium upgrades for the two teams.
Should the proposal pass, it would amount to an average annual cost of $115 for each adult in the area, totaling around $54 million in taxpayer money annually and an estimated $2 billion over the lifespan of the tax.
These funds would be allocated toward building a new downtown ballpark for the Royals and renovating Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. Both franchises assert that these improvements would generate significant economic returns for the local community, estimating over $2 billion every year, including an annual $1.2 billion from the new Royals stadium and nearly $1 billion from the Chiefs’ spending.
However, if the vote fails, the owners of both clubs have floated the possibility that could lead them to look for new homes outside of Kansas City.
“We will have to consider all of our options,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “From the Chiefs standpoint, we’re in a building that’s 52-53 years old. At the end of the [current] lease, it will be 60 years old and we only have seven years left on our lease, so we’ll be in a position where we need to consider our options.”
“This is about sustaining ourselves as a major league city,” Royals owner John Sherman said. “There’s lots of cities that would love to have these franchises.”
The proposed legislation would replace an existing tax passed in 2006. The existing tax does essentially the same thing to fund stadium upgrades for the Chiefs and Royals, but is set to expire in 2031.
Opponents of the plan argue against the use of public funds to subsidize “billionaire owners,” and say they’re still “winning the battle on the ground,” despite being outspent in campaign efforts by a 20 to one margin.
“I am a lifelong Chiefs and Royals fan,” said Sarah Deder, a volunteer with KC Tenants, one of the groups advocating for a rejection of the stadium tax. “And that’s been hard for me to reconcile because these teams who have brought us together as a community for so many years are ripping mine apart.”
If the vote is in favor of the teams, the Royals aim to have their new ballpark ready for opening day in 2028, while the Chiefs look to finish Arrowhead Stadium renovations by the start of the 2031 season.
Hunter Biden seeks to dismiss tax charges: The Morning Rundown, Feb. 21, 2024
Attorneys for Hunter Biden seek to have his tax charges dismissed, saying he was selectively targeted by prosecutors. And heading to the airport? Changes at American Airlines may have you rethinking your checked bags. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
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Hunter Biden seeks to dismiss tax charges, says he was selectively targeted
The legal team for Hunter Biden has asked a judge to dismiss tax-related charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss in federal court in 2023. In Tuesday’s Feb. 20 filing, the attorneys accuse prosecutors of selectively targeting the president’s son, bowing to political pressure, violating a statute of limitations, and filing duplicative charges.
The attorneys said Weiss has “gone to extreme lengths to bring charges against Mr. Biden that would not have been filed against anyone else.”
In December of 2023, the special counsel charged Hunter Biden with nine counts, alleging he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes for three years. Hunter has pleaded not guilty to all tax-related charges, as well as those related to another case, his alleged illegal possession of a firearm.
Meanwhile, Special Counsel Weiss said a former FBI informant, who is accused of lying to the agency about President Biden and his son taking $5 million each in bribes, received some of the information from officials associated with Russian intelligence. Weiss said Alexander Smirnov told the FBI of the Russian connections following his arrest on Thursday, Feb. 15. Smirnov has since been released from custody under certain conditions, including wearing an ankle bracelet and restricting travel only for court appearances.
White House reacts to Alabama’s frozen embryo ruling
Days after Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos can be considered children under state law on Friday, Feb. 16, critics of the decision are speaking out, including those in the Biden administration. While saying she would not comment on the specific case, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted while on board Air Force One on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
“This is exactly the type of chaos that we expected when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and paved the way for politicians to dictate some of the most personal decisions families can make,” Jean-Pierre said. “…as a reminder, this is the same state whose attorney general threatened to prosecute people who help women travel out of state to seek the care they need.”
The Alabama ruling concerned a case where a couple’s embryos were destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic in 2020. In the majority ruling by the all-Republican court, the justices said an 1872 statute in the state’s constitution allowing parents to sue over the death of a minor child “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.”
Live Action, an anti-abortion group, cheered the decision.
“Each person, from the tiniest embryo to an elder nearing the end of his life, has incalculable value that deserves and is guaranteed legal protection,” Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, said in a statement.
The justice’s decision means the couple’s wrongful death lawsuit can proceed, with the clinic having the option to ask the court to reconsider its ruling.
Two men charged with murder in Kansas City Super Bowl Parade shooting
According to prosecutors, the violence erupted from a dispute between Mays and an unidentified person, initiated by mutual stares, as outlined in court documents and corroborated by witnesses and video evidence.
According to the charges, evidence points to Miller’s gunfire as the cause of 43-year-old Elizabeth Lopez-Galvan’s death. Lopez-Galvan was a mother of two and a local radio DJ. Currently, both suspects are receiving medical treatment while detained on a $1 million bond each.
FuboTV sues Disney, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery over streaming service
The collaboration between the media companies looks to bring all of their sports assets, including the NFL, NBA, and FIFA, under one streaming service. It is slated to launch in the fall of 2024. A spokesperson for the joint venture has so far declined to comment on the lawsuit.
American Airlines ups baggage fees for first time in over 5 years
If you are flying on American Airlines soon, you may want to pack a little lighter to save a few bucks. The airline has announced it is raising checked bag fees for the first time since 2018. Passengers checking bags at the airport on most flights will now pay $40 for their first checked bag, up from $30. But paying for your first checked bag before you get to the airport will cost $35. Checking a second bag will cost $45, up from $40.
American Airlines said the price bump has to do with fuel prices making the cost of transporting luggage “significantly higher.” Alaska Airlines and JetBlue have also recently increased checked bag prices.
According to the Transportation Department, in the first nine months of 2023, U.S. airlines raked in $5.5 billion in bag fees; American Airlines accounted for $1 billion of that.
American Airlines also announced on Tuesday, Feb. 20, that it is restructuring its frequent flyer miles to drive more traffic to its own website. Rewards for basic economy tickets will only be available to passengers who book through American Airlines. The airline will soon announce a list of third-party travel agencies whose bookings will earn customer rewards.
Four separate films about each Beatles member to be released in 2027
Music movies are having a moment these days, “Bob Marley: One Love” topped the box office this weekend, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” broke concert movie records, and a film on the life of Michael Jackson is currently in production. Now we know the next four musicians with movies on the way, or should we say the next “Fab Four”?
That’s right, The Beatles, all of The Beatles, will each have a separate film made about their lives. According to Sony Pictures, each movie will be shown from a different Beatles member’s point of view, with the films intersecting. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison have granted full life story and music rights to the scripted films. All four movies are set to be released in theaters in 2027.
Missouri lawmakers pass ban on celebratory gunfire after mass shooting
Less than a week after a mass shooting in Kansas City during a Super Bowl celebration parade, Missouri’s Republican-led House has passed a new piece of gun control legislation. According to The Associated Press, in a bipartisan effort, lawmakers passed a ban on celebratory gunfire in cities, Monday, Feb. 19.
However, Kansas City Police said that the bullets that rained down Wednesday, Feb. 14, were not related to any act of celebration.
“This appears to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said.
Law enforcement said that a 43-year-old woman died and at least 22 others were injured as shots rang out near the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade. Two juveniles were arrested in connection with the shooting.
When it comes to gun laws, Missouri has fewer restrictions than other states, CNN found. There have been 155 mass shootings in the state since 2013.
According to the gun control group Everytown Gun Safety, Missouri ranks 38th when it comes to what it calls gun law strength.
State lawmakers passed the ban on celebratory gunfire with a vote of 120-26. The measure is named after 11-year-old Blair Shanahan Lane, who died after a stray bullet hit her in the neck while she was at her uncle’s Fourth of July celebration in 2011.
Authorities said that Aaron Sullivan later admitted that he and his friends fired dozens of rounds from a pistol at an apartment complex near the little girl’s home, with one bullet hitting Lane.
The law in Missouri would make shooting in a celebratory fashion within city limits a misdemeanor for the first offense, with felony charges for subsequent offenses.
In 2023, the Missouri Legislature passed a Senate bill cracking down on celebratory gunfire. However, Gov. Mike Parson, R, vetoed the bill, citing issues with other crime provisions in the bill unrelated to the ban, according to KOMU.
The Kansas City Beacon reported that gunfire after big events is only increasing in Kansas City. When the Chiefs won the divisional round playoff game in 2023, Kansas City Police said ShotSpotter, a device which detects gunfire, recorded 33 rounds fired. After the Chiefs won the AFC Championship game, the numbers rose to 102 rounds. In 2024, after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship game, 130 rounds were detected by ShotSpotter.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies in Trump election interference case: The Morning Rundown, Feb. 16, 2024
The district attorney leading Georgia’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump takes the stand. And Amazon is sued after a subscriber says the addition of ads to Prime Video is ‘immoral.’ These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
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Lawyers for Trump and his 14 co-defendants are seeking to remove Willis from the case, as they argued that her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade presented a conflict of interest. On the stand, Willis fired back at the lawyers’ claims.
“I object to you getting records,” Willis said. “You’ve been intrusive into people’s personal lives. You’re confused. Do you think I’m on trial? These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
A former friend and coworker of the district attorney testified Willis and Wade had been romantically linked before Willis hired Wade for the case, an allegation both parties deny. Though the relationship has since ended, attorneys for the defendants allege Willis personally profited from the case while the two were together, arguing that Wade had used his earnings to pay for trips for the two. Wade testified that Willis always paid him back.
Should Willis be disqualified and removed from the prosecution, a new attorney would be appointed who could either continue with the charges or drop the case. There are updates in other cases involving the former president; a judge in the hush money case has set a trial date for March 25. On Friday, Feb. 16, a verdict is expected in Trump’s New York civil fraud trial.
FBI informant charged with lying about Biden family’s ties to Burisma
According to the indictment, Alexander Smirnov lied to the FBI in 2020 when he said Burisma paid both Bidens $5 million. Prosecutors said Smirnov “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was running for president then. Smirnov’s claims have been central to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach the president over his family business dealings.
Congressman Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an end to the impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the Republican chair of the committee, said the inquiry will continue, claiming it’s based on “a large record of evidence.” Smirnov faces charges of making a false statement and falsification of records. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
New details released in Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting
New details have been released about what led to panic following a shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City that left a woman dead and 22 others injured. Police report that about half of the injured victims are under the age of 16, with 11 children, the youngest just 6-years-old, taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Nine of them suffered gunshot wounds. Seven children have since been released from the hospital.
The identity of the woman who was killed in the shooting has also been confirmed. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and beloved radio host for the local KKFI station, died celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory with nearly a million other fans.
According to Kansas City police, the shooting was not terrorism or extremism; rather, it stemmed from a personal dispute between several people. Police initially detained three juveniles but released one they determined was not involved. Police said they are working with prosecutors to file charges against the other two juveniles who have been detained.
Amazon subscriber sues over ads playing on Prime Video
Details on what games and when they will be made available have not been disclosed. Revenue for Microsoft’s Xbox-related business grew by 61% in the fourth quarter, overtaking Windows in earnings, which is largely attributed to the $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October. Microsoft is now looking to generate even more revenue as its Xbox system ranks third in sales behind its rivals.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark becomes all-time NCAA women’s basketball scorer
History was made in college sports last night as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark became women’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. Clark only needed to score 8 points early in the game against Michigan to break the NCAA record.
Hitting a three-pointer to reach the milestone, Clark scored a career-best 49 points in the game in Iowa city, which put her at the top of the list with 3,569 career points. WNBA star Kelsey Plum, who previously held the college record, said she is “grateful to pass the baton” to Clark.
1 dead, 22 injured in Super Bowl parade shooting: The Morning Rundown, Feb. 15, 2024
One person is dead and more than 20 are wounded after shots are fired at a parade for the Super Bowl champions. And the lander looking to be the first U.S. spacecraft to touch down on the moon in five decades lifts off into space. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.
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1 dead, 22 injured in shooting at Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade
At least one person was killed and 22 others were injured, including at least eight children, after shots were fired following following the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday, Feb. 14, sending fans running for cover outside Union Station. Video shows police holding down an apparent suspect.
Police confirmed three people have been detained but have not announced their identities or said if they will face charges. Authorities are looking into reports that bystanders tackled one of the three people being detained.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves told reporters she was angry over what had taken place.
“The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment,” Graves said. “We had over 800 law enforcement officers, Kansas City, and other agencies at the location to keep everyone safe. Because of bad actors, which were very few, this tragedy occurred.”
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered for the parade in downtown Kansas City to cheer on the Chiefs after their victory at Super Bowl LVIII. Police said all members of the Chiefs’ organization were safe. The NFL and several players issued statements following the shooting, including Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who posted on X, “Praying for Kansas City.”
Warning of ‘serious national security threat’ prompts alerts on Russia
More details are coming to light after a cryptic message by Congressman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who warned of a “serious national security threat.” Turner, the Republican Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, called on President Biden to declassify all information related to the threat but did not elaborate further.
Multiple news outlets, citing sources, said Turner was referring to Russia, specifically its attempts at developing a nuclear-capable weapon in space that could take down satellites. The sources added that it is not currently an active threat. Connecticut Congressman Jim Hines, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters that while the issue is serious, people should not panic.
Leaders in the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a statement saying they have the intelligence in question and have been tracking the issue. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he had already scheduled a briefing for Thursday, Feb. 15, with congressional leaders and administration intelligence professionals to discuss the matter.
Houston-based Intuitive Machines hopes its lander, Odysseus, will be the first U.S. spacecraft to touch down on the moon in over five decades. NASA is paying the company $118 million to carry six items, including a camera to observe the dust upon landing and a radio receiver system to study charged particles on the moon’s surface.
Other items taken on the trip include insulation material from Columbia Sportswear and a sculpture from artist Jeff Koons. Odysseus is scheduled to land on the moon’s south pole on Feb. 22.
FDA approves first drug to treat severe frostbite
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat severe frostbite in adults and reduce the risk of finger or toe amputation. The drug, Aurlumyn, injects affected areas and treats frostbite by opening blood vessels and preventing clots. It is expected to be available in the spring of 2024.
Frostbite happens when the skin and tissue get damaged by cold temperatures and occurs in stages, with painkillers and antibiotics typically used to treat mild frostbite. Severe frostbite, which happens when the skin and underlying tissue freeze, stopping blood flow, sometimes requires amputations.
Lyft admits to typo in earnings report
One company just found out how important it is to check for typos. The rideshare company Lyft saw its stock soar over 60% following the release of its quarterly earnings report late Tuesday, Feb. 13. The report said Lyft was expecting one of its profit margins to expand by 500 basis points, meaning five percentage points. Still, in reality, it was only expected to expand by 50 basis points or 0.5%.
The company admitted to the error during a call with investors on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Its CEO told CNBC he hopes the missed extra zero doesn’t take away from Lyft delivering its best financial quarter in its history. And despite the error and correction, the company’s stock was still up on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
University of Pennsylvania to be first Ivy League offering AI program
The rise of artificial intelligence is bringing change to almost every aspect of our lives, which means companies are looking for engineers with AI skills. Now, students at one Ivy League university can earn a degree in AI, and it’s not a fake.
The University of Pennsylvania will become the first Ivy League school to offer an engineering degree in AI when the undergrad program starts in the fall of 2024. Penn said the program will allow students to unlock AI’s potential as they learn the ethics of AI, legal matters surrounding the technology, and other topics. Penn will be the first Ivy League to have an artificial intelligence program, but other U.S. colleges, including Carnegie Mellon and Purdue, also offer bachelor’s degrees in AI.
2 Israeli hostages rescued in Gaza raid; dozens of Palestinians reportedly killed: The Morning Rundown, Feb. 12, 2024
Israeli forces rescue two hostages during a raid in a Gaza town where over a million displaced Palestinians have relocated. And Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin transfers his duties after being admitted into a military hospital. The stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, Feb. 12, 2024.
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The IDF said the “complex rescue operation” at an apartment building was based on “very sensitive and high-quality intelligence.” As part of the operation, the Israeli army launched airstrikes on the area near the apartment in the city of Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape Israel’s operation against Hamas.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, 28,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Sunday, Feb. 11, that Israel is working out a “detailed plan” to evacuate those living in Rafah and move them to areas north of the city as Israel looks at sending more troops into the town.
In a phone call on Sunday, Feb. 11, President Joe Biden warned Netanyahu that Israel should only target Hamas terrorists in Rafah if it has a “credible and executable” plan to protect civilians. The war is expected to be among the topics discussed on Monday, Feb. 12, when the president hosts King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hospitalized, transfers power to deputy
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was taken to the critical care unit at a military hospital in Washington on Sunday night, Feb. 11, after being hospitalized for symptoms related to a bladder issue. The Pentagon issued a series of statements describing Austin’s condition following widespread scrutiny over the secrecy surrounding a hospital stay in January due to complications from prostate cancer surgery.
Austin has transferred his duties to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. The Pentagon said it is not clear how long Austin will remain hospitalized this time, adding his cancer prognosis remains excellent.
Senate advances $95.3 billion Ukraine-Israel aid bill
The Senate’s standalone $95.3 billion foreign aid bill that would send funds to Israel, Ukraine, and other allies has passed a critical step. Senators voted during a rare Sunday, Feb. 12, session 67-27 to advance the bill, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats.
The bill would see $60 billion go to Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel, $8 billion to Taiwan and Indo-Pacific partners, and nearly $10 billion for humanitarian aid for Gaza. A final vote in the Senate could come by midweek.
The bill would then go to the Republican-led House, where the GOP has said any legislation would also need to address the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.
Woman killed after opening fire inside Joel Osteen’s megachurch
Two off-duty officers working security shot back, killing the suspect. A 5-year-old boy who was with the woman was critically injured in the incident. A man was also shot in the leg.
In a statement posted to X, Osteen wrote in part, “Our community is devastated by today’s events and grateful for the swift actions of law enforcement.” Police said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Marathon world record holder dies in crash in Kenya
According to officials, Kiptum, a Kenyan native, was driving when his vehicle veered off the road into a ditch and hit a tree. Kiptum and his coach were pronounced dead at the scene; another passenger, a 24-year-old woman, is said to have survived with serious injuries.
Kiptum currently holds the world record for the fastest marathon after he breezed through the Chicago race with a time of 2:00.35. That record was ratified last week by the International Track Federation World Athletics.
Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions
Super Bowl LVIII is in the books, and for the first time in nearly two decades, a team went back-to-back. Yes, for the second year in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions.
It was only the second time in history the Super Bowl went into overtime. The Big Game also saw the longest field goal in Super Bowl history, twice, as the 49ers’ Jake Moody’s 55-yard field goal in the second quarter was topped by the Chiefs’ Harrison Butker’s 57-yarder a quarter later. The Super Bowl MVP went to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his third time winning the honor.
Family of boy accused of blackface at Chiefs game sues for defamation
The family of a 9-year-old Chiefs fan is suing the sports blog Deadspin for defamation after the boy was accused of wearing blackface at a Nov. 26 game. According to the suit, the boy’s family wants an apology from Deadspin and for the article to be retracted.
The original headline referred to the boy, Holden Armenta, as a “Kansas City Chief’s fan in blackface, Native headdress.” Stating later in the article that he “found a way to hate Black people and Native Americans at the same time,” according to senior writer Carron Phillips.
Holden’s parents said Deadspin intentionally chose a photo that didn’t show the other side of their son’s face, which was painted red — the Chiefs’ primary color.
In the lawsuit, Holden’s parents called the article an “attack” to fit the writer’s “own race-drenched political agenda.”
Deadspin amended the story, removing the image of Holden and adding an editor’s note saying the attention wasn’t meant to be on the child, but rather the NFL for allowing fans to paint their faces and wear Native headdresses.
The headline now reads “The NFL Must Ban Native Headdress And Culturally Insensitive Face Paint in the Stands (UPDATED).”
The photo was taken at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. The Chiefs’ Arrow Head Stadium bans fans from wearing Native headdresses and face paint. The rules were enacted after the Chiefs’ staff received input from Native American tribes in 2014.