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The Justice Department is fed up with high concert ticket prices. Norfolk Southern agrees to a settlement in the East Palestine train derailment and spill. And NOAA is forecasting a hurricane season unlike any other. |
👋Hey there! Laura Davis here. It's time for Thursday's news! |
In an effort to lower prices for fans and open venue doors to more musicians, the Justice Department, 29 states and the District of Columbia sued Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, on Thursday alleging it monopolized live events. |
What's the beef? Live Nation, which generates $22 billion a year in revenue, owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America, including 60 of the top 100 amphitheaters like the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that dominance has allowed the company to exert control over the live events industry in a way that hurts fans, performers, smaller promoters and venue operators. 🎟️ We break down the lawsuit. |
Severe weather still in the picture |
Millions across the central and eastern U.S. − including in some states that were ravaged by tornadoes earlier this week − are bracing for severe weather as an onslaught of powerful storms pushes ahead into the holiday weekend. About half the country, from Texas to North Dakota and from Georgia through New England, was at risk of fierce weather conditions on Thursday. The biggest threat was concentrated in parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri, an area where winds at speeds of 75-85 mph, large hail and a few tornadoes were "probable" into the evening. And as Memorial Day weekend approaches, the weather doesn't look super encouraging for outdoor activities, either. 🌤️ See if you'll need sunglasses or a raincoat. | Parts of northwest Illinois saw wind gusts of up to 50 mph during a storm on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Dozens of power lines were damaged. Photo provided by ComEd |
Norfolk Southern to pay millions over toxic train derailment |
Norfolk Southern agreed to pay more than $310 million to resolve a U.S. government lawsuit over a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, court documents show. Under a proposed consent decree, the railroad also agreed to make significant safety improvements, install additional safety equipment, improve training and pay for medical monitoring for health impacts tied to the derailment and release of hazardous chemicals. |
How did we get here? In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying a toxic, flammable gas called vinyl chloride that can cause certain cancers derailed and caught fire. People were evacuated and a controlled release of gas was conducted to prevent an explosion. 👉 Here's what we know now. | A screenshot from video released by NTSB of the controlled burn fire after East Palestine train derailment. Video Screenshot |
The hurricanes are coming |
Hunker down, y'all. The start of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is just over a week away, and federal forecasters Thursday predicted an "extraordinary" season with as many as 25 named storms possible – the most storms the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ever predicted in a preseason outlook. |
Count 'em up: Specifically, NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, eight to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including four to seven major hurricanes (Category 3, 4, or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). 🌀 See the full forecast. | Hurricane Idalia approaches the western coast of Florida while Hurricane Franklin churns in the Atlantic Ocean at 5:01 p.m. EDT on August 29, 2023. NOAA Satellites |
📣 Are you happy to be in Paris? Oui sure will be. Follow along with the biggest news before the 2024 Paris Olympics and live on the ground in Paris with our newsletter 'Chasing Gold.' | | | | William Ruto's visit is the first state visit by a Kenyan president to the United States in two decades and the first by an African leader since 2008. | | | |  | The captives' families hoped the footage would increase pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a truce with Hamas and secure the hostages' release. | | | | Antonio Brown spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Steelers and made four straight All-Pro teams between 2014-17. | | | | A stage collapsed at a Mexican election campaign rally on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring dozens. | | | | I applaud Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for banning all lights that aren't red, white and blue from bridges across the state. That's true freedom! | | | | Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton has written a letter to the FTC warning a "gambling duopoly" could disproportionately impact Black Americans. | | | | Two months after Princess Kate's Mother's Day photo editing flub, another portrait of the monarch is courting controversy and criticism. | | | | One of the passengers was "trapped upside down in the bottom of the canyon" until he was rescued using a helicopter, authorities said. | | | | What's China's beef with Taiwan? Here's a refresher on China's Taiwan animosity, why Beijing is conducting the military drills, and how concerning it is. | | | | As Donald Trump campaigns against President Joe Biden, his online posts are reinvigorating a conspiracy theory that was a hallmark of his first term. | | | | | Brighten your day with one of our games. | | | | | |
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