Plus: Transportation Secretary Call For No More Airport PJs & Surprising Guest At Dick Cheney's Funeral

Good evening,

Oh Oz! Wicked: For Good, the sequel and conclusion to last year’s Wicked film, arrives in theaters today. The musical is expected to bring in a “rejoicifying” $150-$180 million from 4,000 North American theaters in its first weekend.

Part II of the big-budget musical is primed to shatter the debut of 2024’s “Wicked,” which set a record for stage-to-screen adaptations with $112.5 million over the same pre-Thanksgiving time frame.
- The premiere could also outpace other smash hits from earlier this year, including A Minecraft Movie, which made $162 million at the box office and the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake, which made $146 million.
Wicked: For Good is based on Act 2 of the 2003 stage show, and it recounts the events of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West. Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, is expected to take on a larger role in Part II, after mostly being comedic relief in Part I.
- When Broadway’s Wicked first came out in 2003, critics complained that the second half of the show was rushed, too dark, and did not have as many memorable songs. Composer/writer Stephen Schwartz added two original songs to the movie version, so we’ll see if that stretches out the pace.
- Wicked, in general, wasn’t a critical hit when it debuted. Variety called it a “lumbering, overstuffed $14 million production.” It even lost the 2004 Tony Award for Best Original Musical to Avenue Q, an adult musical parody of Sesame Street.

But two decades later, Wicked has inspired a film franchise and still performs eight times a week down the block at the Gershwin Theatre, while Avenue Q is mostly just known by theatre kids. Who’s laughing now, puppets? 🎭📈

Sam,
Associate Producer (and Wicked superfan)

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Crime Down Across The U.S. — We Look At Why

The rate of homicides has plummeted across the nation, and 2025 is on track to reach its lowest level in decades. Homicides are down nearly 20% this year in 52 major U.S. cities. That drop is one of the sharpest year-over-year declines in decades.

Why the change? This marks a dramatic shift from the steep rise in killings seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Analysts tell the Washington Post that a mix of policing changes, community programs, and returning social stability likely played a role.

While the Trump administration has deployed National Guardsmen to major Democratic run U.S. cities — from L.A. to D.C. — the data shows that crime rates had been falling since the Biden administration. At the same time, Trump has hailed the efforts, especially in the nation’s capital, a success — with fewer guns on the streets and a nearly two week streak of no murders.

BY THE NUMBERS
FBI data shows that there were nearly 6,000 fewer killings in 2024 than in 2021. This year, the number continues to drop. A Washington Post analysis highlights five cities with some of the biggest improvements since 2021: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. Some of what they found:

In Baltimore, city data shows that only about 2% of residents were involved in roughly three-quarters of shootings — mostly men in their 30s and 40s.
In Philadelphia, YEAH Philly supports at-risk teens and young adults with financial, legal, mental-health, and limited housing help. Participants earn stipends and jobs, and their recidivism rate is about 9% — far below the state and national average of around 30%.

Other homicide data from 67 law enforcement agencies shows a 19% decline across major U.S. cities during the first nine months of the year — and by more than 40% in Buffalo, NY; Denver, CO; Orlando, FL; and Seattle, WA.

Bottom line: The nationwide trend suggests a sustained shift rather than a temporary dip.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING

Zelensky Says Ukraine Will Work On U.S.–Russia Peace Plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has agreed to work on a new peace plan drafted by the U.S. and Russia and expects to speak with President Trump in the coming days about the proposal.

Could the three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine be nearing an end? The White House is launching a new diplomatic blitz after months of stalled negotiations.

INSIDE THE PUSH FOR PEACE
The Trump administration has been quietly working with Russia on a new 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine — inspired by Trump’s 20-point Gaza deal. At the same time, President Trump also sent a high-level Pentagon delegation to Ukraine Wednesday in a new effort to revive negotiations, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The 28-point plan covers peace terms, security guarantees, European security, and future U.S. relations with Russia and Ukraine. It reportedly includes territorial concessions of Ukrainian land to Russia, particularly in the Donbas region, where Ukraine still controls about 15% of the territory.
- Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the effort with Russian officials.
Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and two four-star generals arrived in Ukraine Wednesday for high-level talks with Ukrainian counterparts, with the mission to restart peace talks.
- According to the WSJ, “The White House decision to turn to Driscoll and senior military officers is driven in part by the belief that Moscow might be more open to military-brokered negotiations and by frustration that multiple previous attempts have yielded little.”
Timing? Politico reports that a White House official expects all parties to agree to a framework for ending the war by the end of this month — and possibly “as soon as this week.”

Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Trump, who has made ending the war a priority, said Wednesday that he told Russia’s Vladimir Putin, “Let me settle your fricking war.”

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Less Rage, Less Pajama Wearing: Transportation Secretary’s Message To Fliers

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is calling on travelers to bring more civility back to air travel — and maybe leave the pajamas in your luggage.

”It’s not your imagination. Traveling has become more uncivilized!,” he wrote on X Wednesday.” Sometimes you just have to ask people, ‘Hey, let’s go back to an era where we didn’t wear our pajamas to the airport,’” Duffy said on Fox Business, calling for people to dress for their flights “with respect.”

He cited this data:

❌ 400% increase in outbursts on planes since 2019
❌ 1 in 5 flight attendants report experiencing physical incidents
❌ Unruly passenger events DOUBLED since 2019

Instead, he called on travelers to:

✅ Be courteous to your fellow passengers
✅ Say please and thank you to your flight crews
✅ Dress with respect
✅ Lend a hand to those who could use it

MO NEWS REACTS
Here’s what you said on the Mo News Instagram page:

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

White House crafting executive order to thwart state AI laws (CNBC)
Trump says Democratic lawmakers’ video is ‘seditious behavior, punishable by death’ (NPR)
Texas redistricting case turns ugly as judge dissents 15 times (ABC)
Former GOP staffer charged with fabricating anti-MAGA assault (THE HILL)
Reagan-appointed judge torches colleagues in Texas map fight, calls ruling ‘fiction,’ ‘judicial activism’ (FOX)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Fire prompts evacuations at UN climate talks in Brazil, but officials say no one hurt (AP)
IDF launches airstrikes across Gaza after troops come under fire (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
Mount Semeru volcano eruption in Indonesia prompts evacuations (GUARDIAN)
Alleged mastermind behind Mexican mayor’s murder arrested (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Walmart reports a strong quarter, showing Americans are still spending (FOX)
Verizon is laying off over 13,000 workers (THE VERGE)
Advocacy groups urge parents to avoid AI toys this holiday season (AP)
Trump moves to strip protections for endangered and threatened species (CNN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour surpasses $1 billion and becomes the top-earning tour by a male solo artist (VARIETY)
Kevin Spacey says he is homeless and working as a night club singer in Cyprus (NBC)
Novelist Rabih Alameddine and poet Patricia Smith win National Book Awards (AP)
Dolly Parton says she was forced to skip her Hall of Fame honor as doctors tell her to ‘take it easy’ (FOX)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Former Vice President Dick Cheney was laid to rest on Thursday. Spotted paying their respects at his funeral, everyone from former Republican President George W. Bush to liberal commentator and MS NOW anchor Rachel Maddow. The attendees show how much politics has changed in the last two decades.

Maddow has long been a fierce critic of Cheney’s policies, particularly his support for the Iraq War. However, in recent years Maddow and Cheney both saw President Trump as greatest threat to the country. She said she was bewildered when the former vice president endorsed Kamala Harris for president last year and said it was “like cats endorsing mice.”

Notably absent: President Trump and Vice President Vance, who were not invited.