Love Story: Taylor Swift Engaged To Travis Kelce
Plus: President fires Federal Reserve governor & Schools "Swatting" Scares
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Good evening,
A real life “Love Story” — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially engaged, announced via a joint Instagram post Tuesday. Swift posted: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨.”
The photos show Kelce kneeling in front of Swift in a garden, and also include a close-up of the ring (click the post above for details).
The two, who are both 35 years old, began dating in the summer of 2023 after Kelce attended her Eras Tour show at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri.
He tried to meet her at the concert and give her a friendship bracelet he made, but couldn’t get through security. He discussed his failed attempt to ask her on a date at the show on his podcast, which got her attention. "This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she told Time Magazine.
Mo News Team
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Trump Tries To Fire Fed Governor; She Vows To Stay
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook rejected President Trump’s attempt to fire her late Monday over allegations of mortgage fraud, saying she will not resign and will challenge his authority. On Tuesday, she sued to block the move.
No president has fired a Fed governor before; the Federal Reserve has traditionally been politically independent. The case is expected to go to federal court and could ultimately make its way to the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly sided with the Trump administration in its firing of agencies’ independent leadership.
INSIDE THE FIGHT
Trump announced Cook’s immediate firing in a letter Monday night. Cook is an economist and the first Black woman ever to serve on the Fed board. She was appointed to a 14-year term in 2022 by then-President Joe Biden. That term is set to end in 2038.
Trump claimed he could remove her “for cause,” accusing Cook of mortgage fraud in 2021, alleging she claimed both a Michigan home and an Atlanta condo as her primary residence.
Under the Federal Reserve Act, governors can only be removed for cause — meaning actual wrongdoing, like malfeasance or dereliction of duty.
Cook responded later Monday night, saying, “no cause exists under the law.” She has not been charged with a crime.
The move sets up a major fight over Fed independence, as Trump pushes the agency to lower interest rates. The Fed is meant to be apolitical and look out for the overall interests of the economy—not a single president. If Trump successfully terminates Cook, he’ll have a chance to install one of his own picks on the seven-member Federal Reserve board.
Right now there are three Democrat-appointed and three Republican-appointed Fed Governors, with one open seat. Successfully firing Cook will give him two immediate nominations.
At the Fed’s July meeting, two Trump appointees dissented the majority’s decision to hold interest rates steady — the first time since 1993.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends next May, but Trump has been trying to push him out early due to his reluctance to lower interest rates because of inflation fears.
NEW POLITICAL AMMO
Mortgage fraud accusations are becoming a new political weapon for the Trump administration. So far, those targeted have included California Sen. Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and now Cook.
Critics say these probes are more political than legal — given that so-called “mortgage occupancy fraud” is almost never prosecuted.
That’s when someone claims a property is their primary residence to get better loan terms.
Similar allegations at the state level have been made against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican and Trump ally who’s running for Senate.
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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING
Universities Start New School Year With A Wave Of False Shooting Reports
Just as universities across the US start the school year, many are experiencing a wave of false active shooter calls to the police, also known as "swatting" calls or incidents.
They’ve forced frightened students and faculty across the country to evacuate campus or take shelter.
WHERE IT’S HAPPENING
School shooting hoaxes — either confirmed to be hoaxes by the police, or incidents where simply no gunman was found — occurred at at least six universities on Monday alone: The University of Arkansas, University of Colorado Boulder, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, the University of New Hampshire, and Northern Arizona University.
False reporting of shooting incidents also occurred late last week at Villanova University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the University of South Carolina.
BY THE NUMBERS
Swatting incidents have jumped from 400 in 2011 to over 1,000 in 2019, according to the Anti-Defamation League, but the numbers can be hard to fully track. Perpetrators often use burner phones or apps to disguise their voices to conceal their identities.
Calls in recent years have increasingly targeted public places like schools, places of worship, and hospitals.
Swatting calls drain police resources and can distract from real emergencies, according to the FBI.
Last year, a California teen pleaded guilty to carrying out hundreds of swatting calls, including to historically Black colleges and a Florida mosque
⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
Flag-burning incident near White House leads to arrest hours after Trump's executive order (NBC)
Judge throws out maps in gerrymandering lawsuit over Utah's redistricting (FOX)
Trump to put Dan Scavino in charge of hiring at White House (ABC15)
The Coast Guard seized a record 76,000 pounds of drugs this summer (ABC)
Massive dust storm blows through Arizona, stops flights at PHX (MO NEWS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
Ukraine knocks out nearly a fifth of Russia's oil refining capacity, creating shortages and disrupting exports (EURONEWS)
Major roads closed across Israel as hostage families, protesters take to the streets (TIMES OF ISRAEL); Reuters and AP demand answers from Israeli officials after airstrikes kill journalists (AXIOS)
Australia expels Iranian ambassador for arson attacks on Jewish targets (MO NEWS)
French government at risk of falling as PM faces new no-confidence vote over debt crisis (FRANCE24)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
Americans grow more pessimistic about job market in August (MARKETWATCH)
Cracker Barrel responds to backlash over new logo and rebranding: “We could’ve done a better job” (CNBC)
Trump family crypto empire expands with Crypto.com partnership (AP)
Apple sets Sept. 9 for event that will reveal iPhone 17 (AXIOS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Spotify is introducing a direct messaging feature to share music recommendations (THE VERGE)
Lil Nas X calls naked arrest in L.A. 'terrifying,' but insists 'your girl is gonna be OK' (NBC)
Emotional Venus Williams says she is ‘very proud’ of her performance in US Open defeat to Karolína Muchová (CNN)
Buccaneers to waive Desmond Watson, league's heaviest player, reports say (FOX)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it…World No. 2 tennis star Carlos Alcaraz showed up to the US Open with a shaved head after a botched trim from his brother, who misused the clippers. “The only way to fix it was to shave it off,” he told reporters after his Monday night win.
Alcaraz laughed off the reactions, saying some people like it and some don’t — though fellow player, American Frances Tiafoe, joked that the cut is “horrendous.”