NY Jets and DT Quinnen Williams agree to four-year, $96M extension

On Thursday, the New York Jets and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams agreed to a four-year, $96 million contract extension, keeping Williams with New York through the 2027 season.

Williams’ deal reportedly includes $66 million guaranteed and is the largest second NFL contract in NFL history for a defensive tackle. Williams, who will average $24 million per year on the new deal, is now the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league behind only Aaron Donald, who is making $31.7 million per year.

Williams has developed into one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL since the Jets drafted him No. 3 overall in the 2019 NFL draft, after an illustrious college football career at Alabama. Williams had a breakout season in New York last year, registering a career-high 12 sacks and a career-best 12 tackles for loss. He also tied a career-high with 55 tackles. He earned first-team All-Pro honors and was invited to his first Pro Bowl in 2022.  In his four-year NFL career, Williams has totaled 191 total tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 27.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

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Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews lead Farm Aid 2023

The annual music and food festival Farm Aid announced it will return to Noblesville, Ind.’s Ruoff Music Center on Sept. 23. Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid 2023 will feature artists including Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), Margo Price, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident, and Particle Kid.

For more than 35 years, Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host the annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Farm Aid has raised more than $70 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson said in a statement: “Family farmers have the solutions to some of our toughest challenges. As we face a changing climate, farmers in Indiana, across the Midwest and all over the country are farming in ways that create more resilient farms to build healthy soils and protect our water.”

Adds Farm Aid co-founder John Mellencamp: “We are honored and excited to bring the Farm Aid experience back to Indiana. My home state holds deep meaning for me and for the generations of family farmers who have dedicated their lives to caring for the Earth and bringing us good food.”

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday, July 15th at 10 am ET via Ticketmaster.

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Morgan Wade shares the video for ’80’s Movie’

Morgan Wade has released the video for her latest single, “80’s Movie,” one of the tracks off her eagerly-awaited sophomore album Psychopath, out 8/25 via Sony Music Nashville. The 13-track Psychopath LP includes contributions from A-list songwriters, studio musicians and Wade’s longtime producer, Sadler Vaden.

80’s Movie was written by Wade and frequent collaborator Vaden, and she spoke with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the track: “If you want to feel instantly happy, you can watch a feel-good movie from the 80’s and it’ll cheer you right up. That nostalgic, joyful sentiment is what we were channeling when writing this song and I think we got there. ‘80’s movie’ is fun, melodic and light-hearted and I am so excited it’s finally here.”

Wade has been on the road in 2023 with her headlining No Signs of Slowing Down Tour, and made a notable appearance at Stagecoach Festival. She also appears on Diplo’s new album Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant, will join Turnpike Troubadours and Eric Church for select tour dates throughout summer and fall, and will be making appearances at Lollapalooza, Railbird, and Austin City Limits before heading back to Europe for a fall headline run.

Take a look at Morgan’s video for ’80’s Movie’ – here.

Morgan Wade – “80’s Movie”

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Actors to strike after SAG-AFTRA negotiations for new contract with studios collapse

Members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union are going on strike, after they were unable to reach a deal with producers and studios. Members of SAG-AFTRA will join up with more than 11,000 already striking Writers Guild of America (WGA), with the strike to start at midnight, July 14.

The failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers means film and television productions will immediately come to a halt, essentially shutting down Hollywood; the tandem strike of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America marks the first of its kind in Hollywood since 1960.

The actors union had already granted one extension to its contract, which was originally set to expire July 1, and said it would not concede another. Hollywood performers were looking to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension benefits, as well as create guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in future television and film productions. Additionally, the union is seeking more transparency from streaming services about viewership so that residual payments can be made equitable to that seen on linear TV.

Fran Drescher, president of the union, said during a press conference Thursday: “We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. It is disgusting. Shame on them … You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contact to change, too.”

The WGA has been on strike since May, and is also seeking higher compensation and residuals, particularly when it comes to streaming shows. The WGA also shares similar concerns over the use of artificial intelligence when it comes to script writing.

SAG-AFTRA Contract Talks Fail To Reach Deal; National Board Meeting Thursday Morning To Launch Strike; Sides Issue Statements

Editorial credit: Elliott Cowand Jr / Shutterstock.com

Actors to strike after SAG-AFTRA negotiations for new contract with studios collapse

Members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union are going on strike, after they were unable to reach a deal with producers and studios. Members of SAG-AFTRA will join up with more than 11,000 already striking Writers Guild of America (WGA), with the strike to start at midnight, July 14.

The failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers means film and television productions will immediately come to a halt, essentially shutting down Hollywood; the tandem strike of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America marks the first of its kind in Hollywood since 1960.

The actors union had already granted one extension to its contract, which was originally set to expire July 1, and said it would not concede another. Hollywood performers were looking to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension benefits, as well as create guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in future television and film productions. Additionally, the union is seeking more transparency from streaming services about viewership so that residual payments can be made equitable to that seen on linear TV.

Fran Drescher, president of the union, said during a press conference Thursday: “We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. It is disgusting. Shame on them … You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contact to change, too.”

The WGA has been on strike since May, and is also seeking higher compensation and residuals, particularly when it comes to streaming shows. The WGA also shares similar concerns over the use of artificial intelligence when it comes to script writing.

Editorial credit: Elliott Cowand Jr / Shutterstock.com

Take a look at the final trailer for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

Paramount Pictures shared the final trailer for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, featuring Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell. The trailer hypes up Cruise’s action scenes, including a high-speed car chase and riding a motorcycle off of a cliff.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is written by Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen and directed by McQuarrie, and is the seventh film in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise series. The new movie follows Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, an agent for the fictional Impossible Missions Force (IMF), as he and his team take on “their most dangerous mission yet.” Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga and Henry Czerny also star.

‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ opens in theaters Friday, July 12.  Take a look at the final movie trailer – here.

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President Biden reaffirms U.S. support for Ukraine at NATO summit

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said in a speech that the U.S. and NATO allies reaffirm commitment to Ukraine, promising that its Western partners would not back away from its defense as Russia’s war on Ukraine past its 500th day.

Following a two-day high-level meeting with leaders at the NATO summit, Biden described support for Kyiv’s fight for democracy as “the calling of our lifetime.” The U.S. has sent more than $41 billion to bolster Kyiv in the nearly 18 months since Russian troops invaded Ukrainian borders. Biden said in his address from Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius: “We did what we always do. The U.S. stepped up, NATO stepped up and our partners in the Indo-Pacific stepped up. We will not waver … the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes.’”

The allies welcomed the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who reiterated calls to join NATO and vowed its membership would make the world’s most powerful military alliance stronger. Ukraine has sought NATO membership since 2002. It is bordered by four NATO allies: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

An announcement on the first day of the summit revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance. Sweden and Finland began the formal process of applying to NATO last May, which requires approval from all 30 members of the alliance. In April, Finland joined the alliance. Following this summit, Sweden is set to become the group’s 32nd member.

Editorial credit: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock.com

Elon Musk forms new AI company dubbed ‘xAI’

After months of teasing plans to build a rival to ChatGPT, Elon Musk announced he is starting a new artificial intelligence company. The billionaire confirmed the formation of a new company, ‘xAI’, in a tweet on Wednesday; without elaborating, the Twitter CEO and Tesla found said his new xAI firm will seek to “understand reality.” According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the company was incorporated in Nevada in the spring, with sources cited indicating Musk’s desire to compete with Microsoft’s OpenAI.

xAI unveiled a website and a team of a dozen staffers; the new company will be led by Musk, according to the website, and “will work closely with X (Twitter), Tesla, and other companies to make progress towards our mission … ‘The goal of xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe.’”  The xAI Twitter account had just one post as of press time.

Back in March, Musk and other big tech leaders, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and politician Andrew Yang called for a temporary pause on artificial intelligence innovation because of “profound risks to society and humanity.”  They said “Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources.”

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/elon-musk-unveils-new-ai-startup-team-top-101186737

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Ja Morant attorneys say he acted in self-defense in assault case

On Wednesday, a Memphis judge ruled that Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant and his legal team can proceed with their argument that the two-time All-Star acted in self-defense when he punched a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home in July 2022. Judge Carol Chumney issued a stay on the case and set a hearing for Oct. 12.

Per the Associated Press, Morant’s lawyers admitted that Morant punched then 17-year-old Joshua Holloway once in the chin after Holloway threw a basketball at Morant, but are arguing that Morant should not be liable under Tennessee’s “stand your ground” law. The law permits people to act with force in situations when they feel threatened at their homes. Holloway’s attorney, Rebecca Adelman, argued in court that the “stand your ground” argument came too late in the process and is not applicable to a civil case, describing the tactic as a “Hail Mary of Hail Marys.” Holloway, who has since turned 18; accused Morant and his friend, Davonte Pack, of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress. Morant filed a countersuit against Holloway in April for damaging the NBA star’s reputation and potentially costing him millions in endorsement deals and his contract.

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Boston Celtics and Kristaps Porzingis agree to two-year, $60 million extension

Kristaps Porzingis and the Boston Celtics have agreed to a two-year, $60 million extensions. Porzingis picked up his $36 million player option earlier this month for next season in order to facilitate his trade to the Celtics; the extension will keep him in Boston until 2026.

Porzingis was traded to the Celtics from the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal, which also sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and Tyus Jones to the Washington Wizards, in addition to a number of draft picks. Porzingis played 65 games and averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 38.5% from 3-point land.

Celtics president Brad Stevens said: “I said this at the start of the summer: I thought that we needed to balance our roster and make sure that we looked at the best ways to do that. And that meant that we were going to likely lose a really, really, really good player … From our standpoint, we just looked at it as, What’s our best opportunity to continue to grow and improve as a team? Knowing that sometimes really, really hard decisions have to be made. Like I said, not only adding Kristaps with his skill, his size and the positional versatility, we just had many more numbers and options at the smaller positions than we did at the bigs, especially as we look forward too.”

Porziņgis said: “I don’t know if I’ll be ready. You know? Who knows? But, I’m gonna do everything I can to help this team. I just have a taste of it, right? I have a taste of it and I know what it’s like. And the first playoff series were really good, just didn’t have luck. And the second one was, it was a different style, a different kind. And each series is completely different, so I’m gonna have to be ready for any kind of scenario.”

Editorial credit: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock.com