Month: June 2025

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Southwest CEO Says Airline Is ‘Crushing It’ After Free Bag Outrage

The CEO of Southwest Airlines has defended the airline and its changes despite passenger outrage over the elimination of free checked bags for many customers.

The free checked bag perk was a staple at Southwest for decades. However, it’s now gone by the wayside for most customers, who are being charged $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second.

Despite the furor online, with some customers pledging not to fly Southwest anymore, CEO Bob Jordan thinks the airline is “crushing it.”

He made the unexpected comment at the Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 29, 2025, according to a transcript posted by Seeking Alpha.

“So the real story there is, I’m just really proud of the team and the execution of the initiatives. Again, a lot is already in place. A lot went in yesterday. I’m very proud of our team in the execution of the operation,” Jordan said. “We’re number one or right at number one in on-time performance, lowest canceled flights, lowest long delays. We’re just crushing it on the operations front, very, very proud of folks. And we are showing very, very strong cost discipline.”

He started out the comments by acknowledging that Southwest was making a lot of changes, including on the free checked bag policy.

“Anyway, so let me just a couple of minutes — really a couple of things lot of interest, obviously, in all of the changes that we are driving at Southwest Airlines. We have a huge plan of initiatives on the revenue and the cost side,” Jordan said, according to the transcript. 

“Some of those we announced last fall, some of those we announced this March. If you’re watching, we put in a huge slug of those yesterday. So we added a basic economy fare. If you go on the website, on the app, you see that today we changed some of our fare families. We began charging for bags.”

He added, the transcript says: “Obviously, if you’re — if you have status, if you — all you have to do is have our credit card, you still have a free bag and we changed some of our flight credit exploration. So a lot of the things that are in our revenue and initiative plan were either in or they went in yesterday.”

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Author: Jessica McBride

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Netflix Announces Release Dates, Trailers for Multiple Popular Shows

Netflix has thrilled fans with a series of major announcements about upcoming popular series and movies.

The announcements, ranging from trailers to release dates to the fate of series, were made at a live streaming event called Netflix Tudum 2025.

From Stranger Things to Squid Game and Emily in Paris to Wednesday, there were some big announcements on the table. In some cases, Netflix released teaser trailers. In other cases, Netflix announced release dates and cast and plot details.

The announcements included series and movies. In some cases, fans have waited years for details on a new season.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Netflix gave details and a release date for the movie, which will star Daniel Craig.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery “is the third film featuring the Southern-fried detective created by writer-director Rian Johnson. The mystery of when this will be released, however, has been solved: Wake Up Dead Man will come to Netflix on Dec. 12,” Netflix announced.

Squid Game Season 3

A trailer was released for Squid Game season 3.

“The brutal competition is set to come to a close on June 27, when the series’ third and final season premieres. The latest trailer gives us a peek into the bloody battle ahead for Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), his friends, and his enemies (including the enigmatic Front Man), as they race toward the last round of Squid Game,” Netflix wrote.

Wednesday Season 2

A six-minute preview of the season 2 premiere episode was released.

“The first six minutes of Wednesday Season 2’s premiere episode, ‘Here We Woe Again,’ have arrived early, premiering at Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event — and our little storm cloud is back with a vengeance,” Netflix wrote. 

“After mastering her psychic powers, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) has been pursuing an obsession she’s had since childhood: apprehending the Kansas City Scalper, America’s most elusive serial killer. In a flashback sequence, we see 6-year-old Wednesday traumatizing her classmates with a vivid presentation of the cold case’s most gruesome details.”

Stranger Things Season 5

Netflix announced the release date for Stranger Things season 5 and also released a synopsis of the plot, a cast list, and a teaser trailer. The show will unfold in three phases.

“Stranger Things 5 will release this fall: four episodes on Nov. 26, three episodes on Christmas, and the finale episode on New Year’s Eve,” Netflix revealed. “Each volume releases at 5:00 p.m. PST. For global release times, keep scrolling to find out when the final season will debut around the world. And you can watch the new video announcement below for a look at what’s in store.”

Emily in Paris Season 5

“Emily in Paris Season 5 production has officially started,” Netflix announced.

The show will take place in Italy as well as France.

“The cast and crew of Emily in Paris are thrilled to begin filming Season 5 in the Eternal City,” creator Darren Star said, according to Netflix, which noted that the season will premiere later in 2025. “From Parisian rooftops to Roman ruins, we can’t wait to share where Emily’s next chapter takes us.”

Happy Gilmore 2

“Summer just got happy-er. Adam Sandler stars in Happy Gilmore 2 arriving July 25 #TUDUM,” Netflix wrote.

Frankenstein

“Only Monsters Play God. Frankenstein, a film by Guillermo del Toro, is on Netflix this November,” Netflix announced.

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Cast, Teaser Trailer Announced by Netflix

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Author: Jessica McBride

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Bruce Willis Almost Lost Iconic ‘Die Hard’ Role to Frank Sinatra

If ever an actor has owned a role in a classic movie, it’s Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Today, it’s hard to imagine anyone more suited to play New York cop John McClane.

The 1988 Christmas classic was adapted from a book, and, as fans know, it showed McClane battling terrorists in a skyscraper amid a marital breakdown with his wife.

Die Hard eventually spawned numerous sequels.

However, it was almost not meant to be.

It turns out that the iconic role was first offered to a surprising choice: Singing legend Frank Sinatra.

It’s not that Sinatra couldn’t play a likable tough-guy. Given a little imagination, the role would almost make sense. It’s just that Willis so inhabited the character that it’s hard to imagine Sinatra in it.

According to The New York Post, “20th Century Studios was contractually obligated to offer a certain A-list singer the role first.”

However, Sinatra was 70 years old and turned the role down, The Post reported.

It’s worth remembering that Willis’s stature grew after Die Hard because he was known as a television actor before that, due to his star turn on Moonlighting.

Sinatra did star as a New York police sergeant in a movie called Detective, Entertainment Weekly noted. That movie was based on a book written by author Roderick Thorp.

According to EW, Thorp wrote a sequel, bringing back the same character, Sgt. Joe Leland, played by Sinatra. This is the book that Die Hard was based on.

Because Sinatra had starred in the original movie, the studio had to offer him the next film, EW reported, adding that Sinatra was actively touring when he declined the role.

According to EW, a number of other actors also passed on the role before it went to Bruce Willis, including Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kurt Russell, and Burt Reynolds.

Related: Loretta Swit’s Last Moments Emerge. Who Found Her?

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Author: Jessica McBride

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New York Photos Give Major ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Plot Clues

Fans are eagerly anticipating the July 11 release of the latest series in the story of Dexter, the vigilante serial killer who worked as a police blood spatter expert in Miami.

The official trailer released by Paramount+, where the new show Dexter: Resurrection will air, confirmed that the series will be set, at least in part, in New York City, as Dexter squares off against a variety of serial killers and tries to find his son, Harrison.

Although episode headlines and the trailer provide some clues, a series of Getty Images photos of Dexter: Resurrection being shot in New York City provide further hints about the direction the show will take.

Dexter: Resurrection filming in New York.

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images


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The photos show Dexter dressed in a suit and tie traversing the streets of Manhattan looking like any other Wall Street worker, and they show him walking on the street with several other actors, including the actor who plays his son Harrison and two actors tapped to play serial killers.

Fans also captured photos of the filming.

The full, official trailer was released on the evening of May 31 on the Dexter X page. “Only in New York,” it starts. “Someone once told me, you have to go through hell to achieve resurrection. Hallelujah.”

Michael C. Hall and Neil Patrick Harris are seen on the set of ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ on March 04, 2025 in New York City.

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

In the trailer, Dexter’s former police colleague Angel Batista confronts Dexter about being the Bay Harbor Butcher, saying he feels like he’s seen a “ghost.”

Michael C. Hall is seen at the film set of the ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ at Manhattan Heliport on March 26, 2025 in New York City.

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Dexter takes off in a truck. He ends up in New York, saying, “What better place to hide?” He then appears at a meeting of serial killers at a mansion. “So there are others?” he says. Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage appear in the trailer. Dexter’s son Harrison also appears briefly in the trailer.

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Cast, Teaser Trailer Announced by Netflix

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Author: Jessica McBride

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These 17 States From Alabama to California May Get to See the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights may be visible in at least 17 U.S. states on June 1 and 2, 2025, the result of a powerful geomagnetic storm.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has posted maps on its website showing the areas where the Northern Lights should be visible.

It will likely be the “biggest display of the northern lights since 2024,” according to Accuweather.

The states with the best chance of seeing the northern lights are along the northern border of the U.S. The northern lights may appear by midday on June 1.

The aurora “may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far south as Alabama to northern California,” the center says. “Detrimental impacts to some of our critical infrastructure technology are possible.” Watches “at this level are very rare.”

The states that will likely be able to see the northern lights, as long as the weather is clear, are, according to the center’s maps: North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington, Idaho, New York, Alaska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Montana. Adding in Alabama and California, that’s at least 17 states.

“A G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for 2 June. A powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun the evening of 30 May. The CME is anticipated to arrive at Earth later on Sunday, 1 June,” the center wrote. 

The conditions “become more possible on Monday, 2 June,” but the storm levels “will likely begin subsiding by Tuesday 3 June,” the center added.

“The Aurora is also called the Northern Lights in the northern hemisphere and Southern Lights in the southern hemisphere. The technical term for the Northern Lights is Aurora Borealis and the Southern lights are called the Aurora Australis,” the center’s website explains. 

“The word Aurora was first used by Galileo and comes from Latin and is the name of the goddess of dawn. The word Borealis comes from the Latin word boreal which means ‘northern’ or ‘from the north.’ The word Australis is Latin for austral, which means ‘southern,'” it adds.

The center explains, “The aurora is formed from interactions between the solar wind streaming out from the sun and Earth’s protective magnetic field, or magnetosphere. The aurora is one manifestation of geomagnetic activity or geomagnetic storms.” 

“As the solar wind increases in speed and the interplanetary magnetic field embedded in the solar wind turns southward, the geomagnetic activity will increase and the aurora will become brighter, more active, and move further from the poles. Even moderate solar wind creates aurora so there is usually a weak aurora somewhere even when there isn’t a big geomagnetic storm.”

The center also has a page of tips for viewing the northern lights.

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Author: Jessica McBride