Why Ken Paxton’s Texas GOP Primary Win Has Some Republicans Worried + Daily Headlines

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:04]Hey everybody, it is Wednesday, May 27th. I'm Moshwanu. This is the Mo News podcast >> and I am Jill Wagner. This is the place where we bring you just the facts >> and where we read all the news and read between the lines so you don't have to.

[00:00:16]On this May 27th, which apparently is National Sunscreen Day, a reminder to all of you to protect that skin this summer and frankly all year round. Well, Mosh, we already had the unofficial start to summer, so seems like uh the right timing here.

[00:00:33]>> Yeah, this is skin cancer awareness month. There are more than 5 million Americans who are treated every year for skin cancer, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer. So, super important to see your dermatologist, super important to use sunscreen. But you guys are smart. You're probably doing that already. and most from the sun to the moon. NASA laid out some new details about its plan to build a long-term human presence on the moon. So, this is all linked to its Aremis program.

[00:01:02]Yesterday, NASA leaders announced their plan to send astronauts back to the moon for longer stays and eventually Mars, but they were mostly talking about the moon where they're looking to establish a sustainable outpost near the moon's south pole.

[00:01:18]>> Yeah. All of this is planned for as early as 2028, which we're halfway through 2026 here. So, this could happen soon, but of course, there are often delays here. Part of it is going to be dependent on some of the companies that NASA is looking to to help actually land on the moon. That includes Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, which is set to provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface. They're also working very closely with Elon Musk's Space X. This is all part of the transition to the private sector that we saw more than a decade ago during the Obama administration. So, uh the moon continues to be the main target here for NASA. One of the reasons for this moon base is to effectively build some power plants there. Uh one of the reasons they're doing it close to the South Pole, they believe there's ice there that can be converted into a variety of things. Remember H2O includes hydrogen and oxygen. So, you can create fuel from that. You can create oxygen from that.

[00:02:13]you can create water from that and so uh all key there as we look towards Mars in the 2030s and gel there's that major goal which is uh they believe that the moon might have uh energy sources for us that could revolutionize how we create power here on earth >> all right back here on Earth Mosh let's get to some headlines starting with politics in Texas the most expensive primary runoff in history was President Trump's endorsement enough to unseat longtime Senator John Cornin and two setbacks for Republicans as they try to redraw congressional maps mid decade in order to gain more seats during the midterms.

[00:02:53]>> We've told you about Tennessee and Mississippi where Republicans had some success. What happened in the last day in South Carolina and Alabama?

[00:03:00]>> To Washington State. A major chemical explosion has killed multiple people at a paper mill. And we'll have the latest in an unrelated chemical situation we've been watching in Orange County, California, where they're trying to prevent an explosion there.

[00:03:14]>> The backlash to big tech continues. The Supreme Court has cleared the way for Vermont to sue Meta over allegations that Instagram was designed to be addictive to young users.

[00:03:26]>> A lot of legal losses for Meta of late.

[00:03:28]>> To a story gripping Spain, Europe, and increasingly people here in the United States. It's a mystery involving the death of the billionaire founder of Mango, the clothing brand.

[00:03:39]>> Yeah. Increasingly, the son being viewed as the main suspect in the death of the father here on Tuesday, the son stepping down from the company following his arrest.

[00:03:46]>> To the economy, what exactly is a vibe session? Economists say that we are in one right now.

[00:03:54]>> It's not about the numbers, jealous about how you feel.

[00:03:57]>> It's the vibe.

[00:03:59]>> Yes. A stark warning for the city of New Orleans. A new study says people who live there should start thinking about relocating. And most innocent get ready with me video by baseball star Bryce Harper has now sparked a viral debate over how he applies toothpaste.

[00:04:19]>> Some people say it is psychopath behavior. Some people say it's not altogether different from how a dentist or dental hygienist applies uh toothpaste at your appointment. We'll break it down for you.

[00:04:32]>> And Mosha is on this day in history.

[00:04:34]>> We'll tell you about a building that became the tallest building in the world on this day in history, but it would only last for a few days. Can you name that building?

[00:04:43]>> All right, starting with politics. All eyes on Texas and the most expensive primary runoff in history. Republicans had to choose between Senator John Cornin. He has been a mainstay in the party with 23 years in office or give him the boot in favor of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He got President Trump's endorsement last week even though Congressional Republicans worry that he will have a harder time winning the general election.

[00:05:11]>> And we have some results late on Tuesday by an overwhelming margin with nearly 2/3 of the vote. Ken Paxton dominating John Cornin in Texas. He is now the official Republican nominee. After two rounds of voting, there was an initial round in March. It was a three-way race.

[00:05:29]Nobody got 50%. It went down to this runoff yesterday where Ken Paxton beat John Cornin by about 250,000 votes or so as of uh my count with about 90% of the vote in. Now, this was not a surprise.

[00:05:44]We knew that Ken Paxton had a polling advantage here. And then of course there was the Trump endorsement last week.

[00:05:50]This race was super expensive. $130 million spent uh between the candidates over the last few months either by the campaigns themselves or outside groups advocating for or against the two of them. At stake here was really who loved Trump the most, who would be most loyal to him and be the loudest proponent of the Trump agenda. Ken Paxton, a fire brand, attorney general from Texas. Uh he has been behind Trump through thick and thin that included filing multiple lawsuits related to the 2020 election.

[00:06:23]Also, he made a number of moves on immigration during the Biden administration. Really trying to show his loyalty to MAGA, loyalty to Donald Trump, uh whether Trump was popular or in the aftermath of January 6th. And that was really what was an issue here for John Cornin. John Cornin been in the US Senate since 2002. more than 20 years in the US Senate, including in leadership. He was a very reliable Trump vote. Uh, in fact, Cornin posted that he voted with Trump 99% of the time. But Trump wants 100%. And last week, Trump said, "Ken Paxton has always been extremely loyal to me. Cornin is a good man, but was not supportive of me when times were tough." What he's referring to there is in the aftermath of January 6 when effectively Trump became persona nonada in the Republican party. Cornin was not among those flying to Mara Lago or being very supportive of Trump. Ken Paxton was hence the endorsement for Ken Paxton. Now this follows just a couple weeks ago when Donald Trump also successfully backed another Republican primary challenger to unseat another US senator who'd been there a while, Bill Cassy of Louisiana. Now, Trump's issue with Cassidy was much more significant.

[00:07:34]Cassidy was actually one of a few Republicans who voted to convict Trump on impeachment back in 2021. So, Trump took out Cassy in Louisiana just a couple weeks ago. And now he took out Cornin in Texas. Now, again, Cornin very loyal to Trump, but not as loyal, not as vocally loyal as Ken Paxton. Now, this came despite a number of Senate Republicans telling Trump, "Cornin is your guy. Please stick with Cornin here." This was not a popular move among Senate Republicans, many of whom have worked with Cornin for a long time, and who are concerned about ensuring Republicans can keep Texas red this November. That's because Ken Paxton will now face off against James Telerico. He is a Democratic state rep in Texas and considered pretty formidable, especially again against Ken Paxton. Why is that?

[00:08:22]Because Ken Paxton has a lot of baggage with him. He was indicted on multiple criminal charges. He was impeached by his fellow Republicans in Texas, though he was then later acquitted. He's been accused of adultery by his wife of 38 years. So, there's a lot of both personal, professional, and uh criminal indictment baggage there. James Rico not wasting any time on Tuesday night within minutes of Ken Paxton's victory. He uh tweeted out Ken Paxton's mugsh shot from his indictment on three felony accounts for investment fraud. again he was acquitted but Telico also noting he was impeached by his own party for corruption now he's the Republican nominee for US Senate Telerico telling his supporters together we will stop him now the argument from the Republican side here you hear from Ken Paxton is that Telerico is an extremist believes in more than two genders and lately they've been talking about how he's a vegan even though he's not a vegan because he happened to order a breakfast taco that didn't have meat in it so they're very much trying to characterize him as uh not masc masculine, not macho, uh, a believer in very extremist gender ideology. And so, you're going to see a very expensive, very divisive campaign in Texas over the next few months. This is one of the few Senate seats where Democrats feel they have an opportunity to win and potentially win a majority in the US Senate this November. So, this $130 million spent on just the Republican primary here, it's going to look pretty small when in November we potentially could be looking at a $500 million plus campaign in Texas in just this race.

[00:10:00]>> Sticking with politics, a couple of setbacks for Republicans on Tuesday as they look to redraw congressional maps and add more Republican seats ahead of the midterm elections in November. In South Carolina, where early voting started on Tuesday for these state's primaries, the state senate rejected a Republican plan that would have essentially cancelled those congressional votes and then scheduled a new primary with revised districts. The new map was designed to help the GOP oust a longtime Democratic lawmaker, Representative Jim Klyurn, by essentially slicing up his district.

[00:10:39]Klyurn was the first black member of Congress elected from the state in nearly a century. He represents the only district where Democrats have an electoral advantage. Republicans were looking to redraw the lines in a way that would take control of all seven congressional districts in the state.

[00:10:55]But some state senators, even Republicans, said that it was simply too late to make a change. More than 25,000 South Carolinians had already voted on Tuesday ahead of the June 9th primary.

[00:11:08]Republican state senator Richard Cash saying quote South Carolina citizens are going to the polls today and either my conscience or common sense is going to let me stop an election that is already underway. Mosh, it has been a mad dash since the Supreme Court ruling a few weeks ago which weakened the Voting Rights Act.

[00:11:27]>> Right. That was the law that was viewed for a long time as requiring states to ensure that uh they offer majority minority districts. So if there's a significant black population, you don't splice up that black population into a whole number of white majority districts, you allow uh those minorities to have some majority districts. But ultimately, with the most recent Supreme Court ruling, which many saw is a weakening of the Voting Rights Act, you saw a lot of southern states now making changes based on that, saying, "Well, we don't have to abide by that anymore, so let's slice some things up." So in Tennessee, you saw them slice up Memphis and slice up Nashville further. In Mississippi, you saw them slice up Democratic districts there. And then Q South Carolina, uh, which is dealing with issues related to their attempt to take out a Democratic seat. And Alabama, yesterday, a federal court blocking the state from using a map designed to give Republicans one extra seat in the state of Alabama. They currently have an edge uh in five out of the seven seats. They were looking to take an edge in six out of the seven seats. Uh but a three judge panel ruled that Alabama could not use its new map because the panel had years ago determined that it represents an intentional effort to crack the black population in Alabama. So you're seeing in some cases here lower courts take issue or not interpret uh the Supreme Court decision uh in a way that Republicans were hoping for. So this case may end up back in the Supreme Court here. they may have to rule again here or be more specific. Uh we'll see what happens, but Alabama hoping to add a GOP district there dealing with a legal setback. We will watch this move its way through the courts. Uh in addition to the process currently unfolding there in South Carolina.

[00:13:08]Overall though, when you look at the redistricting effort right now, it appears Republicans do have an advantage that they have added more seats than Democrats. This was the whole redistricting gerrymandering effort uh that you saw begin in Texas last year and then Democrats countered in California and that really set off uh an effort in nearly a dozen states across the country here. Democrats initially felt they had an advantage uh in their counter of the Republican additions.

[00:13:34]Ultimately then though you would have the Supreme Court ruling that led to the most recent round of Republican additions and moves in the southern states I just mentioned. And one more quick political story. This is about money in politics. Something to keep in mind as you're voting. The candidates on your ballot may be getting promoted and financially backed by groups that are tied to the other party. So in Texas right now, there is a mystery super PAC believed to be tied to Republicans that spent nearly a million dollars to boost Meen Galindo in a Democratic primary runoff. And it's not because they agree with her, but it's because they think that she'll be easier to beat in November and that she makes Democrats look pretty bad. So, who is Galindo? She is a sex therapist who has claimed that Jews control American banking, politics, and the media. She has called for American Zionists to be put in internment camps. and she's been widely condemned by Democratic party leaders who have publicly called for whatever super PAC is promoting her to stop.

[00:14:42]>> All right, we have more results here from Texas on Tuesday night. Meen Galindo was defeated on Tuesday night in her race. Uh this is a a congressional district in the San Antonio area, the 35th congressional district in Texas. It appears despite Republican groups, shadowy Republican groups here supporting Galindo hoping that she would win this primary that they can then spend the summer in fall characterizing Democrats as extremist also having what they would have hoped an easier time winning this congressional race in the fall. Uh Galindo despite all of that goes down to fellow Democrat Johnny Garcia in the primary there in that district. Garcia winning pretty handily with about 62% of the vote in that district. He is a deputy sheriff there in the San Antonio area. So certainly Democrats on a national level and at a local level breathing a sigh of relief here given some of Galindo's very extreme comments, very anti-semitic comments. But Jill, to the larger point here, talking about these super PAC groups or these various parties supporting extremist members of the other party in a primary. This is nothing new here. This is something we have seen for several cycles now.

[00:15:50]Republicans and Democrats finding races across the country where there's an extremist running and funneling money into those races, hoping they can then face that opponent in the fall, give themselves an easier time. This mystery super PAC tied to Republicans that were trying to get Galinda to win in Texas.

[00:16:09]Also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a Pennsylvania Democratic primary. They put money into races in Nebraska. again trying to support candidates, Democratic candidates, that they view as weaker when the general election comes around. Now, Democrats did this infamously in Michigan back in 2022, supporting a Trump backed election denier in Michigan, helping him defeat a more moderate Republican uh and then taking him on and taking him out in the fall. We also saw this happen in Illinois as allies of the governor. JB Pritsker helped a a much more conservative far-right Republican win the GOP primary. Uh and then Pritsker went on in the fall to defeat him. So we see this over and over again recently.

[00:16:53]Certainly at times these parties could be playing with fire if these people go on to win. That's certainly an argument you heard from Democrats saying, "Listen, Republicans, whoever is supporting Galindo, nobody wants this person in office. she is not a responsible person. Please stop doing this. But ultimately, folks, this is legal. Uh this is all in the aftermath of the 2010 Supreme Court ruling Citizens United. You might have heard about this case. We've discussed it at length, especially in our workshops over for the Mo News Premium community. If you're not a member, by the way, join mo.NES/premium for access to those workshops. And what we saw in that Citizens United case is that the Supreme Court effectively ruled that money is free speech. That anyone can spend and any organization can spend unlimited amounts of money on ads as long as they do not coordinate with the candidate. Uh and of course there are different disclosure rules. At some point we may learn uh who is involved in the most recent efforts here in Texas and other places, but sometimes it takes a while and there's not full disclosure for every type of donation out there. That would be something that a Congress would have to pass legislation on. And of course, the Supreme Court would have to rule that uh that is constitutional. So that's something that we potentially could see down the road. Uh in the meantime, if you're looking to find out who is helping your candidate, definitely go to a couple websites that we rely on. Opensecs.org. org and fec.gov. Again, fec.gov.

[00:18:20]>> And I lied, Mosh. We have one more political story. This involving the president's health. President Trump arrived at Walter Reed early Tuesday for what the White House called a routine annual dental and medical assessment. It is his third in-person doctor's visit in a little bit over a year. He had his first full physical at Walter Reed in April of last year and then a follow-up visit in October. Presidents are not legally required to release their medical records, but the White House published the results of his last physical uh 2 days after the exam. That said, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, quote, "Just finished my six-month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out perfectly, perfectly in all caps there. Thank you to the great doctors and staff heading back to the White House."

[00:19:07]>> So, we should mention Trump is set to turn 80 years old next month on June 14th. He is the oldest person to ever assume the presidency. He was slightly older than Joe Biden uh when he took office here. And he will go out should he serve the full four-year terms as the oldest president ever to leave office.

[00:19:26]Now, while Trump there in that uh social media post and the White House often declare him to be in excellent health, there have been some concerning uh observations of late. uh swollen ankles, uh a lot of bruising on his hands, uh and we are seeing him fall asleep a lot uh during meetings, these bouts of drowsiness that have raised questions about his fitness in office. You also have a media that was widely criticized for not spending enough time focused on Biden's health during his presidency.

[00:19:54]So, you see a lot of scrutiny here, especially of late, of uh signs of Trump's aging and questions about his health. Nonetheless, you do see the people around the president say that he is totally healthy. Uh now ultimately as you mentioned there is no law requiring them to release full medical records on a president. That is something Congress would have to pass and a president would have to sign at some point. We've sort of been depending on presidents for decades to share with us uh what it is they think we should know about their health, especially going back to uh Kennedy uh covering up his health conditions like Addison's disease and FDR actually working with the media during his time as president to cover up the time he spent in a wheelchair uh and various issues related to his polio. So, uh, ultimately in the modern era, we have heard more about presidential health, but at the end of the day, it still comes down to the White House releasing what it is they want to release. And a lot of what you hear from the White House of late is that he's got bruising on his hands cuz he shakes too many hands, which is being viewed skeptically. Uh, and uh, Trump has admitted that he takes way more aspirin than is recommended. And so that can lead to soft tissue irritation and bruising there. uh given that Trump is talking constantly about how much aspirin he likes to take.

[00:21:06]>> He says he wants very very thin blood.

[00:21:09]>> Yeah, he's he's scared of a heart attack. So, he gets aggressive and again says he takes way more aspirin than doctors tell him to.

[00:21:17]>> Okay, we're also watching two major chemical emergencies unfolding on the West Coast. These are unrelated to each other, but they are both drawing significant attention because of the chemicals involved and also the potential risks to workers and the surrounding communities. So, we'll start in Washington State. Recovery efforts are underway after a deadly explosion at a paper mill in Long View. So, this plant's about 45 miles northwest of Portland, Oregon. Officials say that a tank that had industrial chemicals that are used in paper production ruptured and triggered a powerful blast that killed multiple people and injured others. Recovery teams are still working to account for workers who are missing.

[00:22:00]The explosion happened Tuesday morning at the Nippon packaging facility in Long View. That is a major pulp and paper mill. It employs hundreds of workers.

[00:22:10]Investigators say that a vessel was holding something called white liquor and it ruptured. Despite the name, this is not alcohol. White liquor is a highly corrosive chemical solution that's used in paper manufacturing. As I said, multiple people were killed. At least 10 were injured, including a firefighter.

[00:22:28]And at least as of this recording, officials say that several workers are still unaccounted for. And Mosha story, I know that you covered yesterday on the podcast. In Southern California, an entirely different situation that we've been tracking. Emergency crews in Orange County have been racing to prevent what they feared could become a catastrophic explosion involving a massive chemical storage tank at an aerospace facility.

[00:22:52]Tens of thousands of people who live around that Garden Grove facility were forced from their homes as crews monitored temperatures, venting, and pressure inside of the tank.

[00:23:04]>> So, the good thing is, as we told you yesterday, the worst case scenario in California appears to have been avoided.

[00:23:09]though thousands of local residents in and around that Garden Grove facility where there's a 34,000galon tank holding uh some toxic chemicals uh continue to uh be uh living outside of their homes.

[00:23:24]Crews are continuing to monitor the site before they give the all clear for everyone to return. Some people got to return, some people can't return yet.

[00:23:30]The tank there began overheating and venting vapor back on Thursday. Uh there's a highly flammable chemical that's used to make acrylic plastics at that plant. The biggest fear was what they call a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, but ultimately that did not take place. Thankfully, partially because Jill, there was a crack in the tank and that crack turned out to be a good thing because it allowed some of the pressure to be relieved there. Now, they don't have a timeline yet as to when they uh feel they will completely be able uh to deal with the situation and allow everyone to return home. But as we begin Wednesday here, crews are still monitoring conditions. 16,000 people remain evacuated, and there's still some concern about a smaller explosion until they're able to resolve this thing.

[00:24:14]>> All right, time now for the speed read.

[00:24:16]Starting with the latest backlash to big tech from Reuters. The Supreme Court cleared the way Tuesday for Vermont's attorney general to sue Meta over allegations that Instagram was designed to be addictive to young users. This decision comes as big tech companies are facing a wave of litigation by individuals, cities, states, and school districts over claims that social media harms young users mental health and well-being. Meta was officially appealing a lower court's ruling that denied the company's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. The Supreme Court sided with the lower court. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, argued that Vermont didn't have the authority to sue the company in its courts. The company declined to comment on the Supreme Court's ruling.

[00:25:05]>> So, Vermont's attorney general back in 2023 sued Meta in state court, arguing that Instagram was designed to quote, "exploit teenagers, developing brains, and to foster addiction, and sell more advertising space, including ads that target teens in Vermont." Meta was hoping for the Supreme Court to rule here that they can't just deal with things in Vermont that this is a national issue. The Supreme Court saying nope, Vermont can go ahead with this.

[00:25:29]And this comes as Meta has seen a number of setbacks in recent months. Courts or juries in Massachusetts, New Mexico, and California in recent months have allowed or ruled against Meta in lawsuits accusing Instagram and Facebook of harming young users, misleading families about safety, and contributing to youth mental health problems. The folks at Meta say that they have boosted their teen protections, their children's protections on the platform, are working with parents groups in order to do more and protect young people on the platforms. But ultimately we have seen uh more and more of these cases Jill.

[00:26:04]We've been covering a number of them uh as uh increasingly people are able to pinpoint issues and unfortunately uh deaths related they say to the impact these social media platforms have had on their kids.

[00:26:19]Okay. Now to a story that has been gripping Spain, Europe, and increasingly people here in the United States. from the Guardian newspaper. A mystery involving a billionaire founder, a family empire, and a death in the mountains. And now the son at the center of it all is stepping away from the company. So we were talking about Jonathan Andic. He is the heir to Mango, one of Europe's biggest fashion brands.

[00:26:44]Mango is increasingly here in the United States as well. On Tuesday, Andic announced that he's going to temporarily be stepping down as vice chairman while he focuses on defending himself in the investigation surrounding the death of his father, Mango founder Isaac Andic.

[00:27:00]So Isaac Andic built Mango into a global retailer worth billions. He died in late 2024 after he allegedly fell during a hike outside of Barcelona. For more than a year, this death was treated as an accident. But investigators recently reopened the case. And last week, his son Jonathan was detained and questioned by police. He was released on roughly a 1 million euro bail. And police publicly identified him as being under investigation. Jonathan denies any wrongdoing. He says he is innocent.

[00:27:36]Isaac, the father, had an estimated $4.5 billion fortune at the time of his death. Investigators are reportedly examining whether Isaac had plans involving changes to his estate inheritance and how much of his money would go to charity. That said, Jonathan Andic and his two sisters now own 95% of the company. But we have since learned that Jonathan and his father had a complicated fatherson relationship.

[00:28:02]There were questions over succession and also the inheritance. Mosh, a lot of Americans probably know the Mango brand but not the family behind it. So, walk us through who they are and how this case got here.

[00:28:15]>> Yeah, this is a case that is increasing getting attention here in the US. If you're an American hearing about this story for the first time and you haven't heard of Mango, Mango is a really big deal. Global fashion retailer. Uh it is one of Europe's largest clothing brands, a major competitor to Zara. Uh Jill, uh a quick survey of our staff, at least the women on our staff. Uh most people own some mango. It's increasingly, as you mentioned, growing here in the US.

[00:28:40]Now, this company was built by Isaac Andic, who you mentioned, and had a pretty remarkable backstory. He was a Turkish-born Jewish immigrant who moved to Spain as a teenager and built Mango from a small clothing business to a multi-billion dollar fashion empire. By the time he died, his fortune was estimated to be somewhere between 4 and5 billion.

[00:28:59]Then comes the hike that he takes with his son here. December 2024, Isaac Andic is hiking in the mountains near Barcelona with his son Jonathan. During that hike, Isaac falls to his death.

[00:29:11]Police initially call it an accident.

[00:29:13]The case effectively closed, but it has now been reopened. And over the last year and a half, authorities have been reviewing phone records, messages, geoloccation information. They've interviewed people close to the family as they've been re-examining what happened here. And there's one detail in particular uh that has led them to make Jonathan a suspect here. According to the judge, investigators alleged Jonathan's vehicle traveled to that hiking area multiple times before the trip with his father, reportedly three visits in the week leading up to the hike, leading them to believe that he may have been scoping out that site.

[00:29:48]There are also court documents that reference questions surrounding missing phone evidence tied to a later trip there. Uh the idea here that things may have been deleted in advance or in the aftermath of this. To be very clear here, Jonathan denies wrongdoing, says he's innocent despite leaving his role with the company. He says it's a distraction for the company right now, and he's pushing back very strongly against the allegations that he purposefully may have shoved his father there. Now, this likely goes to court at some point, and a lot potentially could be revealed about the relationship there between father and son, what the father may have revealed about his plans to take most of the inheritance or the company and hand it over to charity. All of that playing a potential role here to determine what exactly took place on that hike that father and son took there back in December of 2024. Apparently, this has reopened years of family tension. Jonathan had been viewed as the Arab parent here. He spent many years inside Mango, helped oversee major parts of the business and for a period was effectively positioned to be the future leader. But then there were various leadership disputes, difficult family periods there over uh the last few years. Another executive rose through the company who would ultimately become CEO and later chairman. But now in the aftermath of Andex's death, uh Jonathan and his sisters still control the majority of the company here. Uh but he is now stepping away from that role. And this is a case we will continue to follow here. Jill, uh, I imagine will likely become the subject of multiple podcasts and a Netflix series or I don't know, Hulu, one of those streaming services will probably take this up at some point.

[00:31:26]>> I do want to mention the And family says that there is no legitimate evidence against Jonathan. He himself wrote an open letter to the staff at Mango on Tuesday. He calls the accusation the gravest, most unjust, and unfounded imaginable, saying it is one-sided and distorted, and that he just needs to concentrate all of his energy uh to prove his innocence.

[00:31:51]To the economy now, and what is being dubbed by economists as a vibe session from Axios. A vibe session is when consumers themselves feel relatively stable, but they're still pessimistic about the broader economy. What this means in practice is that Americans are splurging on small treats from movie tickets to collectible watches, which is helping to sustain consumer spending, but they are putting off larger purchases. Other Vibe Session winners include food delivery services like Door Dash, which reported a 27% year-over-year increase in orders in the first few months of 2026. Hobbies and collectibles are in demand. Notably, there was this limited edition pop art inspired pocket watch that drew large crowds to swatch stores in New York, the UK, and France. The stores actually had to shut down in some cases. Economists have often referred to small splurges in tough economic times as the lipstick index because personal care products often see a boost from consumer anxieties. And on that note, L'Oreal, which is the world's largest beauty company and the owner of the high-end brands like YSL Beauty and Urban Decay, they said their beauty product sales rose by nearly 7% in the first few months of the year. Affordable luxury fashion and accessories are still selling well. For now, travel spending also remains strong across the board, although higher income consumer spending has retreated somewhat since the Iran war began earlier this year, and that triggered a gas price spike. One recent analysis found that if current gas prices persist for a while here, it could cost families an extra $1,100 plus in annual energy expenditures this year compared to the same period last year.

[00:33:40]Uh right now, the national average falls at just about $4.50 a gallon per AAA.

[00:33:44]It's a few cents lower than last week, but still a$150 higher than before the war. A semaphore, the newsletter had a good analysis on this uh regarding just inflation overall, saying that two of President Trump's top priorities, the tariffs and the Iran war, have both in tandem fueled a spike in grocery prices, gas prices, and other prices here. And as midterm elections near, consumer sentiment has plummeted to record lows.

[00:34:11]So, the president right now, he would need to reverse course on uh tariffs or potentially strike a deal very quickly on Iran if he's looking to bring these prices down, especially since he ran as somebody who would bring down costs for the average American. And asked recently about prices, Trump has dismissed the whole affordability uh storyline. He said, quote, "This is peanuts, and I appreciate everyone putting up with it for a little while. It won't be much longer," he said. when it comes to these higher prices.

[00:34:43]>> Now to a pretty dire warning for people who live in New Orleans. From CNN, it is no secret that New Orleans is highly vulnerable to rising seas as the planet warms. Coastal Louisiana is one of the lowest lying regions in the world. And New Orleans, which has a population of 360,000, is particularly exposed. A new analysis found that New Orleans could be surrounded by ocean faster than previously thought as early as this century. Coastal Louisiana faces sea level rise of about 10 to 23 feet.

[00:35:16]According to an analysis published in the journal Nature Sustainability, it says that the impacts will be bleak, that about 75% of its remaining wetlands are set to be lost, and that its shoreline could retreat inland by up to 62 miles. So, this is all set to happen here in the coming decades. And we know that New Orleans already uh is surrounded by water here. It sits in this bull-shaped basin, mostly below sea level. And the Delta, the Louisiana Delta continues to shrink year by year.

[00:35:46]We've already seen uh some towns, some small towns Louisiana have to evacuate or in the midst of evacuating as the delta gets eaten up by the Gulf of Mexico as uh water rises. This analysis says that the region itself has crossed the point of no return here and it comes as New Orleans has already lost about 25% of its population in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina back 20 years ago.

[00:36:09]While the local, state, and federal government could spend billions, tens of billions, hundreds of billions of dollars to try to protect New Orleans over time, uh they argue that the alternative, the better alternative is to just basically pick up and move uh New Orleans. Now, this is a 300-year-old city, 300 years plus, Jill. It was founded back in 1718, and it has had an incredible historical impact on American culture and global culture. It was the birthplace of jazz music, Marty Grod traditions, iconic foods like gumbo, jumbolaya, beignes, pobo, an incredible mix of cultures, whether it's African, Caribbean, French, Spanish over time. But the researchers here argue that it is time to make a very hard decision. And as opposed to spending the money on trying to protect New Orleans from the inevitable here of the water encroaching over time, money better spent just picking up and moving the city. Now, we have seen this on a small scale. There's a small city in Alaska called Newuck uh where they actually moved the residents. Now, albeit there were 400 people who lived there, Jill, but they've been dealing with climate issues. A little bit easier to move 400 versus 400,000 people. Uh but ultimately they basically relocated a small Alaskan town about 9 miles across a river to higher ground. Now the most more significant example Jill that is much much much much larger than New Orleans is Jakarta, Indonesia. In Indonesia, one of the largest climate related relocation efforts is currently taking place. Now Jakarta to give you context is slightly larger than New York City. 10 million people live in Jakarta.

[00:37:42]The greater area around Jakarta is actually 30 million people. And Indonesia right now it's moving its capital about 1,200 miles away uh to a new city driven in part by uh land issues. Uh the parts of Jakarta are sinking uh and many parts of it will be underwater here in the coming years. So they're actually moving a city of 10 million people right now in Indonesia.

[00:38:04]This is something we will see in Bangladesh, other parts of the world. uh huge cities that over time as oceans rise bit by bit here they have to be making these hard decisions because you can't build a city in a day or in a year uh it takes years potentially decades to relocate people and so the decisions being made in many places not to protect those cities and try to keep them for survival into the next century but to basically cut bait and uh go to a new place >> and the story everybody's been waiting for this viral story about brushing your teeth from Bar Stool Sports.

[00:38:39]Philadelphia Philly's first baseman Bryce Harper has the internet confused to say the least after posting a viral video showing his unusual way of brushing his teeth. So instead of putting toothpaste on the toothbrush first, Harper squeezes toothpaste directly into his mouth before using a wet toothbrush. Harper, by the way, an eight-time all-star, a two-time National League MVP. He posted a video of his morning routine on Tik Tok. He was in a hotel bathroom in San Diego. That's where the Phillies are playing the Padres's in a three-game series. And he didn't acknowledge that most people do not brush their teeth this way. It was just sort of part of the video of him saying, "Oh, you're, you know, I scrape my tongue. I I brush my teeth." Uh, Mosh, I know we asked on Instagram what people thought. So, what does the Mo News community think of all this, >> Jill? Some people on his Tik Tok page calling it toothpaste rage bait.

[00:39:37]It really ranges. Uh, we did hear from some people on Instagram who are like, "My husband does this and I'm considering divorce." Jokingly, we think. Uh, but, uh, ultimately, our poll showed the vast majority of people do not approve of this, Jill. Uh, according to our poll, naturally with, uh, baseball puns, only 2% call this home run hygiene. about 184 people out of 10,000 people who voted. 65% said strikeout straight back to the dugout.

[00:40:06]Uh and then about a third said play on don't care. So twothirds of people outraged, a third of people eh and then a very small percent 2% saying cool acknowledging that they might be doing it themselves or that's something they might try. We did hear from some dentists and dental hygienists in the Modus community. Jill, one dental hygienist saying she had never seen that in all three years of practice. But then we were talking about in the office and it sort of reminds me of whenever you do your cleaning that you know when they when they polish your teeth the way they polish their teeth often. I've had hygienists who like sort of rub that toothpaste onto your teeth and then go with that like electric brusher. So I guess that's sort of similar to what Bryce did there. you know, not fully excusing it, but like that is one way to do it. But just a reminder, folks, you might ask, if you're ever visiting somebody and you ask to borrow their toothpaste, you might ask if they use the Bryce Harper technique and squeeze the tube straight in their mouth, you know, to ensure that you're not like taking on that person's germs. Well, that's where it's really not hygienic because to put your mouth directly on the toothpaste tube, then all of your germs are are stuck there cuz you don't rinse the top of the tube. Even if you don't share it with anybody else, it's still your germs. And it could take a few weeks to go through a full tube of toothpaste. So, I don't know. I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Like, how did he even come up with that? I I don't understand.

[00:41:39]>> Listen, we're waiting to hear from Bryce. I I just before we taped this, I checked his Tik Tok account. I checked his social media. He has not addressed this story. I imagine he has to have people in his life who are like, "Bryce, like your video is blowing up online.

[00:41:52]You might want to address this." So, uh, rest assured, folks, we are continuing to monitor the Bryce Harbor toothpaste gate story and we will have an update for you later this week if he provides one.

[00:42:06]All right, now time for on this day in history. On this day in 1647, the first execution of alleged witches happened in Salem, Massachusetts, uh nearly 400 years ago today. Fast forward to the 20th century. On this day in 1930, the Chrysler building opens up in New York City, becoming the tallest building in the world ever so briefly. It ended a 40-year run by the Eiffel Tower, which was previously the tallest building in the world. But Chrysler building's reign would last just about 300 days cuz the Empire State Building would open up just about a year later in 1931.

[00:42:42]Now, I will say, uh, Jill, there was one building that was the world's tallest building for 3,800 years until the Eiffel Tower took its crown. Can you name it?

[00:42:52]>> I'm going to kick myself, but I my No, my brain's not working. I have >> The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. So, the Great Pyramid. thinking that but I was like no it's not a >> building the tallest building on earth for 3,800 years until the Eiffel Tower that lasts 40 years then the Chrysler building that last 300 days and then you get the Empire State Building in 1931 and uh since then there have been a whole lot of changes but uh fun fact for all of you uh on this day in history >> okay in fairness to myself I was not considering the pyramids buildings but I guess essentially they are buildings >> it's a tomb for a and name the pharaoh.

[00:43:31]>> We know Mosh, you're obsessed with the pyramids.

[00:43:36]So, Mosh, one of my kind of pet peeves when we talk about the tallest buildings and how, okay, they had the record for x amount of time. I feel like buildings now, they just make that spire on the top of the building. They just keep growing that to the building itself where people actually can work and live and and function. Those aren't getting any bigger. It's just the spires are getting bigger.

[00:44:01]>> Yeah. And that's been a huge debate in the architectural community, Jill. Uh including I will say as a Chicago born and raised, one of our frustrations uh when the Sears Tower was taken out of the world's tallest building, uh was by the Petronis towers in Koala Lumpur, Malaysia. And one of our issues was like, yeah, but they're not taller.

[00:44:20]They're just taller because of their spires, not because the building itself.

[00:44:24]Now, since then, I think the Sears Tower, now redubbed the Willis Tower, but Chicagoans will always call the Sears Tower, uh, is now like 20th on the list or something. I mean, there's been a lot of buildings between buildings in China, Burge, Dubai, uh, etc., uh, that are much much taller, but at the time, yes, there was a whole Spire debate and then they debate over the antennas. You know, you often times with those tall buildings, you put antennas on top of them. Do the antennas count? There's a committees of people who decide these things and uh again another subject for another podcast one day. A couple other items here on this day in history.

[00:44:58]Staying with construction history on this day in history. In 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge was opened. It was the world's longest suspension bridge until it was beaten out by the Verzano Bridge here in New York. Now most of the longer ones are in China, much longer than Golden Gate or the Verzano. And we end here with a bit of pop culture music history. On this day, May 27th, 1963, Bob Dylan releases his second album, The Free Wheeling Bob Dylan, which goes on to transform him from a popular local act to a global phenomenon. It includes Blown in the Windong hits. and Jill. On this day in 2017, Despacito by Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber tops the Hot 100 Billboard charts number one, becoming the third ever song sung mostly in Spanish to hit number one on the Billboard charts here in the US. The first song uh to do that was Labomba.

[00:45:53]Number two, Macarena. Number three, Despacito. And then most recently, Bad Bunny's DTMF uh was the fourth one to go number one as a Spanish majority song.

[00:46:04]Then there's a whole bunch of other songs that have some Spanish in them, but we don't give them full credit because they're not majority Spanish, including Hips Don't Lie by Shakira, which is majority English. And we will see her perform very soon at that uh World Cup halftime show as we Americans bring the halftime show to the World Cup this summer.

[00:46:22]>> Get ready worlds. The halftime is a lot of fun. I hope everyone enjoys it. Yeah, it'll also include Madonna and BTS Jill.

[00:46:29]So, it's going to be quite a performance.

[00:46:30]>> All right, everyone. Thank you for listening to the Mo News podcast on this Wednesday. If you like what you hear, please share this with your friends.

[00:46:38]That is how we grow. We rely on those recommendations. Follow us, subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Review us kindly in the app store. And of course, if you value our news coverage, consider joining the Mo premium community.

[00:46:51]>> Yes, hundreds and hundreds of you joined this weekend as we had uh that special deal. But uh we continue to uh look for your support to keep this thing going and growing. Also provide you quality coverage, free coverage on the main feed as well as additional analysis and exclusive podcasts for all you premium members along with all the other benefits. Check it out over at mo.news/premium.

[00:47:10]>> All right, everyone. Have a great day.

[00:47:11]We'll see you back here tomorrow.

[00:47:14]>> Hi, I'm Olivia.

[00:47:16]Thank you pocket with Mo.