Taylor Swift is not typically one to center her boyfriends.
I know that contradicts the party line that Swift’s critics began to hawk when she was a teenager — that she’s either a besotted, boy-crazy mess or a serial man-eater, depending on whom you ask.
Yes, Swift writes songs about falling in love, breaking up, and every stage of romance in between. (She also writes songs about many other topics, including friendship, fame, sexism, and more, but that’s a lecture for another day.) But as a public figure and music industry tycoon, Swift has largely avoided mixing business and pleasure — until now.
At 12:12 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Swift announced the title of her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” But instead of doing it on her social media accounts, a livestream, or during her Grammys acceptance speech, she gave the exclusive to her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s football podcast.
Swift sits next to Kelce in a teaser clip from his “New Heights” podcast, which the NFL star co-hosts with his brother Jason. “I wanted to show you something,” Swift tells Jason, reaching for a mint green briefcase labeled “T.S.” She opens it while announcing the record’s title, though the album’s cover is blurred out.
For a different celebrity, announcing your latest project on a partner’s podcast might not be a big deal. But Swift’s star power is such that she doesn’t need anyone else to promote her music. For years, she has pulled back from traditional media opportunities like magazine covers and late-night TV appearances, instead relying on the self-contained machine of her website and verified social media accounts to communicate news to her fans.
Glimpses of her private life were similarly limited. Swift spent the previous six or so years evading public scenes with her then-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, dodging questions about their relationship and executing minimal album rollouts — no lead singles, very rare interviews, and certainly no sports podcasts.
Swift’s relationship with Kelce, whom she began dating in 2023, has marked a new era for the pop star’s public persona. It’s not that Swift hasn’t dabbled in the customary celebrity-in-love playbook before; she’s executed plenty of paparazzi walks and award-show date nights. It’s not even the first time she’s involved a boyfriend in her creative pursuits: She wrote the lyrics for then-boyfriend Calvin Harris’ 2016 hit “This Is What You Came For,” while she and Alwyn cowrote multiple songs for her surprise 2020 album “Folklore” while they were dating. It’s that those collaborations were always under pseudonyms and revealed after the fact, as Swift worked hard to center herself in her own work, rather than muddying her career moves by putting even more attention on her love life.
With Kelce, Swift is proudly involving him every step of the way. Swift has cheered for Kelce at seemingly every football game she can manage, even as she was busy touring the world. Kelce returned the favor by attending several Eras Tour shows, where Swift would sometimes change her own lyrics to honor his presence. (Who among us could forget the first time she sang, “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me,” in Buenos Aires?) The couple even shocked fans with the ultimate hard launch, when Swift welcomed Kelce onstage for a surprise cameo, signaling a decisive shift in her drive for publicity around her relationship.
Both Swift and Kelce have publicly put emphasis on their bond as equal partners and supporters, something Kelce reiterated in an expertly timed GQ cover interview published mere hours after Swift’s album announcement.
“I get to go and be that fan,” Kelce told GQ of attending Swift’s concerts. “Because I am a fan. I’m a fan of music. I’m a fan of art. And it’s so cool that I get to experience her being that plus one for me on the football field…. I feel that same enjoyment every time she comes to my shows.”
Their synergy quickly began to work in Kelce’s favor. Swift’s high-profile fandom sparked an unprecedented surge in NFL viewership, especially among younger girls, and a marked increase in Kelce’s jersey sales.
Fans support Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift at a Kansas City Chiefs game.
Eric Thomas/Getty Images
Swift launching her next era with Kelce by her side suggests that Swift considers Kelce’s podcast a piece of her own media empire. He is not only playing the role of her boyfriend in her personal life, but also is an active participant in both her professional organization and public image.
Time will tell if their synergy will work for Swift as well as it has worked for Kelce. She arguably has much less to gain from his audience than vice versa; her business was thriving just fine without him. The Eras Tour, which caused a ticket stampede long before Kelce entered the picture, sold so well that it helped make Swift a billionaire. Her most recent album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which was self-evidently not written about Kelce, sold over 2.6 million copies in its first week of release and topped the Billboard 200 chart for 17 weeks, the best commercial performance of her career thus far.
Will an album about a happy relationship sell better than one about a self-described “manic phase” that resulted in heartbreak? My instinct says no — Swift’s best-loved songs are her breakup anthems. But I never thought I’d be tuning in to a football podcast to hear Swift talk about her music, so perhaps anything is possible.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan’s eastern region near the Pakistan border on Sunday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
USGS reported that the quake occurred 27km (16.77 miles) north-east of Jalalabad, in Nangarhar Province, and at a depth of 8km (4.97 miles). It struck at 11:47 p.m. local time. USGS models estimate the shaking could result in hundreds of fatalities.
Nearly half a million people likely felt strong to very strong shaking, which can result in considerable damage to poorly built structures, according to the USGS.
At least nine people were killed and 25 others were injured in Nangarhar, Reuters reported, citing Ajmal Darwaish, spokesman for the province’s health department.
“Unfortunately, tonight’s earthquake has had human casualties and financial damages in some of our eastern provinces,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X.
“Right now, local officials and residents are making all the efforts to rescue affected ones. Support teams from the capital and nearby provinces are also on their way. All available resources will be used for the rescue and relief of the people,” he added.
Around 20 minutes after the quake struck, a 4.5-magnitude aftershock hit the same region, according to USGS, later followed by a 5.2-magnitude aftershock — both at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles).
An orange alert was issued by the USGS PAGER system, which predicts economic and human loss after earthquakes.
“Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response,” it said.
Ahmad Zameer, 41, a resident in Kabul, told CNN the earthquake was strong and jolted his neighborhood more than 100 miles from the epicenter. He added that everyone from the nearby apartment buildings rushed to the street in fear of being trapped inside.
In October 2023, more than 2,000 people died after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Afghanistan – one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in recent years.
The Phillies have signed right-hander Walker Buehler, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports. The deal will become official once Buehler (who is represented by Excel) passes a physical, and Buehler is eligible for inclusion on a playoff roster because he is joining the Phillies before September 1. Gelb reported Philadelphia’s interest in Buehler earlier today.
It was just two days ago that the Red Sox released Buehler, bringing an early end to their partnership after Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05MM free agent deal last winter. Roughly $3.4MM remains on that contract, but the Sox will remain responsible for most of that money, as the Phils will owe Buehler just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary.
The signing is a flier to see if Buehler can bounce back in Philadelphia after a rough year in Boston. Buehler has struggled to a 5.45 ERA, 16.5% strikeout rate, and 10.8% walk rate over 112 1/3 innings this season, and opposing batters have taken him yard 22 times. The numbers aren’t far removed from Buehler’s regular-season performance over 75 1/3 innings with the Dodgers in 2024, when Buehler was returning to action after missing the entire 2023 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.
That was the second TJ procedure of Buehler’s career, and given how shaky he has looked in the aftermath, it remains to be seen if the righty can ever return to his past All-Star form. However, Buehler showed some flashes of his old self during the Dodgers’ playoff run in 2024, throwing 10 shutout innings over his last three appearance to help Los Angeles capture the championship. Most notably, Buehler even picked up the save to close out the clinching Game Five.
As Gelb notes, the Phillies are probably viewing Buehler as a bullpen contributor again for the playoffs given how the team already has its postseason rotation set. While losing Zack Wheeler for the season blew a big hole into the Phils’ pitching plans, there’s still plenty of starting options available in Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker. The Phillies were considering a six-man rotation for September when Wheeler was still available, so Buehler could potentially make a start or two just to help ease the innings burden on the other starters, and then slide into a relief role in October.
With a healthy 6.5-game lead over the Mets in the NL East, the Phillies have some breathing room to use September as a bit of a laboratory to figure out their optimal playoff roster. If Buehler’s struggles continue, the Phils could just leave him off a postseason roster entirely, with no cost to the team apart from his minimal salary.
A bigger-picture look at Buehler’s free-agent future should wait until his 2025 season is actually over. Buehler is still just 31 and probably wants to keep trying to re-establish himself as a starter, so he’ll likely sign another one-year deal (worth far less than $21.05MM) with a team in need of rotation help. Should Buehler pitch well as a reliever in Philadelphia, however, it might add an interesting wrinkle to the situation, as exploring a full-time role change would add more interest to Buehler’s market.
New York City’s former mayor Rudy Giuliani has been hospitalized after getting injured in a car wreck in New Hampshire over the weekend.
On Sunday, Giuliani’s head of security, Michael Ragusa, released a statement, saying that the 81-year old was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Saturday evening. According to Ragusa, prior to the incident, Giuliani was flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident.
“Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911. He remained on scene until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety. Following this, while traveling on the highway, mayor Giuliani’s vehicle was struck from behind at high speed,” Ragusa said.
Giuliani was transported to a nearby trauma center where he was treated for a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple cuts and bruises, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.
Giuliani’s business partner and medical provider were contacted and arrived at the hospital to oversee his care, Ragusa said, adding that Giuliani is in “good spirits and recovering tremendously”.
He went on to say that the incident “was not a targeted attack” and urged the public to “refrain from spreading unfounded conspiracy theories”.
In response to a comment from an X user who said: “Does anyone think the victim’s abuser waited for the car who helped her, to ram them? Maybe not even knowing it’s Giuliani,” Ragusa replied: “He was in a rent a car no one knew it was him.”
In 2024, Giuliani took a tumble at the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when he fell into some chairs. Following the incident which was shared widely across social media, Giuliani said: “I tripped as I was checking out the convention floor. The eyes of the world are on Fiserv Forum and the RNC, so my trip was seen by many. As a famous person once said: ‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’”
Giuliani served as New York City’s mayor from 1994 to 2001. He later went on to serve as Donald Trump’s lawyer before being disbarred in Washington DC and New York over false statements he made about the 2020 presidential election.
In 2023, a jury ordered Giuliani to pay $148.1m to two former election workers from Georgia after he falsely accused them of attempting to steal the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
