ESPN says its direct-to-consumer streaming service will debut in September at $29.99 a month

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By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN said Tuesday that its new all-encompassing streaming service will take on a familiar name — ESPN — and launch in September at an initial price of $29.99 per month.

The service will enable consumers to view all of ESPN’s various networks, including ones devoted to the SEC, Big 10 and ACC college leagues, as well as content from the current ESPN+ streaming service, which will be folded in to the new product.

The network also promised enhancements to its ESPN app for mobile devices, including using artificial intelligence to create a personalized “SportsCenter” for consumers that concentrates on news and highlights for their favorite teams, sports and athletes.

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September will represent a big moment for ESPN on par with the cable sports network’s launch in 1979, the introduction of ESPN2 in 1993 and launch of the ESPN.com website two years later, said Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN chairman. The exact date it will become available will be announced later.

It’s also a pivotal development in the accelerating industry shift from television to streaming. ESPN and its sister channels will remain available on cable and satellite systems.

After kicking around several ideas for what to call the service, which was known informally as “Flagship” during the developmental stages, Pitaro said executives decided to keep it simple. “There’s power in our name and there’s trust in our name,” he said.

All live events shown on ESPN networks, along with sports shown on broadcast sister ABC-TV, will be available through the streaming service.

So will its other programming, like “SportsCenter”, “Pardon the Interruption,” “First Take,” “The Pat McAfee Show,” “NFL Live” and original films. ESPN announced Tuesday that a former network personality, Rich Eisen, will bring his daily program to ESPN even as he continues to work at the NFL Network.

ESPN’s streaming service will be available for $299.99 per year. The Disney-owned network said it will also allow people to bundle ESPN along with Hulu and Disney+ for $35.99 a month — or $29.99 a month for the first year.

Although consumers will be able to buy the more limited slate of programming available now on ESPN+ for $11.99 a month, Pitaro said ESPN decided against offering other lower-cost alternatives containing some, but not all, of the company’s various services. It would be too confusing for consumers, he said.

Pitaro said ESPN remains open to other acquisitions or partnerships to build programming. That includes potentially taking on some struggling regional sports networks that show baseball, even though ESPN decided earlier this year to opt out of the final three years of its contract to show Major League Baseball at the end of this season.

“When the league is ready to have a conversation, we are ready to listen,” Pitaro said.

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social

Newark mayor returns to immigration detention center days after trespassing arrest

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka briefly returned Tuesday to the gates of the federal immigration detention center where he was arrested last week on trespassing charges.

Baraka, a Democrat running for governor in the June 10 primary, was turned away from Delaney Hall, the facility where he was arrested Friday. He departed and stayed about a half hour away from the building, according to NJ.com.

Witnesses said the arrest last week came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility.

Baraka, an outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and vocal opponent of the facility’s opening, faces a court hearing on the trespassing charge on Thursday. He has denied the trespassing charge

It wasn’t immediately clear how Baraka’s appearance at the gates Tuesday differed from Friday when he was arrested. He denied being on the detention facility’s property, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group. Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka trespassed there again.

In video of the Friday altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not enter the facility because “you are not a Congress member.”

Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”

“I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.

Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, “Shame,” Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs.

Delaney Hall is a two-story building next to a county prison and formerly operated as a halfway house. In February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, in an unusually long and large agreement for ICE.

Ken Griffin will loan his copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights so the public can see them

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By GLENN GAMBOA, Associated Press

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin believes American prosperity is a testament to the power of the Constitution. And as the country gets ready to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, the hedge fund billionaire wants to expand public access to the 1787 document.

Griffin announced Tuesday that he will lend his first-edition copy of the Constitution to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for a public exhibit dedicated to the founding document of the U.S. government. He will also loan the center his copy of the Bill of Rights, which he has not previously acknowledged owning publicly, and has made a $15 million donation for the exhibit – the largest in the center’s history.

FILE – Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson, left, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, right, look on as Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin discusses a $10 million donation to reduce gun violence in the city during a press conference in Chicago, April 12, 2018. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File), File)

“The authors of the Constitution had incredible foresight in designing a system of government that has withstood the test of time and now, more than ever, protects the American Dream,” Griffin said in a statement.

Jeffrey Rosen, CEO of the National Constitution Center, called Griffin’s loan of the documents and the donation a “transformative opportunity.”

“Ken Griffin’s generosity is going to allow us to create a new Founding Principles gallery that will tell the story of the American idea from the revolution through the Constitutional Convention through ratification and all the way up to the adoption of the Bill of Rights,” said Rosen, adding that the new exhibit will also mark the center’s largest renovation since it opened in 2003.

The support comes as the Constitution is increasingly cited, as all three branches of government navigate questions about who should be controlling what.

“The Constitution Center’s mission has never been more relevant,” said Rosen, adding that the nonpartisan nonprofit center tries to reduce polarization by offering a platform for both conservative and liberal Constitutional scholars. “It’s an honor to convene people of different perspectives for these Constitutional debates and conversations. And we are very much looking forward to continuing these conversations.”

A longtime Republican megadonor, Griffin has recently drawn attention for his criticisms of President Donald Trump.

“The United States was more than just a nation. It’s a brand,” Griffin said at the Semafor World Economy Summit last month. “It was like an aspiration for most the world. And we’re eroding that brand right now.”

But Griffin’s representatives said the donation and loan to the NCC have been planned for years.

“The National Constitution Center is a powerful platform for celebrating our country’s founding principles,” said Julia Quinn, Citadel director of philanthropy. “The work it has done to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution, at both the center itself and through its widely available educational programming, is best in class and we’re thrilled about this partnership.”

Griffin purchased the rare first printing of the Constitution at auction at Sotheby’s in New York for $43.2 million in 2021, with plans to make the document available for public viewing. He declined to say when he acquired the rare first printing of 17 proposed constitutional amendments passed in 1789 by the House of Representatives for consideration by the Senate — which, after further debate, became the Bill of Rights.

Caroline Klibanoff, executive director of Made By Us, a nonprofit that helps museums and history institutions better connect with those under 30, said next year’s 250th anniversary of the United States is an “incredible opportunity” to help members of the largest youth generation link their futures to their histories.

And at a time when younger generations show an increased distrust of institutions, the National Constitution Center can address that issue by showcasing such important documents, Kilbanoff said.

“They are the fact-checking generation. They want to see the original source material and not take your interpretation for it,” she said. “Having the documents be at the forefront will be really desirable.”

Griffin’s team said he wanted to celebrate the essential American values of individual freedom, democracy, and opportunity with his philanthropy – including his support of the recently opened National Medal of Honor Museum and his donation to the National Constitution Center.

“Ken loves America and has shown an extraordinary commitment to our founding principles,” said Cason Carter, Citadel head of public affairs. “He cares deeply about expanding access to the American Dream, which is underpinned by these historical documents, and he believes that America is well worth celebrating, particularly on its 250th anniversary.”

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

House Republicans look to help Trump strip tax-exempt status of nonprofits he says support terrorism

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By ALEXA ST. JOHN and MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposal by Republicans in Congress would allow President Donald Trump’s administration to remove the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that it says support terrorism, creating what some nonprofits say is an arbitrary standard to financially punish charities that advocate for issues that don’t align with his agenda.

Unusual language added Monday to a reconciliation bill from the House Ways and Means Committee — the tax-writing committee — would allow for terminating the tax-exempt status of groups the administration deems “terrorist supporting organizations.” The language mirrors a bill from the last Congress that passed in the House but did not pass the Senate.

The definition and criteria for determining whether or how an organization supports terrorism are unclear. The bill also targets nonprofits in other ways, echoing complaints by Trump, who has called the tax-exempt status a “privilege” that has been “abused.” Trump has threatened to revoke tax-exempt status for groups that don’t abide by his directives or agree with his views.

GOP Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, who chairs the Ways and Means panel, said during debate on the bill last fall that members of Congress “have the duty to make sure that taxpayers are not subsidizing terrorism.” Smith didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking further comment Tuesday.

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House Republicans are conducting hearings this week for the so-called budget reconciliation process on various sections of the bill as a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline to pass Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts looms. Committees will then stitch the various sections together in what will become a massive package that is likely to include trillions of dollars in tax cuts.

The provision in the Ways and Means bill would create a new way to strip tax exemptions granted by the Internal Revenue Service to charitable organizations.

Churches and religious entities, universities, private foundations, political associations and other nonprofits such as labor groups are among those that often qualify as 501(c)(3). There are other 501(c) groups including (c)(4) trade unions, and (c)(6), including business groups. The exemption is powerful because the groups don’t pay certain taxes and their donors get a federal tax deduction.

Concern among advocacy groups

The Ways and Means proposal would hand “unchecked power” to administration officials “to punish organizations that do not fall in line with the administration’s ideology,” sad Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, “without due process, without a third-party investigation and without public evidence.”

The previous bill faced backlash from a variety of groups warning it could be a way to punish those at odds with the administration. The new one faces similar concerns.

“This is a five-alarm fire for nonprofits nationwide,” said Lia Holland, campaigns and communications director at the nonprofit group Fight for the Future, which advocates free speech online. “Any organization with goals that do not line up with MAGA can be destroyed with a wink from Trump to the Treasury.”

Holland said the “terribly thought-out legislation” puts environmental, racial justice, LGBTQ+ and other groups at risk.

The provision is one of several in the GOP bill causing concern for nonprofits and foundations, including one that would take away resources from foundations by increasing a tax on the income they earn from investing their endowments.

Additionally, the bill would require that corporations give at least 1% of their taxable income to charity to receive a tax benefit. Any donations below that threshold would not be deductible.

Trump’s feud with nonprofits

Trump has previously called the tax-exempt status a “privilege” that has been “abused,” and he’s already threatened to revoke it for those that don’t abide by his directives or agree with his views. Most recently that’s included Harvard University, which defied the administration’s demands to limit on-campus activism. Trump froze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the school, moved to terminate $450 million more and questioned its tax-exempt status. Harvard has sued to stop the grant freeze.

Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network, which represents hundreds of former scientists and regulators, said last month “we all pay the price” when charitable organizations are silenced based on politics.

For example, the move to revoke tax-exempt status could choke off funding for groups that urge greater action to promote clean air, water and land, work to help communities most affected by industrial pollution and advocate for projects and policies to combat climate change — among other issues.

“It threatens the rights, health, and future of every community,” Roos said in a statement.

Last month, Trump said he could target environmental groups and the ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Though past presidents have tried to influence and direct the IRS, presidents cannot order the agency to conduct tax investigations under a law passed by Congress in 1998. The IRS can examine an organization’s tax-exempt status and can rescind it if it’s not operating for charitable purposes as required. Still, the IRS’ independence under Trump is in question.

Speaking generally about the Trump administration’s stance toward nonprofits before the bill was unveiled, Thomas Kelley, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, told The Associated Press it would devastate charitable groups if donations were no longer deductible. He also said most private grant-making foundations have internal policies that they give only to 501(c)(3) organizations.

St. John reported from Detroit. Associated Press writer Thalia Beaty contributed reporting.

Follow Alexa St. John on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at: ast.john@ap.org.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.