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The WNBA currently has 12 teams, and according to a new report by Chantel Jennings and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, at least one more appears to be on the way. The Athletic spoke to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who brings word that the league has whittled down a list of 100 cities that could potentially get an expansion franchise to a list of 10-12.

According to Engelbert, the plan is to bring a new team to 1-2 of those cities, with an eye on having those expansion franchises begin playing in 2024.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Athletic she hopes to identify one or two cities for an expansion franchise by the start of the WNBA playoffs in September or by year’s end at the latest. Those new teams could begin to play as early as the 2024 season, she said. This would be the first time the league has added an expansion team since the Atlanta Dream were founded in 2008.

While the list of cities that could receive teams was not released, The Athletic speculated that six could be in the running: Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, and Toronto, with that final city allegedly being “given the checkmark” by the league for the various infrastructure plans it has submitted. Beyond that, the report indicates that Wanda Sykes is among those interested in bringing a team to Philly, while Warriors owner Joe Lacob would like to get a team in San Francisco.

“There’s no crisp or clear formula, but you see cities that rise to the top pretty quickly,” Engelbert said of how the league will determine which cities are in pole position to get teams. “And we’re also looking at our current WNBA franchise cities and comparing what lessons we’ve learned and what’s worked and not worked over the last 25 years. We really want to set up new owners for success.”

We’re bringing you another new crop of emerging talent to put firmly on your radar this month. Our June edition features artists are collectively delivering daydreaming Texas indie rock, powerful trans rap and pop anthems, multinational R&B, Rick Rubin-approved Americana, and indulgent art-pop. Peep our latest slate of must hear artists On The Up below.

Why Bonnie

Originally from Houston but now living in New York, Why Bonnie are the latest signees to Texas-based label Keeled Scales — the home to fellow Lone Star State natives like Sun June and Buck Meek. Fronted by Blair Howerton, Why Bonnie glistens with the same sun-soaked sentimentality as that of their label-mates. Where 2018’s The NightgownEP showed promise from the indie rockers, early singles from their upcoming debut album, 90 In November, flash polish in Howerton’s ambitious lyricism and reassuring melodies. “I wanted to capture the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to the landscape that shaped you while still dealing with the anxieties of what lies ahead,” Howerton said of the title track. It’s a lovely intention and how Zach Braff’s classic Garden State explored the idea of when “home” isn’t home anymore. 90 In November comes out on August 19th.

ZORA

ZORA is a Minneapolis-based trans rapper, singer, and producer, making incredibly important music. Her latest single, “All Around The World!” was written as a trans pop anthem in the wake of numerous, inexplicable anti-trans bills being brought up by lawmakers. On “Runnitup,” the 22-year old spits like Leikeli47 over menacing footwork production. And the way she delivers the chorus on “Happiest I’ve Ever Been” is a powerful moment meant to come across with both acceptance for her refreshed mind-state, but still a sense of unease because it surely came at a cost. This is music about acceptance, realizations about who we are, and that people need to be allowed to be themselves to be truly happy. Zora’s debut album, Z1, is due out on June 17th via Get Better Records, a queer and trans owned and operated independent label.

Marcus King

Hailing from Greenville, South Carolina, Marcus King first picked up a guitar when he was 3 years old and never looked back. The 26-year-old writes songs like Steve Miller and sings like Chris Stapleton. His 2020 album, El Dorado, was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and received a sneaky Grammy nod for Best Americana Album. Now he’s set to release his next album, Young Blood, on August 26th, which is once again produced by Auerbach and will be out on Rick Rubin’s American Recordings and Republic Records. Something tells us that this is who his labelmate Post Malone aspires to sound like when he dabbles in country songs.

Charlotte Dos Santos

On her 2017 Cleo EP on Fresh Selects, Charlotte Dos Santos established herself as an equal parts jazzy and exotic R&B vocalist. Tracks like “Red Clay” show the unique context she has as a Norwegian-Brazilian and now with her debut album, Morfo, due out in October on Because Music (Christine And The Queens, Metronomy), she’s promising to lean in even harder to her roots. “I am a child of the world, born in two cultures and on this album I am digging deeper into my ancestral roots and into my consciousness,” she said in a statement. On new singles “Hello, Hello” and especially “Away From You,” Dos Santos is downright elegant, but approachable at every turn.

Ruby Red

Ruby Red is the Oakland-born, LA-based alt-pop duo of Daniel Laner and Fernando Fine. Their productions are taking off in bigger, bolder fashion than on their modest, but notable 2020 Area Of Effect EP. On new tracks like “Too Late To Call” and “Overflow,” the synths are bouncing harder, the lyrics are more assertive and the overall vibes are well… sweatier. And like all good pop music, theirs is growing deeper towards emotional dancefloors with hooks that hit.

Home is somewhere to lay your head down at night without worry that someone will steal all of your worldly possessions. Home is where people start families and make lifelong memories. Having a place to go home to every night is safety. Safety from the elements and safety from other people who may mean you harm.

And there’s almost nothing more quintessentially American than owning a home. Yet, the reality is America does poorly with keeping people housed. Homelessness is a growing problem across the country, especially with the lack of affordable housing and wages that don’t always meet the minimum basic needs.

And the rates of homelessness among transgender people are higher than average with 8% of trans adults experiencing homelessness compared to 1% of cisgender straight adults, according to UCLA School of Law Williams Institute.

To help remedy the problem in her city, the mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, announced a plan to allocate $6.5 million toward an initiative to end homelessness of transgender people in the city.

The multiyear plan would see an end to trans homelessness by 2027. Transgender people face more discrimination, including when securing housing, than their cisgender counterparts. While this is unfair, it’s not particularly surprising when you consider the legislation around what bathrooms trans people can use. It’s not a far reach to assume they likely have difficulty finding a homeless shelter that will accept them based on their identified gender. Safety would also be a large component even if there was no discrimination in sheltering trans individuals.

“Transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming San Franciscans are 18 times more likely to experience homelessness compared to the general population, and we know that the rates are even higher for our minority trans communities,” Breed said in a statement. “With one of the largest TGNC populations in the country, we not only must ensure that all San Franciscans have access to housing and essential resources through continued investments, but we can show the country that we continue to be a leader on supporting and protecting our trans communities.”

America has not been kind to gender nonconforming people, especially people that identify as trans. It almost seems like it’s acceptable to treat transgender people poorly. It needs to stop. If we are silent when injustice is present, our silence is the loudest voice in the room.

Breed’s proposed plan would include at least 150 long-term housing subsidies through the city’s already established Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool program. It would also fund short-term rental subsidies, flexible financial assistance and support to build the capacity of nonprofits serving transgender and gender nonconforming people. The budget plan is extensive and will include planning for housing for LGBTQ youth who are at a transitional age.

Housing should not be reserved for those who society deems appropriate based on lack of knowledge and biases. Transgender people who are experiencing homelessness deserve a place to call home just as much as the next person. It’s not clear if this announcement was timed just in time for Pride Month, but it sure feels fitting.

Ted Cruz just revealed more about his bathroom habits than literally, anyone on the face of this Earth would want to know.

The Texas Republican — who’s been busy recently attending NRA conventions and posting clips on Twitter of his “ridiculously fun” charity poker matches as the funerals for the 19 children gunned down in the Uvalde Elementary School massacre were set to begin — recently made time to record an episode of his show, Verdict with Ted Cruz. During the broadcast, Cruz harped on about the acquittal of Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman, skewering the guy for billing the 2016 Presidential nominee for time spent cooperating with the FBI during their investigation. Now, Cruz’s obsession with Hillary Clinton isn’t really headline-worthy at this point but what might be is the antidote Cruz told about his own legal operation.

Cruz told co-host, Michael Knowles, that back when he was a practicing attorney, he also squeezed his clients for their hard-earned money, even going so far as to bill them for his trips to the bathroom.

“When I was practicing law,” Cruz said, “I would literally take a legal brief or a case with me when I went to the restroom ’cause I’d stand at the urinal and be reading ’cause I wanted to bill for the time.”

Cruz also laughed about the fact that plenty of other lawyers were in the urinals next to him doing the same thing because “none of us wanted to miss billing the time.” And look, we’re all for getting paid for the work you do but for someone who was outraged when everyone got stimulus checks during the pandemic, it’s pretty rich that Cruz thinks he should get paid for doing nothing while on the clock.

King Princess has always been open about being queer and has never hesitated to bring that into her music. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the rising pop star pointed out the problematic aspect of apps like Spotify grouping together LGBTQIA+ folk in playlists, even if their music is not similar.

“White Male Pop, as a playlist. Could you imagine?” she said. “It would essentially be the same thing, to do that. ‘Look at all these people grouped together. Oh my god, aren’t they amazing? Here’s their playlist!’”

She stated that being queer in the music industry is “still not the norm.” She added: “We’re still the minority. We’ve got to unify. That’s my biggest thing — the unification of queer people. We’ve got each other.”

She has also just revealed new information about her next album, Hold On Baby. She wrote on social media: “I’m not sure I like myself, but I’m figuring it out. Hold On Baby is a search for a new heartbreak. It’s a love letter to my girlfriend. It’s a firm read of myself. And it’s a reminder of the totems in my life that give me hope; my dog who is my fiercest companion and the owl that represents my grandparents.”

The recent rash of mass shootings hasn’t presented a good look for gun-loving (and gun-lobby-loving) lawmakers. That includes Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who seems to believe that post-9/11 restrictions don’t exist, so mass shootings shouldn’t mean that the U.S. needs some gun control. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has shoved his head into the sand while tweeting poker videos as Texas school shooting funerals (after the Uvalde gunman killed 19 children) happened. And Ken Buck (R-CO), who previously argued that Google’s algorithm somehow caused Trump’s election loss, has another wild claim for all.

The chickens must be saved in the face of mass shootings, Buck seriously argued before his fellow lawmakers on Thursday. Here he is telling the world how he needs a semi-automatic weapon in order to defeat raccoons. “An AR-15 is a gun of choice for killing raccoons before they get to our chickens,” Buck declared.

Well, that’s a new one, and as the saying goes, you cannot possibly make this stuff up. Yet even if chickens’ survival as a species actually depended upon their owners having access to AR-15-style rifles (used by both the Uvalde shooter and the suspect who opened fire at a Tulsa hospital on Thursday), that still doesn’t explain why there are barely any restrictions on buying these guns. In fact, both shooters purchased these semi-automatic weapons shortly before deploying them upon victims.

But you know… chickens.

Darvin Ham is the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team opted to fire Frank Vogel on the heels of a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, and after a lengthy search, Los Angeles decided that the longtime Mike Budenholzer assistant would be the best option to take over for a team with perpetual title-or-bust expectations.

Ham, who spent more than a decade playing professionally, was one of the more highly-respected assistant coaches in the league and has long been viewed as someone who paid his dues and deserved to get a head coaching gig for the first time. That sentiment was shared by Charles Barkley during a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, but despite that, he’s not exactly optimistic that he’ll lead L.A. to glory during the 2022-23 campaign.

“Well, I’m glad Darvin got an opportunity, cause he’s paid his dues, he’s a nice guy, we’ll have to see what kind of coach he is,” Barkley said around the 5:16 mark of the above video. “But listen, if one of your coaches is close to the same age as your players, your team’s not gonna be any good, anyway. The Lakers, they got a serious dilemma on their hands. Their best player’s gonna be 40, Anthony Davis has never been healthy. Obviously, Russ is gonna be there one more year. So, what’s really bad about the situation — next year is gonna be the same as this year, and then LeBron’s just gonna be a year older, and then they’ll have Russ off the books.”

Barkley then returned to Davis, noting that he said before last season that he (and, more specifically, his ability to take some of the load off of James’ shoulders) is the key to the team succeeding and that “if he’s one of the top-5 players in the NBA, the Lakers can compete.”

Last season, Los Angeles finished 33-49 and missed the play-in tournament. It marked the seventh time in the last nine seasons that the team failed to make the postseason.

Whether it’s a Snapchat filter, a drawing from a caricature artist, or a customized video game avatar, it’s always fun to see a rendering of yourself that presents you in a different light. Cardi B got a taste of that earlier this week when she shared a photo of dolls that look a great deal like herself and Offset.

In the three photos, the Offset doll lovingly embraces the Cardi figure from behind. Both are decked out in teeny-tiny jewelry, while Cardi wears a pink bikini and Offset has a sleeveless, all-white look. Cardi captioned the post, “Okay then ….MOOD [crying-laughing emoji].”

Speaking of dolls, Cardi B actually once had some big plans of her own on that front. Back in March 2021, she visited Today to announce she was working on a doll that looked like her and hoped to expand the project to include other artists, too, with the end goal being better representation in the doll space for people with different looks. By the end of the year, though, it was reported that the entire line had been canceled due to manufacturing and shipping delays caused by COVID-19, as well as quality concerns.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

New Jersey will honor one of its most iconic residents.

Legendary actor Ray Liotta of Something Wild, Goodfellas, not one but two Muppets movies, and Marriage Story passed away suddenly in his sleep last week in the Dominican Republic at age 67. Manuel Figueiredo, the mayor of Union Township, New Jersey has confirmed to TMZ that the town will hold some sort of memorial in honor of the actor who grew up there. Figueiredo did not provide any further details on the planned service in Liotta’s honor. Union Township is “looking at a variety of options to honor Ray, but also giving the family time to grieve before making a final decision.” The town also told TMZ of plans to name a baseball field after Liotta, a nod to his role in Field of Dreams.

Since his death last week, Liotta’s meaningful influence on the film industry and on people has been felt everywhere. On top of the entire state of New Jersey paying tribute to him, many former colleagues in Hollywood paid tribute to him upon hearing of his death. Director Martin Scorsese, who directed Liotta in Goodfellas (one of his most iconic roles) said, “He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor. Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture.”

Goodfellas co-star Lorraine Braco said, “I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

(Via TMZ)

Madison Cawthorn has got problems. As if losing his bid for re-election weren’t humiliating enough, the North Carolina congressman (for now—tick tock, tick tock) is now facing some serious questions from the House Ethics Committee about his purchase, promotion, and sale—in that order—of the idiotically-named Let’s Go Brandon cryptocurrency (at a time when the Feds seem to be trying to crack down on crypto insider trading).

Like so many other possibly shady dealings, Cawthorn’s involvement in the crypto investment goes back to Donald Trump. According to Fortune, it was reportedly at a Christmas party hosted by the former president in Naples, Florida that the 26-year-old was told about the coin by James Koutoulas, a hedge fund manager and Let’s Go Brandon backer. A few weeks later, Cawthorn sent Koutoulas a check for approximately $150,000 to invest in the coin, and his transaction posted on December 21—then sh*t got real.

As Danny Nelson writes:

Cawthorn later predicted LGB’s price would the next day “go to the moon” in a Dec. 29 Instagram comment. When the LGB team announced a sponsorship of NASCAR driver Brandon Brown on Dec. 30, the coin indeed rallied mightily. The next day, Cawthorn sold off roughly a third of his LGB for a considerably more liquid cryptocurrency, ether (ETH), fetching a 94% return in dollar terms (though it’s unclear if he moved that ETH to cash).

It was a sequence of events that would come to haunt the first-term representative. Six months later—after a sea of scandals sunk his reelection bid—Cawthorn’s LGB trades are under investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee.

While Cawthorn happily promoted the coin and how “well” it had worked out for him, the truth is a bit more complicated. Because cryptocurrency is not closely regulated, it’s difficult to determine how much the political newbie might have benefited from his purported attempt at insider trading. But according to several financial experts, it’s likely that he went to all that trouble—and now put himself in the crosshairs of the Ethics Committee—for nothing. “He’s at best close to even,” according to Fortune. “At worst he’s down bad from a mix of taxable capital gains and the bear market slump.”

Still, there’s a chance Cawthorn will go down in the history books: At the moment, he’s both the youngest Republican ever elected to congress (he was 25 at the time) as well as the youngest-ever Republican congressperson to lose their re-election bid. Let’s go Madison!

(Via Fortune)