👣 Get your Super Bowl dance on | Morning Newsletter
And Trump policies worry health researchers.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Thursday, Philly. Some school districts in the region will have virtual instruction today with freezing rain and ice forecasted.
Gillie Da King has become a viral star during the Eagles’ run to Super Bowl 59, thanks to the green-clad hype man’s body-shaking moves. Can you keep up with him in this Dance Dance Revolution-inspired game?
And President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at health equity and DEI worry Philadelphia health researchers.
Plus, is Ardmore the Fishtown of the Main Line? Read on for a preview of Inquirer Lower Merion, the free weekly newsletter launching today.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Look, we’re all Eagles fans this week, even if you don’t care at all about football. But Gillie Da King might be the biggest Eagles fan of all.
The podcast host and rapper (née Nasir Fard) went viral during the 2024 season for his hype videos filmed in a South Jersey driveway, complete with a joyful two-step to songs like Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” — and of course, his supersized Eagles hat. His dances are so popular that he got to lead the team out of the tunnel at the Linc before the NFC Championship.
Gillie joined us at The Inquirer’s office for a tutorial of his moves, and his infectious energy did not disappoint. (Columnist Elizabeth Wellington, who has reported on his social media rise, likened him to a celebrity.)
More Eagles fandom news:
💚 “He’s a hero”: Wide receiver A.J. Brown and defensive end Brandon Graham say they’re playing for the young Northeast Philly plane crash victim who asked about the Super Bowl and his sister after waking up in the hospital.
💚 Check out our illustrated recap of the Birds’ road to Super Bowl 59.
💚 The team has had 11 players score Super Bowl touchdowns. How many can you name?
💚 Even your phone can show off your fandom with these Eagles mobile wallpapers.
Philly-area health researchers are worried that Trump’s slew of executive orders related to gender and diversity, as well as a threatened freeze on federal funding, could compromise research integrity and upend years of work to make health care more accessible to everyone.
“I fear we’re going to lose four years of science and knowledge on health issues around people who need it most,” the dean of Rutgers School of Public Health told The Inquirer. “It’s going to have an impact on a generation of knowledge.”
While some proposed policies face legal pushback, researchers are already seeing changes. Datasets related to LGBTQ issues have been removed from the CDC website, for instance, and research projects with keywords like “women” and “trauma” are under review.
Health reporters Sarah Gantz and Aubrey Whelan explain the stakes.
What you should know today
More than 100 people attended a town hall meeting Wednesday night near the site of Friday’s deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia to learn about available city resources.
Some 200 people gathered in front of City Hall Wednesday as part of a plan organized through social media to hold 50 anti-Trump protests across 50 states in one day.
A former North Penn school bus aide was sentenced to county jail for strangling a special-needs student.
A lawyer seen on billboards across the region was charged with shooting a man outside a Center City bar. The Philly District Attorney’s Office is seeking leniency in his case.
Balancing a national profile and a new Trump term, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Pennsylvania budget address walked the bipartisan tightrope as he preached collaboration and unity.
Four Republican candidates for the New Jersey governorship set the tone for an attack-driven primary on Tuesday during their first debate.
A fuel pipeline leaked in Bucks County, forcing a shutdown of the line. After tainted water was found in six wells, neighbors are demanding more testing.
Lower Merion is considering inclusive playgrounds. A mother of a child with a disability says it’s a “civil rights issue.”
Nearly seven weeks after his sudden exit from 94.1 WIP, Howard Eskin has a new gig: podcast host.
📍 Inquirer Lower Merion launches today. Below is a peek at what you can expect from the brand-new newsletter. Sign up here to get your free weekly guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.
Is Ardmore the Fishtown of the Main Line? Between its food options (think kimchi jjigae at Bam Bam Kitchen or a posh steak from DePaul’s Table where Saquon Barkley recently paid a visit) and its shops that range from Suburban Square’s West Elm to bargains at the Junior League Thrift Shop, food and dining reporter Jenn Ladd argues it’s the Main Line equivalent to Philly’s buzziest neighborhood.
To hear some describe it, Ardmore has a “gritty side” with “more variety” that makes it stand apart from other parts of Lower Merion.
”You have this mix of hipsters and people that want to move into Ardmore to have the walkability to public transit, to shopping, dining, schools, parks, you name it,” said Main Line realtor Erica Deuschle.
Dive into a guide on Ardmore’s highlights here.
🧠 Trivia time
More than 3,000 Philly kids signed up for which show’s casting call in less than a day?
A) Abbott Elementary
B) Delco: The Show
C) Sesame Street
D) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎨 Viewing: CCH Pounder’s portrait collection at the African American Museum.
🚢 Waiting: To see if SS United States finally leaves Philadelphia this weekend.
🦅 Loving: The coincidence (?) that the Eagles’ recent run of success has coincided with the release of the eagle emoji.
📣 Considering: Inquirer columnist Jenice Armstrong’s call to make this the Blackest Black History Month ever.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Performing with SZA this Sunday
CRINKLED KARMA
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Robin Craren, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Havertown. The Delco town’s Acme (rightfully) rescinded a pro-Travis Kelce cake for sale and replaced it with a pro-Jason Kelce cake.
Photo of the day
👋 Have a great Thursday. I’ll be with you again tomorrow to wrap up the week.
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