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IN THE NEWS
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In the latest edition of 2026’s unpredictable bingo card, this week we have Macklemore vs. New England Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft, with a guest appearance from Colin Kaepernick? How do these things all tie together? Let's take a journey.
On September 4th, the rapper Macklemore opened for the singer Ed Sheeran at Metlife stadium, and said “Free Palestine.” For any Macklemore fan, this was not surprising. He’s been loudly outspoken on the issue for years. He continued by saying, “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide. In no way is [it] a criticism of you. My message is for peace. Love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.” Then there was a sidequest involving the singer Pink, who reshared a social media post calling for Macklemore to be removed from Sheeran’s tour. A week later, Macklemore announced that he’d been removed from the tour at the insistence of Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium (and longtime supporter of Israel), who rallied other stadium owners to also insist that the rapper be removed. Ed Sheeran’s tour obliged.
Macklemore’s stance on this issue has never wavered, but neither has Robert Kraft’s. Following the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University in 2024, Kraft, whom the campus’s Jewish center is named after, suspended all donations towards his alma mater. Meanwhile, Macklemore released a song in support of the students called “Hind’s Hall.” The song made a resurgence this week, and it’s currently ranked number 3 on iTunes; a byproduct of the rapper getting the boot from Sheeran’s tour.
It’s at this point that Colin Kaepernick enters the stage. Right now, the former 49ers quarterback is making the rounds, promoting his new book The Perilous Fight, as well as, discussing the ten-year anniversary of taking a knee at NFL games in silent protest against police violence towards Black people. That silent protest resulted in Kaepernick essentially losing his career in the NFL. Notably, after leaving the 49ers, Kaepernick was not offered a contract by a single other NFL team, leading him to file a grievance against the NFL alleging collusion between the owners. In a recent interview, Kaepernick said this about the Macklemore debacle, “The part that I hope people take away in this moment is what Robert Kraft and what they’re saying by denying Macklemore the opportunity to perform with Ed Sheeran is they are willing to collude…They want to protect their interests. They want to protect their power. They want to protect their money. And they also want people to know that if you take an action that they don’t agree with, they will come for you...”
What all this brings up for me are questions about who gets to decide what we do or don’t say, how far our messages are allowed to travel, and who pays the cost. Both Kaepernick and Macklemore used the biggest stages available to them to protest, and both were subsequently removed from those stages at the behest of people in power But it’s worth noting that both Kaepernick and Macklemore lost substantial amounts of money from their respective protests. That’s the cost for standing on their principles. For those in power, the cost of advocacy can often be paid in phone calls to powerful friends, and using their considerable influence to quiet dissent. Don’t get me wrong, Macklemore and Kaepernick are still millionaires. But Robert Kraft’s net worth is more than 15 billion. The stakes of speaking out are different.
Right now, Kaepernick is looking through the rearview at his decade of battles, while Macklemore is still in the throws of a censorship debate. Neither want to be lionized. Yet a compelling outcome of both debacles is watching the responses of their peers. Earlier this summer, Jay-Z faced criticism for performing a freestyle that was seemingly a dig at Kaepernick. And in response to Macklemore being removed from his tour, the singer Ed Sheeran released a statement shifting the blame onto his promoters and declared “I am not complicit.” After that statement, all of Sheeran’s remaining opening acts, and his accompanying band, pulled out of the tour. Eachofthemdeclaring solidarity with the Palestinian people on their way out the proverbial door.
The story is still unfolding on the Macklemore front. But it’s definitely a huge moment in how the culture is pushing back.
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ON THE POD
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Why can’t people be normal about the WNBA?
The WNBA is more popular than ever, but the growth has come with a lot of unwanted attention, like protests at games and death threats directed towards players. This week, we talk with independent journalist Frankie de la Cretaz about what brought all of this hate into the league, and NPR’s domestic extremism correspondent, Odette Yousef, about the ways the league is responding.
Cubans are living through near-constant blackouts after an executive order that called the Cuban government an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and blocked their fuel imports. A hundred-page State Department report describes Cuba as the puppeteer behind everything from the George Floyd protests to what it calls the rise of antifa. We talk to historians Michael Bustamante and Alexander Hall about the day to day effects of U.S. pressure, why this crisis is old and new at the same time, and why Black Cubans are absorbing the worst of the crisis.
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