Super Bowl 2023 commercials to watch for during the big game

Super Bowl 2023 commercials to watch for during the big game
Super Bowl 2023 commercials to watch for during the big game
Jeffrey Grigsby / EyeEm/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Some people are watching Super Bowl LVII for the big game, while others are watching for the halftime show when superstar Rihanna will make her long-awaited return to music and, of course, we can’t forget the commercials.

Companies from Bud Light to PopCorners have teased their commercials and spent big money ahead of the game, with Variety reporting advertisers could be shelling out between $6 million to $7 million for 30 seconds of commercial time, and their ads aren’t not lacking in star power.

Here are some of the most anticipated and buzzed-about commercials ahead of Sunday’s game:

PopCorners and Breaking Bad stars

Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul reprised their Emmy award-winning roles for PopCorners’ latest commercial airing during Super Bowl LVII.

The duo created PopCorners, a brand that makes probably addicting and definitely not illegal chips.

General Motors, Netflix and Will Ferrell

General Motors and Netflix have teamed up with comedian Will Ferrell to promote the car manufacturer’s latest line of electric vehicles. The ad shows Ferrell driving different EVs as he makes his way through multiple Netflix shows, such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton and Squid Game.

Have yourself a ‘Hamm and Brie’ sandwich with Hellman’s

Hellmann’s enlisted a “miniature” John Hamm and Brie Larson for its latest Super Bowl commercial, where they are inside a fridge with a jar of its famous mayonnaise. The ad also features Pete Davidson, who makes a “ham and brie” sandwich.

Bud Light and Miles Teller

Bud Light got Miles Teller, star of Top Gun: Maverick, one of the biggest movies of 2022, and his wife Keleigh Teller, an actress who’s appeared in a Taylor Swift music video, for its latest Super Bowl commercial.

The commercial shows the couple dancing to the catchy wait music while on hold.

Clueless with Alicia Silverstone

As if this commercial from Rakuten couldn’t be more iconic. The company recruited Clueless star Alicia Silverstone to reprise her role as Cher in this Super Bowl ad promoting the app’s cash-back feature when users go shopping.

Pepsi Zero Sugar’s master class in acting with Ben Stiller and Steve Martin

Pepsi, known for getting big talent for its Super Bowl commercials, got actors Ben Stiller and Steve Martin to promote its Pepsi Zero Sugar line.

The company released two teasers of Stiller and Martin and the two go back and forth on who’s the better actor.

Something’s Ben Brewing

Dunkin’ has enlisted A-list actor and Dunkin’ lover Ben Affleck — probably — for its new Super Bowl ad. The company teased the news on its social media page. The news come weeks after reports that Affleck was filming a commercial for the company alongside his wife, Jennifer Lopez.

Uber Eats gets Diddy to create ‘one’ hit

Uber Eats brought on music mogul Diddy to help come up with one hit song for Uber One, its membership service that helps users save money when ordering food. In the ad, Diddy enlists Montell Jordan, Kelis and Ylvis to do Uber-centric versions of their hit songs.

Rémy Martin teams with the GOAT

Tennis legend Serena Williams stars in Rémy Martin’s new “inch by Inch” commercial advertising its cognac. The brand has released a few teasers featuring the 23-time Grand Slam champion ahead of Sunday’s big game.

Bookings.com books Melissa McCarthy for a vacation

Bookings.com has booked the hilarious Melissa McCarthy for its latest Super Bowl commercial urging people to use its site to reserve a vacation “somewhere, anywhere.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Why the toxins from the Ohio train derailment could have posed deadly threats for residents nearby

Why the toxins from the Ohio train derailment could have posed deadly threats for residents nearby
Why the toxins from the Ohio train derailment could have posed deadly threats for residents nearby
Ohio Governor’s Office

(NEW YORK) — The toxins that burned in the wreckage of the train derailment in Ohio had the potential to be deadly if officials did not order evacuations in the region, experts told ABC News.

An air quality disaster resulted on Friday night after about 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Ten of those cars contained hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses.

For days, large plumes of smoke containing vinyl chloride, phosgene, hydrogen chloride and other gases were emitted during a controlled release and burn, prompting officials to issue mandatory evacuation orders in a one-mile radius of the crash site.

Although the controlled releases were considered “low-level,” the inhalation of fumes of vinyl chloride could cause dizziness, nausea, headache, visual disturbances, respiratory problems and other health-related issues, Ashok Kumar, a professor in the University of Toledo’s department of civil and environmental engineering, told ABC News.

In addition, hydrogen chloride fumes could irritate the throat and cause skin problems, while phosgene fumes may lead to chest constriction and chocking, Kumar said.

Long-term carcinogens like vinyl chloride can also cause cancer in organs like the liver, Kevin Crist, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of Ohio University’s Air Quality Center, told ABC News.

“Breathe those in under heavy concentrations, and it’s really bad for you,” Crist said. “It’s like an acid mist. It’s not something that you want to be around in high concentrations.”

Crist, who worked with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency while serving on the Ohio State Emergency Response Commission under former Gov. John Kasich, said the state prepares tremendously for these types of accidents, even training local fire departments to handle issues like chemical spills.

Health officials were able to use dispersion modeling to see which way the winds are blowing and estimate what he concentrations will be downwind, Crist said, adding that the biggest risk is inhalation.

However, there is also risk of coming in contact with the toxins that get embedded in the soil. Health officials will then take soil samples and dig out any of the affected soil, a feat complicated by the fact that much of the toxins were spilled into a ditch, Crist said.

Some of the toxins spilled into the Ohio River near the northern panhandle of West Virginia, prompting officials to shut down water production in the area and transfer to an alternate source of water supply, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday.

Justice emphasized that “everything is fine here” due to the immediate action from agencies like the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and the National Guard.

The controlled release and burn went “as planned,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced on Monday, advising those who live within two miles of East Palestine to shelter in place and keep windows and doors closed.

But as of Tuesday, the residents were not permitted to return home.

It is “absolutely critical” for people to follow evacuation orders of any kind, but especially when having to do with “highly toxic” chemicals that could be deadly with high elevations of exposure, Karen Dannemiller, professor in the college of engineering and college of public health at the Ohio State University, told ABC News.

“It is a matter of life and death,” Dannemiller said, “People have to evacuate as ordered by authorities.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Exclusive: Wife of public defender who died at Mexico resort speaks out

Exclusive: Wife of public defender who died at Mexico resort speaks out
Exclusive: Wife of public defender who died at Mexico resort speaks out
Blair family

(NEW YORK) — The wife of a California public defender who died in Mexico last month is revealing new details deepening the mystery surrounding her husband’s death at a resort in Baja California.

“He was my rock in this world,” Kimberly Williams told ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman in an exclusive interview airing on Good Morning America Thursday. “We bought our dream home, planned to have children together.”

“Without him, I feel like I have nothing,” she said of her husband, Elliot Blair, 33.

Williams and her husband, both public defenders at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, were celebrating their first wedding anniversary at Las Rocas Resort and Spa — located on the shores of Rosarito Beach, just south of Tijuana, along the western coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula — when Blair appeared to have fallen off a balcony to his death at the resort on Jan. 14.

She had been sleeping during the incident, she said, and recalled a security guard and the hotel manager in her room, saying, “Excuse me, miss, excuse me, excuse me, is this your boyfriend down here?”

“I turned to the side, I didn’t see him there, so I ran out the front door and they’re pointing over the side of our front door area to the ground. Well, that was my Elliot down there,” she said.

An autopsy established that Blair’s death “was the result of an unfortunate accident due to the fall of the deceased from a third floor,” the State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California said in a statement.

Local authorities said there were no signs of struggle in the couple’s hotel room. A toxicology report found that there was a “considerable” amount of alcohol in Blair’s body, the State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California said. His cause of death was listed as severe head trauma in a forensic medical necropsy certificate.

However, Williams and her attorney maintain that the extent of Blair’s injuries appears to indicate he was attacked.

“It’s the physical evidence we’ve been able to obtain, the autopsy,” Case Barnett, the family’s attorney, told Good Morning America. “The autopsy confirms that he, Elliot Blair, was murdered that night.”

Barnett said it appears to him based on the evidence that Blair may be been beaten by more than one man, though why remains unclear.

Williams also said Blair was not so drunk he’d fall over a balcony, saying he likely drank five or six drinks over six hours that night.

Dr. Rami Hashish, a biomechanics, body performance and injury expert who is consulting with the family on the case, said he doesn’t “really think that there’s much evidence [to] point to the fact that it was an accident.”

“I think it’s relatively clear the injury pattern[s] just simply don’t add up with one another,” Hashish said. “There’s bruising marks on the body. There’s indications of potential being dragged on the front of the body. There’s fractures to the back of the skull. Nothing really points to the fact that it was necessarily an accident.”

Blair’s body was embalmed before they could have their own toxicology report performed, the family’s attorney said. Though Williams said that Blair likely drank five or six drinks over six hours that night and was not drunk.

“In my nine years of being with him and knowing him, I can tell you, I’ve never seen him sloppy. I’ve never seen him not be able to stand. I’ve not seen him not be able to walk and care for himself,” she said.

The couple spent the night dining at a local restaurant. On the way back to the resort, the couple was pulled over by local police who claimed they had rolled through a stop sign and demanded they pay them cash, Williams said.

“We’ve never been pulled over before,” Williams said. “We were both rattled, but at the same time we both had this feeling of thank God they didn’t do anything more to us.”

Back at the resort, they danced at the lobby bar before going to bed around midnight, Williams said. The next thing she remembers is the security guard and hotel manager in their room waking her up and telling her that Blair was on the ground.

According to 911 calls from that night obtained by ABC News, at 12:50 a.m., the resort called to report “a person who apparently suffered a fall.” About 20 minutes later, paramedics arrived on the scene saying Blair had no vital signs.

Williams said authorities went through several scenarios with her of what could have happened to her husband, including suicide and accident — “everything under the sun except for what I think happened: Someone did this to him,” she said.

“I just know it’s not an accident. I know he didn’t fall. I just know that,” she said. “I want to do everything we can to figure out what happened in that 45-minute, hour time span. Because that’s what Elliot deserves. And that’s the hardest part for me, is not knowing.”

Williams said police also asked her that night if the two of them had been fighting, which she also denied.

“We’re here on our anniversary. What are you talking about?” she recalled telling them. “No, we’re not fighting.”

Barnett said they have hired private investigators in Mexico to gather information, but they have “hit a wall with the investigation.”

“Kim’s family need answers to bring closure to this so they can really start moving on from it,” Barnett said.

Williams said she is speaking out now in honor of her husband’s memory, whom she described as a compassionate and empathetic lawyer.

“I don’t want him to be forgotten. I want the world to know who my Elliot is,” she said. “I want people to know he’s not some drunk that stumbled off the front ledge of our hotel room.”

“I want the world to remember the person he was — his smile, his heart,” she continued. “That’s one of the only things keeping me going right now — is the idea of doing this for him, for honoring his name.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Journalist arrested while reporting on press conference about derailment cleanup

Journalist arrested while reporting on press conference about derailment cleanup
Journalist arrested while reporting on press conference about derailment cleanup
amphotora/Getty Images

(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — Officers from the East Palestine Police Department in Ohio arrested NewsNation reporter Evan Lambert during a press conference about the cleanup efforts following a train derailment in a small Ohio village.

Officials from the Columbiana County Jail confirmed Lambert was released at 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday and faces criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct charges. The Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ABC News that they also assisted in the reporter’s arrest.

According to NewsNation, Lambert was doing a live report while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke at the conference, prompting law enforcement to ask Lambert to be quiet. NewsNation said that Lambert concluded the segment before being asked to leave. Multiple videos from the incident show officers arresting and subsequently forcibly removing Lambert.

“I got arrested because I was doing a live report about what people need to know,” Lambert said, walking out of the building in handcuffs.

DeWine did not see the incident due to a row of cameras but heard a “disagreement,” according to Dan Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary.

“Governor DeWine did not request that the reporter stop his live broadcast, nor did he know that the request was being made,” Tierney wrote.

DeWine defended Lambert’s right to report when asked about the confrontation during the press conference.

“All I can say is that person had a right to be reporting; they should have been allowed to report,” DeWine said. “If they were in any way hampered from reporting, that certainly is wrong, and it is not anything I approve; in fact, I vehemently disapprove of it.”

DeWine reiterated at the press conference that he did not authorize the arrest, inviting Lambert to interview him upon release.

“I am certainly very, very sorry that happened; I don’t know all the facts, but he or she, whoever was arrested, had every right to be reporting and do what they do every single day,” he said.

Earlier reports indicated Lambert would be in police custody overnight, though officials confirmed he was released.

“No journalist expects to be arrested when you’re doing your job, and I think that’s really important that that doesn’t happen in our country,” Lambert told NewsNation following his release.

Lambert was in East Palestine to cover the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that prompted the evacuation of nearly half the town of 5,000 residents. Local and state officials announced Wednesday that residents could return to their homes after air quality samples showed safe levels of contaminants in the area.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Biden to warn that Republicans in Congress will ‘undermine’ Medicare, Social Security

Biden to warn that Republicans in Congress will ‘undermine’ Medicare, Social Security
Biden to warn that Republicans in Congress will ‘undermine’ Medicare, Social Security
Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Thursday will tout the work his administration is doing to bolster Medicare and Social Security, while warning that Republican members of Congress will “continue to push plans that would undermine these programs,” according to the White House.

Biden will travel to Tampa, Florida, on Thursday morning and deliver remarks at the University of Tampa in the afternoon. He will discuss his plan to fortify Social Security and Medicare as well as lower healthcare costs. The president will also “contrast his commitment to protecting and strengthening Medicare and Social Security and lowering prescription drug prices, with Congressional Republicans’ plans to cut these programs,” the White House said.

The White House listed examples of some GOP members of Congress who Biden has said are threatening to make changes or cuts to the federal health insurance and entitlement programs, including Sens. Rick Scott, Mike Lee and Ron Johnson. All three senators were called out by the president during his visit to Wisconsin on Wednesday.

During his second State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, Biden warned that “some Republicans” want to target programs such as Medicare and Social Security, which millions of Americans rely on. The remark prompted audible boos from several Republicans, with populist firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even heard calling the president a “liar.” But Biden quickly turned the tables.

“So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? They’re not to be touched?” he shot back. “All right. All right. We got unanimity.”

It’s an issue that Democrats and Republicans have been sparring over for months. Congressional Republicans have demanded spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and avoiding default, but they have not laid out exactly what cuts it wants.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Disney to eliminate 7,000 jobs, CEO Bob Iger says

Disney to eliminate 7,000 jobs, CEO Bob Iger says
Disney to eliminate 7,000 jobs, CEO Bob Iger says
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI

(BURBANK, Calif.) — Disney is set to eliminate 7,000 jobs, CEO Bob Iger said on the company’s earnings call on Wednesday.

The company is targeting a total of $5.5 billion in cost savings, Iger said. In all, $3 billion in cuts will come from content, excluding sports, he added; while $2.5 billion will come from non-content cuts.

“This reorganization will result in a more cost-effective, coordinated and streamlined approach to our operations,” said Iger, who rejoined the company as CEO in November. “I do not make this decision lightly.”

The eliminated jobs amount to roughly 3% of the company’s 220,000 workers worldwide, according to a securities filing made in October.

The move will coincide with a restructuring that will divide the company into three core businesses: Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Iger said.

Shares of Disney, the parent company of ABC News, rose nearly 8% in after-hours trading.

The cutbacks arrive amid a string of layoffs in the media industry. Warner Bros. Discovery, Dotdash Meredith and Vox Media are among the companies that have slashed jobs in recent months.

Jessica Reif Ehrlich, an analyst at Bank of America who closely follows Disney, told ABC News before the earnings call that she expected Iger to address jobs at the company.

“There’s nothing worse than anyone wondering whether they’ll have a job or not,” Ehrlich said. “There’s nothing worse than people walking around saying, ‘What are you hearing?’ ‘What are you hearing?'”

“The certainty is the most important thing,” she added.

Before the announcement, the company released an earnings report that exceeded Wall Street expectations on revenue. Disney brought in $23.5 billion in revenue over the three months ending in December, which marked an 8% growth over the same period a year prior.

But the company’s streaming service, Disney+, lost subscribers for the first time since its launch in 2019. The service dropped 2.4 million subscribers, more than analysts expected.

Beset by cord-cutting that threatens its mainstay traditional TV business, Disney has grown the audience for its bundle of streaming services; but the new platform has yet to turn a profit.

The company also faces a high-profile proxy fight from Nelson Peltz, CEO and founder of activist investment firm Trian Management LP, which has purchased nearly $1 billion worth of Disney stock.

Peltz has called on Disney to prioritize profit growth, cut costs and clarify its succession plans, demanding a seat on the company’s board for himself or his son.

Disney rebuked Peltz’s campaign in a securities filing last month, saying Peltz had “no strategy, no operating initiatives, no new ideas and no plan.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Missing kindergarten teacher found dead in shallow grave close to her home

Missing kindergarten teacher found dead in shallow grave close to her home
Missing kindergarten teacher found dead in shallow grave close to her home
WABC-TV

(NEW YORK) — The body of a kindergarten teacher who had been missing since Monday has been found buried in a shallow grave only a few miles away from where she lived and worked, police said.

Luz Hernandez, a 33-year-old kindergarten teacher from Jersey City, New Jersey, was first reported missing on Monday which led the Jersey City Police Department to conduct a welfare check the following day in regards to the missing person’s report, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez.

“During the course of the investigation, the Homicide Unit located what appeared to be a shallow grave in the area of Central Avenue and Third Street in Kearny,” Suarez said. “The body of a female was recovered a short time later and she was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:53 p.m.”

Authorities did not disclose the manner in which Hernandez died but said that the death is considered suspicious and the cause is currently pending upon the findings of the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, Suarez said.

Hernandez worked as a kindergarten at BelovED Charter School in Jersey City — just a two-minute walk away from where she lived, according to ABC News’ New York City station WABC-TV.

The school’s founder, Bret Schundler, called Hernandez an amazing person and a wonderful kindergarten teacher who developed close relationships with staff and students, according to WABC.

“This will be a shock to the entire community,” he told WABC.

“[She was a] very pleasant woman, beautiful children. It is sad that she passed away. I feel terrible,” a neighbor identified as Monique told WABC in an interview. “She always seemed so pleasant so I really didn’t think something so severe [could happen].”

Hernandez leaves behind three young children, two of which were students at the school she taught at, according to WABC. All classes at the school were cancelled on Wednesday.

“The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit is actively investigating this case with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department and the Kearny Police Department,” said Suarez. “No arrests have been made at this time.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip. All information will be kept confidential.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One dead, five injured after stolen vehicle collision causes building collapse

One dead, five injured after stolen vehicle collision causes building collapse
One dead, five injured after stolen vehicle collision causes building collapse
Piccell/Getty Images

(BALTIMORE) — At least one person is dead and five others have been injured after a driver in a stolen vehicle slammed into a building and caused it to collapse in an attempt to flee from police.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:54 p.m. on Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland, when Eastern District officers spotted a stolen vehicle in the E. North Avenue corridor of the city and attempted to investigate when the vehicle took off, according to Baltimore Police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge.

“The stolen vehicle struck another vehicle, and both vehicles collided with a building at the intersection of E. North Avenue and Wolfe Street, causing the building to collapse,” Eldridge said.

Baltimore firefighters and medics immediately responded to the scene and began their emergency rescue operations.

Authorities were able to pull a 54-year-old male pedestrian from among the rubble and building debris but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Five others — all occupants from the involved vehicles — were rescued and taken to local area hospitals, according to Eldridge.

Their conditions are currently unknown.

Baltimore Police Department’s Special Investigations Response Team along with the Crash Team responded and are investigating this incident, police said.

The investigation into the accident is open and ongoing.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized overnight after feeling lightheaded, staff says

Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized overnight after feeling lightheaded, staff says
Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized overnight after feeling lightheaded, staff says
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., was taken to a Washington hospital on Wednesday “for observation” after feeling lightheaded at a Democratic retreat, his staff said.

“He left and called his staff, who picked him up and drove him to The George Washington University Hospital,” Communications Director Joe Calvello said in a statement released on Wednesday evening.

Fetterman, who was elected in November after a widely watched race against TV personality and celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, had a stroke during his campaign due to a heart condition, his campaign said at the time.

Doctors on Wednesday ran initial tests, but didn’t see signs of a stroke, Calvello said. More tests were underway and Fetterman was staying in the hospital overnight “for observation,” he said.

“He is in good spirits and talking with his staff and family,” Calvello said. “We will provide more information when we have it.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tornado touches down in Louisiana, storm watches issued across the South

Tornado touches down in Louisiana, storm watches issued across the South
Tornado touches down in Louisiana, storm watches issued across the South
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A tornado was spotted just outside of Tangipahoa, Louisiana, Wednesday evening, according to the National Weather Service New Orleans, which has urged residents to take shelter as the tornado moves north.

Three people were injured after a possible tornado touched down near the village of Tangipahoa, according to Tangipahoa Parish Police Chief Jimmy Travis.

On Wednesday, tornado watches were issued for several states in the South, as storms move across the region.

Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and one county in Texas are also on alert for tornadoes until 10 p.m. ET, according to meteorologists.

More tornado watches may be issued when the line of storms moves eastward into Mississippi and Tennessee.

More than eight million people are at risk for severe weather in the deep South, as storms with damaging winds, flash flooding and scattered tornadoes are expected.

Jackson, Mississippi, is in the center of this severe weather threat, with storms in the area likely coming through during the evening into the overnight hours.

Nocturnal tornadoes are 2.5 times more likely to be deadly than tornadoes during the daytime.

A large storm that’s moving across the country is bringing a range of weather hazards, from severe weather and gusty winds to heavy snow.

More than 40 million Americans in 20 states are under wind alerts, which stretch from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, with wind gusts topping 50 mph on Wednesday and Thursday.

Winter alerts are in effect from Iowa through Wisconsin, with 8 inches of snow accumulation possible from Wednesday through Thursday afternoon.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.