South
Charlamagne defends airline policy saying particularly obese passengers must buy 2nd seat
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Radio host Charlamagne tha God praised an upcoming airline policy change on Wednesday, saying obese passengers should consider eating less food if they don’t want to buy a second seat to accommodate their size.
Beginning on Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines will ditch open seating, having previously had a “pick any seat” policy, allowing customers to purchase tickets in different boarding groups by selecting where they wanted to sit upon boarding the plane.
The airline has also cautioned portly customers “who encroach upon the neighboring seat(s)” to proactively purchase the necessary number of seats prior to travel. Next month, however, such customers “will be required to purchase an additional seat and pay any applicable seat fee at the airport.”
“Why don’t they just make them fly cargo?” Charlamagne asked on “The Breakfast Club” radio show as his crew discussed the upcoming change. “And furthermore, I don’t have a problem at all with this, OK? If you are too big for one seat, then you just got to buy two seats. Don’t act like the plane is doing something to you. You know how big you are!”
STOP WEARINGS PAJAMAS ON AIRPLANES, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY SAYS ABOUT ‘BRINGING CIVILITY BACK’
Charlamagne tha God during a campaign event on Sept. 9, 2022, in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
“But what if you don’t got the bread to buy another seat, but you fat? You can’t control that,” co-host Jess Hilarious said.
“Well, you shouldn’t have been eating so much bread. You need to stop eating bread. All right? OK. By the way, tall people got to go through this, too! Tall people gotta buy the extra leg-room seats, so it ain’t just fat people that gotta deal with this. If you’re a tall person, you gotta buy extra legroom because you know you need it.”
“I don’t think that this is any wrongdoing of the plane, is what I’m simply saying,” Charlamagne said, going on to mention how stuffing somebody who does not fit well into a seat is not only a disservice to them, but to whomever sits next to them.
MODEL TESS HOLLIDAY CLAIMS UNITED FLIGHT ATTENDANT TOLD HER TO LOSE WEIGHT DURING FIRST-CLASS FLIGHT WITH SON
Co-host Jess Hilarious said she might actually prefer to sit next to an obese person, suggesting it would offer extra cushioning. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
He later concluded by telling listeners, “So Southwest is making a push to cut costs, it’s the new year, you should make a push to cut weight, OK? That should be your New Year’s resolution.”
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“Why don’t they just make them fly cargo?” Charlamagne asked on “The Breakfast Club” radio show. (Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network)
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Dallas, TX
Fatal crash on LBJ Freeway in Dallas leaves 1 dead, multiple people hospitalized, police say
One person has died and several others are injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 635 in Dallas on Saturday.
Police were called to the 11100 block of westbound LBJ Freeway just before 6:30 p.m. for a major accident. Investigators discovered that a blue sedan heading west on I-635 moved to exit from the second from the left lane. It first hit the concrete barrier and traffic attenuator, or crash cushion. The sedan was then hit by a white pickup truck and a semi truck, police said. The sedan then caught on fire.
One passenger in the blue sedan died on the scene and another was ejected. The driver of the sedan and the ejected passenger were both taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The driver and two passengers in the pickup truck were also taken to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
Dallas police said the investigation is ongoing.
Miami, FL
Deputies searching for 2 men accused of shooting man during attempted robbery in SW Miami-Dade
Two suspects accused in an overnight shooting in Southwest Miami-Dade remain on the loose, deputies said.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened on Saturday night in the area of Southwest 143rd Avenue and Southwest 260th Street.
Deputies said that a man was shot as he was trying to get away from two people who tried to rob him.
The man was taken to Baptist Hospital by a friend, but was then airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in stable condition.
An investigation into the shooting remains active.
Atlanta, GA
Victim, suspect identified in deadly Atlanta train stabbing
A woman was fatally stabbed on a MARTA train near the Oakland City Station on May 30, 2026. (FOX 5)
ATLANTA – A 25-year-old man is accused of fatally stabbing an Atlanta woman on a MARTA train at the Oakland City Station on Saturday.
What we know:
John Elijah Matthews is charged with murder in the death of 66-year-old Margaret Swan.
MARTA police officers were called to the train for a stabbing around noon.
Police officers arrested Matthews immediately near the train after several witnesses saw the violent act take place. Emergency medical workers attempted life-saving efforts, but Swan died on the scene.
“This appears to be a senseless act of violence, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” MARTA said in an official statement. The agency stated that its police force is actively investigating the matter.
Woman stabbed to death on Atlanta MARTA train; 1 arrested
What we don’t know:
Investigators have not yet confirmed what happened in the moments leading up to the attack or whether Swan and Matthews knew each other beforehand.
Dig deeper:
Public transit passengers have expressed growing fear following the weekend killing. Another person survived a separate stabbing at the Georgia State MARTA station last weekend, leaving commuters worried about system security.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office and MARTA police. Additional information comes from prior FOX 5 reporting.
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