The Rock Chalkboard

Kansas basketball: Bill Self updates injury status for Kevin McCullar, Bobby Pettiford, Cam Martin
Kansas could be without three scholarship players when the Jayhawks host Seton Hall on Thursday, according to Kansas coach Bill Self. Talking on his regular Hawk Talk show Thursday, Self indicated that the three players who sat out Monday’s game against Texas Southern were also long-shots to play later this week.

Kansas safety Edwin White announces intention to transfer
Kansas safety Edwin White announced his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer portal and transfer from KU on Tuesday afternoon. The safety played in the first three games of KU’s 2022 season but did not take the field afterward, meaning he will earn a redshirt this season and have three seasons of playing eligibility remaining. Most of White’s snaps were on special teams, with his only defensive snaps coming against Tennessee Tech. As a true freshman last season, White played in all 12 games, notching nine tackles. For more on what the departure means for KU, click here.

Details of Lance Leipold's new KU football contract revealed
Lance Leipold has officially signed a contract extension with Kansas that will keep him with the program through the 2029 football season. The contract, which was signed by Leipold on Friday, was fully released to the public on Tuesday after it was approved on Monday. Overall, the contract will pay Leipold an annual salary of $5 million with an increase of $100 thousand each year. There is also language in the contract that commits to paying Leipold in the top half of Big 12 coach’s salaries beyond the 2024 season.

Everything Bill Self said after Kansas' win over Texas Southern
Kansas bounced back from its loss to Tennessee and improved to 7-1 on Monday night with an 87-55 win over Texas Southern. KU jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before Texas Southern cut it down to 14-10. From there, KU took over the game, mounting a 13-0 run that later extended to a 19-4 run. In the second half, KU controlled the game and never looked back.

Eraser Dust

Trump calls McConnell "loser" after he condemns Fuentes dinner
Former President Trump insulted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, calling him a "loser for our nation" after McConnell appeared to criticize his decision to have dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and antisemitic rapper Ye.

U.S. Senate passes same-sex marriage protection bill | Reuters
The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would protect federal recognition of same-sex marriage, a measure taken up in response to worries the Supreme Court could overturn a 2015 decision that legalized it nationwide.

Elon Musk Is Finding Out That Free Speech Isn’t Rocket Science - The New York Times
It’s harder.

Samuel Jackson Pushes Back Against Tarantino's MCU Movie Star Comments: ‘Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther’ - IGN
“It takes an actor to be those particular characters, and the sign of movie stardom has always been, what, asses in seats? What are we talking about?” said Jackson. “That's not a big controversy for me to know that apparently, these actors are movie stars. Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. You can't refute that, and he's a movie star.”

Flathead County Commission Denies West Glacier Vision Plan - Flathead Beacon
For more than two years, stakeholders in the gateway community of West Glacier have worked to craft a visioning document to identify shared values and guide land-use planning and future development at the edge of Glacier National Park. Despite the extensive engagement with county, state and federal officials, the vision plan did not resonate with the county commissioners, who expressed concerns over the county’s inability to enforce some of the goals stated within.

Iranians face retribution after World Cup loss against USA: experts
“Given what we’ve seen from the Iranian regime … they’ve shown themselves to be brutal and there’s no reason to believe they’re going to suddenly become rational,” Baker said.

Under the Big Sky Announces 2023 Festival Lineup - Flathead Beacon
Whitefish music festival Under the Big Sky has announced its 2023 lineup, with performers including Hank Williams Jr., Zach Bryan and CAAMP, according to an announcement Tuesday by the festival’s production and promotion company Outriders Presents.

Elon Musk Is Finding Out That Free Speech Isn’t Rocket Science - The New York Times
It’s harder.

Country singer Jake Flint unexpectedly dies hours after his wedding - CBS News
Cline called Flint "the funniest, most hilarious, hardest working, dedicated artist I have ever worked with in my career," adding, "this is going to be incredibly difficult for so many. We love you Jake and in our hearts forever."

Christian Pulisic scores biggest USA goal in 12 years, as U.S. advances | FOX Sports
DOHA, Qatar – Christian Pulisic scored the goal that beat Iran 1-0 and took the United States into the knockout stage of the World Cup on Tuesday night, and that's really all anyone needs to know.

Christian Pulisic, on the Mend, Says He’ll Play on Saturday - The New York Times
In a message sent from his hospital bed as soon as the game ended, and accompanied by a fist-pumping photo, he congratulated his teammates on their win and wrote, “I’ll be ready for Saturday don’t worry.”

NASA's Orion photographed the Earth and Moon from a quarter-million miles away | Engadget
The Orion spacecraft's record-setting distance from Earth made for stunning photography, apparently. NASA has shared a photo taken by the Artemis I vehicle on Monday showing both Earth and the Moon in the background. Much like some Apollo photography or Voyager 1's "Pale Blue Dot," the picture puts humanity's home in perspective — our world is just one small planet in a much larger cosmos.

Details of Lance Leipold's new KU football contract revealed
Lance Leipold has officially signed a contract extension with Kansas that will keep him with the program through the 2029 football season. The contract, which was signed by Leipold on Friday, was fully released to the public on Tuesday after it was approved on Monday. Overall, the contract will pay Leipold an annual salary of $5 million with an increase of $100 thousand each year. There is also language in the contract that commits to paying Leipold in the top half of Big 12 coach’s salaries beyond the 2024 season.