KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police dispatcher Julia Jordan accidentally added a dash of celebrity gossip to her public service this week when she shared “Taylor Swift is engaged” over a hot microphone.
That appears to be how officers in the Lansing, Michigan, area learned about the superstar singer’s betrothal to Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce.
The official announcement, made in a five-photo joint post on Instagram, marks the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years and has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world.
Joyful chaos ensued nationwide, with oddsmakers taking bets on when and where the celebrity couple will wed. Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base, can even wager on the flavor of the wedding cake.
Kansas City-based tax preparer H&R Block sent out a light-hearted email to staff, telling them they could head home early to check social media feeds and debate potential wedding playlists.
“Celebrate love. Speculate about the dress. Argue whether the reception will be held in KC or a castle in Europe," the email said.
Matthew Pittman, an associate professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, hastily organized a skit before his social media class began Tuesday, pretending to cancel a test because of the engagement.
"I can’t focus. You all can’t focus. Class is canceled, get outta here,” Pittman told the students.
Video shows the students grabbing backpacks and rushing for the door. By the end of class, the video had around 50,000 views and by dinner around 1 million. It was so convincing that some news outlets mistakenly reported that Pittman actually did call off class because of the engagement. He had to reassure a higher up at the university that he hadn’t.
“This is going to be like a royal wedding,” said Pittman, who has dozens of Swift’s songs on his running and workout playlist. “We don’t have a real king or queen or prince or princess, but we have this now. This is the joyous, happy love story. A lot of people need it.”
Jordan, the Ingham County, Michigan, dispatcher, said the last big event that she watched with coworkers was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 nuptials. Now she thinks they might watch Swift and Kelce's wedding together, especially after what happened.
After the first scanner flub, an officer informed her, “You had an open mic there,” and then deadpanned, “That’s great news about Taylor Swift.”
Jordan tried to fix the problem, but laughter erupted when she continued: “Dispatch. I’m clear. Yeah. Aren’t you happy about Taylor Swift?”
Jordan had been eagerly awaiting the news from the singer, whose hit song “Shake It Off” spoke to her. “We do a hard job, lots of dark things, so it’s kind of nice to be able to laugh a little,” she said.
Officers played along with the scanner mishap, one asking, “Well, give us some more gossip, at least.”
“It’s a big ring," Jordan said.
“Best hot mic ever," an officer declared.
Jordan has been ribbed ever since. “I had one ask me when I was planning to retire, and I said not soon enough.”
FILE - Taylor Swift gets a kiss from Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as they arrive to watch play between Jannik Sinner, of Italy, and Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen returned to court Tuesday to appeal an embezzlement conviction, with her 2027 presidential ambitions hanging on the outcome of the case.
Le Pen, 57, is seeking to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. She was given a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, a further two-year suspended sentence and a 100,000-euro ($116,800) fine.
“I hope I'll be able to convince the judges of my innocence,” Le Pen told reporters Monday. “It’s a new court with new judges. The case will be reset, so to speak.”
The appeals trial is scheduled to last for five weeks, with a verdict expected at a later date.
She was seen as the potential front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election until last year's ruling, which sent shock waves through French politics. Le Pen denounced it as “a democratic scandal.”
Her National Rally party has been coming out on top in opinion polls, and Le Pen alleged that the judicial system brought out “the nuclear bomb” to prevent her from becoming France’s president.
The appeal trial, involving Le Pen and 11 other defendants, is scheduled to last for five weeks. A panel of three judges at the appeals court in Paris is expected to announce its verdict at a later date, possibly before summer.
Several scenarios are possible, from acquittal to another conviction that may or may not bar her from running in 2027. She could also face an even tougher punishment if convicted anew — up to 10 years in prison and a 1-million euro ($1.17 million) fine.
In March, Le Pen and other party officials were convicted of using money intended for EU parliamentary assistants who instead had other duties between 2004 and 2016, in violation of EU rules. Some actually did work for the party, known as the National Front at the time, in French domestic politics, the court said.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said Le Pen was at the heart of a “system” set up to siphon off EU parliament funds — including to pay for her bodyguard and her chief of staff.
All suspects denied wrongdoing, and Le Pen argued the money was used in a legitimate way. The judge said Le Pen and the others did not enrich themselves personally.
The legal proceedings initially stemmed from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities.
The case and its fallout weigh heavily on Le Pen’s political future after more than a decade spent trying to bring the far right into France’s political mainstream. Since taking over the party from her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has sought to shed its reputation for racism and antisemitism, changing its name, expelling her father in 2015 and softening both the party’s platform and her own public image.
That strategy has paid dividends. The National Rally is now the largest single political group in France’s lower house of parliament and has built a broad network of elected officials across the country.
Le Pen stepped down as party president in 2021 to focus on the presidential race, handing the role to Jordan Bardella, now 30.
If she is ultimately prevented from running in 2027, Bardella is widely expected to be her successor. His popularity has surged, particularly among younger voters, though some within the party have questioned his leadership.
Le Pen's potential conviction would be “deeply worrying for (France's) democracy,” Bardella said Monday in a New Year address.
Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella speaks during his New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, center, is framed by Louis Aliot, left, and conservative lawmaker Eric Ciotti during National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
