FILE PHOTO: Ed Sheeran performs during the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, U.S., December 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo
Dan is a managing editor at Raw Story based in Colorado, producing and editing breaking political news.
Dan previously worked as a news associate at The Associated Press in Philadelphia, and later as local editor, breaking news editor and eventually manager at Patch, overseeing the company’s breaking news and Long Island/Hudson Valley teams.
Dan has covered major breaking stories such as mass shootings and wildfires in California, and overseen teams that covered George Santos and the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
A native of Colorado and the Philadelphia area, Dan graduated with a degree in journalism from Temple University.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) says Ed Sheeran won't be playing in her car anytime soon, but that she's focusing her fury at billionaire Robert Kraft.
Macklemore's ouster from Sheeran's tour prompted TMZ to ask the star Democrat whether she changes the station when Sheeran comes on the car radio.
"It's not just what has happened with the act, and not just in removing Macklemore from the lineup, but when you see what Robert Kraft did to line up all of the stadiums to censor speech in that one specific way, it's become clear that this is not just about one music artist or two music artists, but this is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elite can prevent an entire massive issue, in this case the genocide in Gaza," Ocasio-Cortez said.
She warned the same pressure could be used against anyone speaking out about AI or any other issue.
Asked about Sheeran's responsibility, she said she didn't know, since she has no idea what contracts or financial entanglements are involved. The right thing to do is speak out about an abuse of power, she said.
"If they're saying that to him, right, then they can say it to anybody, and at what point does it stop?" she said.
Macklemore led "Free Palestine" chants while opening Sheeran's Sept. 4-5 shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On Monday, he said Sheeran told him Kraft had barred him from Gillette Stadium and rallied other stadium owners against him. Kraft confirmed the ban, citing what he described as a history of rhetoric offensive to the Jewish community.
Sheeran insisted that dropping Macklemore was the promoter's call. Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Sheeran's backing band Beoga all quit the tour in solidarity.
