So, how was your winter?

Don’t answer that. Let’s just move on, to the ninth installment of “Ask Rick,” that experiment that began more than a year ago as a way for Chicago Tribune readers to ask me questions they might have about the place we all call home. The latest batch of questions, comments, criticisms and bits of praise and, as always, some craziness that came to www.chicagotribune.com/askrick touched on all sorts of topics springing from the byways of memory.

I will shortly get to those — about sidewalk photographers, the bygone Punchinello’s and the Daily News — but first, with opening day at Wrigley Field on April 8 (White Sox start the season here on April 4), let’s explore this, from John Hession, who wrote, “Who has hit more home runs into the outfield basket at Wrigley, the Cubs or opposing teams?”

I actually thought that this, in our increasingly statistics-crazed age, would be easy to answer. After a great deal of research, I now know a great deal about home runs at Wrigley — most by a Cub lifetime, Ernie Banks at 290; most by a Cub opponent lifetime, Willie Mays at 54; longest home run, 540 feet by Dave Kingman, then a New York Met, on April 14, 1976 — but I have come up empty in my attempt to enlighten Mr. Hession, who tells me he is a lifelong Sox fan.

I even consulted the great and wise Tribune baseball writer Paul Sullivan, who first responded to the question with, “Ha.” He proceeded to be typically informative, saying, “They don’t keep stats on that. My guess is opposing teams, based on Cubs history of mostly sucking from the time the basket was installed until the 2016 World Series, though they did make the playoffs seven times in those years. I can tell you that very few of Sammy Sosa’s homers landed in the basket.”

The basket was installed in 1970, the stated reason to keep fans, including some the legendary bleacher bums, from interfering with balls hit their way and from falling or jumping onto the field. It also kept fans from draping coats, jackets or other items over the wall. That practice compelled Cubs public address announcer Pat Pieper to often playfully ask, “Will the bleacher fans please remove their clothes?”

I suppose that it is possible that someone out there has been keeping track of the basket home runs. If so, I would love to hear from you with the thus far elusive numbers.

Another Ask Rick correspondent brought back some foggy memories. Paul Karkula wrote, “In light of Vivian Maier’s recent popularity I remember in the 1960s while walking around the Loop with my parents noticing a photographer taking candid/random photos of pedestrians on State Street.”

Not a formal question but a comment that deserves an answer. It took me back to State Street where I was once approached by a guy with a camera who took my little-boy photo and handed me a small, self-addressed envelope which, when mailed to him with a couple of bucks and my address, would get me the photo. At the time, I didn’t have a couple of bucks.

This man was obviously one of the survivors of a once thriving breed of entrepreneurs who seem to have sprung up during the Great Depression, when many of those who ran photo studios found themselves strapped for customers and decided to bring the studios to the streets. (Maier was on her own, see www.vivianmaier.com.)

These “pros” would prowl the most crowded city sidewalks, cameras in hand. They would snap a photo and then approach the subject and offer a coupon or business card, which, when mailed in or presented at the studio with a fee would buy a photo. As you might imagine, human nature being what it is, some of these “photographers” were operating a con, with servicemen on furlough a frequent target. They would snap the photo and promise, for the fee up front, to mail that photo to a loved one back home. Those photos would never arrive and often the cameras did not even have any film.

Thomas Butow wrote, “I have a menu from the sixties (from a) place I used to frequent at 936 North Rush Street called Punchinello’s. Do you have any recollection of it or history of it?”

What a place. It was owned by an energetic and flamboyant Austrian named Pierre Wimmer, who also owned for a time a French restaurant on Elm Street called Le Festival. Wimmer turned Punchinello’s into one of the street’s most popular hangouts for the late-night crowd. It had entertainment in the form of, if memory serves, pianist Bruce Robbins, who would often be called upon to accompany such stars as Carol Channing, Barry Manilow and some of the others who might be appearing elsewhere in town, at theaters or most likely at Mister Kelly’s, the famous nightclub a block north on Rush.

It closed in 1978 after a dispute with its landlord but not before helping launch the career of Beverly Arlene Wines, a native of the Northwest Side who was a wisecracking waitress who told jokes and sang songs at any number of local saloons, but most notably at Punchinello’s.

Performing under the stage name Pudgy, a nickname courtesy of her father who applied it when she was only six months old, she went on to great success. Often labelled, unfairly, an “insult comic” and compared to Don Rickles, she was a comedic genius, able to, as I wrote long ago, “weave the peculiarities and personalities of her crowd into notes of a devilish symphony.”

She died a decade ago but no one who saw her will never forget her.

Also hard to forget for many is the Chicago Daily News, which ended its run on March 4, 1978, with the great headline, “So long, Chicago.” I have a copy of that edition and so does John Wendland, who wrote this to “Ask Rick”: “I have a copy, unread and unopened. I am retiring and moving. Is it worth anything to anyone?”

‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘large-media_0’,adsection: ‘const-article-carousel-pagetop’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [{“title”:”Tapper questions US ambassador over Trump’s words”,”duration”:”01:49″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”US Ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown says he has not spoken with President Donald Trump about the mosque attack in New Zealand that killed at least 50 people. “,”descriptionText”:”US Ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown says he has not spoken with President Donald Trump about the mosque attack in New Zealand that killed at least 50 people. “},{“title”:”Chelsea Clinton confronted over Rep. Omar criticism”,”duration”:”02:36″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/17/chelsea-clinton-confronted-rashida-tlaib-sotu-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/17/chelsea-clinton-confronted-rashida-tlaib-sotu-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317093849-chelsea-clinton-confronted-thumb-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/17/chelsea-clinton-confronted-rashida-tlaib-sotu-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”During a New Zealand terror attack vigil, Chelsea Clinton was confronted by a New York University student about the way she had condemned recent comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).”,”descriptionText”:”During a New Zealand terror attack vigil, Chelsea Clinton was confronted by a New York University student about the way she had condemned recent comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).”},{“title”:”Beto O’Rourke on woman VP: That would be my preference “,”duration”:”01:35″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/17/beto-orourke-woman-vice-president-sot-vpx-ndwknd.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/17/beto-orourke-woman-vice-president-sot-vpx-ndwknd.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317071242-beto-orourke-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/17/beto-orourke-woman-vice-president-sot-vpx-ndwknd.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that he would likely choose a female running mate if he wins the presidential nomination for the 2020 election.”,”descriptionText”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that he would likely choose a female running mate if he wins the presidential nomination for the 2020 election.”},{“title”:”Jeb Bush reveals what he whispered to brother during funeral”,”duration”:”02:18″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/jeb-bush-parents-funeral-axe-files-sot.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/jeb-bush-parents-funeral-axe-files-sot.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316143625-bush-funeral-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/jeb-bush-parents-funeral-axe-files-sot.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush talks to CNN’s David Axelrod about losing both his parents within a short period of time. “,”descriptionText”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush talks to CNN’s David Axelrod about losing both his parents within a short period of time. “},{“title”:”John Avlon highlights the excuses of Nixon … and Trump”,”duration”:”03:12″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/trump-nixon-defense-similarities-reality-check-avlon-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/trump-nixon-defense-similarities-reality-check-avlon-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316113328-avlon-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/trump-nixon-defense-similarities-reality-check-avlon-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s John Avlon looks at the now famous Art Buchwald column from 1973 outlining Nixon’s Watergate defenses. Almost all of which could be used today to push back on the Russia investigation.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s John Avlon looks at the now famous Art Buchwald column from 1973 outlining Nixon’s Watergate defenses. Almost all of which could be used today to push back on the Russia investigation.”},{“title”:”Mueller’s old boss explains why working with him was ‘terrifying'”,”duration”:”03:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/bill-weld-robert-mueller-old-boss-smerconish-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/bill-weld-robert-mueller-old-boss-smerconish-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316093749-bill-weld-robert-mueller-split-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/bill-weld-robert-mueller-old-boss-smerconish-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld describes why he thought working with special counsel Robert Mueller was “terrifying.””,”descriptionText”:”Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld describes why he thought working with special counsel Robert Mueller was “terrifying.””},{“title”:”Trump slams ‘fake dossier’ despite some verified claims”,”duration”:”03:46″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/trump-tweet-steele-dossier-fake-brown-dnt-ebof-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/trump-tweet-steele-dossier-fake-brown-dnt-ebof-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/181211125207-01-trump-file-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/trump-tweet-steele-dossier-fake-brown-dnt-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s Pamela Brown reports on President Trump’s tweet calling the Steele dossier “fake” and “paid for by Crooked Hillary.””,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Pamela Brown reports on President Trump’s tweet calling the Steele dossier “fake” and “paid for by Crooked Hillary.””},{“title”:”Beto O’Rourke: I have enjoyed white privilege”,”duration”:”02:46″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/beto-orourke-wife-joke-apology-white-privilege-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/beto-orourke-wife-joke-apology-white-privilege-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316010017-beto-orourke-apology-03152019-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/beto-orourke-wife-joke-apology-white-privilege-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke apologized for joking at several campaign events that his wife has been raising their children “sometimes with my help.” “,”descriptionText”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke apologized for joking at several campaign events that his wife has been raising their children “sometimes with my help.” “},{“title”:”Inside Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 grassroots strategy”,”duration”:”02:29″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/elizabeth-warren-2020-grassroots-strategy-mj-lee-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/elizabeth-warren-2020-grassroots-strategy-mj-lee-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314144104-03-elizabeth-warren-0308-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/elizabeth-warren-2020-grassroots-strategy-mj-lee-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s MJ Lee reports on Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 grassroots campaign strategy.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s MJ Lee reports on Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 grassroots campaign strategy.”},{“title”:”Trump vetoes national emergency resolution”,”duration”:”01:05″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/trump-veto-resolution-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/trump-veto-resolution-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315162750-trump-signs-veto-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/trump-veto-resolution-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”President Trump signed the first veto of his presidency, rejecting a measure that would reverse the national emergency he declared on the southern border.”,”descriptionText”:”President Trump signed the first veto of his presidency, rejecting a measure that would reverse the national emergency he declared on the southern border.”},{“title”:”CNN panel criticizes Trump’s use of ‘invasion’ after massacre”,”duration”:”01:50″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/donald-trump-invasion-invaders-ashamed-new-zealand-terror-attack-sot-lead-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/donald-trump-invasion-invaders-ashamed-new-zealand-terror-attack-sot-lead-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315160920-trump-veto-signing-1-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/donald-trump-invasion-invaders-ashamed-new-zealand-terror-attack-sot-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”A CNN panel discusses President Trump using the term “invasion” to describe the US southern border in the wake of the New Zealand terrorist attack on Muslims.”,”descriptionText”:”A CNN panel discusses President Trump using the term “invasion” to describe the US southern border in the wake of the New Zealand terrorist attack on Muslims.”},{“title”:”Sanders blames greed for failures in healthcare system”,”duration”:”01:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/bernie-sanders-insurance-healthcare-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/bernie-sanders-insurance-healthcare-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315170757-bernie-sanders-wound-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/bernie-sanders-insurance-healthcare-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”At a roundtable discussion in Charleston, South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders blamed insurance companies and their focus on profits for failures in the US healthcare system.”,”descriptionText”:”At a roundtable discussion in Charleston, South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders blamed insurance companies and their focus on profits for failures in the US healthcare system.”},{“title”:”Al Gore: Trump’s climate change denial creates supporters”,”duration”:”01:12″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/al-gore-climate-change-trump-denial-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/al-gore-climate-change-trump-denial-sot-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315145936-al-gore-nr-3-15-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/al-gore-climate-change-trump-denial-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former vice president Al Gore says President Trump’s denial of climate change has a reverse effect and brings supporters to the cause.”,”descriptionText”:”Former vice president Al Gore says President Trump’s denial of climate change has a reverse effect and brings supporters to the cause.”},{“title”:”Jeb Bush: Republicans ought to be given choice for 2020″,”duration”:”01:40″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/jeb-bush-on-2020-axe-files-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/jeb-bush-on-2020-axe-files-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315112807-jeb-bush-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/jeb-bush-on-2020-axe-files-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said he thinks a Republican should challenge President Donald Trump in next year’s election, arguing the party “ought to be a given a choice.””,”descriptionText”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said he thinks a Republican should challenge President Donald Trump in next year’s election, arguing the party “ought to be a given a choice.””},{“title”:”Sen. Amy Klobuchar: I won’t shy away from common ground”,”duration”:”06:43″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315111108-sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx-00001328-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s Poppy Harlow sits down with presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) about her bipartisan appeal.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Poppy Harlow sits down with presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) about her bipartisan appeal.”},{“title”:”Cuomo and Conway spar over Trump’s ‘tough people’ remark”,”duration”:”02:07″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/cuomo-kellyanne-conway-trump-tough-people-breitbart-cpt-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/cuomo-kellyanne-conway-trump-tough-people-breitbart-cpt-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314220333-cuomo-conway-split-03142019-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/cuomo-kellyanne-conway-trump-tough-people-breitbart-cpt-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s Chris Cuomo and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway debate President Trump’s comment to Breitbart News that he has the support of “tough people” — military, police and bikers — who, Trump appeared to insinuate, could turn to violence against his political opponents.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Chris Cuomo and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway debate President Trump’s comment to Breitbart News that he has the support of “tough people” — military, police and bikers — who, Trump appeared to insinuate, could turn to violence against his political opponents.”}],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = true;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);var videoHandler = {},isFeaturedVideoCollectionHandlerAvailable = (CNN !== undefined &&CNN.VIDEOCLIENT !== undefined &&CNN.VIDEOCLIENT.FeaturedVideoCollectionHandler !== undefined);if (!isFeaturedVideoCollectionHandlerAvailable) {CNN.INJECTOR.executeFeature(‘videx’).done(function () {jQuery.ajax({dataType: ‘script’,cache: true,url: ‘//www.i.cdn.cnn.com/.a/2.144.1/js/featured-video-collection-player.min.js’}).done(function () {initializeVideoAndCollection();}).fail(function () {throw ‘Unable to fetch /js/featured-video-collection-player.min.js’;});}).fail(function () {throw ‘Unable to fetch the videx bundle’;});}function initializeVideoAndCollection() {videoHandler = new CNN.VIDEOCLIENT.FeaturedVideoCollectionHandler(configObj.markupId,”cn-featured-23mk5sx”,’js-video_description-featured-23mk5sx’,[{“title”:”Tapper questions US ambassador over Trump’s words”,”duration”:”01:49″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317103709-scott-brown-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/17/new-zealand-attack-trump-ambassador-scott-brown-sot-sotu-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”US Ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown says he has not spoken with President Donald Trump about the mosque attack in New Zealand that killed at least 50 people. “,”descriptionText”:”US Ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown says he has not spoken with President Donald Trump about the mosque attack in New Zealand that killed at least 50 people. “},{“title”:”Chelsea Clinton confronted over Rep. Omar criticism”,”duration”:”02:36″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/17/chelsea-clinton-confronted-rashida-tlaib-sotu-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/17/chelsea-clinton-confronted-rashida-tlaib-sotu-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317093849-chelsea-clinton-confronted-thumb-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/17/chelsea-clinton-confronted-rashida-tlaib-sotu-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”During a New Zealand terror attack vigil, Chelsea Clinton was confronted by a New York University student about the way she had condemned recent comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).”,”descriptionText”:”During a New Zealand terror attack vigil, Chelsea Clinton was confronted by a New York University student about the way she had condemned recent comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).”},{“title”:”Beto O’Rourke on woman VP: That would be my preference “,”duration”:”01:35″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/17/beto-orourke-woman-vice-president-sot-vpx-ndwknd.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/17/beto-orourke-woman-vice-president-sot-vpx-ndwknd.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190317071242-beto-orourke-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/17/beto-orourke-woman-vice-president-sot-vpx-ndwknd.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that he would likely choose a female running mate if he wins the presidential nomination for the 2020 election.”,”descriptionText”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that he would likely choose a female running mate if he wins the presidential nomination for the 2020 election.”},{“title”:”Jeb Bush reveals what he whispered to brother during funeral”,”duration”:”02:18″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/jeb-bush-parents-funeral-axe-files-sot.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/jeb-bush-parents-funeral-axe-files-sot.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316143625-bush-funeral-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/jeb-bush-parents-funeral-axe-files-sot.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush talks to CNN’s David Axelrod about losing both his parents within a short period of time. “,”descriptionText”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush talks to CNN’s David Axelrod about losing both his parents within a short period of time. “},{“title”:”John Avlon highlights the excuses of Nixon … and Trump”,”duration”:”03:12″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/trump-nixon-defense-similarities-reality-check-avlon-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/trump-nixon-defense-similarities-reality-check-avlon-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316113328-avlon-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/trump-nixon-defense-similarities-reality-check-avlon-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s John Avlon looks at the now famous Art Buchwald column from 1973 outlining Nixon’s Watergate defenses. Almost all of which could be used today to push back on the Russia investigation.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s John Avlon looks at the now famous Art Buchwald column from 1973 outlining Nixon’s Watergate defenses. Almost all of which could be used today to push back on the Russia investigation.”},{“title”:”Mueller’s old boss explains why working with him was ‘terrifying'”,”duration”:”03:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/bill-weld-robert-mueller-old-boss-smerconish-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/bill-weld-robert-mueller-old-boss-smerconish-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316093749-bill-weld-robert-mueller-split-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/bill-weld-robert-mueller-old-boss-smerconish-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld describes why he thought working with special counsel Robert Mueller was “terrifying.””,”descriptionText”:”Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld describes why he thought working with special counsel Robert Mueller was “terrifying.””},{“title”:”Trump slams ‘fake dossier’ despite some verified claims”,”duration”:”03:46″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/trump-tweet-steele-dossier-fake-brown-dnt-ebof-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/trump-tweet-steele-dossier-fake-brown-dnt-ebof-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/181211125207-01-trump-file-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/trump-tweet-steele-dossier-fake-brown-dnt-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s Pamela Brown reports on President Trump’s tweet calling the Steele dossier “fake” and “paid for by Crooked Hillary.””,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Pamela Brown reports on President Trump’s tweet calling the Steele dossier “fake” and “paid for by Crooked Hillary.””},{“title”:”Beto O’Rourke: I have enjoyed white privilege”,”duration”:”02:46″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/beto-orourke-wife-joke-apology-white-privilege-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/beto-orourke-wife-joke-apology-white-privilege-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316010017-beto-orourke-apology-03152019-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/beto-orourke-wife-joke-apology-white-privilege-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke apologized for joking at several campaign events that his wife has been raising their children “sometimes with my help.” “,”descriptionText”:”Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke apologized for joking at several campaign events that his wife has been raising their children “sometimes with my help.” “},{“title”:”Inside Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 grassroots strategy”,”duration”:”02:29″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/16/elizabeth-warren-2020-grassroots-strategy-mj-lee-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/16/elizabeth-warren-2020-grassroots-strategy-mj-lee-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314144104-03-elizabeth-warren-0308-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/16/elizabeth-warren-2020-grassroots-strategy-mj-lee-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s MJ Lee reports on Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 grassroots campaign strategy.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s MJ Lee reports on Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 grassroots campaign strategy.”},{“title”:”Trump vetoes national emergency resolution”,”duration”:”01:05″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/trump-veto-resolution-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/trump-veto-resolution-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315162750-trump-signs-veto-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/trump-veto-resolution-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”President Trump signed the first veto of his presidency, rejecting a measure that would reverse the national emergency he declared on the southern border.”,”descriptionText”:”President Trump signed the first veto of his presidency, rejecting a measure that would reverse the national emergency he declared on the southern border.”},{“title”:”CNN panel criticizes Trump’s use of ‘invasion’ after massacre”,”duration”:”01:50″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/donald-trump-invasion-invaders-ashamed-new-zealand-terror-attack-sot-lead-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/donald-trump-invasion-invaders-ashamed-new-zealand-terror-attack-sot-lead-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315160920-trump-veto-signing-1-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/donald-trump-invasion-invaders-ashamed-new-zealand-terror-attack-sot-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”A CNN panel discusses President Trump using the term “invasion” to describe the US southern border in the wake of the New Zealand terrorist attack on Muslims.”,”descriptionText”:”A CNN panel discusses President Trump using the term “invasion” to describe the US southern border in the wake of the New Zealand terrorist attack on Muslims.”},{“title”:”Sanders blames greed for failures in healthcare system”,”duration”:”01:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/bernie-sanders-insurance-healthcare-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/bernie-sanders-insurance-healthcare-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315170757-bernie-sanders-wound-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/bernie-sanders-insurance-healthcare-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”At a roundtable discussion in Charleston, South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders blamed insurance companies and their focus on profits for failures in the US healthcare system.”,”descriptionText”:”At a roundtable discussion in Charleston, South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders blamed insurance companies and their focus on profits for failures in the US healthcare system.”},{“title”:”Al Gore: Trump’s climate change denial creates supporters”,”duration”:”01:12″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/al-gore-climate-change-trump-denial-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/al-gore-climate-change-trump-denial-sot-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315145936-al-gore-nr-3-15-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/al-gore-climate-change-trump-denial-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former vice president Al Gore says President Trump’s denial of climate change has a reverse effect and brings supporters to the cause.”,”descriptionText”:”Former vice president Al Gore says President Trump’s denial of climate change has a reverse effect and brings supporters to the cause.”},{“title”:”Jeb Bush: Republicans ought to be given choice for 2020″,”duration”:”01:40″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/jeb-bush-on-2020-axe-files-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/jeb-bush-on-2020-axe-files-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315112807-jeb-bush-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/jeb-bush-on-2020-axe-files-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said he thinks a Republican should challenge President Donald Trump in next year’s election, arguing the party “ought to be a given a choice.””,”descriptionText”:”Former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said he thinks a Republican should challenge President Donald Trump in next year’s election, arguing the party “ought to be a given a choice.””},{“title”:”Sen. Amy Klobuchar: I won’t shy away from common ground”,”duration”:”06:43″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315111108-sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx-00001328-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/sen-amy-klobuchar-harlow-intv-pt-2-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s Poppy Harlow sits down with presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) about her bipartisan appeal.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Poppy Harlow sits down with presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) about her bipartisan appeal.”},{“title”:”Cuomo and Conway spar over Trump’s ‘tough people’ remark”,”duration”:”02:07″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/politics/2019/03/15/cuomo-kellyanne-conway-trump-tough-people-breitbart-cpt-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”politics/2019/03/15/cuomo-kellyanne-conway-trump-tough-people-breitbart-cpt-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314220333-cuomo-conway-split-03142019-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/politics/2019/03/15/cuomo-kellyanne-conway-trump-tough-people-breitbart-cpt-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/”,”description”:”CNN’s Chris Cuomo and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway debate President Trump’s comment to Breitbart News that he has the support of “tough people” — military, police and bikers — who, Trump appeared to insinuate, could turn to violence against his political opponents.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Chris Cuomo and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway debate President Trump’s comment to Breitbart News that he has the support of “tough people” — military, police and bikers — who, Trump appeared to insinuate, could turn to violence against his political opponents.”}],’js-video_headline-featured-23mk5sx’,”,”js-video_source-featured-23mk5sx”,true,true,’this-week-in-politics’);if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length

‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘large-media_0’,adsection: ‘const-article-carousel-pagetop’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [{“title”:”Scenes from one of New Zealand’s ‘darkest days'”,”duration”:”02:26″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Dozens were killed in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.”,”descriptionText”:”Dozens were killed in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.”},{“title”:”Man describes confronting New Zealand shooting suspect”,”duration”:”01:42″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/16/abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-new-zealand-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/16/abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-new-zealand-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316192611-abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/16/abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-new-zealand-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”A man describes his encounter with the suspect of the Christchurch, New Zealand, mass shootings.”,”descriptionText”:”A man describes his encounter with the suspect of the Christchurch, New Zealand, mass shootings.”},{“title”:”Terror attack death toll rises to 50 “,”duration”:”01:51″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/16/death-toll-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/16/death-toll-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316163041-01-christchurch-flowers-large-169.jpeg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/16/death-toll-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announces that the death toll of the Christchurch mosque attacks has risen to 50.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announces that the death toll of the Christchurch mosque attacks has risen to 50.”},{“title”:”New Zealand attack survivor shares message from hospital”,”duration”:”00:55″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/16/wasseim-alsati-new-zealand-attack-survivor-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/16/wasseim-alsati-new-zealand-attack-survivor-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316125837-new-zealand-attack-survivor-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/16/wasseim-alsati-new-zealand-attack-survivor-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”A survivor of the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares a message from his hospital bed.”,”descriptionText”:”A survivor of the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares a message from his hospital bed.”},{“title”:”Online platforms scramble to remove terror attack videos”,”duration”:”03:18″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/business/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-video-social-media-cristina-alesci-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”business/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-video-social-media-cristina-alesci-sot-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315120428-30-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/business/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-video-social-media-cristina-alesci-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Social media sites scramble to remove any videos of the terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left at least 49 people dead. “,”descriptionText”:”Social media sites scramble to remove any videos of the terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left at least 49 people dead. “},{“title”:”Suspect’s manifesto part of a disturbing pattern”,”duration”:”02:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-attack-suspect-manifesto-griffin-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-attack-suspect-manifesto-griffin-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315135930-terror-attack-reactions-12-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-attack-suspect-manifesto-griffin-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”CNN’s Drew Griffin reports how a New Zealand attack suspect’s rhetoric on white supremacy is part of a disturbing new trend around the world.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Drew Griffin reports how a New Zealand attack suspect’s rhetoric on white supremacy is part of a disturbing new trend around the world.”},{“title”:”New Zealand mom worries: Waiting to see if son is all right”,”duration”:”01:57″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-rosemary-omar-son-missing-coren-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-rosemary-omar-son-missing-coren-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315075836-rosemary-omar-worried-mom-son-missing-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-rosemary-omar-son-missing-coren-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Rosemary Omar describes the scene outside of a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, as she waits for her son who was missing after the shooting. “,”descriptionText”:”Rosemary Omar describes the scene outside of a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, as she waits for her son who was missing after the shooting. “},{“title”:”Expert: Catching videos on social media harder than you think”,”duration”:”01:09″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/levi-west-social-media-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-newday-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/levi-west-social-media-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-newday-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315082527-new-zealand-mosque-analysis-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/levi-west-social-media-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-newday-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Levi West, director of terrorism studies at Charles Sturt University, explains the difficulties in flagging and halting threatening and disturbing social media posts.”,”descriptionText”:”Levi West, director of terrorism studies at Charles Sturt University, explains the difficulties in flagging and halting threatening and disturbing social media posts.”},{“title”:”New Zealand Prime Minister: This was a terrorist attack”,”duration”:”02:19″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-mosque-attacks-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-mosque-attacks-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315031007-new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-mosque-attacks-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirms 40 people have been killed and at least 20 others injured in mosque attacks in Christchurch.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirms 40 people have been killed and at least 20 others injured in mosque attacks in Christchurch.”},{“title”:”Survivor: I prayed the shooter would run out of bullets”,”duration”:”00:41″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-survivor-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-survivor-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315014606-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-survivor-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-survivor-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”A man who survived one of the mass shootings at a Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque says he prayed the shooter would run out of bullets.”,”descriptionText”:”A man who survived one of the mass shootings at a Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque says he prayed the shooter would run out of bullets.”},{“title”:”Police commissioner: Vehicles we stopped had IEDs”,”duration”:”01:28″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315005248-new-zealand-police-commissioner-mike-bush-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced authorities have four people in custody following mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced authorities have four people in custody following mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.”},{“title”:”Prime Minister: One of New Zealand’s darkest days”,”duration”:”02:06″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/christchurch-shooting-jacinda-ardern-press-conference-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/christchurch-shooting-jacinda-ardern-press-conference-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314231746-jacinda-ardern-shooting-press-conference-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/christchurch-shooting-jacinda-ardern-press-conference-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the Christchurch mosque shooting, saying there is “no place” in the country for such acts of violence.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the Christchurch mosque shooting, saying there is “no place” in the country for such acts of violence.”},{“title”:”Witness: Shooting lasted for 10-15 minutes”,”duration”:”02:01″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/witness-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/witness-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314224556-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-ambulance-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/witness-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Mohan Ibn Ibrahim, a witness to the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares his story of survival and describes what conditions were like inside the mosque.”,”descriptionText”:”Mohan Ibn Ibrahim, a witness to the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares his story of survival and describes what conditions were like inside the mosque.”},{“title”:”New Zealand police respond to ‘firearms incident'”,”duration”:”01:22″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314224015-new-zealand-shooting-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Police in Christchurch, New Zealand, have urged people to stay off the streets as they respond to a reported shooting at a mosque.”,”descriptionText”:”Police in Christchurch, New Zealand, have urged people to stay off the streets as they respond to a reported shooting at a mosque.”},{“title”:”Columnist: This is every Muslim’s worst nightmare”,”duration”:”01:19″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/muslims-worst-nightmare-new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-sot-vpx-ctn.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/muslims-worst-nightmare-new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-sot-vpx-ctn.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314225938-06-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/muslims-worst-nightmare-new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-sot-vpx-ctn.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Columnist Mehdi Hasan said “this is every Muslim’s worst nightmare” after reports of a mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand.”,”descriptionText”:”Columnist Mehdi Hasan said “this is every Muslim’s worst nightmare” after reports of a mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand.”}],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = true;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);var videoHandler = {},isFeaturedVideoCollectionHandlerAvailable = (CNN !== undefined &&CNN.VIDEOCLIENT !== undefined &&CNN.VIDEOCLIENT.FeaturedVideoCollectionHandler !== undefined);if (!isFeaturedVideoCollectionHandlerAvailable) {CNN.INJECTOR.executeFeature(‘videx’).done(function () {jQuery.ajax({dataType: ‘script’,cache: true,url: ‘//www.i.cdn.cnn.com/.a/2.144.1/js/featured-video-collection-player.min.js’}).done(function () {initializeVideoAndCollection();}).fail(function () {throw ‘Unable to fetch /js/featured-video-collection-player.min.js’;});}).fail(function () {throw ‘Unable to fetch the videx bundle’;});}function initializeVideoAndCollection() {videoHandler = new CNN.VIDEOCLIENT.FeaturedVideoCollectionHandler(configObj.markupId,”cn-featured-10g5xo”,’js-video_description-featured-10g5xo’,[{“title”:”Scenes from one of New Zealand’s ‘darkest days'”,”duration”:”02:26″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315032131-16-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-sc-lon-orig.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Dozens were killed in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.”,”descriptionText”:”Dozens were killed in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.”},{“title”:”Man describes confronting New Zealand shooting suspect”,”duration”:”01:42″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/16/abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-new-zealand-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/16/abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-new-zealand-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316192611-abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/16/abdul-aziz-wahabzadah-new-zealand-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”A man describes his encounter with the suspect of the Christchurch, New Zealand, mass shootings.”,”descriptionText”:”A man describes his encounter with the suspect of the Christchurch, New Zealand, mass shootings.”},{“title”:”Terror attack death toll rises to 50 “,”duration”:”01:51″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/16/death-toll-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/16/death-toll-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316163041-01-christchurch-flowers-large-169.jpeg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/16/death-toll-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announces that the death toll of the Christchurch mosque attacks has risen to 50.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announces that the death toll of the Christchurch mosque attacks has risen to 50.”},{“title”:”New Zealand attack survivor shares message from hospital”,”duration”:”00:55″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/16/wasseim-alsati-new-zealand-attack-survivor-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/16/wasseim-alsati-new-zealand-attack-survivor-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190316125837-new-zealand-attack-survivor-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/16/wasseim-alsati-new-zealand-attack-survivor-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”A survivor of the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares a message from his hospital bed.”,”descriptionText”:”A survivor of the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares a message from his hospital bed.”},{“title”:”Online platforms scramble to remove terror attack videos”,”duration”:”03:18″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/business/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-video-social-media-cristina-alesci-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”business/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-video-social-media-cristina-alesci-sot-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315120428-30-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/business/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-video-social-media-cristina-alesci-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Social media sites scramble to remove any videos of the terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left at least 49 people dead. “,”descriptionText”:”Social media sites scramble to remove any videos of the terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left at least 49 people dead. “},{“title”:”Suspect’s manifesto part of a disturbing pattern”,”duration”:”02:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-attack-suspect-manifesto-griffin-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-attack-suspect-manifesto-griffin-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315135930-terror-attack-reactions-12-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-attack-suspect-manifesto-griffin-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”CNN’s Drew Griffin reports how a New Zealand attack suspect’s rhetoric on white supremacy is part of a disturbing new trend around the world.”,”descriptionText”:”CNN’s Drew Griffin reports how a New Zealand attack suspect’s rhetoric on white supremacy is part of a disturbing new trend around the world.”},{“title”:”New Zealand mom worries: Waiting to see if son is all right”,”duration”:”01:57″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-rosemary-omar-son-missing-coren-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-rosemary-omar-son-missing-coren-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315075836-rosemary-omar-worried-mom-son-missing-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-rosemary-omar-son-missing-coren-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Rosemary Omar describes the scene outside of a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, as she waits for her son who was missing after the shooting. “,”descriptionText”:”Rosemary Omar describes the scene outside of a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, as she waits for her son who was missing after the shooting. “},{“title”:”Expert: Catching videos on social media harder than you think”,”duration”:”01:09″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/levi-west-social-media-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-newday-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/levi-west-social-media-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-newday-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315082527-new-zealand-mosque-analysis-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/levi-west-social-media-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-newday-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Levi West, director of terrorism studies at Charles Sturt University, explains the difficulties in flagging and halting threatening and disturbing social media posts.”,”descriptionText”:”Levi West, director of terrorism studies at Charles Sturt University, explains the difficulties in flagging and halting threatening and disturbing social media posts.”},{“title”:”New Zealand Prime Minister: This was a terrorist attack”,”duration”:”02:19″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-mosque-attacks-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-mosque-attacks-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315031007-new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-mosque-attacks-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirms 40 people have been killed and at least 20 others injured in mosque attacks in Christchurch.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirms 40 people have been killed and at least 20 others injured in mosque attacks in Christchurch.”},{“title”:”Survivor: I prayed the shooter would run out of bullets”,”duration”:”00:41″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-survivor-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-survivor-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315014606-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-survivor-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-survivor-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”A man who survived one of the mass shootings at a Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque says he prayed the shooter would run out of bullets.”,”descriptionText”:”A man who survived one of the mass shootings at a Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque says he prayed the shooter would run out of bullets.”},{“title”:”Police commissioner: Vehicles we stopped had IEDs”,”duration”:”01:28″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190315005248-new-zealand-police-commissioner-mike-bush-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-police-commissioner-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced authorities have four people in custody following mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced authorities have four people in custody following mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.”},{“title”:”Prime Minister: One of New Zealand’s darkest days”,”duration”:”02:06″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/christchurch-shooting-jacinda-ardern-press-conference-sot-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/christchurch-shooting-jacinda-ardern-press-conference-sot-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314231746-jacinda-ardern-shooting-press-conference-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/christchurch-shooting-jacinda-ardern-press-conference-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the Christchurch mosque shooting, saying there is “no place” in the country for such acts of violence.”,”descriptionText”:”New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the Christchurch mosque shooting, saying there is “no place” in the country for such acts of violence.”},{“title”:”Witness: Shooting lasted for 10-15 minutes”,”duration”:”02:01″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/witness-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/witness-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314224556-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-ambulance-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/witness-christchurch-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Mohan Ibn Ibrahim, a witness to the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares his story of survival and describes what conditions were like inside the mosque.”,”descriptionText”:”Mohan Ibn Ibrahim, a witness to the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares his story of survival and describes what conditions were like inside the mosque.”},{“title”:”New Zealand police respond to ‘firearms incident'”,”duration”:”01:22″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314224015-new-zealand-shooting-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Police in Christchurch, New Zealand, have urged people to stay off the streets as they respond to a reported shooting at a mosque.”,”descriptionText”:”Police in Christchurch, New Zealand, have urged people to stay off the streets as they respond to a reported shooting at a mosque.”},{“title”:”Columnist: This is every Muslim’s worst nightmare”,”duration”:”01:19″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/03/15/muslims-worst-nightmare-new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-sot-vpx-ctn.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/03/15/muslims-worst-nightmare-new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-sot-vpx-ctn.cnn”,”videoImage”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190314225938-06-christchurch-shooting-0315-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/03/15/muslims-worst-nightmare-new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-sot-vpx-ctn.cnn/video/playlists/new-zealand-mosque-shootings/”,”description”:”Columnist Mehdi Hasan said “this is every Muslim’s worst nightmare” after reports of a mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand.”,”descriptionText”:”Columnist Mehdi Hasan said “this is every Muslim’s worst nightmare” after reports of a mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand.”}],’js-video_headline-featured-10g5xo’,”,”js-video_source-featured-10g5xo”,true,true,’new-zealand-mosque-shootings’);if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length

As the story of a night of Chicago theater, this one’s got everything: Heroics, villains, wrestling, cheap drinks and an audience that won’t give up on the players.

Last weekend on Lincoln Avenue, the Greenhouse Theater hosted a one-night-only show titled “We Don’t Play Fight,” billed as a mashup of theater and pro wrestling, put on and produced by an Orlando, Fla., outfit called Conquer Pro Wrestling.

Except it nearly didn’t.

According to Jason Calabrese, the show’s playwright and a cast member, this is what happened. His play, previously produced in Orlando, is two acts over two hours and tells a story of wrestling partners down on their luck. There’s an evil landlady, an unlikely alliance with a theater troupe and the chance at a cash prize and redemption. The Chicago production had a cast of 14 mostly Chicago actors plus a number of professional wrestlers from Florida, directed by Chicagoan Joey Mayberry, also in the cast.

Rehearsals had been off-site without a set; they only had the Greenhouse space for the one night. Which meant they had to go from bare floor to wrestling ring on the day of the show — not at all unusual for wrestling events, Calabrese said in a recent phone interview. Typical is to go from an empty school gymnasium and back again in the span of a night. Build up, fight, tear down.

“It’s actually kind of horrible,” he said.

Arrangements were made to have the ring delivered early March 9. Then the excuses started to arrive on his phone. There was trouble with the trailer, a flat tire. The cast arrived at the theater and got into costume. No wrestling ring. It’s 5 p.m. and getting dark. Still no ring. Calabrese and Mayberry started looking for a plan B, and fast. “We gotta do something,” Calabrese said.

A U-Haul truck was a rented, a ring was found in Villa Park — delivery not included — about an hour away in evening traffic. In the rain.

“We Don’t Play Fight” is actually as much a wrestling show as theater, if not more. Calabrese knows the wrestling play “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety,” which had its world premiere just up the street at Victory Gardens in 2009, but the difference is those guys were all actors playing wrestlers, he said. He was for many years himself a professional wrestler but at age 40 is looking for a career change. After all, there’s some theater in pro wrestling already, he said. “Yes, the outcome is predetermined. Every fight has the good guy, called the ‘babyface,’ the bad guy is labeled the ‘heel.’” But it’s also very physical. “A good pro wrestler will have you second-guessing if it’s real or not.”

Calabrese, Mayberry and several members the cast pile into the truck to go pick up their stage set.

“We’ve got Chuckles the Clown, he’s in makeup already,” Calabrese said.

Setting up a wrestling ring itself normally takes a couple hours. The four corner posts are braced into a square with four horizontal ladder-like pieces, topped by metal beams. It’s all in pieces. “You’re carrying this stuff, it’s like heavy furniture,” he said. “It’s horrible.”

A wooden platform goes on top. “That’s what makes the sound,” he said, “the ‘boom!'” Foam padding goes on top of that, a canvas holds everything in place. There’s tape, lashing down with bungees and ropes.

By the time they arrive back at the Greenhouse, it’s 9 p.m. Show was set to start at 8 p.m.

“I’m in a truck, across from Lincoln Avenue from the theater, it’s freezing, it’s raining,” he said. “It’s my ‘Welcome to Chicago’ moment.”

They have to load in through a front freight door on Lincoln Avenue — and they’re renting the upstairs space. The beams and wooden boards won’t fit in the elevator, Mayberry said, so they form a chain, passing pieces from hand to hand up the stairs. “And in the middle of this, ‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’ lets out.” So add into the mix the exiting audience of the mainstage play downstairs.

Calabrese said he asked the box office, do they even still have an audience for their show? How many people were demanding refunds?

The answers are yes, and nobody.

“It was pretty remarkable,” says Ron Rude, the Greenhouse staff production manager who works with rental companies at the theater. “Not only is there this two-hour delay at this point, these people not only stuck around, none of them were upset.”

He made the executive decision to have the Greenhouse bar offer a drink discount. If he had to guess, most of the crowd he saw was a wrestling crowd, rather than a traditional theater crowd — they knew the names of the wrestling cast members and their backstories. A couple helped out on Lincoln Avenue, directing traffic. Of the roughly 90 tickets sold for the show, he said after consulting with the box office, about 60 patrons stuck it out until 11 p.m., when “We Don’t Play Fight” finally went on. The intermission was scrapped. The good guys won. Final curtain was at 1 a.m.

“Honestly, I couldn’t really ask any more from everyone who came that night,” Mayberry said. He credits his cast, his own theater contacts who helped him find the replacement ring and the patrons who stuck it out.

Calabrese won’t name the villain of the story, the supplier who didn’t show. He said his original price for the ring rental was refunded but he’s in a dispute to have the company refund the cost of the U-Haul.

He had an early morning flight back to Florida. Mayberry and a few others were there to the bitter end, tearing down the ring, negotiating Lincoln Avenue once more on a weekend past midnight, delivering everything back to Villa Park. With the daylight savings time change, he said he made it home at 10 a.m. the next day.

“Looking back,” Mayberry said, “I still can’t believe we did that.”

dgeorge@chicagotribune.com

From 2009: Brainy slam! ‘The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity’ »

Review: It’s about snooker. Broadway comedy ‘The Nap’ has some real playing amid the exaggerations »

It was the 1970s and Sears was at its peak. It dominated American retailing. Its corporate headquarters was the tallest building in the world. A job at Sears was a ticket to a long and lucrative career.

But rivals like Walmart were bearing down, shopping patterns were changing and Sears started making a series of wrong bets.

Over the last…

Boeing’s 737 Max series, now steeped in controversy and grounded around the world, is the fastest-selling model in the history of the firm. The company has delivered 376 Max planes to airlines — but a further 4,636 from around the world are unfulfilled, according to Boeing’s latest reports.

What happens to those orders is a crucial question, and one that is undoubtedly being discussed by carriers already. While some airlines will have the luxury of time before making a decision on their orders, others are expecting new planes — which they are currently unable to fly — to be delivered in the coming weeks and months.

American Airlines has 76 Max planes still to be delivered, United is expecting 123, and Southwest — which already flew more Max jets than any other carrier — is awaiting 249 more. In addition, several US companies that buy planes and lease them out to carriers have placed orders for more than 100 planes.

Ethiopian Airlines, which suffered Sunday’s crash, still has 25 Max planes on order. Lion Air, whose Max jet went down in October, has 187 on order.

In Europe, budget carrier Ryanair is awaiting all 135 of its Max orders. TUI Airways — one of the UK’s largest air carriers — saw its fleet of 14 Max planes grounded this week, but it must make a decision on its 58 orders.

A full list of Boeing’s deliveries and orders for its Max planes can be found here.

In a passionate and historic appearance, the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — Riccardo Muti — joined his striking colleagues at the picket line in front of Symphony Center on Tuesday morning.

The maestro, who last week issued a statement saying “I am with the musicians,” made good on those words by appearing at a press in conference called by the CSO players, who announced their strike on Sunday evening.

Later in the day, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced that all CSOA -presented concerts from Thursday through Saturday are canceled.

Before making public comments, Muti greeted his CSO colleagues warmly, with hugs, kisses and handshakes all around. Muti is in town to conduct this week’s CSO concerts, with rehearsals scheduled to have started Tuesday morning. But they were preempted by a strike being fought primarily over the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association’s proposal to restructure the musicians’ pension and a dispute over salaries.

“This is a great event,” said Stephen Lester, CSO bassist and chair of the musicians’ negotiating committee, in warming up the crowd of reporters and onlookers.

“We’re extremely happy to have our music director, maestro Muti, here with us. We’d normally be rehearsing right now on the Orchestra Hall stage.”

When Muti approached the phalanx of news organizations’ microphones, orchestra members cheered and applauded robustly.

“I am here with my musicians,” said the conductor. “Today we were supposed to have rehearsal.”

Referencing the CSO artists, he continued, “We try to get a better situation for their life, their pension, their work.

“Some people, they want to read my position with the musicians as against the board,” added Muti.

“This is not true.

“I would just like them to listen more carefully to the musicians, who represent one of the great orchestras of the world.”

Muti then addressed the importance of the orchestra and the gravity of the situation.

“The entire world, the entire musical world, is listening to what they do in Chicago,” he said.

“When the Chicago Symphony goes around the world, the musicians not only play, they are ambassadors for the culture of the country.

“It’s a big responsibility (for) the city of Chicago, (for) the board, to take care of this treasure.

“The collapse of the Chicago Symphony (would be) such a tragedy that can affect not only the musicians, but the world.

“The Chicago Symphony represents one of the temples of culture of this nation and of the world.”

Then Muti reiterated that “this, again, is not an attack on the board.”

“I came here with my musicians, I am proud of my musicians, I will try to reconcile” the dueling parties, he added.

“Conflicts happen in family between a father and son. This is a moment of crisis.”

Muti argued against assertions that the musicians work but a few hours on stage, then relax. He pointed out that the artists prepare assiduously for concerts and bear the pressure of representing a pre-eminent ensemble.

The music that they produce “in this building — we don’t entertain people. Music is not entertainment. It’s culture. It’s sacrifice.”

After Muti left the microphones, CSO bassist Lester returned to remind everyone that, regarding the strike, “we didn’t do this in a trivial matter.”

Indeed, the strike already has extracted a particularly high price from CSO piccolo virtuoso Jennifer Gunn, who was scheduled to play the orchestra’s premiere of Ken Benshoof’s Concerto in Three Movements on Thursday evening.

“I hope to play it sooner rather than later,” she said from the picket line. “Everything is up in the air.”

Muti reassured Gunn, however, that he and the orchestra will return to the piece some time after the strike was settled, she said. So she’s still practicing the Benshoof and the Vivaldi concertos she was scheduled to perform this week in what would have been her most high-profile moment yet with the CSO, to which she was appointed by Daniel Barenboim in 2005.

Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot tweeted on Monday that “I stand in #Solidarity with Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians in their fight for a fair contract. The CSO is an important institution in this city, and the musicians deserve fair wages, benefits, and retirement security.”

Anonymously, musicians on the picket line expressed anger and fear over the current impasse with management, and all offered gratitude for the maestro’s support.

“I think it’s wonderful he’s here with the musicians,” said CSO concertmaster Robert Chen.

“Usually, when there’s a labor issue, the music director is nowhere to be found.”

The session opened with CSO brass players performing a Fanfare by Paul Dukas from his ballet “La Peri,” and “The People’s House,” from John Williams’ film score for “Lincoln.”

As always, the musicians sounded magnificent.

Howard Reich is a Tribune critic.

hreich@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @howardreich

MORE COVERAGE: Why striking CSO musicians and management are at impasse »

CSO musicians picket in front of Orchestra Hall after announcing strike »

Riccardo Muti on CSO contract talks: ‘I am with the musicians’ »

The first significant update of Fortnite Season 8 has gone live on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in the form of v8.10!

Fortnite v8.10 adds the new Baller vehicle, changes to the environmental Vending Machines item, and more.

Check out the full Patch Notes from Epic Games below…

WHAT’S NEW?

The Baller
Keep the good times rolling! Combine your boost and grapple to perform unbelievable feats with the newest vehicle addition to Battle Royale!

Vending Machines
These convenient machines now dispense things free of charge but only provide one item/weapon before disappearing.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

• Baller
  • This single seat vehicle is found at Expedition Outposts and around pirate camp loot stashes
  • Use the attached Grappler and Boost functionality to pull yourself up cliffs or swing through the trees
  • The driver is protected from damage, but The Baller is vulnerable to enemy weapon fire.
  • 300 Health
• Infantry Rifle
• Heavy Assault Rifle
  • Adjusted rarity from Rare/Epic/Legendary to Common/Uncommon/Rare
  • Base damage scaling for Common/Uncommon/Rare 36/38/40
• Clingers
  • Reduced max stack size from 10 to 6.
• Vending Machines
  • Removed the material cost.
  • Each Vending Machine will be destroyed after claiming an item.
  • Common and Uncommon Vending Machines have been removed.
  • Removed Mounted Turret from Legendary Vending Machine
• Reduced availability of Treasure Maps from floor loot .53% to .27%.
• Reduced availability of Treasure Maps from chest loot 3.25% to 1.65%.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed rocket smoke trails disappearing instantly on explosion.
• Fixed an issue where the popping audio for Balloons would continue to play after using Balloons to get to max build height while using a vehicle.
• Fixed an issue where Buried Treasure would not auto pickup when the Auto Pickup Weapons setting was enabled.
• Fixed an issue where Buried Treasure chests could be placed on the Starting Island.
• Fixed an issue where using an Impulse Grenade or a Shockwave Grenade while jumping on a Hoverboard causes the player to rapidly rotate.

GAMEPLAY

• Battle Royale Crossplay Matchmaking
  • Combined Xbox One and PS4 pools.
    • This requires you to opt-in to cross-play.
    • Players opt-ing out are restricted to Creative Mode and Playgrounds.
  • Combined Mobile and Switch pools.
    • Before, Switch players were combined with Xbox One and PS4 cross-play parties.
    • We expect an on-average better per-game experience for both Mobile and Switch players.
  • Motivating factor is unlocking optimization potential allowing us to run more playlists during more hours of the day while supporting more data center locations. Please provide us with feedback on your experience!
• Reduced infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 11 hours in the front end
• Just kidding, Increased Infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 13 hours in the front end
• Elimination credit is now awarded to last damager in cases of logging out, self-elimination, and eliminations due to Storm damage. Current threshold timer is 15 seconds.
• Added visual effects for the siphon on elimination.
• Players can now build as soon as they impact anything after being launched by a Pirate Cannon
• Players can dance while holding a balloon
• Added Pirate Cannon’s audio visualizer HUD icon to be a cannon.
• Players automatically enter the driver seat when entering an empty vehicle.
• Added custom consume animations for the following items:
  • Bandages
  • Medkit
  • Small Shield Potion
  • Shield Potion
  • Slurp Juice
  • Chug Jug

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Pirate Cannon collision that would block bullets for a passenger inside of the cannon
• Fixed Pirate Cannon not being able to shoot when moving backwards
• Fixed an issue where a player may lose functionality when shooting themselves out of a Pirate Cannon.
• Fixed Pirate Cannon player impact explosion effects sometimes being delayed
• Fixed an issue where Pirate Cannons flipped onto their side, sliding across the ground for too long
• Fixed Pirate Cannons dealing damage to itself if fired in close quarters
• Fixed an issue where players wouldn’t break through structures when fired from Pirate Cannons at close range
• Traps are no longer triggered by vehicles that are empty or carrying only friendly players.
• Fixed an issue in extreme camera flicking situations that would cause an incorrect first shot when firing weapons.
• Fixed an issue with the Conga emote not respecting environmental surfaces like Lava
• Fixed an issue where a player may briefly stop their skydiving animation unexpectedly
• Fixed an issue allowing emote-cancelling during door open/close animations.
• Fixed players holding Buried Treasure map upside down
• Fixed an issue where pressing Build and Edit buttons in quick succession would enter edit mode on the blueprint piece instead of build the structure.
• Driftboards no longer explode when exiting one near a Mounted Turret.
• Fixed PS4 players being unable to adjust mouse sensitivity.

LIMITED TIME MODE:

Summary
Welcome to The Getaway! In this mode, players will race to find a Jewel and take it to a getaway van before everyone else to win the match!

Mode Details

• Jewels can be found in special supply drop safes, located along the edge of the first storm circle. The safes take a long time to open, so make sure the area is clear before attempting to claim a Jewel!
• Four Jewels will be in play on the map at all times. If a player escapes with a Jewel or one is lost in the Storm, a new Supply Drop will bring a replacement.
• Four total getaway vans will be on the map, three that arrive early in the match and one more that shows up near the end.
• The goal is to find or steal a Jewel and take it to one of the vans in order to secure a Victory Royale.
• Once they arrive, Safe drops and getaway vans will be visible on the map at all times.
• When a Jewel is picked up, it will be visible on the map to everyone for 30 seconds.
• Carrying a Jewel will give players health & shields over time, but also slow them down by 10%.
• Getaway vans float in mid-air, Jewel carriers must build up and then interact with them in order to complete a Getaway.
• 10 red “Pursuit” supply drops land at the very beginning of the match. These carry a variety of longer-range weapons and other items, and are the only way to obtain the new Grappler in this mode.
• Only Rare weapons or better will be found in this mode.
• Rifts, Rift-to-Go and Launchpads have been removed to reduce mobility for healthier Getaway Van engagements.
• Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode, but Umbrellas are not awarded for wins
• The ATK has been temporarily brought back in this mode as it is the only 4 person ground vehicle.

EVENTS

• Tournament Update: Gauntlet Solo Test Event & Gauntlet Duo Test Event
  • Added another extended session, which will run 24 hours a day and concludes on March 19th at 12 AM ET.
  • Matchmaking:
    • Matchmaking will no longer wait to create a match with closest scoring players available after 8 minutes, and will now require enough players with similar scores to start.
    • Adjusted matchmaking point expansion to increase likelihood for high scoring players to be matched against other high scoring players.
    • Note: Due to the playlist featuring matchmaking based on your score, the quality or availability of matches may differ at certain times of day.
• Updated Scoring:
  • Solo
    • +2 Points will now be awarded after reaching 15th Place (previously 10th Place).
  • Duo
    • Increased Bus Fare from -2 Points to -3 Points.
      • This is a temporary solution for the Duo event granting too many points to players due to eliminations, causing an inflation of points over the course of the event.
    • +2 Points will now be awarded after reaching 7th Place (previously 5th Place).
• New Tournament: Scallywag Duos Cup (March 16th & 17th) [$100,000 in Cash Prizes!]
  • As a test of our prize payment systems leading into the Fortnite World Cup, we’ll be holding a $100,000 Duos tournament on March 16th and 17th. The prize pool will be distributed across all server regions, with official rules and details released later this week.
  • Participation in this event requires players to be in the Top 3% (global) of either the Solo or Duo Gauntlet Test Event as of 12 AM ET on March 16th.
  • Format:
    • Round One: All Eligible Players
    • Round Two: Top 3000 Players from Round One

PERFORMANCE

• Fixed some instances of packet loss that could occur with certain ISPs that are prone to re-ordering UDP network packets.
  • Find more context in the Reddit Post we made last week.
• Improved file I/O performance for Xbox One. This reduces the occurrence of late streaming meshes.
• Fixed a regression in hitches on Switch due to GPU timing
• Improved performance on Switch by reducing the likelihood of particles triggering when the day changes phases
• Optimized the Ship Cannon
• Optimized UI elements for large team modes
• Improved performance for the Quick Bar
• Fixed hitches that occur on the Match Stats screen due to synchronously loading assets

AUDIO

• Added new audio for Balloons while in-air.
• Reduced volume of small prop destruction sounds (chairs, beds, fences, etc).
• Removed reverb from pickaxe swings.
• Removed outdoor ambient sounds when gliding.

Bug Fixes

• The Glider deploy sound no longer plays twice when using Glider Redeploy.
• Fixed Glider land/open sounds ducking the Victory Royale music.
• Improved music volume when previewing Gliders with music while in the lobby.
• Pirate Cannon movement sound no longer stops after sprinting for over 10 seconds.
• Fixed looping Balloon pop sound after going through a Rift.

UI

• Key Bindings – The keyboard bindings are now categorized to make finding actions you want to rebind a lot easier.
• Marker System:
  • Added hover details for in-world markers, actions a player may take on a marker will appear in these details.  Marker details will appear when the reticule is placed over the marker.
  • You can now mark vehicles and found consumables such as apples.
  • Reworked display of Item markers to increase readability across all platforms.
  • Items will display as a large icon for a short time when first marked, and will reduce in size when a player aims near their location.
  • Markers are now sorted by distance.
  • Reduced screen size of squad waypoint markers to reduce view obstruction.
  • Minimap markers updated to match in-world markers.
  • On keyboards there is now a keybind option to specify a dedicated key for placing a danger marker.
  • Double-Clicking the ping button to place a danger marker, is no longer blocked by items on the ground.
  • You can now ping while riding in a vehicle reliably.
  • You can now Mark While Bush.
  • Please continue to let us know what improvements you would like to see for the marker system!
• Squad nameplates and team arrows now become more transparent when aiming down sights.
• Restored the ability to view all of your current Challenges while in a match.
• Wrap things up in a hurry! You can now apply a wrap to all slots by choosing “Apply To All” when picking a wrap in the Locker.
• Enabled camera control on some reward types when viewing Challenges
• Challenge Info panel in the lobby now defaults to Party Assist while you are in a Party.

Bug Fixes

• The Luxe bundle is now displayed in the Challenge Screen along with the Blackheart and Hybrid bundles.
• Wraps are now previewed on the highest resolution version of the vehicle or weapon in the lobby.
• Fixed an issue on consoles where you couldn’t select “Party Assist” for the last challenge in a bundle.
• Fixed an issue where the next Stage of a Challenge was not automatically set to “Party Assist”.
• Fixed an issue where the animation and sound effects would play twice when selecting Challenges on a controller.
• Fixed an issue where scrolling with the mouse in the Challenge Screen would sometimes jump around unexpectedly.

REPLAY

• Added bus paths to the minimap.

MOBILE

• Introduced an Auto Fire tuning feature to allow adjustments per weapon. This was done previously for other weapons, but we’ve now added this for pistols.
• Added occlusion to footsteps on Android.
• Improve the quality of some sound effects on Mobile/Switch.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the shoot button getting stuck in a continuous fire loop or being unable to fire without being able to reset.
• Fixed an issue that caused touch players to need a more specific crosshair location to interact with the Use button.
• Fixed turbo build not starting when going from edit to build mode with the input held.
• Fixed Left Trigger action getting stuck when using a Bluetooth controller
• Fixed weapon stats on the inventory panel for mobile
• Fixed autorun not fully sprinting if “Sprint by Default for Controller” is set to ‘OFF’ on mobile
• Fixed build mode being exited if a build piece is selected before releasing the build/combat mode button
• Fixed dragging an item off the hotbar triggering use actions on mobile.
• Fixed Throwable items’ trajectory line persisting when a player is driving different vehicles on Mobile

WHAT’S NEW?

New Islands & Theme
Jump into two new exotic island locations! Build your best beach retreat with the new Wooden Lodge theme while enjoying a perfect, volcanic tropical view.

New Game Options
Offense or defense? We’ve added new game rule options that allow you to further customize team settings and setup advanced PvP games.

ISLANDS

• New Islands
  • Sandbar Island
  • Volcano Island
• Reduced the number of player islands on a server from 16 to 8.
  • Allows bigger islands
  • Improves server performance
  • Player loading after the first 8 players will not have access to their personal islands and instead have to start a new server. This will be fixed in a future update when the portal mechanic is updated.
• Removed the blocking collision from islands to allow for the new larger islands.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where objects were missing after loading into an island, reloading and island, or finishing a game. Removed a delete record system that was causing many bugs.
• Fixed an issue where islands were unable to be restored after resetting them.
• Fixed a bug where island settings would not get applied to players joining islands.
• Fixed an issue where some Prefabs and Devices were unable to be placed on certain areas of the default island.
• Fixed an issue where players would occasionally lose functionality when loading into a Creative Island and quickly returning to the Hub.

GAMEPLAY

• Added Scoring
  • Added Score to Win as an end condition. Specify the target score for players or teams to achieve to win the game.
    • There are many score win conditions, ranging between 1 – 10,000,000
  • Added Total Score option to Type of Scoreboard. Adds a score total to the HUD and shows the total score for players and teams when the game ends.
  • Score comes from vehicle tricks and the Challenge Gallery items like Coins
• Added Objectives
  • Added Objectives to Win as an end condition. Specify the number of objectives required to end the game.
  • Added Objectives option to Type of Scoreboard. When the game ends shows how many objectives were accomplished by each player or team.
• Coins props in the “Challenge Gallery” now have new visual effects to help make them more visible to players.
• Moved the game start countdown to after the screen fade
• Turned HUD off while starting a game on a featured island
• Added holding players in place while in countdown to game start
• Changed the countdown to 3 seconds from 6 seconds.
• Added new Spawn Location type, Current Location, that keeps you where you are when the game starts. Useful for playtesting games.
• Reordered Game tab options to make it easier to find options.
• Added tooltip descriptions for Game options and Game Settings options.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where players who join a server in progress might not have their score properly reset.
• Fixed an issue where attempting to swap teams could result in DBNO instead of respawn.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not exit fly mode when the jump function is bound to the right thumbstick button on controllers.
• Fixed an issue that caused the screen to fade in twice when a game is restarted.
• Fixed an issue where the yellow triangle on the HUD warmup timer would disappear too quickly.
• Fixed an issue where the HUD warmup timer would not animate out.
• Fixed bug where players who were respawning when the game goes to warmup wouldn’t be put into stasis

WEAPONS + ITEMS

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Remote Explosives sticking to the player character when throwing them while disguised as a Bush.
• Fixed an issue where players encountered instability when interacting with the cannon.
• Fixed Drum Gun sound effect. The satisfying boom is back.

CREATIVE TOOLS + PHONE

• Sprays will now highlight when you aim at them with your Phone, indicating that they can be deleted.
• The Phone can now interact with props and building tiles that are underneath the island’s terrain. They’ll highlight as you aim the crosshair over them.
• While using the Phone to Grow or Shrink a prop with Grid Snap enabled, holding down the button will repeatedly Grow or Shrink the prop.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed holographic preview for props drawing through floors or characters on mobile platforms.
• Fixed an issue where scale indicators are pulsing the wrong direction while scaling down.
• Fixed an issue where certain player-built walls had a more expensive memory cost than expected.
• Fixed an issue where the Phone stopped working after your player was launched from a cannon.
• Fixed props temporarily changing to wrong size when using the Phone to Grow or Shrink when Grid Snap is enabled.
• Fixed an issue where the Snap Center and Resize indicators were hard to see when a prop is either too large or far away.
• Fixed an issue where the on-screen button for Terrain Collision On and Off looked the same on mobile platforms.

PREFABS

• Ambient Gallery Large
• Wooden Cabin Galleries & Prefabs
• Volcanic Rock & Lava Tile Galleries
• Jungle Temple Wall Extended Gallery
• Mine Cart Gallery
• Lava Tiles have been added to the Elemental Cube Gallery
  • Known issue: Lava tiles do not cause player damage
• New floors have been added to the Street Gallery B & Slant Gallery

DEVICES

• New Baller Spawn
  • This single seat vehicle is found at Expedition Outposts and around pirate camp loot stashes
  • Use the attached Grappler and Boost functionality to pull yourself up cliffs or swing through the trees
  • The driver is protected from damage, but The Baller is vulnerable to enemy weapon fire.
  • 300 Health
• New Objective Device
  • This device acts as a destroyable prop for new types of games
  • Choose from 7 different objective props – YES the Durr Burger mascot and Pizza Pit mascot are finally here.
  • Set amount of health from 1, 20, 50, 100, 200, 400, 500, 800, 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, 10,000, 25,000
  • Set which team the objective belongs too
  • Set an explosion radius for when the objective is destroyed. Destroys all tiles and props in the radius even if the environment is set to indestructible.
  • Set an optional beacon type to make them easy to find
  • Known issue vehicles don’t do damage to an Objective.
• Update Starting Inventory to Team Settings & Inventory
  • Added ability to select settings per team
  • Bonus Ammo For Weapons – On, Off
  • Starting Health – 1%, Half, Full, Invincible
  • Max Health – 1, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 10,000
  • Starting Shields – Empty, Half, Full
  • Max Shields – No Shield, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 10,000
  • Infinite Ammo – On, Off
  • Infinite Resources – On, Off
  • Fall Damage – On, Off
  • Gravity – Very Low, Low, Normal, High, Very High
  • Jump Fatigue – On, Off
  • Player Flight – On, Off
  • Player Names and Locations – Always Show, Always Hide
  • Glider Redeploy – On, Off
  • Down but not out – On, Off
  • Block Building in Game – On (Players NOT allowed to build), Off (Players allowed to build if they have resources)
  • Respawn Time – 1-30 seconds
  • Max Initial Team Size – Unlimited, 1 to 16 – Use to make asymmetric teams when using teams game option.
  • Eliminations to Win – Off, 1 to  10
  • Collect Items to Win – Off, All, 1 to 10
  • Score to Win – Off, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, 2,000,000, 5,000,000 10,000,000
  • Objectives to Win – Off, 1 to 10
• Missing in previous patch notes in 8.00 – Added wall version of Speed Boost. Great for elevators.
• Added Team Settings to Checkpoint device.
• Added limiting billboards to 50 to fix memory and performance issues on mobile devices. We will continue to monitor to see if we can increase that limit.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed performance issues with the Music Sequencer device in islands with a large number of Music Blocks.
• Fixed the Starting Inventory device granting duplicate items if the “Drop items when eliminated” setting was disabled.
• Fixed the Player Start device selecting Any team when it was set to None.
• Fixed an issue where Billboard background colors were not functioning correctly.
• Fixed the holographic preview for the Pinball Flipper always being the default size when being moved with the Phone.
• Fixed an issue where the Pinball Bumper would result in overlapping previews when copied after squashing or stretching it using the Phone.
• Fixed an issue where some of the Music Blocks placed in a Sequencer would not play in some cases.
• Fixed issues with using the Phone not being responsive while riding on the Driftboard.
• Fixed an issue where Radios could play music after loading into an island that had a Radio with playback turned off.
• Fixed an issue where players would be locked from their inventory after being shot from a cannon.

UI

• Added score to the HUD when Type of Scoreboard is set to Total Score

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where HUD elements would sometimes not appear correctly.
• Fixed an issue where the Start Game Panel would be present after returning to the HUB from a Featured Island.
• Fixed various grammar and spelling mistakes in the Prefabs menu
• Fixed an issue where the Start Game screen continues to display after leaving a Featured Island
• Updated the description for “Joel’s” Prefab to be more accurate
• Fixed an inconsistency between Creative and Playground when a single player attempted to access the ‘Team Select’ tab in the Hamburger Menu
• Improved stability when accessing the “Support a Creator” button on the Start Game Screen
• Fixed an issue where buttons icons were missing from the Start Game Screen on the Switch
• Fixed a bug where pressing Apply when selecting a team without changing the team number would always swap the player to team 1/

PLAYGROUND

• Fixed an issue where options set for Playground would remain applied when entering a featured island even though they had different Game Settings
• Players on a creative island should now be able to chat with each other prior to the start of the island game. During the game voice chat is determined by the game settings.
• Creative island games should now continue until all players have left the island or the starting player chooses to end the game from the menu. Previously, the game would end if the starting player left the island.

PERFORMANCE

Bug Fixes

• Fixed performance issues when using the Music Sequencer.
• Fixed performance issues on servers with maximum player count.

WHAT’S NEW?

Staredown Southie
Get caught in the Bear Stare! Laser down the Husks with this returning Outlander.

Beta Storms
Speed is key! Take on the new Test the Limits Beta Storm.

GENERAL

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that caused players to crash while in the Collection Book.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the Winter Llama to pull from the wrong item set.
  • This issue only impacted Winter Llamas that were converted from Snowflake tickets with the launch of v8.0
  • All players have been granted a 2018 Winter Llama to compensate for this. Additionally, all players who received the incorrect Winter Llamas as part of the 8.0 conversion will be granted the same amount of the correct 2018 Winter Llamas in a future gift box.
  • All remaining Snowflake tickets will be converted to 2018 Winter Llamas

  Fixed an issue that caused players to continue earning Snowflake Tickets

• Fixed an issue with a wall being placed when picking a trap from the trap picker via mouse.
• Fixed an issue with destroying/consuming the last item in the equipped weapon/trap stack, forcing a switch to an item in the next focusable quick bar slot, even if the item is replaced by a new weapon/trap.
• Fixed an issue with the building outline appearing red after placing a trap on an existing structure.

MISSIONS + SYSTEMS

• Beta Storms
  • The return of Retrieve the Data Beta Storm
  • We listened to your feedback and this time around players can vote to shoot down the balloon early!  No more waiting for it to land.
    • Shooting down the balloon early causes the storm to rush in faster.
  • The landing zone is now a 1 by 1 build area
  • The storm wall is easier to see through.
• New Beta Storm mission Test the Limits.
  • Test the Limits is a mission about racing around through a series of checkpoints to see how many laps you can complete, the more laps the better the badge reward.  There will be a preparation time to help you optimize the path from point to point then a timed race. Great way to test different hero loadouts.
• Beta Storm: Eliminate and Collect will be rotating out.
  • We appreciate everyone who participated and provided feedback on this Beta Storm variant.

UI

• The previous “Abilities” tab has been replaced with a “Loadout” tab, where players can view information about their active hero loadout while playing a mission.
• Changed the controller input so that accessing Mission Details now requires you to hold the associated button down.
  • Edit option for Hero Loadouts now requires only a tap of the associated button.
• Reduced the wordiness of tooltips for gadgets.
• Respawn At Start now properly shows its associated keybind when in the Down But Not Out state.
• Evolution and Rarity increases can now be done when inspecting an item that was received from a Transform Schematic.
• Changed the “clear all” button in the Hero Loadout screen to also clear gadgets and team perks.
• Added Toggle Descriptions button to Team Perk and Gadget selection panels in Hero Loadout.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug where players using the Old School or Quick Builder Controller configurations would be unable to throw grenades slotted in the third ability slot.
• Fixed issues with warnings about having another hero with the same perk in the loadout showing up in some cases when they should not.
  • When a hero was being chosen for a slot that had the same perk, it will no longer erroneously warn that the perk is already in the loadout.  This will make it easier to replace a hero with a higher rarity or higher Power Level hero with the same perk, since they will sort to the upper part of the list rather than sorting with the “warning” displays in the lower part of the list.
• Fixed the Hero picker details panel for Expeditions to show the correct Hero Loadout abilities.
• Changed padding on Zone name header to fix Korean language text getting cut off at the bottom.
• Fixed the ramp structure so that the trap picker UI works correctly.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Voice Chat icon to not properly update when kicking a muted player
• Fixed an issue that caused slottable item counts for Collection Book categories to not update after evolving slotted schematics.
• Fixed an issue that caused loss of gamepad control in the Transform slot picker after opening and closing the friends list.
• Fixed an issue with Hero name plate text scrolling with Hero names in all languages.
• Fixed defender trap UI issues related to selecting a defender from a different pad.
• Fixed an issue that caused players to partially lose navigation functionality when returned to the Quest Tab from the quest log.
• Fixed a matchmaking error that would prevent players from matchmaking into zones properly if they tried to start a quest from the quest log while already in a lobby.
• Fixed an issue with hero ability icons appearing grayed out in the quick bar when casting a hero ability right as another ability comes off cooldown.
• Fixed expedition timer text overlapping with completion percentage.
• Fixed an issue where the matching filter would only show the heroes that matched the team perk when the team perk was already active. It now shows all heroes since the team perk has been activated by other support heroes slotted.

HEROES

• Staredown Southie (Returning)
  • Standard Perk: Bear Stare
    • T.E.D.D.Y fires lasers every 2 seconds, dealing 26 base Energy Damage
  • Commander Perk: Bear Stare+:
    • T.E.D.D.Y fires lasers every 1.5 seconds, dealing 51 base Energy Damage
  • Available in the Weekly Store on March 13 at 8 PM Eastern Time until March 20 at 8 PM Eastern Time.
• Four Leaf Wildcat (Returning)
  • Standard Perk: Grenade Generation
    • Every 45 eliminations, gain 1 Frag Grenade charge.
  • Commander Perk: Grenade Generation+
    • Every 20 eliminations, gain 1 Frag Grenade charge.
  • Available in the Weekly Store on March 13 at 8 PM Eastern Time until March 20 at 8 PM Eastern Time.
• Constructor B.A.S.E can now be auto placed, just like traps.
• Increased the base damage of Tail of the Dragon
  • Standard Perk: Increased from 18 to 26
  • Commander Perk: Increased from 45 to 64
• All Heroes in inventory and Collection Book will be marked eligible for Item Reset.
  • Items eligible for a free unslot from the Collection Book will also be eligible for an Item Reset after they are unslotted.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue which could cause Ninjas to have invisible collision with enemy Husks.
• Fixed an issue where Bass Solo didn’t enforce its maximum elimination limit.
• Fixed an issue where Make It Count+ displayed an incorrect tooltip value.
• Fixed an issue where Tail of the Dragon was dealing more damage than intended
  • Was previously dealing the damage of Dragon Slash in addition to the base damage with every tick.
  • We’ve increased the damage value on Tail of the Dragon (noted above)
  • We’ve marked Snuggle Specialist Sarah as eligible for reset due to this change
• Bass Solo now correctly shows a warning if used in a support slot for a Commander without Warcry
• Fixed an issue where hotfixer was granting the incorrect amount of repair speed
• Fixed an issue where Skull Ranger Ramirez and Fallen Love Ranger Jonesy played the wrong animation in the Hero Loadout screen
• Fixed an issue where One-Two Punch never ended with some melee weapons
• Fixed an issue where Impossibility Matrix would override the default Charge Fragment bonus
• Fixed Bear Stare tooltips to display correct damage values.
  • Bear Stare still deals the same amount of damage, but the tooltip value is now accurate.
• Fixed an issue where Seismic Smash was doing less damage than intended.
  • This resulted in an increase of 11 base damage.
• Fixed an issue where Present…Arms! wasn’t granting the correct movement speed bonus as a Commander Perk
• Parting Gift fireworks now have sound
• Fixed an issue which could cause Keen Eyes to never turn off.
• Fixed an issue which could cause Keen Eyes visual effects to double up
• Fixed an issue where In The Zone hit counter never reset
• Updated Assault Ammo Recovery’s tooltip to accurately reflect its functionality.
• Fixed an issue which was incorrectly capping the number of targets that could be hit by Frag Grenade to 8 or 12.
  • This should make “Bigger is Better” feel much more effective.
• Updated the tooltip for Doppler Effect to indicate that it reduces the cooldown, and not the energy cost, of Shockwave.
• Fixed an issue with Phase Shift that was causing the speed bonus to not apply consistently or correctly at times.
  • Phase Forward and Phase Shift run speed bonus should now stack with In the Zone properly
  • Phase Forward+ now correctly applies the bonus 10% run speed as intended.
• Fixed an issue where Anti-Material Charge with Strike Cost couldn’t be activated with less energy than the standard pickaxe heavy attack requires.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes Anti-Material Charge wouldn’t hit enemies who were too close.
• Fixed an issue where Outlanders could interrupt Anti-Material Charge and end up in a broken state.
• Fixed an issue where T.E.D.D.Y. couldn’t spawn if any player was nearby.
• Fixed an issue where BOOM B.A.S.E. buff was not being removed after B.A.S.E was destroyed.
• Fixed an issue where Electrified floors was doing the same damage at commander and hero level
• Fixed an issue where Endless Smoke was bigger than intended at commander and hero level
  • Was previously making the radius of Smoke Bomb 380% bigger at hero and commander level instead of 186%
  • We’ve marked Infiltrator Ken as eligible for reset due to this change

WEAPONS + ITEMS

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that caused items to get put into overflow when you use the item reset feature.
• Fixed an issue that could cause certain weapon tooltips to not display weapon-specific buffs correctly. This affects the Guardian’s Will, Lead Sled, Six Feet Under, Smasher Basher, Spectral Blade, and Walloper.
• Fixed bug where Yeoman sniper rifle spawned extra projectile impact particles in some scenarios.
• Fixed the Space Pistol dealing damage multiple times per shot to the Storm King

GAMEPLAY

• Re-Implemented how Nature Husks function.
  • No longer deals damage over time
  • No longer applies a 3 second effect removing 6 Energy every second, for a total of 18 Energy.
  • Now applies a 2 second effect which removes 6 Energy on hit, and 6 Energy per second for 2 seconds, for a total of 18 Energy.
  • Now applies standard Energy Regen Lockout for 2 seconds the same way abilities do.
  • Damage vs Metal structures has been unaffected
  • This should provide a more consistent experience when encountering Nature Husks.
• Improved Blaster headshot hitbox when shooting at him from the side.

Bug Fixes

• Proximity mines now have correct explosion upgrade radius.
  • The Trigger radius now scales up with each explosion radius upgrade
• Fixed Missions that would load into Lakeside slightly rotated, causing building issues around them.
• Storm Chest now drops both loot presents correctly.
• Fixed an issue where Frozen Smashers were still being able to damage players while charging.
• Fixed an issue where the Teleporter Gadget could appear invisible for players joining games in progress or reconnecting to a game.
• Fixed an issue for Frenzied effects remaining on Beehive Husk helmets and Sploder tanks after the Frenzied effect wears off.

UI

• New: UI – Added support for player surveys.

Bug Fixes

• Deadzone Menu; Fixed an issue where the initial values on PS4 and Xbox didn’t match the circle size.
• Fixed a stepping precision issue with the quantity selection slider that gets used when recycling/transferring/dropping multiple items for resources with large values.

SOCIAL

• When in a party or team your Team Members are now shown in the Social Panel!

PERFORMANCE

• Scalability levels which disable Ambient Occlusion now reduce SkyLight intensity. This makes lighting contrast between shadowed and lit areas more consistent across scalability levels.

KNOWN ISSUES

Want to track the top community issues? Head over to our Fortnite | Community Issues Trello board here.

Pete Buttigieg, the little-known 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., said in an interview Sunday that Vice President Mike Pence has in effect become a “cheerleader for the porn star presidency” and questioned aloud when the former Indiana governor “stopped believing in scripture” and started to believe in Trump.

The “porn star” reference is an apparent shot at Trump’s alleged extra-marital affair with the former porn star Stormy Daniels, which the president has denied. Buttigieg told CNN’s Jake Tapper in Austin that Pence’s “interpretation” of scripture is different from his.

“My understanding of scripture is that it’s about protecting the stranger and the prisoner and the poor person and that idea,” he said. “That’s what I get in the gospel when I’m at church and his has a lot more to do with sexuality … and a certain view of rectitude.”

Buttigieg, who is in the second tier of Democratic candidates for president, is a Rhodes scholar who was first elected mayor of his hometown in 2011 at age 29, making him the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents. A lieutenant in the Navy Reserve, he served a tour in Afghanistan in 2014.

Buttigieg raised his national profile with an unsuccessful 2017 run for Democratic National Committee chairman, saying the party needed a new start. He withdrew from the race before a vote when it became clear he didn’t have the support to win.

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Amid his campaign for a second term, Buttigieg came out as gay in a column in the local newspaper. He went on to win re-election with 80 percent of the vote. In 2018, three years to the day after the column ran, he married his husband, middle school teacher Chasten Glezman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

What do working-class Irishmen in the final throes of middle age talk about in the pub? You know, with a good pal. The kind with whom you can let down your guard.

If your answer to that question is, “Who cares?” then the Abbey Theatre’s production of Roddy Doyle’s “Two Pints” is not your show.

If that’s the case, I’ll just tell you now and you can save your money: Burgers, car-park attendants, Nigella Lawson, reality television, Madonna, Brexit, Franz Beckenbauer, “Top Gear,” football, life, afterlife, Cleopatra, children, cars, Manchester United, wives, fathers, happiness, pain, grief, death.

And some other stuff.

But if you have a kinship with two regular fellas usually found on the same barstools in the same pub drinking the same pints of Guinness, or if you care to walk for an hour in their shoes, you might well find “Two Pints,” the first show ever to be staged in the little pub inside Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, to pack some surprisingly emotional oomph. Your friendly critic here had occasion to drop a tear or three into his pint of beer (a note to editors regarding service to the reader: drinking a couple of pints of beer is pretty much a required part of this show, which is all about drinking a couple of pints of beer).

Why the blubber? Well, Doyle (the Booker Prize-winning Irish writer and the author of “The Commitments”) is nodding at the great Beckettian Irish tradition of using conversations that seem to be about nothing much to express the deepest concerns of humans on this green earth. As you listen to Liam Carney and Philip Judge, two familiarly visaged actors of the highest order, yak back at forth, you eventually come to see that one is helping the other through grief. And like the tramps of “Waiting for Godot,” they are wondering about immortality and deciding that, in the absence of any superior information, heaven may be most useful defined as “a pub with a bit of a football.”

And a friend. That’s the thing about this show. The great writer Tony Kushner once told me how the smallest reducible unit of humanity is two, not one, we all being inherently social creatures. We all make different choices about who our friends and partners may be, but we all need someone. Not necessarily in our bed, but somewhere in our lives.

That’s really the point of “Two Pints.” It’s a study of friendship and how two friends — interestingly, not lifelong friends, since some of our most valued fellow travelers arrive in the middle of our journey — ease the suffering of the other. And, of course, make the other guy laugh. ‘Cause what else you gonna do when your Da is dying?

I’ve never liked a show more when you spend a part of night staring at the back of two fellas’ heads. If you liked the 1991 movie “The Commitments,” you might remember Carney, who has had a fine film career and is spectacularly good here. I was similarly impressed with Caitriona McLaughlin’s direction, mostly because it looks like she did nothing. Except maybe figure out a way for a bartender to pour what looks like real pints of Guinness from a real bar tap, only for actors to suck them down without slurring a syllable.

What was this? Interloping non-alcoholic stout? Nobody would tell me.

I hope some local company picks up “Two Pints” and tours it around Chicago’s Irish bars after these Irishmen have gone home. That’s what the Abbey has been doing in rural Ireland, making a killing, and helping men to understand that there actually is no prohibition on all the feels, all the sadness, all the small pleasures of life. All the friendships.

Go to this with a pal. But don’t hang around. There’s not much room.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Review: “Two Pints” (3.5 stars)

When: Through March 31

Where: The Pub at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier

Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Tickets: $45-$52 (sold out, call for waitlist) at 312-595-5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com

Review: Aziz Ansari at Chicago Theatre: Are we jerks? Reformed jerks? Ansari hashes it out, and eventually gets around to himself »

Margaret Trudeau, mother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will do a show in Chicago »