The Brief

The stalemate between Spectrum and Disney over carriage fees — the fees that Spectrum pays Disney to carry its content — has ended, which means Disney channels are immediately back on Spectrum programing.

That includes ESPN, which comes right on time for tonight's season debut of Monday Night Football.

Around 15 million Spectrum subscribers had been locked out of Disney channels since Aug. 31, as the distributor and content provider hashed out details of a carriage deal, which is also known as a distribution agreement.

In tonight’s much-awaited game, the Buffalo Bills are set to take on the New York Jets, and fans have taken to social media to rejoice:

In the “transformative, multi-year distribution agreement,” the two companies said in a joint statement that Spectrum subscribers will have access to 19 Disney networks, including ABC, Nat Geo and ESPN. And select Spectrum TV packages will be able to log in to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

However, nine channels will be leaving the Spectrum portfolio, including Freeform and Disney Junior.

Fans are bemoaning the loss of Freeform ahead of its popular 31 Days of Halloween programming.

The channel, with content mostly aimed at 14- to 35-year-old viewers, has a fan following for its original content, like Grown-ish, but also its 31 Days of Halloween and 25 Days of Christmas programming.

And with more than 11,000 film and television writers on strike, some have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their ire that Disney was able to quickly negotiate with Charter Communications.

Upon announcement of the deal earlier this morning, the affected Disney channels were restored immediately on Spectrum stations.

A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.

They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he said. The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The company, Shepard Bros., could not immediately be reached for comment.

Three company employees reported minor respiratory irritation and declined further treatment, Katon said.

The leak occurred in the city of La Habra near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.

Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what appeared to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old said she watched students across the street board buses to evacuate, but police told her the eatery could remain open.

“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t detect a smell from the cloud. “It just kind of smeared in the sky and started going away.”

La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.

Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, said earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, called police and was told anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.

The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year.

The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.

The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.

After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise.

His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.

Jackson set the Lakers franchise record for coaches with 610 victories while leading his teams to the playoffs in every year of his tenure, which ended in 2011.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson will be the ninth person associated with the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside their arena. He joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bryant, O’Neal, broadcaster Chick Hearn and former coach Pat Riley, whose statue was unveiled earlier this year.

Jackson’s 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. The North Dakota native and former New York Knicks forward is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.