11/21/2025: Wolfish Behavior

PLUS: Measles Mayhem; Chimp Attack; and Holiday Preview

Today is Friday, November 21, 2025.

It is the 325th day of the year.

40 days remain.

Photo by Jordan Bracco on Unsplash

PROGRAMMING NOTE

There will be no Morning Martini next week Thursday or Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

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WHAT’S ON TAP

NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: A gangbusters September jobs report heading into the holidays.

KEVIN SPACEY is homeless and LIEV SCHREIBER is back on his feet. More in SHOWBIZ.

AWKWAFINA hosts a new food-travel series. Details in CASTING CALL.

The first reviews of MEG’s Christmas special are in! Details in ROYALS.

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The September Jobs Report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 119,000 new jobs in September.

But buried in the data shows promising signs of economic recovery as PRESIDENT TRUMP’s immigration and economic agenda bears fruit. In the past year, 2.5 MILLION native-born Americans (regardless of race!) have gained employment while 670,000 foreign-born workers (whether here legally or not) are no longer competing for those jobs.

The unemployment rate ticked up 0.1 percentage point to 4.4%, but even there is promising data: the Labor Force Participation Rate has also increased. This means that more people are looking for work instead of sitting on the sidelines and collecting benefits. [via CNBC]

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BILLY MCFARLAND’s PHNX 2025 festival is on track to begin the first weekend of December.

Well aware of his reputation, McFarland has been posting updates of progress on social media, likely for those weary of handing him a single red cent. He cheekily noted that there’s not a single tent in sight; instead, guests are responsible for their own accommodations at one of the many hotels and AirBNBs on Utila, the island off the coast of Honduras.

HOWEVER: The main stage, which will feature the musical talents of KHLOE KARDASHIAN’s ex-boyfriend FRENCH MONTANA, has already been constructed, so there’s that.

If you can’t make it to Central America for the event, you can still buy a $5.99 pay-per-view pass > [via Morning Martini]

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A measles outbreak across Arizona and Utah jeopardizes the “elimination status” in the United States, just weeks after Canada lost that designation.

The number of infections by January 20 next year will officially determine whether measles are once again endemic.

The Centers for Disease Control designated measles eliminated in 2000. Canada lost its elimination status last month.

As NBC News reports, “The vast majority of the infections have been in people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination statuses.” [via NBC News]

WORTH ASKING: Why might that be?

In Arizona and Utah, health professionals are required to report all vaccinations against measles. So who are these people of unknown statuses?

We may never know.

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Another person has died at Disney World, marking the fifth death at the park in a month.

The unidentified guest was pronounced deceased at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista earlier this month, according to the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office. No further details are known.

The string of deaths started on October 14, when a 31-year-old woman committed suicide at the Contemporary Resort. A week later a man in his 60s died from a pre-existing medical condition at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Just two days later another young person committed suicide at the Contemporary Resort. Lastly, a woman in her 40s was found unresponsive at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and later reported deceased. [via NY Post]

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The sea wolves of British Columbia, Canada, appear to be getting smarter.

After locals in Bella Bella, BC, spotted crab traps brought to shore, pocked with teeth marks, researchers installed surveillance cameras. They initially believed that otters or seals were trying to get into the traps.

They were shocked to see a wolf swimming to shore with a float, marking the trap’s location, in its teeth. Once on the beach, the wolf got a better grasp of the rope and kept pulling until the trap came with it – and the wolf’s meal.

One researcher says, “You can see the efficiency with which she moves through the traps. This isn’t genetic. This is an entirely learned behaviour, and learned very fast, and likely shared among the group.” [via The Guardian]

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