11/30/2022: Mariah vs. Bats

PLUS: Voters Back Biden Investigation; Megan Thee Stallion Makes History; and KimYe: Divorced

Nov 30, 2022

Today is Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

It is the 334th day of the year.

31 days remain.

HIT LIST

The Chinese Communist Party mobilized its military and police forces Monday into Tuesday to quell further freedom protests like the ones that popped up over the weekend.

Police built walls around protest gathering areas, and set up checkpoints where jackboot police thugs stopped people to review their smartphone data to see if they had been part of any protests.

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Mortgage lenders have been authorized to increase the borrowing limits for loans backed by the federal government to more than one million dollars in some areas of the country.

The policy is to help address the rising cost of borrowing.

IN OTHER WORDS: Banks are giving out mortgages to houses that people typically can’t afford but are doing so anyway. 2008 called…

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Rolls-Royce has announced they’ve developed a hydrogen-powered jet engine, in partnership with European airliner easyJet.

The hydrogen fuel itself was developed using wind and tidal energy, making it extra-green.

The engine wasn’t affixed to a plane for a flight, but tested on the ground – but marks an important step toward wider adoption of the clean energy source.

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The kneecapped crypto market has led to one hell of a resale market for high-end luxury cars, the New York Post reports.

Those flush with cash against cryptocurrencies that were much more valuable a year ago stocked up on status-symbol whips like the Mercedes G-Wagon, Lamborghini Urus, and McLaren Spiders. AutoTrader shows that used models cost about a third what they did a year ago with so many hitting the resale market all at once amid crypto’s declining value.

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An Ohio couple say they saw a FedEx truck driver on the side of the road tossing out packages. They got curious about the situation and turned around to get a closer look – but by then the driver had gone on his way.

Rather than report the incident, the couple tell local media they took it upon themselves to hand-deliver the ditched packages they could gather up on their own. They said getting police involved would just mean a longer delay for the intended recipients.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow was flat Tuesday, adding just 3 points (0.0091%) to close at 33,852. The S&P lost 6 points (0.16%) to close at 3,957 and the Nasdaq lost 65 points (0.59%) to close at 10,983.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate traded at $78 on Tuesday; Brent Crude at $84.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.52 on Tuesday.

₿ Bitcoin picked up more than $250 during morning trading and was just shy of $16,500.

🛩 There were 3,517 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and 401 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:

FICTION:

“It Starts With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“The Lost Metal,” Brandon Sanderson
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“The Boys From Biloxi,” John Grisham
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover

NON-FICTION

“The Light We Carry,” Michelle Obama
“So Help Me God,” Mike Pence
“Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing,” Matthew Perry
“Surrender,” Bono
I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy

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DEATHS

“Die Hard” & “Texas Ranger” star CLARENCE GILYARD has died.

He passed away Monday after a battle with an unspecified illness, according to the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a Fine Arts professor.

He was 66.

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Country singer JAKE FLINT has died.

According to his widow, Brenda Flint, he passed away in his sleep on Saturday night, just hours after the couple tied the knot.

He was 37.

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BABY NEWS

NFL all-star PATRICK MAHOMES, 27, and his wife, yoga instructor BRITTANY MATTHEWS, also 27, welcomed their second child, a baby boy, on Monday.

The couple both announced the birth on their respective social media pages, introducing “Patrick ‘Bronze’ Lavon Mahomes.”

Brittany and Patrick are already parents to daughter Sterling, 1.

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THE SWAMP

Nearly two-thirds of American likely voters approve of a Congressional investigation into HUNTER BIDEN’s various alleged crimes which now include human trafficking, drug use, lying on a gun application, and money laundering – crimes that have been well-documented in his laptop and for which Democrats in the legislature have for years stonewalled an investigation.

The same poll shows 71% of likely voters have paid attention to the story.

IN OTHER WORDS: The vast majority of people who have been paying any attention to the story sense that something is amiss.

MEANWHILE: The Defense Department reports that China has leveraged the disastrous American exit from Afghanistan last year as a powerful propaganda tool to erode support for and confidence in the United States among other countries.

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Congress and the White House are scrambling to pass legislation that would avert a rail strike set for December 9.

The central sticking point appears to be a hangup over paid sick leave, for which the current union gets zero days. Socialist Senator BERNIE SANDERS, who owns three homes, says he’s going to fight to include a provision that grants seven paid sick days a year.

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LOTTERY

No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $65 million jackpot or a $33.7 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

TOMMY LEE’s Calabasas home was destroyed by burglars last week.

Insiders with the LAPD told TMZ that thieves broke in the back door and trashed the entire pad, before leaving with a bathroom mirror and some cabinet handles. The damage is estimated to be around $5,000.

WHAT’S MORE: Lee is currently trying to sell the house.

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WILL SMITH says he loses “a couple winks of sleep every night” worrying that the incident at the Oscars with CHRIS ROCK will overshadow his latest film, “Emancipation.”

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Smith said that the only thing still bothering him about slapping Rock is the continued fallout from it, which could affect the team of people who worked alongside him on the film.

Smith also said that he understands if people are not ready to support him and see the movie, but hopes they will look past it, as he thinks the project is the “greatest work of [director Antoine Fuqua’s] entire career.”

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JESSIE JAMES DECKER is hitting back at internet trolls who ripped her and her former NFL star husband ERIC DECKER over a photo she posted of their three kids.

After the country singer shared a pic of her three kids flexing their muscles while on vacation in Mexico, trolls quickly pointed out their muscular stomachs, accusing the couple of “overtraining” them and even photoshopping abs.

After laughing at the absurd comments, Jessie wrote “We preach about body positivity and acceptance, but my kids having a mass amount of genetic and built muscle from athletics is ‘weird’?”

She also added that the kids -- who are 8-years-old and younger -- are simply active.

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JENNIFER LOPEZ says her previous split from now-husband BEN AFFLECK was “so painful” that she thought she was “going to die.”

Speaking to Apple Music 1 about the couple’s rekindled romance, Lopez revealed the pain she felt after they called off their engagement in 2004.

“It sent me on a spiral for the next 18 years where I just couldn’t get it right. But now, 20 years later, it does have a happy ending. It has the most ‘would never happen in Hollywood’ ending,” she explained.

JLo sat down with Apple Music to discuss her new album “This Is Me…Now.”

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HAILEY BIEBER is once again shutting down pregnancy rumors.

The model recently posted a photo with her shirt pulled up, revealing her stomach. In the photo she wrote “not a baby,” before explaining in the caption that she has an apple-sized cyst on her ovary.

The 26-year-old also used her post to support other women who may be dealing with the same thing.

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Rapper MEGAN THEE STALLION is making history as the first Black woman to land the cover of Forbes 30 Under 30.

According to the magazine, Megan earned $13 million in 2022 thanks to royalties, ticket sales, merchandise and endorsements.

She first landed on the list in 2020.

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JONAH HILL wants to officially change his name.

The actor, whose real name is Jonah Hill Feldstein, filed a petition this week to legally drop Feldstein.

Basically he will go by the name he has gone by for years, just legally now.

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MARIAH CAREY has some competition when it comes to her impressive vocal range.

According to a new study published in the journal PLOS Biology, bats have a vocal range of “up to seven octaves,” which is double that of a normal human being.

Carey, being the extra-human that she is, reaches a range of about four or five, according to the bat study’s lead author, Professor Coen Elemans. Others that can hit that range include AXL ROSE and PRINCE.

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CASTING CALL

JOE PESCI chatted with PEOPLE magazine this week in honor of the 30th anniversary of “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

After praising the “spontaneity” and “creativity” the cast and crew brought to the sequel, he discussed injuries he sustained playing the villain, Harry.

“In addition to the expected bumps, bruises and general pains that you would associate with that particular type of physical humor, I did sustain serious burns to the top of my head during the scene when Harry’s hat is set on fire,” Pesci shared.

For those unfamiliar, Pesci is referring to a scene in which Kevin McCallister, played by MACAULAY CULKIN, sets booby traps to ward off Harry and his criminal partner Marv (DANIEL STERN).

As for whether he would consider reprising the role in a future installment, Pesci told the outlet that it could be “difficult to replicate” as “it’s a different time now; attitudes and priorities have changed in 30 years.”

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STEVE MARTIN, along with MARTIN SHORT, actor AUSTIN BUTLER (“Elvis”) and actress KEKE PALMER (“Nope”) will host the final three “SNL” episodes of 2022.

Palmer will host this Saturday’s episode and will be joined by musical guest SZA.

Martin and Short will co-host on December 10, with musical guest BRANDI CARLILE.

Butler will host on December 17, with YEAH YEAH YEAHS performing. It will be Butler’s first appearance on the show.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KIM KARDASHIAN and KANYE WEST are officially divorced.

According to the settlement, obtained by TMZ, the exes will share joint custody of their four kids -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm -- though Kim will have them the majority of the time.

Ye will pay Kim $200,000 a month in child support and will also cover 50% of the kids’ educational expenses and security expenses.

Both waived spousal support.

WORTH REMEMBERING: Kim filed for divorce in February 2021 after seven years of marriage.

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KANYE WEST stormed out of an interview with podcaster TIM POOL on Monday after being challenged on his anti-semitic views.

Ye, who went on the podcast with conservative commentators MILO YIANNOPOULOS and NICK FUENTES, started defending his recent anti-Semitic comments at which point Pool pushed back.

In response, Ye, Yiannopoulos and Fuentes got up and left the room.

Producers later told Pool that Ye stated he wasn’t angry with the host, but felt that he was “getting cut off.”

The trio have been making the rounds as of late, including a sit down with former president DONALD TRUMP.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

MEGHAN MARKLE says she will never join the cast of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” or any other reality show, for that matter.

Speaking to ANDY COHEN, who created and produces the “Housewives” franchise, on her “Archetypes” podcast, Meg said, “There will be no reality show, but I think it's so fun,” in response to fans wanting her to appear.

Cohen told her that if she changes her mind they would “build the show around [her].”

WORTH NOTING: Meg will appear in the Netflix docuseries about her life with PRINCE HARRY. So…sort of reality TV.

SPEAKING OF THAT: Multiple outlets reported the show is still rumored to drop on December 8, despite Netflix not yet releasing an official title, premiere date or trailer.

WORTH ASKING: Would it even be a Meg-Harry project if it wasn’t pushed back multiple times?

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SPORTS

TOM BRADY may stay unretired for another year.

The Buccaneers QB opened up about his future with the NFL on his SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go!”

In response to his co-host JIM GRAY asking if he will “at least be back next year,” Brady said that it’s “day-to-day, game-to-game at this point.”

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DAY OF THE YEAR

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

National Computer Security Day

Stay Home Because You’re Well Day

Package Protection Day

National Mousse Day

National Mason Jar Day

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ON THIS DATE

1782 - An agreement to terms of peace is forged between American and British delegates in Paris.

The document would eventually become the Treaty of Paris, and was signed officially in September the following year.

Among the negotiators for the Americans were John Jay, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.

Above all else, the terms included a provision to recognize the United States as a sovereign nation, and that the British Crown relinquish any claim to rights or property therein.

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1804 - The US Senate begins its third impeachment trial, this time for Supreme Court justice Samuel Chase.

Chase was an irritable Federalist, who detested Thomas Jefferson and his followers. Representative John Randolph led the crusade against Chase, accusing him of allowing juries in politically-charged cases to be stacked with his political allies, and being highly partisan in his rulings -- in other words, legislating from the bench.

Chase would be acquitted of all charges on March 1st the following year.

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1872 - The first-ever soccer match between two countries is played.

The game pitted Scotland and England against each other at the West of Scotland Cricket's Club in Patrick, Scotland.

Though the Scots scored a goal in the first half, the refs ruled that the shot didn't quite make it under the tape that was used to mark the upper crossbar -- this was before metal frames, of course.

The match ended uneventfully with a tie of 0-0.

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1981 - As a sign of events to follow, the United States and Soviet Union engage in talks to reduce the Soviets' weapons cache.

The meetings in particular were over intermediate-range nuclear forces in Europe. Though talks in the 70s reduced the number of long-range nuclear weapons for both nations, the Reds were still installing shorter-range missiles across their European territory.

President Reagan employed his zero-option, which would have had the US halt shipments of new weapons to western Europe if the Soviets drew down their existing stocks in Eastern Europe.

The talks ended unsuccessfully, but an agreement was eventually reached in December 1987, when Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to equitable terms.

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1999 - Oil companies Exxon and Mobil sign papers to merge, joining the No. 1 and No. 2 sized oil giants in the world.

The deal took 11 months to get approval from the government, one of the longest in history. The $81 billion merger was approved only when the new company agreed to sell off more than 2400 gas stations across the country.

The companies had originally been one, back in the late 1800s, under the name: Standard Oil Company. They were split apart in 1911 by a Supreme Court decision.

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2004 - Ken Jennings loses his first Jeopardy match after winning 74 in a row and racking up a record $2.5 million.

Jennings' streak boosted ratings for “Jeopardy!” and was an instant celebrity and household name. He wallowed in his 15 minutes of fame, appearing on late night talk shows and even Sesame Street.

Jennings could have won on this answer: "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year."

The answer: H&R Block.

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2019 - Emma Coronel Aispuro is sentenced to three years in prison for helping her husband, drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, run his cartel and escape from prison.

The former beauty queen pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to distribute thousands of kilos of heroin, coke, meth and marijuana for her husband in Mexico. She also admitted to money laundering.

Guzman, meanwhile, is serving life behind bars in federal prison in Colorado, where he is locked in his cell for 23 hours a day.

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BIRTHDAYS

Emily Skinner - actress, “Sam & Cat” & “Total Eclipse” - 20

Ryan Grantham - actor, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” - 24

Mia Goth - actress, “Nymphomaniac” - 29

Trinity Fatu - wrestler - 35

Chrissy Teigen - model - 37

Kaley Cuoco - actress, “The Big Bang Theory” & “The Flight Attendant” - 37

Elisha Cuthbert - actress, “Girl Next Door” - 40

Steve Aoki - DJ - 42

Ben Stiller - actor, “Meet The Parents” & “Dodgeball” - 57

Bo Jackson - basketball player - 60

Billy Idol - punk singer - 67

Mandy Patinkin - actor, “The Princess Bride” - 70

Woody Allen - director - 87

Born On This Date

Winston Churchill - British PM during WWII - 1874 (d. 1965)

Mark Twain - novelist, “Tom Sawyer” & “Huckleberry Finn” - 1835 (d. 1910)

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