Today is Thursday, November 30, 2023.
It is the 334th day of the year.
31 days remain.
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TOP SHELF IS COMING
Another day and another round of gratitude for another wave of pledges for our new Top Shelf premium subscription rolling out on Monday, December 18.Â
REMEMBER: We intend to keep the daily email free â but hereâs some of what paid subscribers will have access to:
A Year in Review over the Christmas break when we take a brief step back from the daily newsletter.
Beginning in January, a Saturday email focusing on campaigns and elections heading into next Election Day.Â
Original reporting and features on many of the topics you enjoy in the daily email.
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WHATâS ON TAP
ELON MUSK has fightinâ words for dissident advertisers and another pinch at the pocketbooks. Details in HIT LIST.
TAYLOR SWIFT surprises fans with another track from her âvaultâ and MARK CUBAN reveals the end of another chapter. More in SHOWBIZ.
âFamily Feudâ had a unique policy for contestants during RICHARD DAWSONâs time as host and a fan favorite returns to the âLaw & Orderâ universe. Find out more in CASTING CALL.
YE gets called out for his antisemitismâŚagain. More details in KARDASH.
British tabloid journalist PIERS MORGAN wades into the âEndgameâ fray. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A CBS News report shows the dire impact of years of inflation: that the typical American household now spends $11,434 more a year to maintain the same standard of living as it did in January 2021.Â
Despite promising aggregate economic data â like jobs numbers and a robust stock market â about 60% of working Americans say any income gains have not kept up with inflation over the last year.Â
THE NUMBERS: While average hourly pay is up 13.6% since January 2021, inflation has driven a 17% increase in prices for staples like food, transportation, housing, and energy. [via CBS News]
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ELON MUSK said during an interview at the New York Times Dealbook conference heâs not playing games with advertisers who pull their buys in response to potentially offensive content on X.
âIf someone is going to blackmail me with advertising or money go [fâ] yourself. Go. [Fâ]. Yourself,â he said, later adding that âthereâs a real weakness to wanting to be liked.â [via NYT]
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Pantry staple KRAFT MAC & CHEESE is getting a vegan cousin, with a plant-based version of the popular boxed meal set to hit store shelves.
The âNot Cheeseâ-branded boxes include original flavor and white cheddar âstyleâ varieties.Â
A rep for Kraft says the vegan cheese uses fava bean protein and coconut oil powder as a base in the new offering, which together emulate the familiar taste, look, and feel of the original kind. [via CNN]
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A major thoroughfare in Tennessee had to shut down on Monday when a brood of chickens managed to break out of a transport truck and escaped to the pavement below.Â
Someone at the scene said she saw âchickens jumping off en masseâ when the truck pulled over. Other observers noticed splatters of chickens on the road that were hit by unwitting drivers, until law enforcement was able to close the road.
Eventually, police and volunteers arrived to clean up the scene. [via WDEF]
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Royal Caribbean is now the owner of the worldâs biggest cruise ship: Icon of the Seas.Â
The 1,198-foot, 20-deck, 259,800-tonne ship took 900 days to build, and can house 7,600 guests and 2,350 crew members.Â
Its first voyage is set for January 27, where it will depart from Miami, Florida and tour the Caribbean for seven days. [via Entrepreneur]
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DEATHS
HENRY KISSINGER has died.
The former Secretary of State and Nobel Prize winner left a controversial mark on foreign policy in the twentieth century.
He was 100.
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Actress FRANCES STERNHAGEN has died.Â
She passed away Monday of natural causes, according to a statement from her family.Â
Sternhagen made her name on Broadway in âThe Heiressâ and on TV in âSex and the Cityâ and âCheers.â
She was 93.
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BREAKUPS
Country singer KACEY MUSGRAVES and her boyfriend, poet COLE SCHAFER, have broken up after two years of dating.Â
Sheâs 35 and heâs 29.
Insiders say the split happened a month ago, though no word on what caused it.Â
The two announced their romance shortly after Musgraves divorced singer RUSTON KELLY.Â
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BY THE NUMBERS
đ The DOW added 13 points (0.038%) to close at 35,430 on Wednesday. The S&P lost 4 points (0.095%) to close at 4,550 and the NASDAQ slid 23 points (0.16%) to close at 14,258.Â
đ˘ WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
â˝ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.24 on Wednesday.
âż BITCOIN was down a bit Wednesday, trading around $37,700.Â
đŠ There were more than 1,550 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 50 such cancellations.
đ°Friday nightâs MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $355 million jackpot or a $164 million cash payout.Â
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
BRITNEY SPEARS is back to sharing NSFW content on her Instagram.Â
In the latest post, she is lying in bed, wearing only a black choker, as she tells fans âGood morningâ in a child-like voice. After making some weird faces at the camera, Spears pans down to emphasize the fact that she is not wearing any clothes.Â
She turned off comments on the video, likely because her followers often question her mental state when she makes odd posts. [via Instagram]
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Despite living separately for the past seven years, JADA PINKETT SMITH says she and WILL SMITH are âstaying together forever.âÂ
Jada made the claim during her appearance on âThe Drew Barrymore Showâ while explaining that the time apart brought them to âa really, really beautiful place together.âÂ
Barrymore also asked Jada about the slap at the Oscars, to which she gave a sort of non-answer, âI love Will as he is. Iâve learned to love and embrace Chris [Rock]...as he is.â [via Page Six]
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SHANNEN DOHERTY is ready to open up on her new podcast âLetâs Be Clear with Shannen Doherty.âÂ
Launching December 6, the actress told People Magazine that she plans to use the podcast âto be clear about everythingâ in her life, from her decades-long career in Hollywood to her ongoing journey with breast cancer. [via People]
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TAYLOR SWIFT surprised fans by releasing the song âYouâre Losing Meâ on Spotify this week.Â
The song was initially released last May on the âLate Night Editionâ CD of her 2022 album âMidnightsâ and a digital version on her web store.Â
Swift decided to release the song as a âthank-youâ to her fans for making her Spotifyâs most-streamed global artist and most-streamed US artist. [via Deadline]
BUT WAIT: Tayâs not alone at the top. Her boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE and his brother JASON KELCEâs âNew Heightsâ podcast was named Spotifyâs No. 1 sports podcast in the world, as well as the top sports podcast in America and the top American football podcast in the US. [via Daily Mail]
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MARK CUBAN has agreed to sell his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to MIRIAM ADELSON, the wife of casino magnate SHELDON ADELSON, for approximately $3.5 BILLION.Â
For his part, sources say Cuban will retain a minority stake and will still preside over basketball operations. He bought the team for $285 million in 2000.Â
The news comes just a day after Cuban announced he would be leaving ABCâs âShark Tankâ following Season 16. [via NY Post]
WORTH ASKING: Whatâs his plan? Is he going to run for President?
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CASTING CALL
When RICHARD DAWSON hosted âFamily Feud,â contestants had to get tested for herpes because of his constant kissing of the females who appeared on the game show.
Author Kliph Nesteroff writes about the policy in his book âOutrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars,â saying that both male and female contestants had to âundergo a mouth test with a magnifying glass from medical staff.âÂ
He notes that the testing started after viewers raised concerns about Dawsonâs âpromiscuous kissingâ and the risk of âloathsomeâ diseases that could occur.
Nesteroffâs book takes a deep dive at censorship in entertainment from the 1870s to present day. [via People]
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JAMES CAMERON announced this week that âAvatar 3â will hit theaters Christmas-time 2025 because he plans to spend a ton of time working on the post-production.Â
Remember, the third and fourth installments were filmed concurrently with the first sequel, which was a good plan considering the Hollywood strikes that took place this year. Cameron previously said he planned to do things that way to avoid having cast-members âage out.âÂ
As for what fans can expect in the forthcoming movie, Cameron told Deadline that two new cultures will be introduced and the element of fire âhas a symbolic purpose in the film.â [via Deadline]
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âSNLâ alum KATE MCKINNON will return to the sketch comedy show for the first time as host on December 16.Â
She will be joined by musical guest BILLIE EILISH.Â
McKinnon left âSNLâ in 2022 after a decade of making people laugh. [via THR]
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After leaving âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ in August 2022, KELLIE GIDDISH will reprise her role as Detective Amanda Rollins for the upcoming Season 25 premiere.Â
Her longtime co-star MARISKA HARGITAY announced the news on Instagram, captioning a video of the two dancing together, âBack with my lil boo thang.âÂ
Fans were ecstatic to hear of her return, with many asking whether it will just be for the one episode or if she is back to stay.Â
âSVUâ returns January 16. [via TVLine]
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POTENTIAL SPOILER
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JAMIE LYNN SPEARS has exited the British reality show âIâm a CelebrityâŚGet Me Out of Here!â for medical reasons.Â
The Daily Mail reports that Spears had an emotional time while in the camp and was often filmed with tears during confessionals. Despite her early exit, she will still get her full payout, since she stayed for longer than 72 hours.Â
This is the second celebrity-centered reality series that Spears has competed in -- and left early from; the other was âSpecial Forces: Worldâs Toughest Test.â She also competed on âDancing With the Stars,â but fans of her sister, BRITNEY SPEARS, made sure her time was kept short and not-so-sweet. [via Daily Mail]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A handful of Jewish advocacy groups are hitting back at YE over his latest song âVultures,â specifically the line that includes a reference to â[effing] a Jewish bitch.âÂ
âAt a time of rising antisemitism worldwide, itâs disgusting to see Kanye once again use his platform to spew Jew hatred,â a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League stated, while the American Jewish Committee called the lyric âparticularly pathetic,â âsad,â and âunforgivable.â Â
Ye performed âVulturesâ for the first time at a nightclub in Dubai over the weekend. [via TMZ]
WORTH NOTING: It doesnât appear that Ye cares about offending anyone.Â
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WEâLL NEVER BE ROYALS
British TV pundit PIERS MORGAN caused a firestorm on Wednesday when he took to the air on his âTalk TVâ show to report on OMID SCOBIEâs allegations that two members of the royal family expressed concerns about PRINCE ARCHIEâs skin color before he was born.
YESTERDAY: A Dutch translation of Scobieâs new book, âEndgame,â directly named KING CHARLES as one who made these racist comments. Rumors swirled that in that translation, another Senior Royal made similar comments but the identity was not directly verified.
On Wednesday, Morgan said that second Senior Royal is PRINCESS KATE â but added that he vehemently disbelieves these claims.
Morgan said he reported the information as a matter of public interest and is dragging the news into the spotlight for a discussion about the issue. [via X]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
International ESG Day
National Stay Home Because Youâre Well Day
International Systems Engineer Day
National Computer Security Day
National Mousse Day
National Mason Jar Day
St. Andrewâs 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 would be 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.Â
Chase was acquitted of all charges on March 1st the following year.Â
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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 would eventually be 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.Â
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 two 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 âJeopardy!â match after winning 74 in a row and racking up a record $2.5 million.
Jennings' streak boosted ratings for âJeopardy!â 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 for helping her husband, drug kingpin Joaquin âEl Chapoâ Guzman, run his cartel and escape from prison.Â
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.Â
Guzman, meanwhile, is serving life behind bars in federal prison in Colorado, where he is locked in his cell for 23 hours a day.Â
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BIRTHDAYS
Emily Skinner - actress, âSam & Catâ & âAndi Mackâ - 21
Trinity Fatu - wrestler - 36
Dougie Poynter - bassist, McFly - 36
Chrissy Teigen - model - 38
Kaley Cuoco - actress, âThe Big Bang Theoryâ & âThe Flight Attendantâ - 38
Tony Bellow - boxer - 41
Elisha Cuthbert - actress, â24â - 41
Clay Aiken - pop singer - 45
Steve Aoki - DJ - 46
Ben Stiller - actor, âMeet the Parentsâ & âZoolanderâ - 58
Bo Jackson - baseball player - 61
Billy Idol - punk singer - 68
Mandy Patinkin - actor, âThe Princess Brideâ - 71
Ridley Scott - director, âAlienâ & âGladiatorâ - 86
Woody Allen - director - 88
Born On This Date
Winston Churchill - British Prime Minister - 1874 (d. 1965)
Mark Twain - novelist, âTom Sawyerâ & âHuckleberry Finnâ - 1835 (d. 1910)
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