11/7/2022: Powerball Jackpot Hits $1.9 BILLION

PLUS: Black Hole Discovery; Kid Rock Calls Out Oprah; and Tom Cruise Befriended QE2

Nov 07, 2022

Today is Monday, November 7, 2022.

It is the 311th day of the year.

54 days remain.

HIT LIST

There’s some buzz in Twitterworld that ELON MUSK might make a run at turning his new social media toy into a real competitor to YouTube (which is owned by Google).

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Musk said Twitter will soon allow much longer video content to be posted; it’s currently capped at 2 minutes and 20 seconds for non-paying users, and people who pay for the premium “Twitter Blue” – which was already a thing before Musk took over – can post videos as long as 10 minutes. In the short term, he says videos will be able to go at least 42 minutes, and even several hours long “in a month or so.”

Musk has also suggested Twitter will pay out a share of ad revenue to people who post original video content and rack up enough streams to merit a piece of the pie. When one user pointed out that YouTube shares 55% of ad revenue with creators, Musk replied, “We can beat that.”

MEANWHILE: To appease the “our democracy is in peril because Elon wants to make Twitter a profitable company that doesn’t actively censor wrongthink” crowd, Twitter is delaying its new pay-for-a-blue-check program until after tomorrow’s midterm election.

MEANWHILE, AT FACEBOOK: Remember when Musk was laying off Twitter’s bloated workforce because he’s trying to end democracy, or something?

Now explain the coming layoffs at Meta, Facebook’s parent company. The Wall Street Journal reports that its management is preparing to inform employees of large-scale layoffs this week. As of September, it boasted a headcount of 87,000 staff total. No word yet of exactly how many are on the chopping block. It would be the first wide scale reduction in force since the company’s founding.

WORRY NOT: Just like President JOE BIDEN told all the energy industry workers whose careers he destroyed when he canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, these well-compensated tech-industry employees should just learn to code!

(Oh, wait.)

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The Air Force crew that hauled a plane packed with Afghan people trying to escape the Taliban last year have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Their C-17 is meant to hold about 400 people, but they took off with more than twice that on board. To make their successful mission more impressive, Kabul’s airport is already at an altitude of 5,900 feet, which complicates getting enough air underneath the wings to generate the lift to get such a people-packed plane off the ground.

As military news site “Task and Purpose” points out, “Without knowing how much weight was in the back, the crew likely did not know how much runway they would need to get airborne, whether they would have enough lift to clear the mountains surrounding Kabul, or whether they would take small arms fire from the Taliban on their way out.”

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Taylor Swift is the darling of young women everywhere – unless her tour announcement ruins your wedding.

One engaged couple had a block of hotel rooms reserved at a hotel near Foxborough, Massachusetts for next May – and their wedding happened to coincide with Swift’s tour stop at nearby Gillette Stadium. So the hotel canceled the room reservations in anticipation of making bank on Swifties traveling in for the show.

BUT WAIT: After some pressure from local media, the hotel’s management relented, reinstated the block, comped the couple’s room, and is providing free use of their meeting rooms for the wedding parties before the nuptials.

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A newly-discovered black hole that’s ten times more massive than the sun is a quick 1,600 lightyears away from Earth – making it the closest known black hole to Earth.

The discovery was a collaboration between the European Space Agency and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the International Gemini Observatory in Hawaii.

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Keep an eye out tomorrow night for a “Blood Moon” in some parts of the country – when the alignment of the Earth, Sun, and moon cause the moon to appear reddish in color.

It will actually be at its reddest early in the morning, after 4:00 am Tuesday.

BY THE WAY: If you’re the type to look for signs and omens, perhaps the moon’s color portends well for a specific political party during tomorrow’s midterm elections.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow added 401 points (1.26%) on Friday to close at 32,403. Year to date it is down 4,181 points, or 11.43%. The S&P added 50 points (1.36%) to close at 3,770. It is down 1,026 points or more than one-fifth, 21.39%, since the start of the year. The Nasdaq added 132 points (1.28%) to close at 10,475. It is down 5,357 points or more than one-third, 33.84%, since the start of the year.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate ticked up to over $92 a barrel Friday. Brent Crude was over $98.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.80 on Sunday.

₿ Bitcoin lost more than $180 Sunday and was trading around $21,110.

🛩 There were 2,782 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States Sunday and 153 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

Weekend Box Office

10. Terrifier 2: $1.2 million (down from 8)

9. Halloween Ends: $1.4 million (down from 5)

8. Till: $1.8 million (down from 6)

7. The Banshees of Inisherin: $2 million (up from 13)

6. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: $3.3 million (up from 7)

5. Prey for the Devil: $3.8 million (down from 3)

4. Smile: $4 million (stayed at 4)

3. Ticket to Paradise: $8.5 million (down from 2)

2. One Piece Film: Red: $9.4 million (new)

1. Black Adam: $18.5 million (stayed at 1)

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DEATHS

AARON CARTER has died.

The singer was reportedly found dead at his home in Lancaster, California on Saturday. Multiple sources told Page Six that his house sitter found his body in a bathtub. An official cause of death won’t be known until an autopsy is performed.

He was 34.

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RAY GUY has died.

The legendary NFL punter passed away Thursday. No cause of death was announced.

He was 72.

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BABY NEWS

Actor ZACHERY TY BRYAN (“Home Improvement”), 41, and his fiance, model JOHNNIE FAY, 29, are expecting twins.

The news comes just seven months after they welcomed their first child, Kennedy.

Bryan also shares twin daughters Taylor and Gemma and daughter Jordana and son Pierce, with his ex-wife CARLY MATROS, whom he divorced in 2020.

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SICK BAY

Duran Duran guitarist ANDY TAYLOR is suffering from stage 4 prostate cancer. His bandmates revealed the news during their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech on Saturday night.

The 61-year-old was unable to attend the event but did send along a letter that stated his diagnosis should not “detract from what this band (with or without me) has achieved and sustained for 44 years.”

Taylor was a member of the band from 1980 to 1986 and 2001 to 2006.

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THE SWAMP

Who is running this country?

On a campaign stop in California, President JOE BIDEN told a crowd that ACKSHUALLY, wind and solar power is more affordable to operate than coal. He told the crowd, “We’re gonna be shutting down these [coal] plants all across America, and having wind and solar.”

WORTH NOTING: The only reason wind and solar might operationally cost less is because of the burdensome cost of regulatory environmental compliance placed on coal power plants. But they’re nowhere near as efficient as coal plants.

Democrat Senator JOE MANCHIN issued a blistering statement blasting Biden’s remarks, saying his comments “are not only outrageous and divorced from reality, they ignore the severe economic pain the American people are feeling because of rising energy costs,” and, “It seems [Biden’s] positions change depending on the audience and the politics of the day. Politicizing our nation’s energy policies would only bring higher prices and more pain for the American people.”

White House Media Commissar KARINE JEAN-PIERRE swooped in to backtrack – sort of, saying that Biden’s statements were “twisted to suggest a meaning that was not intended; he regrets if anyone hearing these remarks took offense.”

WORTH ASKING: So what did he mean when he said, “we’re gonna be shutting down these plants all across America”? How does a coal miner get a job at a windmill farm? By picking up the carcasses of all the birds that windmills kill?

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Do you own a gun?

President JOE BIDEN doesn’t want you to have any. While campaigning in Pennsylvania over the weekend, Biden told a crowd that gun regulation will be a major policy initiative after midterms, saying, “Ban them! Ban them! Ban them! They have no place in America!”

WORTH ASKING: Does this sound extreme and hyperbolic? Absolutely – because it is. And if it weren’t the exact agenda for the Biden White House after midterms, the president’s handlers in the White House would’ve walked it back, as they do over and over. And over.

MEANWHILE: In another weekend campaign rally moment, Biden lied and told the crowd he cut the federal debt in half.

INCORRECT: When Biden took office the national debt was $27.7 trillion. It’s now $31.2 trillion. That’s a 12% increase.

WORTH ASKING: Was he lying? Did he mean the deficit and not the debt? Does he know the difference? Are we just not supposed to ask these questions because he has a stutter? Or is he a feeble-minded, dementia-addled dipstick who was never very bright to begin with and scheistered his way into the presidency on a career of lies and distortions?

MEANWHILE, IN NEW YORK: At a campaign rally for New York Governor KATHY HOCHUL last night, Biden addressed the concerns of a climate protestor.

“No more drilling,” he said. “There is no more drilling. I haven’t formed any new drilling.”

WATCH:

Greg Price @greg_price11

Biden to what is presumably a climate protester in the audience: "No more drilling. There is no more drilling. I haven't formed any new drilling."

WORTH ASKING: How does a man who promises “no more drilling” expect gas prices to go down? And how long for whoever is actually running the country to walk this one back too?

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REMEMBER WHEN you were told that Justice AMY CONEY-BARRETT would be a Trump-apologist fascist stooge for the far-right?

Late last week she denied an emergency application to block President JOE BIDEN’s blanket student loan forgiveness program.

WORTH REMEMBERING: Without any Congressional oversight or input, Biden unilaterally authorized a program to relieve up to $20,000 in student loan debt per American borrower earlier this year. He recently lied and said he got this measure passed through Congress by just a few votes. That isn’t true.

BUT WAIT: An 8th Circuit judge has granted a stay in a separate case to pause forgiveness. Once the dust settles on midterms, expect this issue to return front-and-center to be battled in the courts.

BY THE WAY: The petition Coney-Barrett rejected was filed in the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Each Supreme Court justice oversees the emergency applications for one or two of the thirteen circuits.

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LOTTERY

No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $154 million jackpot or a $74.7 million cash payout.

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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing is for a $1.9 BILLION jackpot or a $929.1 million cash payout – a new record.

WE DIDN’T DO THE MATH, BUT: One guy on Twitter says the jackpot is “so high that if you bought every single combination, as long as you are the sole winner, you would still walk away with around $198 million after the lump sum.”

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

Actor AARON PAUL (“Breaking Bad”) has filed a petition to change his seven-month-old son’s name from Casper Emerson to Ryder Caspian, which they have called him since bringing him home from the hospital.

Paul explained to Page Six that they were “required to give a name at the hospital and went with Casper Emerson,” but later came up with a “better” name.

He also wants to change his and his wife’s last name to match their children. The actor goes by Aaron Paul professionally, but his real last name is Sturtevant.

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MARTHA STEWART called out MARIAH CAREY for rushing to celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving.

“You cannot give up Thanksgiving just ‘cause you don't like turkey!” Stewart said on “The Today Show” last week, in response to Mariah’s Instagram video showing her transitioning from Halloween to Christmas on November 1.

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MIKE TYSON took a tumble while learning how to skateboard with pro-skater TONY HAWK on an episode of his “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.”

When the 56-year-old jumped on the board, all appeared to be okay, until he lost his balance, fell backward, knocking into a chair and a makeshift wall. He ended up seated in the chair, acting like nothing had happened.

Many may recall that in 2015 Tyson took a spill off a hoverboard that landed him on bed rest for a week.

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KID ROCK called out OPRAH WINFREY over the weekend after she announced her support for JOHN FETTERMAN over her long-time friend and former protege DR. MEHMET OZ in Pennsylvania’s senate race.

“Oprah helped Dr. Oz with his career. I assume because she vetted him and found him to be a wonderful person. Now she is against him. Oprah is a fraud,” he tweeted Saturday.

Many may recall that Dr. Oz rose to fame as a health expert on Oprah’s show. He then launched his own show in 2009, which was produced by Oprah’s production company.

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“Yellowstone” star WES BENTLEY says actor ROBERT DOWNEY JR. “saved” him from his heroin addiction.

The 44-year-old told Page Six that he began using drugs and alcohol to cope with the pressures and sudden success he found as a young actor. His drug abuse went on for years until it finally caught up with him in 2008 when he was arrested for heroin possession. He was ordered into counseling and a 12-step program, but says he continued to relapse.

Then in 2009, Bentley says he was able to accept help and “embrace sobriety,” crediting Downey Jr.’s openness with his own struggles as motivation.

Many may recall that Downey Jr. battled alcohol and drug addiction for decades before finally getting sober in 2003.

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The ladies of Salt-N-Pepa pushed it all the way to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where they were honored with their own stars on Friday.

It was the first time the iconic hip-hop group from the ‘80s, made up of CHERYL “Salt” JAMES, SANDRA “Pepa” DENTON and DEIDRA “DJ Spinderella” ROPER, were all together since 2019.

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KEVIN FARLEY is working on a new graphic novel based on his late brother, CHRIS FARLEY’s life.

The graphic novel will feature stories from Chris and Kevin’s childhood and touch on the former’s performances at the Arc Theater in Wisconsin and Chicago’s Second City.

“Growing Up Farley” will hit shelves in 2023.

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CASTING CALL

DAVE CHAPPELLE will return to host “SNL” next weekend.

Joining him for his third go-round will be musical guest BIG STAR.

Chappelle appeared as host in November 2020 and November 2016 -- both times after presidential elections.

This time, his hosting duties follow the 2022 midterm elections.

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“Whose Line Is It Anyway?” will wrap its 12th and final season this spring on the CW.

Longtime star COLIN MOCHRIE tweeted about the news, telling followers that filming on the final season will commence in January.

Along with Mochrie, the improvisational comedy show stars WAYNE BRADY, RYAN STILES and AISHA TYLER.

The show originally aired on ABC and ABC Family from 1998 to 2007 before being revived by the CW in 2013.

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HBO unexpectedly canceled sci-fi drama “Westworld” after four seasons on Friday.

The news comes a month after creator JONAH NOLAN told Deadline that he was “hoping” and “planning” for a fifth and final season.

No word on why the cancellation.

Based on the 1973 film of the same name, the series follows wealthy vacationers visiting a futuristic amusement park that allows them to explore their deepest fantasies. It premiered in October 2016.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KIM KARDASHIAN and KANYE WEST appear to be back on speaking terms.

The two were spotted chatting on the sidelines of their son SAINT’s flag football game at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.

As previously reported, the exes were not speaking to each other after Ye’s social media rants and bullying.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

QUEEN ELIZABETH made a new friend just weeks before her passing: actor TOM CRUISE.

A source told the Sunday Times of London that the two “really hit it off” over the summer when he was honored with a private tour of Windsor Castle and treated to tea with the Queen.

She enjoyed Cruise’s company so much that he was given an opportunity to “fire a ceremonial gun,” according to the insider.

Earlier this summer, Cruise spoke about Her Majesty at the Platinum Jubliee’s Gallop Through History equine pageant, calling her “someone who has tremendous dignity” and “devotion.”

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SPORTS

IMG Academy’s football team, from Bradenton, Florida, stomped their opponents, West Toronto Prep, so badly on Friday night that the game was called off at halftime.

At half, IMG was up 96 to 0.

Maybe West Toronto Prep hands out participation trophies?

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Hug a Bear day

National Broadcast Traffic Professionals Day

Job Action Day

National Bittersweet Chocolate Day

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ON THIS DATE

1776 – Benjamin Franklin's son-in-law is handed the reins of the Post Office by Congress.

Franklin spent years developing an institutionalized communication system across the American colonies. In 1737 he was named Postmaster General.

He became the postmaster general of all colonies in 1753, before being fired in 1774 after he opened the correspondence of a British Royal governor.

Some of Franklin's innovations included overnight postal routes between New York and Philadelphia and a system of charging based on rate and distance.

Franklin gave up the post when he was assigned an ambassadorship to France.

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1874 – A cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly depicts the Republican Party as a giant elephant. It's considered the first use of the image to symbolize the Grand Old Party.

A fox was used to portray the Democratic Party. A different cartoon by Nast in which the Democratic Party was symbolized by a donkey would solidify that image--the ass--as a representation of the Left.

The red-and-blue map—red for the GOP, blue for the Democrats—would be commonly adopted after the 2000 presidential election.

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1914 – The first issue of left-leaning The New Republic is published.

The editorial board held strong stances on domestic and foreign government intervention. In 1917, the magazine encouraged America to enter World War I with the Allies.

After the Russian Revolution, TNR was largely supportive of Soviet policies, but moved to the mainstream with the advent of the Cold War.

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1944 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected to his fourth term as president.

He beat out Thomas Dewey, who was governor of New York, which was the office FDR held before running for President.

Franklin was a fifth cousin to turn-of-the-century president Teddy Roosevelt.

Three months into his final term, FDR died. After his death, Congress passed term limit legislation, which limited the amount of time a president could spend in office to two terms.

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1983 – A bomb detonates inside the US Capitol, near the second floor of the Senate side.

The blast took off the door of Robert Byrd’s office and shattered the glass of the republican cloakroom. Damage estimates neared $250,000. No one was injured, and no structural damage was inflicted.

The alleged perpetrators were members of the Armed Resistance Unit, who were protesting American intervention in Granada and Lebanon.

Radical leftist Linda Evans was sentenced to 40 years for planning the attack. Bill Clinton commuted her sentence on his last day in office.

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2000 – Americans go to the polls in what would become one of the closest elections in history.

George W. Bush eventually beat out Al Gore, though the former Texas governor lost the popular vote.

The victory came after the Supreme Court intervened to end vote recounts in Florida.

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2020 - Four days after election day, former Vice President Joe Biden is declared the president.

He defeated sitting President Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris makes history on this date as the first woman and first woman of color to be elected as VP.

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BIRTHDAYS

Natasha Zaborski - actress, “My Perfect Landing” - 15

Amybeth McNulty - actress, “Anne of Green Gables” - 21

Dara Renee - actress, “Black-ish” & “Freaky Friday” - 22

Lorde - pop singer - 26

Reece James - soccer player - 29

Ronen Rubinstein - actor, “Dead of Summer” & “Orange Is the New Black” - 29

David de Gea - soccer player - 32

Adam DeVine - actor, “Modern Family” & “Pitch Perfect” - 39

Rio Ferdinand - soccer player - 44

David Guetta - DJ - 55

Tommy Thayer - guitarist, KISS - 62

Christopher Knight - actor, “Brady Bunch” - 65

Joni Mitchell - folk singer - 79

Born On This Date

Billy Graham - religious leader - 1918 (d. 2018)

Marie Curie - physicist & first woman to win a Nobel Prize - 1867 (d. 1934)

James Cook - explorer - 1728 (d. 1779)

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