12/10/2025: Sweaty Seatmates
PLUS: Tariff Talk; Pam & Liam; and Golf Course Rebrand
Today is Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
It is the 344th day of the year.
21 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: A.I. finds an innovative and useful, crime-fighting application.
ZACH BROWN’s Sphere show raises eyebrows. Details in SHOWBIZ.
An early end for KRISTIN CHENOWETH’s latest show. Details in CASTING CALL.
An historic golf club in Scotland rebrands in ex-PRINCE ANDREW’s destructive wake. Details in ROYALS.
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TARIFF TALK
Canadian provinces still holding onto American liquor say they’re going to sell it off and give proceeds to charity.
Most provinces stopped importing American hooch when tariffs went into effect earlier this year. Some province-owned stores even pulled inventory from their shelves (even though they already paid for the bottles). Two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, still import American alcohol; their liquor stores are still privately operated.
The provinces of Manitoba and Nova Scotia say they have a combined inventory worth 17.4 million Canadian Dollars (about $12.5 USD). They’re going to sell that stock to restaurants and bars and give the proceeds to various causes.
Ontario, home to the most populous Canadian city of Toronto, still has about 80 million Canadian Dollars worth of inventory without any plan in mind for the stock. So they sure showed Trump! [via BBC]
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Transportation Secretary SEAN DUFFY is floating the idea of exercise areas in airports for flyers to do pullups and step-ups while waiting for their next flight. He says getting blood moving and exercise might ease some of the tension.
WORTH ASKING: He also wants people to dress up to fly – so are they changing into shorts to crank out some sweaty reps on a bacteria-laden bar?
WHAT WON’T EASE THE TENSION: When that out-of-breath sweat factory jams his greasy hocks in the middle seat next to you and judges you for wearing sweatpants because you just want to be comfortable during an already hellacious experience.
WORTH NOTING: Duffy is good on issues like ensuring illegal immigrants who can’t read road signs don’t have Commercial Driver Licenses. His flying reformation campaign is delusional.
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Police departments are increasingly applying A.I. technology to create images of unidentified suspects. But rather than replacing sketch artists completely, officers see A.I. as a modernization of the techniques used in the past.
Most recently, Phoenix-area police released an AI-generated image based on the same questions and techniques a traditional composite sketch would require. As the Washington Post reports, “They interviewed a witness, drew a sketch based on that testimony and fed it into ChatGPT to produce a lifelike image.”
The officer who created the image says he typically produces between five and seven traditional sketches a year, and that they rarely lead to any public response. But after first trying the A.I.-enhanced method in April, the department was flooded with tips – though none of those tips have led to an arrest … yet. [via Washington Post]
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Saudi Arabia is loosening its strict ban on sales of alcohol, but it’ll still be hard to come by.
The new law will allow non-Muslim foreign residents to buy booze, but only if they earn at least the equivalent of $13,300 per month. (That’s well above the average salary of $2,750 a month).
Still, there will only be one liquor store in the entire country, in the capital of Riyadh. Those who want to buy alcohol will have to show a certificate proving their income even to be allowed inside. [via New York Post]
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On Tuesday, Australia instituted a total ban on social media for kinds under 16. And they’re probably on to something.
A new study suggests a direct link between screen time and ADHD diagnoses in kids. Researchers followed more than 8,000 children aged nine and ten in the United States for four years. They conclude that “it is specifically social media that affects children’s ability to concentrate.”
Over the four years of the study, the typical participant increased daily social media use from 30 minutes to more than 2.5 hours – and that’s before any other kind of screen time. [via Futurism]
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DEATHS
Professional wrestler STEVE REGAL – better known as Mr. Electricity – has died.
No cause of death has been shared.
He was 73.
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RAUL MALO has died.
“The Mavericks” frontman spent the last year battling cancer. His bandmates announced his passing Tuesday on social media.
He was 60.
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BABY NEWS
JUSTIN THEROUX is expecting his first baby with wife NICOLE BRYDON BLOOM.
They married in March in Mexico. He’s 54, she’s 31.
People magazine first reported the news – no other details have been shared.
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THE SWAMP
– TRUMP ON THE STUMP: PRESIDENT TRUMP headed to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, for a campaign-style rally to tout his progress on the economy, at a time when most Americans still don’t feel any relief from five years of inflation and unfettered illegal immigration. Chief of Staff SUZIE WILES says Trump will be campaigning hard in 2026 ahead of the midterms, with many more similar rallies to come. “There’s every reason to be confident,” she says, adding, “but we have to actually get it done.”
– The Senate will vote on Thursday for a healthcare reform package. The legislation would shift direct payments for Obamacare-subsidized plans from insurance companies into individual Health Savings Accounts. It appears to be in line with PRESIDENT TRUMP’s larger reform strategy. The bill will also require states to verify citizenship and immigration status before starting Medicaid coverage, ensuring illegal immigrants don’t earn benefits. It would also fully ban government funded sex change surgeries under Medicaid.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW ⬇️ fell 179 points (0.38%) to close at 47,560 on Tuesday. The S&P ⬇️ ticked down 6 points (0.08%) to close at 6,840 and the NASDAQ ⬆️ gained 30 points (0.13%) to close at 23,576.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $58; BRENT CRUDE at $62.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $2.94 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN gained on Tuesday, up over 2.2% and trading around $92.7k.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $930 million jackpot or a $429 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
GWYNETH PALTROW is in the news this week as she promotes her forthcoming movie, “Marty Supreme.”
– Over the weekend, she shared her son MOSES MARTIN’s first single with his band “People I’ve Met,” called “Promise.” In the video, he’s a lookalike for famous dad CHRIS MARTIN. The song sounds a lot like a moody, synth-heavy Coldplay track, too.
– On Monday, Moses joined Gwyn on the red carpet for the “Marty Supreme” premiere, towering over his mother.
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Attendees at Zach Bryan’s latest shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas have found themselves confused over the fiery hellscape displayed as part of the “Love & Fear”-titled show.
At one point, a giant skeleton surrounded by flames appears on the massive, massive immersive screen – an odd look for Bryan’s reputably low-key music and vibes. The singer even puts on a silver bone crown during the “fear” part of the set.
While some fans accused him of Satan-worship for the visuals, others were just a little miffed. One Instagram user writes, “Imagining going to the Zac Brown concert to hear him sing about cold beer on a Friday night and then just screaming in terror for 2 hours straight at giant fiery skeletons trying to grab me.” [via Metro]
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PAMELA ANDERSON finally clears up the record about her rumored fling with LIAM NEESON in an interview with People magazine.
She says they were “romantically involved for a short while” after filming the latest “Naked Gun” reboot. The steamiest things got was a weeklong getaway at his house in upstate New York – where they had separate rooms and even invited family and assistants to come by.
But after the week, Anderson says, “we went our separate ways to work on other films.” She adds, “I adore Liam, but we are better friends, in full honesty.” [via People]
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In her latest short-lived Instagram post that she soon deleted, BRITNEY SPEARS says she injured herself during a birthday boat trip in Mexico.
“Did a flip off the boat but I hurt myself,” she captioned a video of herself dancing in front of the camera in a hot pink bikini. The video cut out just as she was untying the back of her top.
A friend close to Brit tells RadarOnline that she’s not returning texts or calls.
In an evergreen statement, an unnamed family member of Spears tells Daily Mail, “There are a lot of red flags right now, her behavior is disturbing, and we don’t really know what to do next.” [via Radar Online]
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“Love & Hip Hop” star ERICA BANKS was busted for drugs on Monday during a routine traffic stop.
After she was pulled over, cops found ecstasy in the car – enough to nail her with intent to distribute.
She could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Earlier this year, Banks was busted by the TSA at Atlanta’s airport for packing a stolen gun in her carry-on (not that a legally owned gun would be allowed, either). [via The Sun]
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CASTING CALL
Director JAMES CAMERON says the studio financing his “Avatar” films initially pushed back when he wanted to break up one of the planned scripts into two films.
After the original success of “Avatar” in 2009, Cameron got to work on writing three more movies. But the plan for the first of those three was too much to fit into one script – so it turned into “The Way of Water,” which came out in 2022, and “Fire and Ash,” out on December 19.
Cameron tells Variety that when the studio pushed back on the plan, “My counterargument was, ‘Wait a minute. What part of you getting another chance to make $2 billion is in question here?’”
WORTH REMEMBERING: The original “Avatar” is the highest-grossing movie of all time adjusted for inflation, with $2.9 BILLION. Its sequel grossed $2.3 BILLION (third-place-all-time). [via Variety]
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“CBS Mornings” co-anchor TONY DOKOUPIL will be the next face of “CBS Evening News.”
The appointment is the latest shakeup under new management at CBS, helmed by BARI WEISS.
Dokoupil is expected to start helming the evening news desk early next year. [via Mediaite]
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KRISTIN CHENOWETH’s Broadway musical “The Queen of Versailles” is a total dud.
When the play officially opened on November 9, ticket sellers were booking seats all the way through March 29. After a disappointing early run, the final performance was moved up to January 4.
But that performance has now been cancelled, too. The last show will be December 21. [via EW]
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OCCASIONAL KARDASHOPUS
KYLIE JENNER and boyfriend TIMOTHEE CHALAMET put split-rumors to rest at the premier of his new movie “Marty Supreme.” The couple walked the red carpet in color-coordinated orange outfits.
They were last spotted together in public at a New York Yankees game two months ago, looking none-too-thrilled to be together. One insider tells The Sun that Kylie “is determined to have her Hollywood Star boyfriend, she was awestruck by the elusive and exclusivity of it.” [via The Sun]
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KHLOE KARDASHIAN is looking for love on Instagram. While the 41-year-old says she’s happy staying single for now, she still flirts online.
When a guy in California posted about his search for a mate and all he brings to the table – “Full-time teacher … Former collegiate athlete … Coaches soccer, track, & football … Active + disciplined … Cooks.” He added, “Somewhere out there is the woman who’s gonna ask how my school day was.”
Khloe replied, “How was your day??” [via The Sun]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
St Andrews Links in Scotland is home to one of the world’s oldest golf courses. Players have teed up on its grounds for more than 500 years. It is named, of course, for St. Andrew, one of Jesus’ first disciples, and not the disgraced former prince.
So setting aside that bit of confusion, one of the courses at the modern St. Andrews Links facility was named in honor of ex-PRINCE ANDREW, called “The Duke’s Course.” He was on hand in 1995 to open the course and became the captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, based at St Andrews.
Even though there’s not an obvious name-connection with The Duke’s Course, St Andrews (the golf club) is renaming the course anyway. It’ll instead be called the Craigtoun Course, named for a nearby country park.
The official name change goes into effect January 5. [via BBC]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Dewey Decimal System Day
Nobel Prize Day
International Animal Rights Day
Human Rights Day
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ON THIS DATE
1778 - John Jay becomes the President of the Continental Congress, having previously served as a delegate.
Jay was known for favoring independence in the colonies but was weary of a complete split from Britain.
Nonetheless, he would eventually be named the first Chief Justice by George Washington, and later negotiated the Jay Treaty in 1794 to settle ongoing military and commercial disputes between the US and Britain.
He would finish his political life as Governor of New York from 1797 to 1801.
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1884 - The “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain is first published in the UK and Canada.
It wouldn’t be published in the US until the following February due to a printing error.
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1901 - Five years after the death of Alfred Nobel, the first of his namesake prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.
The fields were physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
Nobel himself most notably invented dynamite and the science of controlled explosions. He willed his tremendous fortune to those who benefited mankind.
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1915 - Ford produces its one millionth vehicle, a Model T, at a Detroit plant.
It was a milestone that was unexpectedly overlooked. Only later, in an internal newsletter, did the company note the milestone.
Nine years later the ten-millionth car was paraded around to much fanfare, traveling from coast to coast.
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1936 - King Edward VIII abdicates the Throne.
In order to circumvent the traditional, ceremonial, political, and religious obligations of the monarchy, Edward would have to leave power in order to marry American commoner Wallis Simpson.
The Church of England dictated that divorced people could not marry again as long as their ex was still living. As to not cause dangerous precedent, Edward left his station as head of the Church of England.
He was succeeded by George VI. Some of the drama was depicted in the movie, “The King’s Speech.”
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1967 - Otis Redding and his band die in a plane crash over Lake Monona, just outside Madison, Wisconsin.
Severe weather was blamed for the accident, though the exact cause of the crash was not determined.
The wreckage and the bodies were found the next day.
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1971 - George Lucas establishes his production company, Lucasfilm Limited, in San Francisco.
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2012 - Johnny Manziel is awarded the 78th Heisman Trophy.
The QB from Texas A&M was the first freshman to win the award.
Four years later…
Lamar Jackson is awarded the Heisman Trophy.
At only 19, he is the youngest player to win the honor.
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2019 - The first fully electric commercial plane completes a test flight in Vancouver, Canada.
The retro-fitted seaplane, housing a 750-horsepower electric motor built by US firm magniX, flew above the Fraser River for about seven minutes before touching down.
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BIRTHDAYS
Joe Burrow - football player - 29
Teyana Taylor - singer & actress, “All’s Fair” - 35
Raven-Symone - actress, “The Cosby Show” & “That’s So Raven” - 40
Patrick Flueger - actor, “Chicago P.D.” - 42
Meg White - drummer, The White Stripes - 51
Rob Blake - HOF hockeyplayer - 56
Bobby Flay - celebrity chef - 61
Kenneth Branagh - actor & filmmaker - 65
Jack Huews - singer - 71
Susan Dey - actress, “Partridge Family” - 73
Born On This Date
Michael Clarke Duncan - actor, “The Green Mile” - 1957 (d. 2012)
Tommy Kirk - actor, “Old Yeller” - 1941 (d. 2021)
Melvil Dewey - created Dewey Decimal System - 1851 (d. 1931)
Emily Dickinson - poet - 1830 (d. 1886)
Ada Lovelace - mathematician - 1815 (d. 1852)
William Lloyd Garrison - abolitionist & publisher, “The Liberator” - 1805 (d. 1879)
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