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12/1/2022: Crook Crack

PLUS: SBF Bares All; Dems Get Don’s Taxes; and Royal Resignation

Dec 1, 2022

Today is Thursday, December 1, 2022.

It is the 335th day of the year.

30 days remain.

HIT LIST

China’s Communist government has employed armored vehicles and SUVs to the streets near weekend protests in a show of force to dissuade further dissent.

An official statement from the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission said the government will “resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces.”

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Disgraced cryptodork and Democrat megadonor SAM BANKMAN-FRIED made some stunning revelations during an interview as part of the New York Times Dealbook summit. SBF appeared through a video link from the Bahamas.

SBF says he has “close to nothing” in personal net worth after the crash of his company, FTX, including one working credit card and a bank account with approximately $100,000. All of his wealth, he said, came from the value of FTX.

For the larger scheme of misused client money, SBF claimed ignorance – that he hadn’t kept his eye on subsidiary Alameda Research, despite it being the entire FTX operation’s main profit center. This, he said, was a “massive failure of oversight of risk management.”

Obviously.

When asked if his lawyers supported his talking to the media, SBF said they’re absolutely opposed to it. He then tried to win sympathy by saying having an open discussion about the entire catastrophe is the right thing to do. Meanwhile, his former clients are still missing billions of dollars.

BUT WAIT: SBF said the “effective altruism” mentality that won him the support of leftist politicians was a total charade – much like the sob story about doing good by FTX stakeholders now. He described corporations engaging in politically correct talk and initiatives as little more than “a PR campaign masquerading as dogooderism.”

IT GETS WORSE: SBF admitted that when he chatted with a Vox journalist earlier this month, he thought he was talking to a longtime friend, and not dishing to someone who would make their conversation public.

WORTH ASKING: If you’re this socially inept, how can you possibly handle running a multi-billion dollar company?

MEANWHILE: Regulatory chiefs in the European Union reportedly told ELON MUSK on Wednesday morning that unless Twitter complies with the EU’s speech laws, they won’t allow anyone on the continent to even use it.

The Financial Times reports that Twitter could not have an “arbitrary” approach to reinstating suspended accounts.

WORTH NOTING: They certainly didn’t have a problem with the “arbitrary” suspension of accounts.

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Convicted murderer Darrell Brooks will appeal his conviction for killing six people and injuring dozens more when he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin last year.

An official appeal has not yet been submitted, but he filed a letter of intent to do so on Tuesday.

One criminal defense attorney tells local media that part of Brooks’ appeal could claim ineffective counsel, even though he represented himself.

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Crooks in Portland did better than just rob an ATM – they took the whole machine!

Video shows a white van driving through the plate glass windows in the front of the store, then crawling through the debris to pick up the ATM. One thief’s full buttcrack was hilariously on display while bending over to pick it up.

WATCH:

Police note that one of the robbers had an ostentatiously-patterned jacket on, hoping the unique design will help draw the public’s attention.

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The Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport is demanding that the British Museum return the Rosetta Stone.

The artifact has played a central role in deciphering hieroglyphics and other ancient languages since its discovery in 1799. At first, French forces under Napoleon took possession of the stone, but it was handed over to the Brits as part of a French surrender plan when they were defeated in Egypt two years later. It’s been the UK’s property since.

British officials say the peace treaty that granted them the stone was signed off by an Egyptian official at the time, and therefore can’t be considered a “spoil of war” in international law.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow had an afternoon rally, gaining 737 points (2.18%) on news the Fed will likely slow the pace of interest rate hikes; it closed at 34,589. The S&P picked up 122 points (3.09%) to close at 4,080 while the Nasdaq added 484 points (4.41%) to close at 11,468.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate ticked up over $80. Brent Crude closed at $86.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.49 on Wednesday.

₿ Bitcoin surged more than $700 Wednesday evening, with a jump timed to SBF’s appearance at the New York Times Dealbook Summit. It traded over $17,100.

🛩 There were 4,407 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and 515 such cancellations, as snowy weather hit major areas.

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CHARTS

A new promo for the 2023 Invictus Games, featuring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, dropped on Wednesday.

The event, founded by Harry in 2014, is an international multi-sport event for the wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

The 2023 Invictus Games will be held in Germany for the first time.

Watch>>>

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DEATHS

Fleetwood Mac vocalist and keyboardist CHRISTINE MCVIE has died.

She passed away Wednesday from a short illness, according to the band’s Twitter page. No further details were shared.

She was 79.

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SICK BAY

BILL CLINTON has covid.

The former president tested positive on Wednesday and is experiencing mild symptoms, according to a tweet.

He is vaccinated and boosted.

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THE SWAMP

America’s Governor RON DESANTIS is taking the next big unofficial step toward announcing his candidacy for president: he’s publishing a book called “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival,” due out in February.

Former Vice President MIKE PENCE dropped his own memoir earlier this week and likely Republican candidate MIKE POMPEO has a book out in January.

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House Democrats have received six years of former President DONALD TRUMP’s tax returns, including those filed while he was in office.

Expect them to be released to the public when it’s most politically advantageous for Democrats, if they don’t leak before then.

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $333 million jackpot or a $172.3 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

“Good Morning America” co-anchors AMY ROBACH and TJ HOLMES have reportedly been having an affair since earlier this year.

A source told Page Six that the two started a romance in March, around the time they were training for the New York City half marathon. They were also spotted “canoodling” in bars in May.

Producers of the morning news show were reportedly “shocked” to hear about the affair, according to the insider.

Robach and Holmes are still married, though split from their respective partners in August.

After news of their affair broke, the two deactivated their Instagram accounts.

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Boston radio personality BILLY COSTA says reality star TERESA GIUDICE the “rudest person” he has ever interviewed.

The “Real Housewives” star appeared on his morning show this week to promote an event she is hosting in the area. All appeared to be going well until Costa asked about her 11-month prison stint, which is when Teresa got defensive and verbally “attacked” him.

Teresa’s rep quickly shut down the interview.

It’s safe to say Costa and crew will not be attending her event.

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PINK dropped $5,000 on a painting at Miami Art Week.

According to Page Six, the singer purchased a piece titled “Art by Patty & Kramer,” named in honor of the chimpanzees who created it.

The abstract painting is part of the “first-ever exhibit of art by chimpanzees.” All purchases benefit the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.

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JENNA BUSH HAGER told “What What Happens Live” host ANDY COHEN that she went commando during her dinner with KING CHARLES, which took place the night before his mother, QUEEN ELIZABETH passed away.

“My dress -- it was a beautiful, tight dress, it would’ve shown!” she exclaimed

Hager was recently exposed by her “Today with Hoda and Jenna” co-host HODA KOTB for “never wearing underwear.”

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COURTENEY COX surprised some “Friends” fans who were taking photos on the show’s iconic orange couch (the one from Central Perk) at Warner Bros’ Embassy Courtyard in Los Angeles this week.

Cox, who starred as Monica Geller, popped up behind the group, appearing in every snapshot unbeknownst to them.

When they finally realized who had photobombed them, the group of fans started screaming and crying before excitedly hugging the actress.

Cox shared the whole thing on her Instagram.

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CHEVY CHASE channeled his inner Clark Griswold for some festive fun at a Raising Cane’s restaurant in Morton Grove, Illinois this week.

The “Christmas Vacation” star recreated one of the movie’s most famous scenes by plugging together two extension cords to light up the more than 13,000 lights attached to the eatery.

He then drove off in the iconic wood-paneled Queen Family Truckster station wagon.

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Spotify launched its 2022 Wrapped campaign yesterday, announcing the platform’s top artists, songs, albums and podcasts of the year.

Leading the pack for the third year in a row was BAD BUNNY, who generated more than 18.5 billion streams so far this year. His album “Un Verano Sin Ti” was the No. 1 most-streamed album worldwide this year.

TAYLOR SWIFT was the platform’s second most-streamed artist, though she took the top spot for most-streamed female artist.

Rounding out the top five were DRAKE, THE WEEKND and BTS.

The most-streamed song was HARRY STYLES’ “As It Was,” with more than 1.6 billion streams.

For podcasts, “The Joe Rogan Experience” took the top spot, just as it did in 2021.

ALSO: Spotify listeners were able to access their own personalized Wrapped, which showed what they most enjoyed listening to over the past year.

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CASTING CALL

ALEXANDRA DEAN, the producer of “Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies,” says she believes CASEY ANTHONY’s grief is “genuine” when it comes to her daughter’s death.

Dean told PEOPLE magazine that she decided to make the docuseries because she felt Anthony needed “a fair shake” after having been “given the tabloid treatment.”

Social media users adamantly disagree with Dean’s opinion. After the doc dropped on Peacock this week, social media was full of negative posts directed at and about Anthony, with several calling her a “great actor for the camera.”

For those unfamiliar -- NO SPOILERS HERE -- Anthony became a household name in 2008 after the disappearance of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, whose body was eventually found in a wooded area near her grandparents’ home. Anthony was charged with murder and than acquitted in 2011.

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Oscar-winning director ANG LEE has been working on a biopic about the late martial artist BRUCE LEE for years.

Playing the lead role will be his own son, actor MASON LEE, who has been in Asia for the last three years training in order to perfect the role.

In a statement about the film, Ang told Deadline that “Chinese-American Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world.”

WORTH NOTING: Ang and Mason are not related to Bruce.

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Netflix’s “Wednesday” topped the streamer’s Top 10 TV chart for last week with over 341 million hours viewed.

The series -- a spinoff of “The Addams Family” -- knocked “Stranger Things” Season 4 from the spot, which had 335 million hours.

More than 50 million households have watched the series since it premiered on November 23, according to the streamer.

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COURT CASES

Actor DANNY MASTERSON’s rape trial had ended in a mistrial after a jury remained deadlocked following two weeks of deliberations.

Masterson was facing 45-to-life after being charged with three counts of rape that occurred between 2001 and 2003. He denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty.

It is unknown if prosecutors will try him again.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KANYE WEST was spotted shopping with his eldest daughter NORTH WEST, who was wearing a shirt featuring the Star of David with a cross in the middle.

The shirt was part of the merchandise collection Ye released during his “Donda” album listening event last year.

Ye, who has been bashed over anti-Semitic remarks, said the design symbolizes “Chrisitanity being central to Judaism.”

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON arrived in Boston on Wednesday for a three-day visit before attending the Earthshot Prize ceremony on Friday.

After landing, they met with Mayor Michelle Wu and Caroline Kennedy at Boston City Hall. During their stop, William told the crowd how fond his late grandmother QUEEN ELIZABETH was of her 1976 Bicentennial visit to the city.

It is the first time the couple has been to the US since they visited New York in 2014.

There has been no mention of Will and Kate meeting up with PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE.

SPEAKING OF MEG: She chose yesterday to drop a video promoting next year’s Invictus Awards. Check out the video in Trending.

MEANWHILE: Back in the UK, senior royal aide LADY SUSAN HUSSEY, 83, who is also William’s godmother, resigned Wednesday after making “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments” during a Palace event.

According to the Sunday Times, Lady Hussey repeatedly questioned NGOZI FULANI, a Black domestic abuse campaigner, about where she was from. Even after Fulani stated that she was British, Hussey asked, “No but where do you really come from, where do your people come from?”

Hussey’s resignation came hours after Fulani tweeted about the conversation, saying she had “mixed feelings” about the event. She did not call out the staffer, referring to her only as “Lady SH.”

Prince William said he is “really disappointed” over the whole incident.

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SPORTS

MICHEAL VICK will star in an eight-part documentary series about the evolution of Black quarterbacks in America.

The show will feature Vick in conversation with former and current football players and coaches, including Patrick Mahomes, Cam Newton, Tony Dungy, Andy Reid and Doug Williams.

He will also speak to celebrities, journalists and cultural figures about their thoughts regarding the game and evolving culture.

Many may recall that Vick was the first African American QB to be drafted #1.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Cookie Cutter Day

World AIDS Day

National Eat A Red Apple Day

Day Without Art Day

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ON THIS DATE

1824 - By the power of the 12th amendment, the House of Representatives decides its first presidential election.

Neither John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, or Henry Clay received a majority of the Electoral Votes cast -- in which case Congress voted for the next commander-in-chief. While Jackson walked away initially with the most electoral votes, the Congress eventually voted in John Quincy Adams.

In the next election, Jackson beat Adams outright.

It was the first and only time Congress selected the president.

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1913 - Henry Ford's first moving assembly line starts rolling, which made mass production of a single automobile possible. His popularized innovation cut the production time of a car from 12 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Though the Model T had been a hot commodity in 1908, it was still too expensive. This new manufacturing process significantly reduced the costs of production and increased supply -- thereby cutting the cost to the consumer.

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1959 - Twelve nations agree to the Antarctica Treaty, by which the countries pledge not to deploy weapons or test weapons in Antarctica.

The US and Soviet Union both signed amidst the Cold War.

It would go into effect in June 1961.

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1990 - British and French drilling teams coming from opposite directions meet beneath the English Channel.

The Channel Tunnel would become known as the Chunnel. A treaty signed between the two nations in 1986 outlined the agreement to begin the project.

It took another 4 years of digging to complete the 95-mile trek.

The 31-mile shuttle train trip takes 20 minutes.

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2001 - The last Trans World Airlines flight lands in St. Louis, Missouri.

It was a ceremonial puddle jump, with CEO Captain William Compton flying the plane from Kansas City to St Louis.

TWA then merged with American Airlines.

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2017 – President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI.

In his plea agreement, Flynn admitted to lying to FBI agents about two discussions he had with a Russian ambassador to the US in December of the previous year.

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2019 – The earliest traceable patient, a 55-year-old man, develops symptoms of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.

It would be weeks before Chinese authorities officially acknowledged the infection.

Months later, a study published in the journal Science would claim that the actual patient-zero was a female seafood vendor who worked at an animal market in Wuhan.

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BIRTHDAYS

Robert Irwin - son of Steve Irwin - 19

Truitt Battin - soccer player - 22

Javier Baez - baseball player - 30

Tyler Joseph - rock singer, Twenty One Pilots - 34

Zoe Kravitz - actress, “The Brave One” & “Divergent” - 34

DeSean Jackson - football player - 36

Janelle Monae - soul singer - 37

Charles Michael Davis - actor, “The Originals” & “Grey’s Anatomy” - 38

Riz Ahmed - actor, “Jason Bourne” & “Venom” - 40

Brad Delson - guitarist, Linkin Park - 45

Sarah Silverman - comedian - 52

Deep Roy - actor, “Big Fish” & “Star Trek” - 65

Rick Scott - former FL governor - 70

Bette Midler - actress & singer - 77

Woody Allen - director - 87 *yesterday’s was incorrect*

Born On This Date

Drako - rapper - 1993 (d. 2021)

Richard Pryor - comedian - 1940 (d. 2005)

Madame Tussaud - founder of Madame Tussaud’s wax museum - 1761 (d. 1850)

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